Annie Sloan Painting Course

The world has been awash with talk about this marvellous paint.  Paint that doesn't need sanding, priming etc etc.  I'll let you into a secret, I'm lazy and hate sanding things so this paint sounded perfect.  The problem is stockists.  Annie Sloan's shop is in Oxfordshire and I'm all the way up in the frozen north.  I'm too tight to pay for postage but I managed to find a stockist within an hours drive.  When I called the shop they told me about a course that they were running to teach the chalk paint techniques.  I ummed and ahhed for a bit but as they told me that lunch was included I was there!

The course was run by http://www.theofanointeriors.com/ in picturesque Lancashire.  The morning was spent practising paint distressing and application techniques and the afternoon was spent practising the techniques to create our own pieces.  The ladies that ran the course were great, very helpful and sooo enthusiastic about the product.  If you have a spare second I really recommend a browse round their gorgeous shop too.  i could have spent a month's wages in a heartbeat in there and still wanted to get more.

I picked up this chair in a 2nd hand shop for £2.  Bargain of the year.  It's had an application of old white and then the divine Louis Blue,  I applied a coat of clear wax and gently distressed.  I'm pretty impressed with how it has turned out.

Before - In my enthusiasm to get it painted I forgot to take a proper before picture but here is one half way through - the chair was covered in a million layers of orange toned varnish.

Halfway through

Ta daaaaaa!  The finished project - ignore the bushes that are badly in need of a trim!

Easy Like Sunday Morning.

I love Sunday mornings,  I woke up today, the sun was shining and birds singing.  I've had a week off work today and bought a pile of objects with potential.  Not in the mood for some heavy decorationg, my eyes set upon this sweet mini chest of drawers.  They are made from MDF and remind me of something that came from Ikea, however I bought them from my fave charity shop for the grand total of £2.

Some pink loving teenager had been let loose on them with some poster paint and a black marker pen.  I felt a little bad about ruining someone's creativeness but an idea was forming...

I went on an Annie Sloan paint course yesterday (more about that later) but I now have a big stock of delicious chalk paint, wax and a head bursting with creative ideas.  took out the drawers, painted the oustide in Old White - just one coat and waxed when dry.  Then I found a wallpaper sample that I got from Laura Ashley and used PVA glue to apply to the front of the drawers.

Ta Da!!!  I love it,  I think it will become storage for costume jewellery.  Thanks for reading.

Pink Paints and more!

Anyone who knows me IRL knows that I cant resist a bargain.  My favourite word in the English language is sale, or clearance or words to that effect.  Although they are often derided, I still believe that there is no better place to get a bargain than a charity shop.  I've been off work for half term and decided to go for a bit of a rummage, and found loads of amazing things.  I'll blog about them later but I'm mega excited about this - possibly the deal of the century....  I love paint, hence the title of my blog.  Imagine my sheer delight when I found these lurking on the shelf of a charity shop in a little village that I stopped in to find a loo!

Farrow & Ball Bargain!

I bought six (only five are pictured) of fabulous Farrow & Ball paint.  Most are Oil Eggshell in pale colours, I also got a tin of ponting which is a nice cream shade and some undercoat.  Best of all all six tins cost me less than a fiver!  Happy days, I just need to spend the savings on something to paint now!

More about me and my home...

I moved into my current home in August this year.  Its an old school.  Please don't think of a victorian building with high ceilings and wooden floors.  This baby is a 70's built single story building - I do have high ceilings and lots and lots of space to play with, so I'm pleased.

As much as I want to spend a fortune on fancy wallpaper, I've decided against it as I only have a wee short tenancy.  Instead I'm concentrating on painting my rooms pale shades that work well with my current things.