Decoupage Workshop for Beginners in Somerset

Ready to get creative, get messy (just a little!), and give old furniture a fabulous new life?

Then this one-day decoupage adventure is for you!

Perfect for total beginners, crafty dabblers, or anyone who loves turning “meh” into “WOW!”, this workshop is packed with colour, creativity, and plenty of laughs.

✨ Here’s what we’ll get up to:
🖌️ Learn how to prep and pimp-up a small piece of furniture.
🎨 Play with different decoupage styles – from vintage chic to bold and bonkers.
🌊 Try out water marbling (yes, it’s as cool as it sounds!)
📸 Discover how to print and transfer your own images – so your dog, nan, or favourite holiday snap can become part of your masterpiece.
🧴 Learn sealing and finishing tricks so your creation stays looking fab for years to come.
🎁 By the end of the day, you’ll have your very own upcycled work of art to take home and show off with pride.

🛠️ What to bring:
🥪 A packed lunch and your fabulous self
🪑 A small piece of furniture – like a coffee table, stool, or bedside cupboard.

Don’t have a piece of furniture? Don’t want to bring one? No worries at all! We’ve got you covered with free wood sheets to practice on – perfect for learning new techniques, experimenting with ideas, and taking home a handmade bit of decoupage magic.

💡 Want a furniture project but don’t have one?

We usually have a few small pre-loved pieces available. Let us know in advance, and for just £5–£15 (the cost we paid), you can adopt one to work on and take home!

🧰 We supply all the materials – just bring your imagination and a sense of fun!

Come and join us for a full-on crafty day of sticking, splashing, chatting, and transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

📝 Important info for the decoupage furniture course. Bringing your own photos? If you’d like to try transferring your own photo or image, please make sure it’s printed from a computer onto cheap, standard printer paper – not photo paper, glossy paper or card (max size 20cmx20cm).

Keep in mind: the image is destroyed during the transfer process, so please don’t bring original or irreplaceable photos. We’ll also have plenty of images on site for you to choose from if you’d prefer not to bring your own.

Furniture size matters! Our workshop isn’t huge, so please don’t bring anything too large. Ideal items around 75cm x 75cm (maximum) include:

– Small coffee tables.
– Bedside cabinets.
– Spice racks.

Your Teachers

Scott McMillan

Scott — Creative Upcycler, Hands-On Maker & Inspiring Workshop Leader

Scott is a teacher and community worker with over 30 years’ experience, driven by a lifelong love of upcycling and turning the unwanted into the unforgettable. What started 8 years ago with friends urging him to share his creations has grown into Scott running lively, weekly workshops that are packed with ideas, energy, and real practical skill.

He teaches a wide range of creative and DIY subjects, including:
• Metalwork & reclaimed-timber projects
• Woodwork & resin techniques
• Shabby chic furniture
• Clock making
• Van-conversion skills.

Scott’s innovative use of recycled materials has caught wider attention too. He’s been featured in craft magazines, radio, and newspapers both for the courses he runs and for designing/ building community classrooms and peaceful “soul spaces” built almost entirely from reclaimed materials.

Full of enthusiasm, know-how, and encouragement, Scott helps people discover just how much they can create with their own hands — and he makes the journey exciting every step of the way.

Sue Adams

Sue — Master Craft Tutor & Award-Winning Community Designer

With over 30 years of experience as a teacher and community worker, Sue brings a rare mix of deep practical skill, creative vision, and a real passion for helping people discover what they can make.

She specialises in upcycling, crafting, interior design, and nature-based creativity, and she has an incredible ability to turn everyday, recycled materials into something beautiful, useful, and meaningful. Sue’s favourite projects blend natural elements with reclaimed resources, transforming spaces into welcoming, imaginative environments that people genuinely love spending time in.

Her community work speaks for itself. Two of her community-built gardens — each created using over 90% recycled materials — have won national RHS awards in recent years. One of these even went on to win the Gardening for the Disabled Award for England, recognised for its extraordinary use of recycled materials to design and build an interactive garden where people facing difficult times can find calm, connection, and support.

Sue doesn’t just teach craft — she inspires creativity, confidence, and community wherever she goes.

FAQs

What's included

Unless specified we provide all the materials, tools, and guidance you’ll need—just bring your lunch, plenty of enthusiasm, and a willingness to try something new!

All necessary PPE is supplied, but we recommend wearing old clothes suitable for the activities you’ll be doing and appropriate foot wear

Free Tea, coffee, and water are available throughout the day, and there’s a fridge where you can store your packed lunch.

