Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Linky Party!

Almost one month in our new store and we are already expanding....

Yeah, we can't believe it either!!!

We have been blessed with selecting our location in

Historic Downtown Monument Colorado

It is the coolest building built in the early 1900's, and has so much charm and character.

So here starts the remodel after one month. Oh and we will be remodeling our front foyer as well. Going for the French Look!

We will share some pics when finished.

We have been waiting so impatiently to feature this hutch, it is absolutely stunning...

A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it? Chrystal, all I can say is WOW!!!

Here is the recipe she used: a little Old White, some CoCo, and lots of distressing.

Then snap the picture.

Everyone tells me (Brad) that I always use to much blue when painting furniture, I just can't help myself. Obviously Shalaine's shares my love of my favorite paint color combo.

Forget the Oreo's....Aubusson Blue and French Linen together, a new classic combination!

Also, you might notice, we finally have our buttons available on the sidebar to the right.

Feel free to grab and share!

Now it is your turn to share what you have been Chalk Painting....

Do you have something you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

Please share in our Link Party, here are the details:

1. Our blog is exclusive to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Please only share pieces using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It can be anything you want, as long as you used Chalk Paint!

2. Please post a permalink to your post only, not your entire blog.

3. Please help spread the word about our Chalk Paint Linky Party

4. Party closes on Thursday, November 3 at 11:59pm MST. We will pick more people to feature for next week.

Weekly Chalk Paint Linky Party!

Where did the last 6 months go???

Since becoming Stockist for Annie Sloan, our business has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. What a blessing this addition has been to our Custom Window Covering business.

Some of you may know that Shades of Amber all started almost 12 years ago with Amber making drapes for our new home. Two years later we went full time with our Window Treatment business and never looked back. Now, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint has taken our business to a whole new level.

With Annie's paint and our window treatments we can truly turn a house into a Home!!!

Now, on to see what you have been doing with Chalk Paint...

Someone lost their marbles

Becky from White Street Interiors spotted this beautiful Marble top chest at a Restore before it even hit the sales floor. It just needed a little Chateau Grey and some Old White accents to liven it up.

Whoever gave up this chest would kick themselves if they saw her now!

Six bucks and some Chalk Paint

Kathryn from The Dedicated House found these beauties at Goodwill and transformed them into some great accent pieces that any room would be lucky to have.

Just add a little Old White and some imagination and look at what can happen.

It's your turn now

Do you have something you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

Please share in our Link Party, here are the details:

1. Our blog is exclusive to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Please only share pieces using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It can be anything you want, as long as you used Chalk Paint!

2. Please post a permalink to your post only, not your entire blog.

3. Please help spread the word about our Chalk Paint Linky Party

4. Party closes on Wednesday, October 26 at 11:59pm MST. We will pick more people to feature for next week.

Our Store

As promised, we wanted to share a few pictures of our store. Going from a work from home business for 12 years to a store front has been quite the move! It has been a lot of fun, challenging, exciting, and nerve-racking all at the same time.

It has been a giant leap of faith.

But, without further adieu, here are just a few photos of our store.....

There are so many little details that go into it, we have been working very hard to make sure we didn't overlook anything.

It is a constant work in progress (which I think it always will be).

It has been such a joy to see everything come together.

We are now working on our Christmas display and will definitely be sharing those photos soon. Also, we have a shared lobby area that we are currently working on updating. It is in desparate need of a facelift! We are so excited to be tackling that project, stay tuned we will be sharing that work in progress...

Please stop in and visit us sometime

We are located at

125 Second Street

Monument, CO 80132

Our store hours are:

Tuesday and Thursday 10 - 4

Saturday 10 - 3

Frenchy Goodness

Have you seen these nifty little inventions yet?

If not, let me introduce you...

The lid fits snuggly over a standard quart size can, keeping air from drying the paint. The screw top allows for easy access for stirring and is large enough to fit a 2” brush, or you can simply pour out the appropriate amount.

Isn't it wonderful?!? We thought so too, so we are now stocking them.

Click HERE for more details.

Now, to show you a fun little find we just finished up.

When we first saw the photo of it, we thought it was all real wood.

But after we went to look at it, we discovered that the top was actually a melamine surface. Great style and excellent potential, but what about the melamine?

Of course, with Chalk paint, that is not a problem at all. Just paint away.

Check out this update...

For this one, we kept the dark wax just in the recessed areas and everything else coated with clear wax. Just look at the sheen on this little beauty!

Buffed to a very nice soft sheen, and it feels just like velvet! Yes, that is the sunshine reflecting back off the table! What an amazing system the Chalk Paint and wax is.

I think French Linen just might be my new favorite color. It is the perfect neutral grey, just slightly warmer than Paris Grey. What do you think?

Have you tried French Linen yet?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Linky Party!

We have been getting all the finishing touches put together for our store that is now open! So many of you have been asking to see what we have been up to and we promise we will be sharing photos later this week.

Thanks everyone for linking up and sharing the word about our weekly Chalk Paint linky party! We love to see what everyone is creating and doing with Chalk Paint. Even though we work with it everyday, we are still amazed at everything that can be done with paint and wax.

What caught our eye this week was seeing some of the new colors....

