Jeans to Silk........Refurbish to Refine.......Shabby to Savy

I want to thank all of you for beautiful emails, thank you's and support.  I no longer will put on events featuring Annie Sloan products, I have switched my commitment 100% to Amy Howard at Home.  You will be seeing it  very soon  and hearing all about it  in national publications and promotions.

I will continue to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in my workshops for beginners and for the simple techniques......there are  places for all  types of products.

There is nothing as refreshing  as style and class in your home, and  to top  it off,   say, "I did that", I created a beautiful Italian finish that up until now only Designers and Artisans have been able todo, now it will be available for DIY'ers.  That's what Amy Howard at Home lifestyle change is all about. There will be many techniques and products other than  just paint....how about beautiful pieces of furniture you can finish yourself in a Amy Howard at Home workshop hosted in your area.

Enjoy and have fun what ever you are doing and remember.....paint and color is your palette to create an inviting home.

refurbish "quick and easy"

" refinement" with class and elegance

Don't mean to be ignoring a new post but....I'm regrouping

I really am going to post this weekend and introduce you to techniques and applications that will be available next week. Workshops are scheduled....appointments made and I have to tell you, I haven't been this excited since I had my children/grandchildren. You all know color is my thing, I've been involved in paint, colors, color names....techniques and teaching for years. Last year I introduced a paint line in California and had fun setting up events and workshops all over California.....well now I've put on a different hat and will be the Distributor from Santa Barbara to the Northern California border....I have to tell you, I love all the areas that I will be representing ( Carmel, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Lake Tahoe  and San Francisco and of course other Northern California towns....and as a bonus, I have AZ too....back to Scottsdale where I had a paint/faux business for over 12 years.

The products I will be introducing to you are over the top beautiful. I'll be taking you from the world of "refurbishing flea market finds" to a lifestyle change of Italian finishes, zinc, molds, antiquing mirrors and more. It's like changing clothes for me from jeans to silk. Jeans are great but get a little boring....silk gives you the feeling of Veranda and some "class" in your home.

I am Amy Howard at Home 100%

There is nothing like learning beautiful finishes and applications....it's magical

Is this a classy kit or what....

Amy and myself at training in Memphis, Tenn.

I will be posting the beginning of the week and sharing these products...meanwhile, the website needs updating, the funky studio I have been working in will become an Urban Loft look and my phone is ringing off the hook for people wanting to experience the beauty of Amy Howard at Home.

This was a hard, fast and spinning week!

I have meant to post all week and include all the beautiful photos I took at Amy Howard's workshop/training last week in Memphis, Tenn. It was awesome working with an incredible Designer and her staff, that have a vision, business plan and work ethics that benefit not only the consumer but all the Distributors and Artisans involved with Amy Howard At Home.

I am so excited. I will be the Distributor for AZ and Northern California, Santa Barbara to the border....you know what that means, Carmel, San Francisco, Wine Country and Tahoe.....it's almost as good as "going home again".

I am leaving today for Seattle, a quick trip to assist The Bella Bungalow in painting and getting ready for their grand opening in November. I'm actually excited to share a whole "48 hours" with my daughter Kellyanne and PAINTING myself.
We will have fun, just wait til you see what she transformed from an ugly old small town tavern into a beautiful shop and studio.

If you'll excuse me now I promise to fill you in on Amy Howard adventures and events. Oh, for clarification, Amy Howards techniques and finishes are totally different than Annie Sloan Chalk Paint....that is what really excites me. Different challenges and territories, truly a great thing for my Gemini make-up and mind. From flea markets and refurbishing to total elegance and refinement.

Hand made furniture and decorative accents. 

You can have this too.....I'll teach you the custom finish and technique use......

Ok....off to Seattle....I will go into detail next week about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshops, who won the "pink" contest and more on Amy Howard At Home.
Have a great weekend

A brand new product and design technique......I'll post soon

Just a tease.....I'll post tomorrow but I want you all to get ready for a "lifestyle change" in the world of decorative finishing techniques. Sophistication and refinement of beautiful designs....you are going to love what now you can do in your own homes. Until tomorrow.....

I have to post this before I leave in the morning....

This is too funny! I got home after a wonderful demo at the Urban Barn....lots of people asking great questions after teasing them with the magic of a wonderful paint and wax that was created for "girls" but "boys" can use it too.

My husband has been a trooper the past year watching me come and go to different events and organizing for monthly and weekly workshops. I keep telling him things
will settle down (namely me)and then off I go picking up a new line and designated territory. (stay tuned and I will share everything when I return at the end of the this week). Anyway, when I returned home tonight I found this on my computer screen....very appropriate since I just visited the pub in Oxford where C.S.Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to share their writings and plot their stories. I'm sure
this quote was meant for me.

Have a wonderful week.

I'm back from the UK and great fun with friends...

If I seem a little hurried in this post it's because I am. Today I wear many hats, I must think I can do a great juggling act as well as wear designated hats for all the things I must get done today to support the Mini-Stockists in So. California, demo and stock at the Urban Barn, return phone calls, iron up what I have to pack in order to leave town in the morning for an intense training program for Amy Howard at Home, a new product line I will carry as a Distributor for Northern California and Scottsdale, AZ.
All I can say is, it's a good thing I'm healthy and love organization as well as scheduling. And it's also a good thing I have a wonderful, patient husband who supports me in my adventures.

I arrived back from the UK late Thursday night....what a great time.  There is nothing like sharing places with wonderful friends and family.

I walked my legs off all over London as well as Oxford and York. I am a history buff and putting that together with Design, I was in my glory. A  highlight of
my trip was the Kempton Flea Market outside of London....what a hoot. Yes, I found many wonderful pieces, coordinated with a "container" expert and now must wait for the journey across the Atlantic to my own back yard. They make it so reasonable and so easy to bring these treasures home, I recommend it for anyone that values European pieces for resale, repurpose or refinement.

I am adding a slide show so you can have a peak at what exactly my great finds are.

Slideshow design customized with Smilebox

After looking at the slide show can you tell that I am addicted to chairs, tables and desks? Let the fun begin.

Many, many things happening and I promise to post when I return this Thursday. Great workshop dates, a new website "face lift", Amy Howard at Home Distribution to kick off, The Bella Bungalow's open house to attend in Washington state, North Carolina Train the Trainer and Washington D.C. and Halloween festivities with my son and family for a few days. I'll also have photo's to post on the vignettes we are staging for the
photo shoot with Romantic Homes.....very exciting.

I wish you all a wonderful week and I'll have lots to share in the upcoming posts.  Be sure to check for the October product special....you can't miss out on this one.

Just enjoying life while waiting for the train....don't forget to "smell the roses" and take time for yourself