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.