French Linen (above)

And CoCo. They are just gorgeous, simple and elegant!

Talk about getting your money's worth, Janet of The Empty Nest created this gorgeous makeover on this china cabinet for only $7.80 in Chalk Paint! Yes, you read correctly, her china cabinet went from dark and dated to beautiful and chic with just a little imagination and $7.80! The Aubusson Blue really sets off the CoCo nicely, don't you think? I also like the small accents of Pure White in just the right places, excellent work, Janet!

Next, check out this little beauty....Love, love, love the color combo (and her name too!) Amber from Queen of Chairs gave this vanity a whole new look using Provence, Old White, and French Linen. Great way to accentuate the character of this vanity!

Do you have something you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

Please share in our Link Party, here are the details:

1. Our blog is exclusive to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Please only share pieces using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It can be anything you want, as long as you used Chalk Paint!

2. Please post a permalink to your post only, not your entire blog.

3. Please help spread the word about our Chalk Paint Linky Party

4. Party closes on Wednesday, October 19 at 11:59pm MST. We will pick more people to feature for next week.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Link Party

This picture frame from Jennifer of The Back Porch Mercnatile is simply gorgeous. Would you believe that the ornate frame is actually plastic?! Using Provence, Primer Red, Old White and Chateau Grey, this frame is now a beautiful treasure with depth and dimension. Simply lovely, Jennifer.

Bonnie from A Wee Meenit shared her $10 find and makeover using Old White. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing beautiful transformations like this one. Excellent job, Bonnie, you really show how old cast off furniture can be repurposed and made better than new.

Do you have something you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

Please share in our Link Party, here are the details:

1. Our blog is exclusive to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Please only share pieces using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It can be anything you want, as long as you used Chalk Paint!

2. Please post a permalink to your post only, not your entire blog.

3. Please help spread the word about our Chalk Paint Linky Party

4. Party closes on Wednesday, October 12 at 11:59pm MST. We will pick more people to feature for next week.

How to Create the French Look

Why are we so drawn to Europe and in particular Italy and France?

Is it the fragrances?

Is it the rustic elegance of a patina naturally worn over time?

Is it the alluring appeal of a simpler time and simpler lifestyle?

There is something about the natural finishes that age gracefully over time.

We connect emotionally with these places, even if we have never experienced them first hand.

above images source

These places have a history, they are real. They fill our senses.

They celebrate the beauty of the passing of time.

We often recreate these feelings in our own personal expression of decorating.

This adds meaning and calm to our chaotic lives.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paints have empowered so many to recreate the rustic elegance of a natural patina that deepens and evolves over time. Annie has presented opportunities to so many different people and allowed them to achieve their own unique personal perspective in painting and decorating. And the best thing about it is, Chalk Paint is just plain fun!

Annie developed her paint based on her working knowledge of paint, pigments and art history.

Chalk Paint is specifically designed for furniture.

It enables you to create an Old World, European look.

Annie created a workshop series to teach others the techniques she has developed and mastered in her over forty years as a fine artist.

Chalk Paint workshops are hands-on and taught only by trained and certified stockist.

Workshops allow you to jump in, experience and learn the magic of Chalk Paint.

Annie wants to ensure that everyone enjoys her products as much as she does.

above images source: Annie Sloan

We are pleased to announce that Shades of Amber (Colorado Stockist) is the Certified Regional Trainer for the Mountain States Region, including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

We regularly offer Chalk Paint workshops at our shop and working studio in

Historic Downtown Monument, Colorado.

For more information or to sign up for one of our workshops, please click HERE.

Workshops are also offered all over the United States.

To find the nearest location and certified stockist, please click HERE.

source: Kari Saupstad

Creating Patina

We wanted to share with you our color display we have been working on lately.

It is such a wonderful pop of color to decorate our cozy little store and working studio.

Our latest little project, the before:

And after, so much better with a lighter look to it.

For this little find, we wanted to create more patina and history behind it,

with some thoughtful distressing in all the right places.

Distressing it also helped to make it not too fussy and pristine.

It instantly looks as if it were passed down from generation to generation

and used and loved over all those years.

Created with Versailles and Old White accents.

After finishing with Clear Wax, we used a light hand to apply Dark Wax over the Old White.

Versailles is such a beautiful rich color and we have been waiting for the right piece to use it on. The combination with Old White is just a gorgeous understated elegant look, don't you think?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Linky Party!

Check out this updated octagon table from Katie at Wildwood Creek. Nice and refreshed, clean and crisp with Pure White. You absolutely must check out her before photo to see how dark and drab it was to begin with. Great job Katie.

Oooh, La La....Michele at Stiltskin Studios says "Let them eat Cake!" She created a custom mix using Country Grey, Paris Grey, Emperor's Silk, and Old White.

Love it!

Do you have something you painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?

Please share in our Link Party, here are the details:

1. Our blog is exclusive to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Please only share pieces using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It can be anything you want, as long as you used Chalk Paint!

2. Please post a permalink to your post only, not your entire blog.

3. Please help spread the word about our Chalk Paint Linky Party

4. Party closes on Wednesday, October 5 at 11:59pm MST. We will pick more people to feature for next week.