Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Contest

For Canadians only!
They are featuring a stockist and a colour each day of October. Today's paint colour is Old Ochre. I entered this dresser. I do need to learn to take better photos!  You can see (and please LIKE) my entry in the CONTEST  thanks

Thanksgiving weekend

I have so much to be thankful for. I try to remember this on a daily basis. It is nice to celebrate with friends and family and fabulous food.

All the veggies are ready to cook, just have to stuff the bird, pop it in the oven and relax for a few hours.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

A little behind

I am. I know. But a BlogPodium recap has been on my mind.

Times does fly.

Unlike last time the room full of younger women didn't bother me!

 Jennifer Flores did an amazing job again leading her team to pull off an organized, fun, educating and stylish conference.

The Keynote speaker was Donna Williams of Funky Junk Interiors fame. All the way from BC. Her presentation was about being authentic, and she was.  Shedding her jacket to put on her trademark plaid shirt she was real as she gave us the emotional and tearful story.

That's what it is really about, after all. Donna's story, my story, your story.

Later in the day I ran an idea past her and she said "what is the worst thing that could happen?"

"Fail" I said. And she gave me a look that said, ya so? So I have had that thought rambling around my mind for the last few weeks.

The rest of the day was equally inspiring.  I am going to open an Etsy shop for my quilts and upcycled items.

Avery Swartz always does an awesome job explaining the techie stuff like Google Analytics. I took her Camp Tech Wordpress class last fall. I will be putting it to use soon.

The afternoon Keynote session was full of nuggets of wisdom. Scott Mcgillivray charmed us with his phenomenal success story.  Jennifer said her secret is to start in the middle not at the beginning.

I was fascinated by Monika Hibbs .

Monika is a former physician that started with The Doctor's Closet. I had a hard time wrapping my head around her decision to give up a medical practice. After the incredible amount of study, hard work and dedication she quit.  Maybe because I've been a pharmacist for over 30 years and quitting never surfaced as an option for me. She shared that after spending some time waiting in an ER she realized she has no regrets. That is the way I like to live.

Do you remember the scene in the movie "You've Got Mail" when Meg Ryan's character decided to close her bookstore? Jean Stapleton's character says 'closing is the brave thing to do.' That's how I feel about Monika's story. She encouraged us to search for our natural skills.

I enjoyed checking out the sponsor booths. Chatting with the ASCP ladies from New Orleans and Florida.

So the take away for me......be brave, risk failure, have a mantra, tell my story.

check out the new contest

for Canadians who love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint at the 31 Days of Chalk Paint Love

here is my night table in its home at the cottage.

Looks like a fun contest.

more painted furniture

with custom colours.
We need to have very small multi-functional furniture at the cottage. What could be better than nesting tables? This is before I started mixing up the ASCP. and yes I do know there is only one table here!

 

 

Nesting tables painted in custom colours. All three neatly tucked together. I love the legs altogether each with its own gorgeous colour.

 

Here they are opened just slightly with my two favourite 1970's pieces.

 

 

I put the most dark wax on the smallest blue table.

 

 

the colours really work with this 9 patch quilt top too.



 

 

I mixed new colours

of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to make the colours used to paint this chair. Sturdy, comfortable, clean yet boring.

I had pinned a similar one done with a Union Jack that Annie has shown to feature Napoleonic Blue. I wasn't really up for the math to do a flag so stripes it was. I started with a pale base

 whipped out the Frog Tape and varied the width of the stripes while trying to match up the seat and backrest.

 

 

it looks all bright and childish until the dark wax knocks back the colour and makes it looks aged.

 

 

 

 

The paint is also great on metal. The chrome parts were painted in graphite then waxed as well.

 

 

 

 

No stripes on the back.



 

 

so much better than before. Don't you think?

 

 

I wasn't going to go but once I had a purpose I signed up for

I went last year. You can read about my experience Here

My purpose, well it's too early for details but lets just say I've bought to much furniture and "STUFF" for our little cottage.

Hehe!

Colour scheme

Our new cottage is a builder's model.  That means their designer picks out the paint colours. I love colour, any colour so I am fine with using what we will be getting. We found this picture in thrift store, of course. The colours are perfect.

It is about 24" sq.  Just not sure what room it will end up in. We'll see!

They're here, they're here!!!!

Yup my  Heather's prize arrived.

Paint cans in their own winter wear. only in Canada eh?!

We got 12, yup, a dozen cans of ASCP, a can of each dark and clear wax and Annie 's workbook.

So many yummy colours. Thanks Annie Sloan Unfolded.


It all started Here

What are gleanings?

I love the name of my blog but it is not self- explanatory.
My new in-my-mind-only blog will have a menu explaining the term Gleanings and  have examples.

The new blog may be a while so I'll start here.

Gleanings

pl n

1. (Agriculture) the useful remnants of a crop that can be gathered from the field after harvesting

This is the meaning I grew up with living on a farm. Collecting the missed cobs of corn into sacks for chicken feed after the large harvesters had chopped acres and acres into silage.

Cutting the small broccoli shoots that sprout after the main head was removed.

This sort of thing is now done on farms in an organized way to yield tons and tons of food that would other wise not be harvested.

I obviously take a more creative use of the term!

Yesterday had a spur of the moment gleaning opportunity. There are still piles of broken branches from the recent ice storm sitting curb side.  Spot and I stopped at a pile of curly willow branches and  gleaned  an armful of lovely twigs.

