Second Spark Furniture

18/10/2026

Lovely to be featured by as part of The Alchemy Collective 🧡

Really enjoyed taking part in the Earthen Warmth Challenge and working with such a beautiful palette of warm, earthy tones.

Looking forward to sharing what I’ve created! ✨

MEET THE ARTIST — EMILY STEWART ⁠
⁠
It’s time to introduce Emily Stewart from !⁠
⁠
By day, Emily works full time in a completely different world, but by night (and most weekends!), you’ll usually find her with a paintbrush in hand, wandering around a thrift shop or hunting online for her next piece of unloved furniture.⁠
⁠
Emily’s love for furniture painting began while living in rented homes, where plain white walls left little room for creativity. Furniture became her canvas instead, giving her the freedom to bring colour and personality into her home.⁠
⁠
Since then, she’s fallen in love with experimenting with different techniques and materials, from stencils and moulds to transfers, decoupage, fabric and more. Her passion lies in transforming vintage furniture into expressive statement pieces that can inspire an entire room.⁠
⁠
For Emily, creating is also a way to switch off from the day job, quiet the noise and lose herself in the process. And when she’s not painting? You’ll often find her out in nature with her family and her two dogs, Buddy and Amber.⁠
⁠
We can’t wait to show you what Emily creates for the Alchemy Collective!⁠
⁠
Give Emily some love in the comments and make sure you follow her creative journey.⁠
⁠

17/10/2026

🌸✨ A little work in progress… ✨🌸

How beautiful is this decoupage paper?! 😍

I’m using The Apothecary’s Trousseau by Redesign with Prima, and I’m absolutely in love with the vintage French charm it brings! 💕

The delicate florals, soft dusty blues, pretty pinks and elegant stripes are just gorgeous together. It’s giving all the romantic, French country cottage vibes! 🌷

Still a work in progress, but I can’t wait to see this piece come together and share the finished transformation! 🤍

What do you think of this gorgeous pattern? 🌸

FrenchCountryStyle VintageInspired ShabbyChic FurnitureTransformation UpcycledFurniture

10/10/2026

Feeling very grateful to be part of The Alchemy Collective alongside three very talented artists 🧡

Thank you Fusion Mineral Paint UK for including me! ✨

18/09/2026

10 Images, 10 Days — Day 4 ✨

Another one from the archives 💙

This vintage bureau was given a romantic botanical makeover, with delicate trailing florals, butterflies and dragonflies flowing across the soft blue finish. The deep teal base and aged brass handles add a little contrast and bring out those beautiful traditional curves 🌿🦋

The challenge is simple — 10 images over 10 days, sharing a favourite transformation each day to celebrate creativity and give some older pieces another moment in the spotlight. ✨

17/09/2026

10 Images, 10 Days — Day 3 ✨

Well… Day 3 has taken me a little longer than planned 😂 Apparently I’m better at painting furniture than keeping up with a 10-day challenge!

But I’m back, and here’s another one from the archives ❤️

I loved transforming this piece and giving something old a completely new personality. Looking back through my previous pieces for this challenge is definitely reminding me just how much my style has evolved along the way.

I’ve already nominated a couple of lovely furniture artists to join in, so today I’m leaving the nominations open — if you fancy taking part, consider yourself nominated! ✨

10 images. 10 days. No explanation needed — just a little celebration of creativity and furniture transformations.

02/09/2026

10 Images, 10 Days — Day 2 ✨

I’m only on Day 2 and already realising that picking 10 pieces is going to be harder than expected 😂

It’s been lovely seeing everyone else’s posts too — so many completely different styles and ideas popping up on my feed.

Today I’m nominating Ursula Boardman to join in — looking forward to seeing what you choose! ❤️

01/09/2026

I’ve been lucky enough to be nominated for this a few times, so I thought it was about time I joined in! 💛

Thank you KayliMade Designs , Re-Imagined by Rachael , Vintage Blue Furniture and Landry's Color Revival for the nomination ✨

10 Images, 10 Days — Day 1

A little chance to look back at some of my favourite Second Spark pieces along the way.

Today I’m nominating Tracy Lea WannaBee Furniture — I’d love to see yours! ❤️

24/08/2026

I’ve had so much fun with this little pot cupboard - trying new techniques, playing with layers and blending the colours from the artwork out across the rest of the piece.

Lots of paint, lots of experimenting and quite a lot of standing back and squinting at it like I know what I’m doing. 😂

I love how the colours move from soft and chalky into those deeper, moodier greens, with the florals somewhere in between.

And of course, I couldn’t leave the inside alone either. 💛

Proof that even the most unassuming little piece of furniture can have a bit of fun the second time around.

23/08/2026

I thought it was probably time I introduced myself properly 👋✨

Hi, I’m Emily, and in my spare time you’ll usually find me covered in paint, sanding something or just staring at a piece of furniture while I change my mind about the colour for the fifth time 😂

Upcycling is my creative escape. I love taking old, tired and forgotten furniture and turning it into something completely individual, bringing together vintage charm, colour, nature and a little bit of the unexpected.

I’m still learning and experimenting as I go, and I definitely don’t get everything right first time (we won’t mention the recent upside-down decoupage incident 🙈), but I think that’s part of the fun.

And this is Amber 🐾🤎 my ridiculously clever Border Collie and adventure buddy. She doesn’t contribute much to the painting, but she’s excellent at keeping an eye on proceedings.

I’m really enjoying sharing my projects on here and finding other people who love giving old furniture a new lease of life too.

So, hello from me and Amber 👋

Here’s to giving beautiful old furniture its second spark. ✨

15/08/2026

I’m going to be trying some new painting techniques on this little cupboard 💛💛💛 Reveal pics to follow soon… ###