How to Use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I have been meaning to do a stage by stage; step by step Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because while I talk about it a fair bit in my blog .... have I shown you how to use it? No I haven't. Have I even explained to you why it is probably the best paint in the world? Nope....I don't think I ever did. Have I introduced you to the inventor of the paint? How remiss.....let's start there. Meet Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan is an interior designer, artist, writer and renowned decorative expert on world painting based in Oxford. You can read a lot more about her own her own blog here

And what is so special about the paint? 

Virtually NOOOOO Prep!

Truly you can just paint straight over varnish, wax, French polish, old paint and virtually any other surface you might find on old or new furniture. No Sanding? No Priming? No Fuss? Just Fun? Yes...all that is true. 

Obviously there are sensible things you need to do. It's best if it is clean, dust free and that the surface is sound that you will be working on - get rid of loose and flaky. Then I have a really cool person here to demonstrate the technique - Yup it's Annie herself .....

Enjoy

I know what you are thinking....it can't be that easy, she's the person who invented the stuff....there must a secret. So if you don't believe me watch these guys......I don't know what it is about this video but I have decided these guys MUST be nice....they just look lovely and you definitely want to give them a hug by the time they finish.

So that's um....let me see.....oh yes.....paint ......then wax. Simples!

Happy Painting! Don't forget to buy your paint from us, we have paint, wax books all available - the link to our online shop is on the right hand side just click through or follow this link!!!
Thanks for making these videos peeps, you saved me a LOT of writing and picture taking and your videos are WONDERFUL!

Open Doors

I wish I could get into the habit of blogging more regularly, I am just chasing my tail to keep you all up to date with happenings in the studio......and yes we are OPEN and working effectively in the studio and we open every Saturday 10am till 5pm and we are often in the studio at other times, just ring before popping in

Our Annie Sloan Shop

First I have to tell you that we had a wonderful opening....after a huge amount of work to make the space habitable and as pretty as possibly, we literally were ready on the dot of 12pm on the 8th of January and just kept our fingers crossed. - and people appeared and more and more and all through the day people came from far and wide. We had visitors from as far away as Kincardineshire and Loch Fyne, Glasgow, East Kilbride so THANK YOU alllll for making such an effort to come and join us and travelling so far to do so - thanks to our local supporters too, who gave up part of a precious Sunday to wish us well....anyway let me give you a tour of the studio finished to this point (lots more to do).

Come on in

 We managed despite it being winter to get the lower wall that belongs to us smartened up and painted and our nasty door cleaned up.....and look you step up a colour chart, not a staircase

night time view

And at our dark winter evenings our Antibes Green door glows and invites you in

Remember that idea I had wayyyy back for a colour chart

 Regular visitors might remember me being inspired by a colour chart painted on a wall (see it again here)
Try as I might I couldn't make it look nice on the brick so we did it on sample cards which worked really well

Colour Chart

One of Gibson's stencil designs greets you

revitalised piece - the back of a wardrobe

 Gibson had picked up a great panelled piece of wood that had these lovely hooks on - it was very stained and dark but a wash of Paris Grey followed by liming wax made so chic....I just love it.

the kitchen

Love my bathroom

The loo is probably the most "finished" part of the studio Paris Grey on the back wall, I think that brick surface really suits the mattness of Chalk Paint and that old pine chest of drawers looks fabulous with Versailles and finished with clear wax. I need new flooring and to grout the tiles and we are done. 

The floor is Provence...not finished yet but looked good for the opening

So nice to be able to put our samples up and not have them get damp like in the old studio

Our teaching tables and the library corner

We did some demonstrations and these attracted a wee crowd. 

Does my bum look big in this??? There NO doubt

a quick bit of marbling

Our new class list includes a short class to teach this marble and another simple fantasy marble.

Finally the winner of the Great Paint Give-away was  Gillian Morris of Eggshell and Chalk a long time custome of Carte Blanche and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and so we were delighted she one and what made it better was that as she entered she said to Gibson "I don't know why I am bothering cos I never win anything" so it was nice for her to start the New Year off breaking that pattern.

A Great UK Paint Giveaway - Annie Sloan Paint Prize Draw

The American Annie Sloan stockists have been giving paint away in prize draws all last month and I thought it was pretty sad that no-one was giving out paint in the UK. To celebrated our new studio open day we decided we would have a prize draw. Here is the prize ....

Worth £72.79

Two litres of Chalk Paint in colours of your choice, 2 sample pots in colours of your choice, 2 waxes, a dark and a clear and Annie's lovely book "Creating the French Look".

So how do you get your name in the hat?? You can actually get your name in the hat loads of times over. For each of these things that you do you get your name in the hat once

1. Follow this blog ....how do you do that? Look to the right hand side and scroll down until you see the "Blog Followers" title and click the "join this site" button.
2. "Like" our Facebook Page
3. Follow me on Twitter - @paintycait
4. Sign up for our newsletter -click here
5. Forward that newsletter when you get it by clicking the "forward email" link (usually at the bottom of the newsletter)
6. Finally come to our Open House on Sunday 8th of January between 12pm and 4pm and this is when we will make the draw at 4pm ....Unit 7, 14 Dunkeld Road, Perth PH1 5RW

 So you don't have long but you do have lots of opportunities and you could get your name in the hat 6 times improving your chances of winning this cracking prize. This is open to anyone in the UK and includes shipping to all UK Mainland areas.
So get clicking!!!, joining liking and then painting......

A 7 YR Old Can Do This & So Can You- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Let me introduce you to my niece Mathilda (known as Tildy to family).

Mathilda is 7 years old and as can be seen absolutely gorgeous (especially in her Carte Blanche apron) and of course is a genius because she is related to me but Mathilda has never painted furniture before. Last week she came with her family for lunch at the studio and while her Mum and brother, who are both fashionistas, headed off to nearby TK Maxx in search of jeans she decided to stay with me and her Dad and she said to me she would like to paint something. Well....I was busy washing up and chatting to her Dad and since I had already started this chair I literally just handed her a brush and the pot of  Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Aubusson) in faith that really....nothing can go wrong.
She was struggling a little with the spindles on the back and I gave her a wee hint on how to do those (I explained that it is easiest to slap the paint brush  flat against them and then just gently brush the paint down the spindle)...then went back to chatting.....she needed a little guidance on the seat on how to just finish off the  paint, she had covered the seat but it was "lumpy" so I just showed her how to gently use the tips of the bristles to just lay off all the paint.
Now before I knew it she was telling me where I had missed on the legs and she was "touching up"....Thank goodness for Mathilda because I had missed quite a lot.


When Tildy had gone I expected to have to tidy up a bit....but do you know, a little sand and a wax and the result was fabulous.

How lovely is this chair

and chairs are hard...even for pros

The thing about Annie Sloan Paint is that even if it isn't perfect, it gives character

and here we are playing with Annie Sloan Fabrics

Now, if 7 year old Mathilda (who is gorgeous and a genius ....but still only 7) can do this......SO CAN YOU!

If you would like to see just how gorgeous this chair looks in real life then why not drop into the studio for our open day on Sunday 8th January  12-4pm for a glass of Proseco and a little smoked salmon......and a demonstration of the paint from a grown up.....but will I live up to Mathilda's prescedent??