Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I'm waiting for the piece to just "TALK TO ME".............



Have you ever started working on a piece of furniture or in my case an old orchard ladder, screen door, french dish racks, mirrors.....etc...etc....etc.....wanting that piece to just "talk to you" and tell you what it wants to become in it's new life?

It's probably a good thing I don't have a retail shop, I'd be filled to the ceiling with all kinds of architectural pieces rather than the traditional tables and chairs....although I have several different chairs around me at all times.

I usually have all this stuff surrounding me in THE ROOM where I paint samples, paint color stixs and cards, mix colors to see just what I can come up with for custom tones and give workshops. Have I mentioned I LOVE PAINT? I LOVE ANNIE SLOAN'S CHALK PAINT and WAXES and I can't talk about it enough nor can I hold myself back from spreading the word up and down the West Coast as well as who ever will listen.

Ok, the message I'm trying to convey is that all these pieces I surround myself with do "talk to me"......I begin painting them with one color and most of the time end up with two or three colors, clear and dark wax, a little gold/silver leafing....and then I just wait and usually don't finish a piece for three or four days or even a week.....I have to look at it, touch it and then the final creation just happens. You got it, the piece "talks to me".

I'm going to post a few pieces that I'm waiting to "talk to me"....then the next post I will post the completed creation, unless of course it will still talk to me and I dry brush or add more paint. Sometimes a piece just doesn't quit talking. With that said, I'm going to quit talking myself.

old wicker chairs and orchard ladder

screen door and back of orchard ladder


french dish rack and old farm house shelf
bed posts, chair legs, chair and spindles


Mirror, stool and ceiling medallion



I want to thank all the new people I am meeting through my new adventure in the world of decorative paint. I have been in design and faux finishing for the last 25 years and I've never experienced products like Annie's Chalk Paint.

I have many exciting workshops and events scheduled in the next three months. On April 10th I will present a work shop at The Tattered House in Roseville along with the other California Stockist, Vicki Shoemaker. On April 16th I will be giving an Annie Sloan All Day workshop with Mini-Stockist Kari Caldwell from Studio 887 in Encinitas, Ca. Check my web site for future workshops, events and product "specials"

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back soon.

the magical new paint and techniques


Thursday, March 24, 2011

ok...now that I just had a melt down.....here is what I normally FOCUS on.....

MAYA ANGELOU'S BEST POEM EVER 

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a youth she's content to leave behind....
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .......

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..

a feeling of control over her destiny...
how to fall in love without losing herself..


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship....


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .

whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...


I WILL ACCOMPLISH with SHIPPING MY PAINT....ok...I'm not quite calm.



ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I am not going to say much in this post other than......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....do you hear me scream?

I am a person that usually does every thing right.......I also multi task.....and I love to micro-manage...but I'm really working on that one.....

Tonight I got a photo of shipment of paint.....Emperor's Silk,  looked liked someone was killed in the box. Let me scream again....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Ok...I am going to find a solution to this problem....I will meet with UPS tomorrow and I will also talk to the Distributor as well as the Paint Mfgr.. and clarify how to ship correctly....I thought I was.

ok....I feel better now....want a photo....of distress?




ok....I am working the problem....I don't like problems...but I am pretty good at solutions....bear with me please.   My wonderful father use to say...."problems are unmade solutions"...ok already....I am going to solve this one....

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

So Many Wonderful Things Happening.....Life is Good!

I want to introduce you to three creative, determined and wonderful women.


This is my daughter Kellyanne Smith. Kellyanne is one of my hero's in life and of course my favorite daughter (because she is my only daughter) and has just joined the Annie Sloan "team" as a Mini-Stockist located just North of Seattle, Washington. Kellyanne and Kim Fischer have just started The Bella Bungalow where they will be conducting work shops, painting furniture and spreading the word about our magical Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Products. Kellyanne's plan is to become a Stockist in just a few weeks....she's working hard at getting web sites, blogs, advertisement, shop front etc. organized and implemented as well as staying on top of a full household of 5 children. I'm proud of you Kellyanne


This is of course Annie Sloan (in the middle) herself when she was here in Southern California on her American Tour, joined with myself again (sorry) and Vicki Shoemaker from 3 Oaks Studio in Clovis, CA. Vicki has just come on board as the other California Annie Sloan Stockist and together we are planning events, workshops and opening California's eyes to Chalk Paint and products. Wahooooooooooooo, let the paint start flying. I've known Vicki for sometime now and we have a great time painting and working together. Welcome Vicki, here's to a new adventures and fun times. I will introduce Vicki at The Tattered House workshop in Roseville, CA on April 10th.


