Chalk Paint? "Like"!

     ~Emily Cline
Creatively inspired, tutu-strutting friend Carrie Clayton Campbell, has a shop in northern California called Hip Chick Designs. We communicate a lot on Facebook, so I see all her postings about shopping trips she takes for her adorable store, photographs from workshops she holds there, and class announcements. Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint is all over the place.

So I googled it, did some research, and started falling into serious "like". I had to experience it for myself. I have a desk I bought on Craig'sList that needed some help -- perfect!

So I searched for retailers (random) and found one in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut at Gifted Hands, an artists cooperative. I'd read that a small test jar (about $15) is enough to cover one piece of furniture -- it was.

There are a couple of really great things about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint:
     *It's powdery and dry with a matte finish
     *You can water it down -- I did as I painted, spraying water onto my brush!
     *No need to sand or prime beforehand.
     *It adheres right to any surface: floors, wood, metal, anything.
     *It dries really fast.
     *It's not toxic so you can paint in your home without worrying about fumes.
     *Once the paint is dry, rub clear wax on it. As you rub, some of the paint rubs off, so you end up with a beautiful antique look. You control it: rub a little, rub a lot, or be super gentle and just keep the paint on.
     *Her colors are gorgeous! (My desk is in Old Ochre. I'm thinking my dresser in Arles and our antique red-and-black streaked secretary in Paris Grey.)

Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint? Serious "like"!

(*One note: Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint is not the chalkboard paint that turns surfaces into a chalk board. That's different can of fun.)