I'm not taking a photo cuz they are outside on top of ice and now covered in fluffy snow.
They look exactly like these

And we plan on using them to decorate the urn at the front door in the spring.  I wonder if they will sprout leaves?

Blog posts need photos right?  So here is the urn still decked out in red before Christmas and all the ice and snow.

We made it happen

Do you believe in manifesting your future? Vision boards? Asking the universe for your hearts wishes?
I know it all sounds sort of hoey hockus-pockus but I have experienced it enough in my life to recognize it when it happens.
Where is this going you ask?
Once  I knew we wouldn't get enough votes to win first prize I knew we would win the draw for Canada to get $500US for Annie Sloan products. Heather felt the same way. So when David read the list of winners names to me at work on Dec 13 I thought he was joking. But it really happened.

We won!

Cool eh?
So I've been making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty......
sorry too much Christmas radio.

Making a list of colours I want.

I've had great fun playing with this Paint mixer

The rest of the reasons.....

The contest is over. We got lots of votes, 178 to be exact. Not enough to win but we had great fun.
So in no particular order here is the rest of the count down.......
8.
I have chairs to paint, I'm afraid to count how many. The latest is a cute vintage stool.
I found a similar one done with a Union Jack. http://relovedrubbish.blogspot.ca/2012/09/chalk-painted-union-jack-chair-on-wheels.html
There are also folding chairs and Windsor back chairs. And I have my eye on these six. I bought them as well as four others yesterday.

7.
I have frames,many frames. Small ones, huge ones
6.
I want to try to make some art with the paints.
5.
I love colour. simple. To sit and mix colours would be heaven. I have a book to alter for that purpose.
4.
I have Christmas gifts to finish. A lingerie chest will be painted with ASCP Graphite and silver foil for accents.
3.
I want to sell furniture. That way I can continue to buy it too. Maybe a pop-up store is in my future!
2.
My daughter would be able to give me an awesome gift.
1.
I will paint her some dining room furniture, maybe she will take some of my chairs!

reason number ...9

 get to do silly and creative stuff like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

no brass was polished making this strip and only one cracker broken.



Top ten reasons to vote for me...

Number 10


Vote

Vote daily please

To give David something to do when I work evenings. Left on his own it is all about the Legos.
Surfing Kijiji, ebay, and craigslist, not to mention flyers, online ads, cross border shopping leads to this.......

Santa, all I want for a Christmas.......is to win.....

This contest.


Please please vote for this Entry. My beautiful daughter Heather and her son Lynkin. He is the sweetest thing in my life. People always told me how special grandchildren are and I thought sure. But man o man I get it now. Pure utter sweet joy is what he brings to my life.

I have promised to paint her some furniture.
How is someone supposed to choose a paint colour. It took my 50 years to Choose a favourite colour. Yup, drum room please, pea soup green. No wonder my first can of ASCP was Antibes Green. I love working with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. I love her commitment to small entrepreneurs.



I want them all.   Thank you.

Painting in progress

I read the instructions on the can, in the book and started.
I used two light coats and had this brilliant green. Then applied the clear wax, using a stencil brush with bristles about 1/2" in diameter.

You can see how it gets toned down when the dark wax is applied. Lots of "wax on, wax off".

He it is all painted and waxed. Love how the colour turned out. But not sure if there is too much dark wax.

First Annie Sloan piece almost done

I had two Annie Sloan Books, her paint from The Melon Patch wax from The Painted Bench in Hamilton  in Hamilton. The colour you ask, Antibes Green What to paint? How about these?

I picked these up at Value Village for $6.99 each. Very solid, heavy even, with interesting detail. Made in Canada by the Lafontaine (1962) Inc Co. 

No sanding the top was nasty looking quite smooth. I did give it a good clean. Even I know not to paint over dust.

Check in tomorrow for the after.

Flooring or florring

Yup I meant florring.
As in FLor. I've seen them used many times by Candace Olsen. squares almost 20x20" in an incredible array of colour, pattern, stripes and costs. They are hard wearing, hopefully super hard wearing.
I choose this fine stripe for the entrance way.

And this pattern for the livingroom area. The sofa is a solid turquoise colour and the chair is a tone on tone sort of velvety paisley that reads as a solid. I needed some pattern. Well this is more than some patterndiv>

I love it.

You paid what for your new lamp!

I can't decide what my favourite score was on our recent thrifting trip. But this white lamp is a definite contender. I'm auditioning it in various spots. I think it might live on my bedside table.
The shade was borrowed from another lamp. The diameter is fine I think but it should be a bit longer.
Anyone else find shopping for lamp shades really trying?

 I have had the poster for a few years. Try decades. It is from an exhibit at the ROM called Silk Roads -China Ships.

Oh ya, the price. SIX bucks. Cha-Ching!

Thanksgiving thrifting road trip....wait til you see what we got

Have you ever enjoyed something so much that you immediately want to turn it into a tradition?
Many of you were enjoying Thanksgiving traditions last weekend- spending time with family, reflecting on life and the many things to be thankful for, and food of course.

We had our turkey a few weeks ago, family was busy elsewhere so we booked an Inn in Connecticut and hit the road. Three pieces of small furniture, two lamps and one large wooden box later we are home.

My weakness is for picture frames, well really chairs, but they take up too much room. I bought these for the frames but one I might keep as is. Guess which one!

This guy is called Pope Innocent by Velazquez.

This is some pressed flowers by Kathy to her grandparents done in 1971.