Course times and attendance info

Our full day workshop days opens at 9.15am and courses start at 9:30am and usually finish between 4:00pm and 4:30pm.

short sessions are as described in the specific course description

We’ll have short breaks in the morning and afternoon, with lunch happening sometime between 12:30pm and 2:00pm, depending on the natural pause point in whatever we’re working on.

🚨 Important: Please arrive on time. If you arrive late and have missed the safety briefing, or if arriving would cause a disruption to the session already in progress, we may have to turn you away.

Course Safety

Black Paw takes safety very seriously and we provide all necessary PPE, including gloves, dust masks, and eye protection. On some of our courses, PPE is compulsory; on others, it may be optional depending on the activity. While we do everything we can to create a safe environment, you are ultimately responsible for your own actions and any issues that may arise from them. You are expected to follow all safety instructions throughout the course. We reserve the right to ask anyone to leave if they do not follow the safety rules.

Before the course starts, you’ll be asked to sign a consent form confirming that you understand the safety guidelines and that you’re physically fit to take part.

If you have any medical or physical conditions that may affect your ability to take part in the workshop, it is your responsibility to inform us at time of booking your course. This gives us time to discuss any small adjustments and put suitable arrangements in place. Please note that if you only tell us on the day, we may not be able to provide the support or adaptations you need.

Under 18s

..Under 18s can take part if accompanied by a parent or guardian also on the course (one adult with each child), but only with prior agreement.

Photos and images

You’re welcome to take photos during the course, but please check with other students before including them in your pictures. Photos can be a great way to record techniques, ideas, and options—we encourage you to take them so you have a helpful reference when working at home later.

From time to time, Black Paw may also take photos during sessions to share on pages. If you prefer not to be photographed, just let us know at the start of the session and we’ll make sure your wishes are respected.

Cancellation Policy

Black Paw Course Booking Terms & Conditions

We want you to enjoy your course with us, so we’ve kept our booking terms simple and fair.

Booking

Your place on a course is confirmed once full payment has been received and space availability.

Cancellations by You

More than 4 weeks before your course: You will receive a full refund.
Less than 4 weeks before your course: Unfortunately, we cannot offer a refund as your place has been reserved and course materials may already have been purchased.

Changing Your Course Date

If you can’t attend, we’ll always do our best to help.

Up to 2 weeks before your course, we may be able to transfer your booking to another date at our discretion, provided we are able to fill your original place.
Requests made less than 2 weeks before the course will normally be treated as a cancellation and are not refundable or transferable.

Exceptional Circumstances

We understand that unexpected situations can arise. In genuine exceptional circumstances, Black Paw reserves the right to offer an alternative course date at our discretion, even if the above conditions cannot be met. This is not guaranteed and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If We Need to Cancel

Very occasionally we may need to cancel or rearrange a course due to illness, low booking numbers or circumstances beyond our control. If this happens, you can choose either:

A full refund, or
A transfer to another available course date.

Gift Vouchers Black Paw gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase and must be redeemed before their expiry date. Courses booked using a valid voucher may take place after the expiry date, provided the booking was made before the voucher expires.

Contact Us If you need to cancel or change your booking, please let us know as soon as possible. The earlier you contact us, the more likely we can help.

Reviews

Great day with my teenage son making a bird box and bug house. Sue made us feel welcome and did a great job teaching the basics. My son said it was lots of fun and appreciated learning useful skills.

- David

Build your own bird box or bug house from recycled materials for beginners

Great fun day. Loads of attacking things with an angle grinder and bashing with hammers. What’s not to love! It was superb change from my day-to-day sitting in front of a computer screen.
And at the end, I have a fantastic firepit that burns anything and everything you put in it! Dead easy to light, very little smoke and ferociously hot – makes an excellent patio heater!
My version even has some supports on the top for a bit of outdoor cooking. Perfect for a cast iron skillet.

Alan

Build your own fire pit / barbecue from recycled materials. A one day course in metal work skills for beginners.

This course genuinely changed my life! Scott was kind and patient, and such an amazing teacher. I learned about 6 months of knowledge in 3 days. (Plus his dog is super cute and sue makes amazing cakes!) the other students on the course were a joy to be around and we are still staying connected post the course to help each other through the process. Could not recommend this course enough! Worth every pence.

1-Day Campervan Conversion Foundation Course

Absolutely brilliant! I did the 2 day upcyling pallet course and had Scott all to myself on the first day! Both Scott and Sue are great and the homemade cake and biscuits were a fab bonus! I would have liked to have taken some notes to refer to in the future, so maybe some printed handouts on hints and tips and the different tools would be really helpful? I would throughly recommend any course with Black Paw . Can’t wait to book up again!

- Helen

Pallet Upcycling Furniture Course