Here I am again.....(I usually take the photo's so I apologize again for appearing) standing beside Kari Caldwell of Studio 887 in Encinitas, Ca.  Kari will be joining me here in California as a Mini-Stockist.
Wahoooooooooooooooo again. Already Kari and I have scheduled a 6 Technique All Day Annie Sloan Workshop on April 15th at her studio. We'll be sending out more information by the end of the week on this workshop as well as an evening workshop and a mid week workshop coming soon. Welcome Kari, I'm very excited to paint the world "color" by your side. You'll be an asset and inspiration.

On May 25th at Out of the Blue in Solana Beach, I will be hosting a "party" with owner Debi, from Noon until 3:30. We're calling it the "pots of paint" party and we're inviting everyone to make a reservation, bring ONE SMALL item and 4 brushes. Wear painting attire and be ready to create and have some fun. It will be a painting frenzy using two of Annie Sloans new colors that will hit the market the first week in April. There will be a charge of $100.00 an attendee and refreshments will be served. Mark your calendars and invite your friends.

I've said it before and I'm saying it again....I LOVE to PAINT and I love to paint even more now that the magical Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Waxes have hit the U.S.A.

I've tried many things in my life from working for a 'boring' Areospace company, although my job wasn't boring......to owning a Design shop on Whidbey Island in the N.W., to being a Program Director at a 5 star Dude Ranch in Colorado, to being partners in the Painted Ladies Paint/Decorative Finishing Company in Scottsdale, AZ.
I love what I'm doing now more than anything I've ever done. Spreading the news about these products, teaching workshops, meeting all you wonderful people and just experiencing the joy of yet another new chapter in my life.

I made a little smilebox (yes again) about the things I've tried "creatively" and want to share them with you. From photography, to design, to making crazy scales, time out mats, (which I called THINK TIME), and little books for my grandchildren.
Isn't life grand! I wonder what I'll try next?????

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Keep on creating and keep on painting......until the next post, enjoy LIFE and every breath that you take!


Sunday, March 20, 2011

What a wonderful "perk" Annie Sloan Chalk Paint received from Miss Mustard Seed's Blog

Wow....what a pleasant surprise when I received lots of emails and orders coming from two blogs Miss Mustard Seed wrote about Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and Products.
Please go to Miss Mustard Seeds blog to see her before and after photos....she did a great job.

I copied the following from Miss Mustard Seeds blog to share with you....this paint is MAGIC and I can't brag enough about the techniques, beauty and forgiveness the applications allow.

Cruel and Unusual 

"OK.  I need to explain something, so you don't feel like I'm just going, "Neener-neener-neener.  I know a cool paint and you don't!"  I am going to share everything about the paint I used on my desk as soon as I get the green light.  My source asked if I would hold off for a few days until they are ready to handle lots of orders.  You know, when I posted my glitter letter tutorial my source, Meyer Imports, sold out of my glitter and I had to wait to get more!


So, I sent my source an e-mail today, letting them know my readers are dying and can I please share.  I'm still waiting to get the "OK".  Since I have not gotten the thumbs up, yet, I was going to post my next installment of the slipcover series.  Well, the video didn't upload and it's going to take another 2 1/2 hours.  Ah!  The only thing I have to share is another before and after with the mystery paint.


Hopefully this will just whet your appetite and not make you totally hate me.


Just keep in mind...I love all of you and I'm going to share the paint, techniques and answer all of your questions.  OK? " 




Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is MAGIC...NO SECRET pure fact! (Anne Skougard's photo)

"Mystery Paint Revealed!


Jane, Lee Gamble and a few others guessed it right!  Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint is the mystery paint.  I received an e-mail from a reader a few weeks ago, telling me I should try chalk paint.  My first thought was, "Duh.  I know what chalk board paint is."  I was being a little high and mighty at that moment and then I clicked the link she kindly sent me.  I was an idiot.  A high and mighty idiot.  Chalk paint is not chalk board paint, but something entirely different.


