More painting, must take a break from this.

A couple more things have been given the Annie Sloan treatment. One small dressing table/desk and a trolley.

This one in Old White and Scandinavian Pink drawer linings. Was a pine polyurethaned piece before made about 25 years ago.

Update: Sold 31.7.2011 at the first market I took it to!

This is a mixture of Chateau Grey, Scandinavian Pink and Old White with an Old White detail.

And this is what it was like before. I think it looks so much better now.

I just keep painting things with Annie Sloan paints.

A mirror my other half made many years ago in pine with an old pine finish, nice but needs a change. And a sweet pine clock that also needed a facelift. Once again I have to say that this must be the easiest paint in the world to use. A general wash down of the item let it dry and off you go.

Before







After

This is in Chateau Grey with Scandinavian Pink highlights given a Chateau Grey thin wash and then clear waxed. I have more items waiting for Sloaning!



Another Annie Sloan make over!

Started this project before my lovely Grandson arrived. He has now departed and is continuing his travels around Europe and we are missing him already so have got stuck in and finished this little table. I am showing you the finished item (except for the buffing which has to wait until tomorrow) first for a change.

I gave it one coat of AS (mix of 1 part Chateau Grey + 1 part
Scandinavian Pink + 4 parts Old White). Left it for a few days to see if I wanted to clear wax it or use the dark wax. In the end I mixed half and half clear and dark wax and it was definately a good choice as far as I am concerned.



And this is how it started.



A little blurred but you get the idea.

Now off to find another project! This could get addictive.

Annie Sloan paint being tested

Well, I have been so excited about using this paint I have had some sleepless nights (sad).  I started with a shelf unit that was made about 25 years ago by my other half. It was a prototype so it has never been pristine so was a good choice to do my first bit of distressing. Actually it was the distressing that was most stressful!

This is the shelf unit which was finished in a polyurethane varnish.

I then put on the first coat of paint in Old White straight from the tin. Amazing coverage, will water it down slightly next time as it left quite distinct brushmarks (although it could be that the brush was too thick).

I then gave it a coat of Chateau Grey which is more green than grey but I knew that anyway. I did add a little water to this which made the second coat very easy to apply, I will be a little more careful next time as I did get a few drips which sanded out very well once dry. I did the inside of the heart shape with Scandinavian Pink as well as the inside of the small drawers. I then clear waxed it and left it overnight.

Once buffed I distressed lightly some of the edges and where the drawers would scuff the bottom and a little bit here and there, I am not too keen on heavily distressed items so I think I may have been a little too careful. The white first coat showed through but I thaught it looked a little stark against the Grey so I used some of the dark wax, very sparingly, to mellow the tone. I have to say I was very nervous about this step but you can remove most of it with the clear wax if you get too carried away. Anyway I liked it so left it for a few hours and buffed it up. And here it is.

I am extremely happy with it and am tempted to keep it but the reason for painting it was to make some of our excess furniture saleable so we will see. My next project is an overmantel mirror.

Annie Sloan paint ordered after much deliberation.

At last have decided on the paint colours to paint some pieces of furniture that we have had for too many years than I care to remember. Have gone for Annie Sloan paints as I have researched it and think that this may be the answer to getting the job done without huge amounts of sanding and preparation as the pieces are in good condition. I ordered it from Claire at Les Couronnes Sauvage in Brittany who was lovely and gave me some valuable tips.



The Annie Sloan website gives you loads of information about the paint and how to use it as do many bloggers who have used it and love it. I will look some up and post them here.

This is an extract from her website:-

Why our Paint is Special

Reasons Why it's Good! Chalk Paint is a very special paint for very many reasons 1. It's the BEST paint for painting furniture by a long way 2. You can use the paint by diluting it with water to make a wash to show the wood grain 3. You can use it as an impasto ( thickly) - leave the lid off to thicken 4. You can use it on any surface, indoors and out ( the outside of our shop was painted in it- perfect!) 5. No need to prime or prepare 6. The colours are mixed intelligently and the web site shows how you can adapt your colours for your use 7. It's a girls' paint, but boys can use it too. 8. It's flexible so you can be creative and change you mind 9. The paint can be washed off your brush even when you find your brush weeks later. [I never do that of course.] 10. It allows your walls to breathe so it is perfect for cottage walls 11. Extremely low VOCs so it is good for the environment 12. It doesn't form a skin on it when you leave the lid off - just add some water if it's too thick 13. Very little black is used in their manufacture so the colours are mixed with thought 14. You can paint it on walls for a soft matt effect or wax it for a polished plaster effect Will keep you informed and try to remember to do before and after photos. Very exciting.

A bit of cooking for a farewell party.

It is always sad to have to say goodbye to someone in your circle of friends but at the same time celebrate their new adventure.

So we celebrate with food!

This time I used labels from Worlldable that are downloadable for free and I added the wording in Picasa, it was easy and effective.

The Sweet Peppers recipe was from an old recipe book that I have had for years and that always works. I believe it is no longer in print but is still available through Amazon as a used item for 1p plus postage. An absolute bargain I say. The book is called "The Love of Italian Cooking" by Mary Reynolds. It was first published in 1978 and amazingly gives all the recipes in imperial, decimal and cup measurements. Truly international.

The Egg and Anchovies recipe also comes from and old cookery book, "The cookery Year" by Readers Digest, also still available through Amazon.

Lastly,

The Honeycomb Mascarpone Cheesecake, this recipe came from The British Larder a good resource for lovely recipes. I have to say that my photo does not do it justice, theirs is much better. I ommitted the peanuts in the recipe and used speculoos biscuits for the base instead of hobnobs. I was a bit concerned about the honeycomb crunchy topping but it was delicious. If you make this only add the topping up to an house before serving as it will go a little soft.

There were lots of lovely dishes at the party made by all the friends and I wish I had taken my camera to show everyone.

At last a house number!

This should make finding us much easier. Although there are only 85 residents in the village

it can be quite difficult to find people. Deliveries often have to be guided by mobile phone to their destination.

Having said that ofcourse, the village has managed quite well without for many hundreds of years even

when there were over 300 residents!