Hi there, lovely to have you here. I’m Mariella Wilson, the founder of Paint Party Social Club.
As you are here, I guess you want to learn a little about me, who I am, how and why I started my paint & sip parties business. I’m glad you are here and giving me the opportunity to tell you my story.
I’ve been a wedding and event planner since 2004 when my sister and I launched a boutique wedding agency “Fairytale day”. Here is an interesting fact about me – I’m the first certified wedding planner in Bulgaria. My team and I have planned over 250 bespoke weddings, including for celebrities, sophisticated family celebrations and events. I’ve been guests to many realities and TV shows.
In 2009 when the recession hit the World, my family and I took a brave decision to leave Bulgaria and move for good to the UK. Our business was heavily affected by the global economic crisis, so we didn’t have a choice but to try to settle down somewhere else.
Our first home in London was Wimbledon Park, where I fell in love with South West London. The original plan was to launch a UK branch of our wedding planning business and to open a flower shop. Long story short – moving to another country happened to be a lot more challenging than we expected, so in the end, we couldn’t make that dream happen.
Instead, I began to recover my wedding planning business in Bulgaria and took a job in hospitality within the beauty industry and moved on to the events team. I then became a destination wedding consultant for a company based in Kingston-Upon-Thames, which I loved as I got to sell weddings in many sunny destinations. Then the pandemic hit.
Furloughed and overseas, the lockdown was a challenge. My husband works abroad so I was at home, alone, jobless and had no idea what my future looked like. But it gave me the opportunity to really think about what I loved to do and I quickly became eager to start my own business.
With an undying passion for creativity and making people happy whilst creating unforgettable moments, I was inspired by the rise in online art classes and knew that when the world opened up again, there’d be a gap in the market for these to exist offline too.
I read the story of the founder of some similar events (you can read the story on my blog – “What is a paint and sip party? Everything you need to know.”) and it just clicked with me. I loved the idea of having a glass of good wine whilst being able to paint something beautiful.
I saw an opportunity for me to use all my knowledge and experience in planning high-end weddings and to create an experience which will make people happier and will support their well-being – painting whilst sipping a glass of nice wine!
Our events offer time to have peace and quiet away from the humdrum of London life. No screens, just smiles. You can mingle and make new friends whilst creating a no-experience-needed masterpiece. Hosted at local South West London venues, many of the guests will likely be your neighbours!
Our main mission is to establish a community and hold social events across South West London that inspire creativity. Our guests come along to spend some quality time with family and friends, have fun, and make some happy memories whilst having a glass of good wine and painting something to remember the day by.
What to expect when you come to one of our social paint party events:
- A relaxed and friendly environment
- Pretty table set up and colourful aprons, themed by the painting, nice tablecloths, stylish easels and handpicked brushes required for the painting
- feel-good music and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions (no painting experience necessary) on how to achieve wonderful results. You will end up with a lovely looking painting that you can be proud to take a selfie of and share on your socials and hang on the wall at your home.
Paint parties aren’t traditional art classes – we don’t teach you the techniques of fine art. But what we do is host an event made for bringing joy to your day and giving you space away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life. The result will always surprise you, bring you happiness and you’ll feel inspired by your own talent.
Using your creativity, particularly through art, is one of the best exercises for the right side of your brain. Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing?
I can’t wait to welcome you to one of our parties soon!
Meet the team
Chiara de Stefano
Senior paint party art instructor
My name is Chiara I am proudly from Italy! I moved to London 4 years ago. I can’t live without music, my art and of course my beautiful Cat!
Funny things about me? – you can find me dancing in the most inappropriate places. If you see me around when I am supposed to be somewhere else, you might be looking at my twin sister!
I have been painting since I was born! My Dad is an art teacher so I always had my tiny hands full of paint since I was 2 years old!
I love nature, so my favourites objects to paint are mostly related to that! Landscapes, animals, fruits or flowers! I like my paints to look as realistic as possible, by adding the right lights and shadows your paint will definitely look more realistic!
Join me at our next paint & sip workshop and I will show you how to do I it!
Nadia Jackson
Paint party art instructor
My name is Nadia Jackson and I grew up on a farm in Herefordshire. I moved to London 3 years ago to attend drama school, where I have been training to be an actor. I have always loved all things creative – theatre, music and art.
I have been painting ever since I was little – I remember painting with my grandma. I was a toddler and loving it (and making a right old mess!). I love the freedom that painting gives you, to create something that has never before existed! When I moved to London, I set up a small business selling commissioned paintings, which has evolved into mainly being pet portraits.
My favourite style to paint is very naturalistic, so I work very closely with photos to get the likeness just right. But I also like to sometimes throw all of the technique out of the window, splash some colours onto a canvas, and just see what comes out of it! Because at the end of the day, the experience and joy of painting is more important than the finished product.
Join me at our next paint & sip workshop and I will show you how to do it and I will show you my acrylic painting techniques.