I loved the colors available and was intrigued by this product, so I thought I would contact them to see if they would send me some samples.  I would try it out and review it on my blog.  Well, I spoke to one of the best sales woman alive, Patty Seaman of Classic Wall Finishes.  She went on and on and on about how wonderful this paint was and I was ready to commit to it for life without ever having tried it.  She slowed me down and said, "Just try it.  If you don't love it, don't write about it."  I felt even more confident after hearing that statement.  If she didn't believe in this product 100%, she wouldn't say that.  A few days later, I received some paint and Annie Sloan's Quick and Easy Paint Transformations Book to guide me along.  I couldn't put my brush down.  I painted five pieces of furniture in two days, starting with my corner cabinets.


I really wanted to paint these and this was the perfect push to make me do it.  The greatest part?  This water-based, low odor paint bonds so well that it doesn't require sanding or primer.  I applied the paint directly onto the factory poly finish. No expensive bonding primer required!


 Louis Blue.One of my other favorite things about this paint is how well it distresses.  When you distress latex paint, it rolls and peals off unless it has cured for over a month.  I sanded this hours after I painted it and the chalk paint comes off in a fine powder, so it looks natural.  The finish is flat and chalky, but shine and protection can be added by applying a coat of wax.  A darker wax was then applied to my corner cabinets to tone down the vibrant  


...a secretary, mirror frame and a bookcase.  I started out with a quart of Louis Blue, a quart of Old White and a sample of Paris Gray and still have plenty of paint for more projects.  Even with three colors, I've been able to achieve a variety of shades and tones by mixing the paint.  


So, where can you buy chalk paint?  


Here are some "stockists" you can order from:

House of Anne
Anne Skougard in Canyon Lake, California
Phone: 951-244-9968    951-385-6745
HouseofAnne@msn.com
www.HouseofAnne.net

Patty Seaman
Classic Wall Finishes
Little Silver, New Jersey

Southern Institute of Faux Finishing
Virginia Weathersby in Brandon, Mississippi
Phone: 601-919-FAUX
orders@fauxfinishbiz.com

Faux Works
Barbara Skivington in High Point, NC
Phone: 336-841-0130
fauxworksstudio@aol.com

WonderFaux Studio
Michelle Delgado
12919 Southwest Freeway
Suite 120
Stafford, Texas 77477
Phone: 281-242-4937
www.wonderfauxstudio.com
sales@wonderfauxstudio.com

WonderFaux Studio
Michelle Delgado in Houston, Texas
Phone: 281-242-4937

Lily Lane Home
Robin and Brittany Lynn Muller in Waco, Texas
Phone: 281-702-2866
robin@lilylanehome.com
www.lilylanehome.com


You may experience a little sticker shock when you see that the paint is over $34+/quart depending on geographical locations, but it goes a long way, no primer is required and you'll love the results.  And don't worry!  I am going to post all about my painting and distressing techniques, how to work with the clear and dark wax and all of the other exciting things I'm learning about this product.  You'll definitely hear more about chalk paint.


For more information from Annie Sloan herself, you can check out her website www.anniesloan.com.  


As one final comment for this post, I want to tell you that I did receive free to paint to sample, but this is not a paid advertisement.  I do not make any money from any paint purchased.  I fully believe in this product and wanted to work with chalk paint stockists, who are mostly decorative artist like myself, to promote my new very favorite paint in the whole wide world. "



I want to let you know that there are more U.S.A Stockists that have come on
board than the list posted above. Vicki Shoemaker in Clovis, CA joins me in
representing California for events and workshops and I think there are two or three
more and I apologize for not knowing where they are located, Robyn Story of Story Designs in Tampa, Fla...New Orleans and two locations and South Carolina.....but go to Jolie Design, our U.S. Distributors web site for
clarification. Also Kelly Smith from Bella Bungalow has joined as a Mini-stockist in the Pacific N.W.

Ok everyone....I have orders to fill and workshops to prepare for as well as spend some time with my three neglected boys, my husband Roger and dogs Gus and Amos.
Happy Sunday and I wish you a beautiful week.

