How to add texture with Chalk Paint

Flo from Goin' with the Flo shared her dry brushing technique and was kind enough to let me show it to you here. The final result pictured below shows just a little bit more interest and texture to this beautiful vanity.

Here is what the top looked like when she first painted it with Paris Grey

Here it is after her dry brushing technique using Old White

I think she achieved her goal of adding just a little bit more texture and interest to her piece. She has definitely mastered the dry brushing technique!

Here is how Flo explains her technique:

"Drybrushing (to those who've never done it) is just a fancy term for dipping your paint brush lightly in paint, squeezing most of it off with a rag, and then swatting away with the mostly dry bristles covered with the leftover paint. You can then rub it in with a clean rag (or not...). It works best with wood that already has some natural grain in it....not really super smooth."

You can also change the look by dry brushing more than one color or add depth by dry brushing different shades of the same color.

Have you ever tried the dry brushing technique?

How to recreate the $13,000.00 look

We have been so busy getting everything up and ready and online. Revamping our website and creating a shopping cart, what fun!@! The garage has officially been turned into a furniture workshop and we have lots of great pieces to show you. But until they are ready, we wanted to share some more inspiration pieces. We call them Chalk-Off's because the look can easily be recreated as a knock-off piece using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Take this gorgeous armoire from the Eloquence collection.

Classic European style with a patina aged and distressed to show years of love and everyday use. I love the blue accents all around, just enough to give the piece warmth and character, but not too overpowering. If blues are your color, this would compliment and finish the room.

Gorgeous, isn't it? Gorgeous enough to pay the $13,000.00 price tag for it? Maybe for some, but for the rest of us that live in the real world, I think not! Enter: Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. This look could easily be recreated using Cream and Louis Blue and finished with Clear Wax. Annie's paint is so easy to use and with no prep work, you can realistically have this complete and in your room in no time flat!

What do you think? Would you like to create this $13,000.00 look using Chalk Paint?

Old and worn out to CHECK THIS OUT!

It is so hard to believe that you can really paint over varnished (including oil based) and waxed surfaces directly without priming or sanding; but YES you can.

Before

After - using Old White and Louis Blue

Before

After - using Provence and Dark Wax

All photos courtesy of Miss Mustard Seed

Annie Sloan's water based Chalk Paint will adhere to all woods, metal, concrete, plastic and more, can be painted inside and outside, on furniture, cabinets, walls and floors.

What do you have that can use a Chalk Paint makeover?

What exactly is this Chalk Paint stuff?

If you have been around various blogs over the last 2 months, you have seen the explosion in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

So, just what is IT that everyone is talking about?

Annie's paint really is like NO OTHER paint!

-Chalk paint is VERY EASY to use.

-Woodwork does not need Priming, Sanding, or ANY Preparation.

-Water based and eco friendly with extremely low VOCs, virtually no odor!

-Use on furniture, walls, floors, exterior surfaces, or on any surface.

-Gives walls a soft matte velvety finish or wax it for a polished plaster effect.

-Very highly concentrated in pigment to produce an extensive covering power

The chalk paint does not follow the rules, rather it allows you to work with it in an independent, intuitive and creative way.

Colors range from soft and pale to bright and strong. There are 24 very distinctive colors to pick from, but unlimited creative possibilities for achieving exactly the right tone. With the exception of Graphite, none of the chalk paint colors contain black pigment. This allows for mixing and combining colors and layering without the paint dulling or getting a dirty look. The colors are rich, with a palette based on 18th century European furniture. To age and give texture and dimension, simply apply the Annie Sloan waxes to show a patina of history.

Annie Sloan developed her own line of paints more than 20 years ago because she was unhappy with the uniformity of all other paints on the market. She was looking to create something that would have diverse uses and applications and colors that were true, rich and vibrant and did not rely on the use of black, which tends to dirty the color. Annie, a painter for over forty years, evolved towards decorative work and particularly studying and understanding color. Drawing on her knowledge of paint, pigments, love of color, and fine art training, she developed her now famous Chalk Paint.

Goodbye OAK Cabinets, Hello Beautiful!

Kitchen Makeover at a FRACTION of the cost and VERY LITTLE EFFORT...

Check out this amazing kitchen makeover that Anne Skougard's customer did herself using annie sloan Chalk Paint

Before

Check out the After!

This amazing kitchen makeover included 27 doors both front AND back, 16 drawer fronts, cabinet boxes and island base using only

3.25 quarts of Chalk Paint

Yes, the finish is durable enough for kitchen cabinets. Annie does recommend at least 3 coats of wax to protect surfaces in high use areas such as kitchens.

With NO SANDING, PRIMING, OR PREPPING the woodwork, this makes for a very easy kitchen facelift.

Now that's an inexpensive kitchen makeover!

Is your kitchen next?

Chalk Paint - Creating the Look without the Cost

Why spend thousands of dollars on new pieces of high end furniture when you can create the look yourself?

This chest retails for $2,862.00 and can EASILY be recreated with Chalk Paint.

French Heritage Furniture

This mirror retails for $649.00 and can be recreated with paint.

Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint!

Chalk Paint comes in a 24 beautiful colors to mix, layer, antique, distress, and wax to a lovely patina.

FrenchMarketCollection

A richly textured hand-finish comes together in this trim sample (pictured below) created using annie sloan Chalk Paint. Chalk Paint allows you to bring a touch of European elegance to any décor.

Chalk Paint - How to decide your color

Color combinations can be tricky, they can make or break a piece. So where do you start?

Annie Sloan says "Working with a good palette of colors is important, as is being able to mix them. I use a palette of ready-mixed neutrals with stronger colors, working on the premise that you can lighten strong colors but can't make a light color strong. My already-aged colors, such as Duck Egg Blue, can be lightened with Old White, but for colors like Provence, which is rather clean, it might be better to add Country Grey to dull it and give it a little complexity. Of course, waxes can change the color too, so take this into consideration when you are applying your chosen paint."

Color is everywhere and it is very important. Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint allows you the freedom and flexibility to mix your own colors for the perfect look.

When painting furniture, a good guide to go by is to use a mid-tone for most of the piece and accent or highlight detail areas with either a darker or lighter tone. The beauty of Chalk Paint is that it allows you to change your mind. If you don't like what you see - you can simply paint over it in an afternoon without priming or sanding or any additional prep work!

Chalk Paint Blog by Shades of Amber

We developed this blog to be have a creative platform that everyone could access just devoted to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. We will showcase pieces, provide tips and ideas for painting, share inspirational pieces, new techniques, color combinations and more! We are establishing an online community to create, discover, learn and share together all about Chalk Paint!

We know that you will love the BEST paint in the world!

Annie Sloan's Newest Stockist - Colorado

Well it's official, we have been selected to be the newest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist! We can't wait for our products to arrive in a couple of weeks. Boy, do we have a lot to do in the mean time. Times a burning so we're back to work.