Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Tutorial {Part 1}

Okay we are going to start off with the red one...:) The color is Annie Sloan's Emperor's Silk...I love this red with the dark wax or without...without the dark wax, it would be a brighter red...You would just wax it with clear wax...

The first tip that Michelle @ Wonderfaux Studios gave us may surprise you...The older your AS chalk paint the thicker it will be...the thicker it is...the more it will look like the red and the cream practice boards, the cream was very thick, look at the cream practice board here....It is okay to leave your lids loose, ladies (and gentlemen), because the air will thicken it up...If you don't like that look, by all means close them tight...But this is good for us lazy painters...Michelle said this is girl's paint...lol I loved that...Because there is no failing with this stuff!

And I can finally look at Mr. Screaming Meme and say ..."You are wrong! I know what I am doing here..." Yay! lol He is an expert at so much, especially when it has to do with painting and construction...but I am patiently waiting for him to say in a deep, concerned voice..."You need to close that paint can properly, Meme"...and I will just refer him to this post...As Charlie Sheen would say..."I'm winning!" lol Annie Sloan, you are a genius and I HEART you for making girly girl paint! ;)




I suggest that you paint the pieces you want perfect when you first get your can of paint and then you paint the pieces you want a little more rustic or layered (like the cream I showed you) later...Or if you only want the rustic look...open the can and loosely close it for a week or so and tada...you will be set! You can always add water to thin it out, as well...So, no worries...


Okay, here is the red practice board I did...You want to literally paint heavily and thickly with your brush...see how thick I painted here? {Tip the red has a lot more pigment and will need a longer drying time...}

Once it is dry you can add your wax...I suggest that you go over it with clear wax first and then brush the dark wax on...(remember little goes along way) To make sure to get the look I showed on Monday you need to use the dark wax with brush strokes across the piece...highlighting the raised molding and designs of your piece...and then adding the dark wax were you think it will look best...You are the artist here...One of my classmates took a tool and gouged the practice board...so I did it too...and once you go over it with the dark wax, it will darken that area...You can always let your piece dry, sand it down and start again...No failing, Just WINNING! ;) Yay!

Once you are done, you can buff it when the wax is not tacky anymore...And that is where the magic happens...



I will be posting more how to's that I learned...but I promise taking a class from Michelle or someone who knows the tips and tricks...is the way to go!

Xoxo, Meme

A Furniture Redesign, Clients And A Sneak Peek!

I have been a busy girl lately! I have a few clients I am working with. A few furniture redesigns and a gorgeous home I am styling. Here is one of my furniture redesigns. A toddler bed...




It was a plain, old honey oak toddler bed. I used Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk Paint with Annie Sloan's clear and dark wax. I loved how beautiful it turned out.



My client was beside herself when she saw it! That makes all the work worth it! That is my favorite part of my job, even more than my paycheck...really! :)




She is using it for her son's room, which is decorated beautifully. And she shared a secret with me...she is pregnant with baby #2! And she has asked that I paint her baby furniture! And I gladly said YES! :)




I love when I hear someone else is pregnant...it instantly brings me back to my experience of being pregnant with my boys. I was the type who loved being pregnant! It was a beautiful experience for me.




I wish her the best pregnancy and birth...and I will be ready to paint that furniture once we figure out what she is having! A girl? A boy? It doesn't matter...she or he will be loved and treasured, I am quite sure!




I am so excited about the giveaway today. I will post the winner tonight! I wish everyone good luck! I am off to shop window treatments for the home I am styling! I have really loved working with this client. She is refreshing and fun! And her Mama, who is 92 (though looks 7o something) is a hoot and a breath of fresh air!

She lives with my client and her husband. Such a great family! Those are always the best to work with and even better to become friends with! I seem to always have luck with meeting clients who end up as friends! Another benefit to my job! :)




Here is a peek at a piece of furniture we moved to the hall...We are making a gallery wall with antique mirrors and old family photos! And look at that antique typewriter...I love that piece the most! Heck, I love a lot of her pieces! I will be sharing more of her lovely home as we go!




XoXo, Meme

The "BIG" Reveal!

This is a headboard bench that I had bought many moons ago...I cherish this bench in so many ways...It is a reflection of who I was back then...A carefree spirit trying to find who she was and where she fit in...

It was the first piece of furniture that I had bought all by myself {as women we often do (and buy things) that aren't truely us}...

It represents my first taste of freedom, I remember going in every week to pay her out...I'd sit on her and daydream about where she would proudly sit on display, in my home...How the kids would run in after school and throw their backpacks all over her...How the little dings and scratches they left, would only make her more special to me...

As the years past on and my tastes had changed...I thought of painting over her french garden inspired mural...I would get the paint brush close to her and freeze...

Why was I so attached to that mural?...I know now that it is because it represented so many things in a difficult time in my life...

She represented a strength I never knew existed in me...She was different from the everyday furnishings...She was imperfect with her distressed corners and freely painted mural, yet that made her even more perfect... She was a reflection of who I was searching for the whole time...A reflection of "Meme"...




So, I've added to her and made her a reflection of who I am today...As the years go by, she is sure to change, as I change and grow...:)

Here is the "BIG" reveal...Drum roll, please...




It is a slipcover for my old bench...It is my first "real" slipcover...I am thrilled with the results...


I have always wanted to learn how...I have paid big bucks for custom slipcovers...And now I think I can do it myself...Actually, I am working on another one as we speak...Well, after we speak ;)...





I have had a few clients who want me to make them one, too...I'm sure it will be a great asset to my Interior Design business...Anything you can do for the client, is savings for not only you, but them...I have learned to do so many things on my own. It is such a great feeling, when you learn something new...:)




That pillow was my Christmas gift, last year...I wanted it so bad!!!!...I was thrilled to open it on Christmas morn ;)...I don't need or ask for much. But, when I do see something that makes me heart flutter...I have to have it!...I can count on two hands all the things that I have ever asked for in my whole life...Because I don't believe in the "gimme gimme" attitude...I believe in having gratitude for the things we have...And I so do treasure those few things...Especially, my old bench and my new Pottery Barn Pillow...:) Thank you, Santa Clause :)


There are so many mistakes on my new slipcover...But I think I did a fabulous job...And with each new slipcover, I am sure to learn more tricks of the trade! Do you know how to make slipcovers? I bet you could, if you really tried!

Here is the back of my bench...I really didn't need to make a full back...I could of used Velcro to hold the ties on the back...

I thought I would slipcover the back...because I have a real problem...I move things around all the time...I actually move things around in the middle of the night...

Yeah, I'm a "Night Mover"...I have hurt any of people, in my village with my "Night Moves" ;)...Not to mention, my dance moves...;) They think they are going to sit on a sofa that was there the night before...Or better...Go flying through the air...Because I moved the ottoman in the "old" walkway...I try and keep my night moving to a minimal ;)

XoXo, Screaming Meme {Night Mover}

Easy Makeover...

Old furniture can be turned into something new with a little imagination!....I painted this armoire for a client...I started with bead board wallpaper and hung it on the doors....I then painted it black and stenciled it with gold paint...And finished off with a little distressing....Get your imagination thinking about what you can do with that old piece of furniture or decor....Love to you~ Meme