Keep on painting........

Kari Caldwell of Encinitas, CA and me painting up a storm last weekend

Fun...fun....fun!

Pam...a beautiful faux artist, Diane...back to learn more and Linda and Linda from the Urban Barn in Escondido, CA

Four students and 48 brushes later.........oh well, it's my JOB as a Stockist :)



Monday, March 14, 2011

Earth to Anne.....earth to Anne......it's time to put both feet on the ground

I'm laughing at myself as I haven't settled in since Annie Sloan left on the 9th almost a week ago. It's like Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July and a trip abroad all rolled into one big hype. I knew Annie Sloan's Paint was unique I just didn't realize all the techniques that are achieved out of one can....or combining one can with a couple others. What a break through for decorative finishers on furniture, art, faux finishes and walls. I've been in design and paint for ever and I've never experienced the ease and beauty of this wonderful Chalk Paint and waxes....need I say more?

The book signings, demo's and the Santa Monica workshop were beyond exceptional and now the spin offs are lining up like clock work. I have workshops scheduled, demo's to deliver and introduce, a Annie Sloan Flea Market Adventure and Workshop planned for the UK in September and many events to organize. Fun, fun, fun. There will be an ongoing workshop progressing through out the wine country of California...."Paint the Wine Country Chalk". We will be organizing the workshops beginning in Temecula and on to  Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, and Napa so be checking in often not only on my blog but on my web site too.

There will be another California Stockist coming on board in a matter of days....I am thrilled to be working with Vicki Shoemaker from Studio 3 Oaks in Clovis. We plan on singing "California here we come" as we team up and introduce all the products and various techniques at scheduled events.

So, back to earth,  here is a smile box that I put together covering Annie Sloans California Adventure. It was more than a pleasure to host Annie and get to know her as a wonderful person, woman and talented artist. I can hardly wait til we meet again.


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Tomorrow I will show you some samples of the techniques that are taught in our
all day workshop and also introduce you to Kari Caldwell from Encinitas, yet another talented woman, artist and person. We had so much fun making samples from all the 18 colors available today and soon to include 6 more by the end of the month.

Pick up a paint brush and start painting....

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Ladies of Annie Sloans Santa Monica Workshop

What a WONDERFUL time I've had the last few days running Annie all around
Southern California for book signings, demo's and the all day work shop at
Annette Tatum's workroom in Santa Monica.....the grand finale!

Annie's ladies of "chalk"

Thank you to all the participants and the hosts, I can hardly wait to do it again and I really can hardly wait to get out my paint brushes and just PAINT.

I will post photo's and upcoming events/workshops at the end of the week because at the moment I am plum tuckered out and my eye lids are wanting to close.


HAPPY PAINTING

Friday, March 4, 2011

I've hit California turf RUNNNNNNNNNNNING!!!!!

All I have time to say this morning and after a week in New Orleans is, that Annie Sloan is a wonderful person, teacher and artist. Come one come all.

The New Orleans Chalk Paint workshop was more than a success and I encourage all to attend one of Annie's book signings, demo's or her hands on workshop in Santa Monica. Annie's techniques and products are to "die for" if you paint furniture or even yourself. (Ha) Never have I experienced the world of paint as I have with the Chalk Paint and waxes, and I've been around quite a long time. The forgiveness and the ease of the paint is out of this world!

I am adding a few photo's from the workshop. I have so much more to share but I can't as Annie arrives tomorrow for her three day Southern California tour and I have MORE than enough to do to get ready.


New Orleans Annie Sloan Workshop

Let the teaching begin

1....2......3.....here we go

Many anxious students

Don't worry about a little paint on your hands

See you in California......Annie and Anne


I hope to see you in the next few days....please, come and meet Annie and give her a hearty American welcome.

Sunday, March 6th at Country Roads Antiques and Gardens in Orange from 1 - 3 P.M.
Monday, March 7th at Out of the Blue in Solana Beach from 1 - 3 P.M.
Monday, March 7th at Serendipity Antiques in Temecula from 6 - 8 P.M.
Tuesday, March 8th at Annette Tatum's Workroom in Santa Monica from 9:00 A.M.
to 5 P.M.