My Current Paint Crush

If you know me in the "real" world then you know I love to decorate and redecorate everything.  As a kid I was pretty lucky and my mom let me express myself through my room and my clothes.  When I look back now I have no idea what I was thinking most of the time, but that's how we learn right? Trial and error? ...and let's be honest that's still pretty much how I operate today, I am constantly trying out new things and redoing them until I'm happy.

So with all of this decorating I have been reusing and refinishing furniture since I was a teenager.  I've tried ALOT of methods...I have tried sanding which is alot of work and messy.  I have tried using a chemical stripper which is even more of a mess and dangerous because when a label says not to get that product on your skin or in your eyes, I inevitably will do both.  I have even tried using a safe green soy chemical stripper with no luck.  Then after all of that you still have to stain or paint and do a top coat which involves even more sanding.  It's just exhausting and half way through the project I am so over it, which is why when I heard about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I could not wait to try it.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is now my go to product whenever I need to refinish something.  At first I was very skeptical.  Did I really not have to sand or strip the furniture? Will it really cover? Will it actually hold up?

My very first project with the paint was this bergere chair I found at a local Salvation Army store.  It desperately needed some love and I was dying to try the chalk paint.

All I did was wipe the wood clean with some soap and water then paint, no sanding!  I used the color Versailles and it took 2 full coats then I went back over a few spots a third time.  I waited a day then put on the Annie Sloan Clear Wax.  I am thrilled with the way it came out and how much easier it was.  I painted this chair almost 2 years ago and it still looks great.

My most recent project with the chalk paint was this little vanity I picked up at a garage sale. 

I saw the cute little wooden wheels and had to have it.  The seller was an older guy who told me he had picked it up years ago with the intention of refinishing it himself, but after some sanding gave up and never finished.  There were a few rough spots here and there that I sanded down smooth and I sanded the top so I could stain it.  Once the top was done I covered the rest of it with 3 coats of Paris Grey.  I lightly distressed the edges and sealed the entire piece with the Clear Wax. This little guy now lives by my back door and catches all our mail and belongings when we walk in.  

If you have not experimented with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint yet trust me you will not be disappointed.  I am already dreaming up my next project and I'm thinking it will be a piece for my back yard.  I can't wait to share that with you and see how this stuff holds up outdoors.