My First Project with Chalk Paint®

So here is my first piece I ever painted with Chalk Paint®. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was determined to do it! I pulled off all the hardware, didn't even dust it (Chalk Paint® sticks to anything, right?!), and started painting. I painted the front and sides, but was so excited at how pretty it was looking that I skipped the top and trim along the bottom. I HAD to get it in place and see her in all her Old White glory!

I waxed it (Clear Wax), put the hardware on and staged it and left it for 2 years - completely unfinished. I just moved in to my very first house and FINALLY after 2+ years, finished it! And I'm in love all over again. I'm excited to share my very first project with all of you.

So for those of you nervous about trying the paint for the first time, don't be! Even after 2+ years, as a Chalk Paint® stockist with a lot of experience, I am still very proud of my very first piece. I even have it in my entry way. So just go for it! I promise it will be worth it.

Until next time...
Andrea

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint has Arrived!

Well hello everyone! I have a picture filled blog for you today! 

Last Friday, I received my first shipment of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. Before I could even get it on the shelf, I sold out of a few colors - as you can tell! I have already received another shipment, so I'm stocked up again! Fear not my faithful paint addicts! This is located at:

Vintage Begonia
28465 Old Towne Front St., Suite 102
Temecula, CA 92590

The first piece I painted was a pretty beat up art deco style dresser. I fell in love with the original bake-light handles and I knew it was the perfect piece to experiment on. Here is what it looked like before. Chipping veneer and worn off varnish. I was hoping it would chip a lot since most of it was still shiny.

But look at those handles…

So I decided on Tricycle for this piece and started mixing. I followed the directions and added 1.5 parts water to 1 part milk paint. It was a bit difficult to mix with a plastic spoon, so I found an old whisk and it mixed up wonderfully. 

After the first coat, it looked very streaky and I wasn't happy… BUT I know red is a very difficult color to work with. Red pigment is hard to get real solid in anything (paint and hair dye for example), but I figured I would push forward and keep my opinions reserved until after the second coat.

After the second coat, this started happening. And I was SO excited. It was really neat to watch it just bubble and start flaking off. I took a 220 grit sanding sponge to the whole thing (just lightly) to knock all the flakes off. Be sure to have a drop cloth laid out or do this outside as it can get a bit messy.

I then applied the Furniture Wax. I love how creamy it is. In comparison to the Annie Sloan Soft Wax, it is much softer and it is more of an oily feel. It went on very easy and didn't take a lot of muscle! 

Here is the finished product! It definitely chipped a lot, which is what I was going for since this piece was chippy to begin with.

Be sure to check back in a few days to see my post on this Kitchen Scale beauty!

Before and After and More Space!

Hello everyone! I have been busy getting ready for the arrival of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!

Today, I spent the day painting and waxing a few things and tidying up my space. I took over a little more space, which is where I will soon be displaying the Milk Paint. It will be here in August, but I do not have an exact date yet. If you would like to Pre-order, you can here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetVintageDecor951

Ok, now for the good stuff... Pictures! This little yellowish table had great lines and amazing metal grates on the side, very Frenchie. I painted her with Chalk Paint™ decorative paint in Paris Grey (of course!) with Old White accents. I slightly distressed with a fine sanding block and finished with Annie Sloan Soft Wax.

I also finished up a great vanity, painted in Antoinette and then Old White. The Antoinette came through when I sanded and it makes it look just perfect for a little princess!

Chalk Paint™ in Florence!

Hello all! I didn't get a chance to post this when I did it, but here she is now. This is a sofa table that was a total manufactured, comes as a set in a box type of piece. My amazing hair dresser gave it to me along with the matching side table. I got them just when Florence was released, so I figured they were the perfect pieces to test it out on.

Florence is very bold and bright. It almost has a hunter green look to it, with some turquoise. I LOVE it. Especially with some dark wax!

This sofa table was a shiny finish, but was all kinds of Florence in just 1 hour and one and a half coats of paint. I then heavily distressed it and followed up with a dark mixture of Clear and Dark wax - yep, I mix my wax and apply all at once! After some buffing, she was ready to go!

Big News!

Yes, its true! I will soon be a retailer of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint! 

Of course I will still be carrying Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan. These are two completely different products and I will be explaining more in the future. In the meantime, be sure to check out Miss Mustard Seed's Comparison. 

I will be selling Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint out of Vintage Begonia in Temecula, CA. It will be available in August. Until then, please feel free to pre-order through my Etsy shop. I am busy setting everything up and trying to get things in order to take over more space at Cottage Charm. It is crazy to think that just a little over a year ago I was only wanting to paint my buffet, and now this is my life. I love it! 

I'm still here! New Orleans and Other News

It has definitely been WAY too long since I did a blog posting. Things have been so wonderfully busy over the last several months and I couldn't ask for more. In March, I traveled to New Orleans to kick off Annie Sloan's North American tour. I had the time of my life. New Orleans is definitely a place I will visit again. 

I learned so many wonderful things from Annie about color theory, and about all the new fun stuff we have coming! Fabrics, fragrance diffusers and brushes (which are in stock now!). She really is as wonderful as people say she is. I never thought she would even know who I was, but just from small conversations through Facebook, she knew me by name and even associated me with Old Glory General Store. It felt like I was meeting a celebrity, but after a few short days, she was like an old friend. 

I took a thousand pictures, but here are just a few of how I will remember New Orleans.

 Annie Sloan Unfolded threw us a wonderful cocktail party at a gorgeous mansion. Look at the grounds!

The most wonderful, talented group of people I have ever met. I'm in there somewhere! 

 A little Greek Blue anyone?

Breakfast on the sidewalk.

Ok, so now for some current events! This Saturday, June 1st, I will be at the Corona Antiques and Collectibles Faire. It is located at the Heritage Park, 510 West Foothill Parkway, Corona, CA, 92882. I will be there with some great furniture pieces and of course Chalk Paint™ decorative paints. 

There will be over 60 vendors and admission is free! You don't want to miss it!

Well, that is all for now. I will be sure to post some pictures of the furniture in the next few days, and there will be a giveaway coming! So stay tuned for that as well!

We have a winner!!!

After adding in all the names between the Facebook page and then the blog, there were 48 entries. I then used the True Random Number Generator to find the winner!!

And the winner is...

Gayna Roy Redick!!

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who entered.