Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Class

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I had today! To say that I had a blast is an understatement!  I was able to attend my friend Stacey's very first Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Class in my own neck of the woods. Stacey's studio is right down the road from Urban Suburban Pelham, where I sell my things. She is such a sweet heart and is full VALUABLE information! I thought I knew some things, but I learned SO much in this class. She did a wonderful job teaching proper waxing techniques, distressing, how to properly apply the paint, ....I could go on and on.....  Did you know that you can even crackle the chalk paint? It looks amazing! It is well worth the money to spend on the class. Stacey will be teaching another one on July 9th, here in Birmingham. She fills up really fast so make sure you give her a call to reserve your spot. Make sure you tell her I sent you!

2116 Old Montgomery Highway Suite B
Pelham/Birmingham  AL  35124
205-982-4464

And don't forget if you do not live in Birmingham or the surrounding area, there might possibly be a stockist near you. Check out this website to see the North American Stockists.

I was able to hang out with my gal pals Martha and Dean from Urban......

Love these girls... they did a fabulous job painting their pieces.

I got to meet a reader that I had never met before, Cristy, ( I hope I spelled that right) from Trussville. She is just the sweetest thing you will ever meet.  Doesn't she just look sweet??  She painted a precious gray lamp and did a marvelous job on her cabinet door. She is going to be big and brave and tackle her kitchen cabinets soon. Cristy, I want to see pictures when you are done!

Stacey made this class so much fun. She thrifted around town to find us all a lamp we could paint and take home with us. All of them were different and had enough detail to be able to distress and wax. We worked on two cabinet doors and also a piece of moulding.

Who knew you could paint right over metal and brass with this stuff? No priming no sanding......

I'm pretty sure I had this lamp in my bathroom growing up in the early 90's. It had a white pleated shade. ICK.. It looks a million times better now! I just need to find a cute shade!

I didn't take an after picture of my pineapple....shame on me. I waxed it with a dark wax and distressed it, bringing out some of the gold underneath. It turned out really pretty!

Stacey had out a huge selection of colors to choose from on a lazy susan in the middle of each table. I leaned a lot towards the blue's today. They are all beautiful.

I thought this was fun and unique. Stacey shared with us that Annie always paints the inside doors of her furniture with layered stenciling. It was all done very haphazard and was fun and different. I like the idea of painting the inside of your doors a particular way to "brand" your furniture.

Three of the most valuable pieces of information that I learned today, I wanted to share with you.

1. If you are painting with one color of chalk paint, you can distress with a wet rag. This makes it so much cleaner and eliminates all of the chalk dust. I wish I had known this a few days ago. I had to take my black paint pants outside and beat them like a chalkboard eraser!

2. When you are done painting and you are ready to wax, you always use clear first. If you want to use a dark wax, use it over clear. If you get too much dark wax in areas, you can take some off with a soft piece of t shirt and a little clear wax on the t shirt. The clear wax removes the dark wax.

3. Paint on the chalk paint in a crisscross motion and not straight up in down. You eliminate brush marks and your paint goes on smoother.  Also, dipping the corner of your brush in  a little water helps with the thickness and makes the paint easier to spread. It also makes your paint go farther!

I also think its really great you can paint over plastic and metal. Don't pass up those ugly brass lamps anymore! Paint them!

I am highly motivated and ready to get busy tackling more projects lurking around in the basement!

Kiss your husbands, dad's and grandpas and tell them how much they mean to you! Have a safe and Happy Fathers Day.

Kelli