The Future Princess? The Clue is in the Chalk Paint®!

So it all began last week when Annie Sloan told us about a London newspapers report that three little pots of feminine colored paint had been delivered to the home of Price William and Duchess Kate!

So if the colors Emile, Henrietta and Antoinette were of interest to the Royals, perhaps the soon-to-be born child is a girl? If not, it was very successful in fooling people into believing so! Anyway, it got us thinking about a cute little, yet in a terrible state, French Provincial Dixie chest of drawers purchased a couple weeks ago. It smelled, the white had yellowed and it was full of nicks and scratches. So we set about locking in the odors with a couple coats of shellac all over and everywhere.

Then we used one of our favorite products, Wood Icing, to help fill the gouges, holes and scratches.

Then we thought -- Why not do an ombre finish with the three colors and some silver trim, fit for a princess. We started with Emile at the bottom, then tinted it little by little with Henrietta and then tinted Henrietta gradually with Antoinette! We love it and hope you do to! I'm sure some little American princess will enjoy it!

We kind of like the cat in the birdcage with the bird perched on top!

April TLC Vintage Newsletter, Volume 23

WHAT’S NEW AT TLC VINTAGE

Efex™ flexible appliques have arrived! Wide variety of designs to enhance with raised reliefs décor, furniture and more! Apply with cement glue, and paint and your piece will look carved and beautiful!

Stencils – New designs in now from Royal Design Studio! Another big announcement will be made regarding stencils later this month. Watch our Facebook page for details.

Sweet City Salvage is now closed. Thank you for helping us clear out the inventory!

Think Spring! We add outdoor décor as quick as we can, but it sells just as fast! So visit often.

RUMOR HAS IT!

London’s Daily Mail has reported that three mini pots of feminine color Annie Sloan paint was delivered to the residence of Prince William and Duchess Kate! This has fueled speculation that Antoinette, Emile and Henrietta may be chosen for a the new Royal’s nursery – all wonderful Chalk Paint®  colors! Annie Sloan has said that her shop would not make a comment about the rumor – but it is lovely publicity! We have plenty in stock in case all of a sudden demand rises even higher for these great colors!

Colors - Fit for a Princess!

Antoinette -- a soft pink

Henrietta -- a tangy lilac

Emile -- a wonderful lavender

UPCOMING EVENTS!

April 11 – Young Women’s Resource Center fundraiser – Sit On It! We have donated two painted and upholstered chairs. Considering going to the sale!

Junk Jubilee – April 24-26 at the Varied Industries Building, Iowa State Fairground! TLC Vintage will be there with so many great things we are working on. Lots of smalls but plenty of furniture too! Plus two brands of paint! See you there!

#AnnieSloanLate@TLCVintageCollection  – June 19 at TLC Vintage Collection, 6-8 pm.  Stay tuned for more information. Charitable event benefiting the Children’s Cancer Connection of Des Moines.

Timely Tips

Using Glazes – Glazes are not included in Annie Sloan product lines. But many customers want to darken Graphite to a deeper black. This can be achieved by creating a glaze-like substance of the dark wax, by adding mineral spirits til it is a gel consistency. If you use this after a clear wax coat, you will find it goes on easier and has more work time for the wipe off to get a consistent appearance. If you choose to use one of the Wood Icing glazes instead, do not wax. But do put down a slip coat of Artisan Enhancements Clear Topcoat Sealer before using the glaze for a more consistent look!

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE --WE HAVE ADDED MAY DATES!

Wear paint appropriate clothing for all classes and we provide the rest: folder of notes, sample boards, refreshments. In-store discounts day of class. All classes are approximately 3 hours but may run long.  Discounts for 2 or more people booking together in advance for all workshops.

Chalk Paint®  101 Plus!

Six paint techniques plus clear and dark wax methods! $85 per person in advance.

Apr 11: Noon to 3 pm (1 spot available)       May 2: Noon to 3 pm                                           June 6: Noon to 3 pm

July 11: Noon to 3 pm                                     Aug 1: Noon to 3 pm

Chalk Paint® 201 Amazing Finishes!

More amazing paint techniques of Annie Sloan!  Crackle, frottage, rococo & more! $85 per person in advance.

 May 9: Noon to 3 pm           Aug 22: Noon to 3 pm

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Chalk Paint® Kitchen Cabinets & Built-ins!

How to renew your dated cabinets at a fraction of the cost without replacement! $85 per person in advance.

Apr 18: Noon to 3 pm     June 13: Noon to 3 pm        Aug 15: Noon to 3 pm

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Wood Icing®

Ice wood like icing a cake. Texture paste to add a permanent dimension to any surface! Lace, wood, reptile, stencil & more. $85 per person in advance.

May 16: Noon to 3 pm          July 18: Noon to 3 pm

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Artisan Enhancements Special Effects!

Crackle, Pearl Plaster, Transfer Gel, Gilding Foil! Fun beyond description! $85 per person in advance.

May 30: Noon to 3 pm    Aug 29 -  Noon to 3 pm

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Chalk Paint Fabric & Upholstery!

May 5:  5:30-8:30 pm
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Introduction to Milk Paint

A variety of applications for the use of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. Wax distress, layering, staining and more!

June 20: Noon to 3 pm

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Studio Time: $25 per hour by appointment. Rate adjusted per person if more than one. You purchase materials to use from TLC Vintage. Tutoring or project oversight. We also do custom  painting.

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Girls Night Out! Pinot & Paint Therapy!

Put together a group of friends and spend 3 hours in the studio painting finishes you choose. Cost dependent on materials used but generally minimum of  $300 for your group up to 6-8 people. You bring the wine, we provide the cheese and paint! Dates/fees negotiable.

     

Class Size & Cancellation Policy: We maintain the right to refund your money or arrange for a different date if we do not have the 3-4 people necessary  to make a class viable. If you are ill or weather prevents travel, you may reschedule to another date within six months of the date you originally scheduled. If your plans change, we need a two-week notice before the class date if you want to be rescheduled. Under two weeks, there is no refund but if your spot is filled we will allow you to reschedule. Otherwise, your fee is forfeited.

TLC Vintage Preparing for the Big Show!

Central Iowa Headquarters for Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan -- TLC Vintage Collection -- is headed for the Des Moines Home and Garden Show February 12-15. We will be in the main hall at the Iowa Events Center, just off a main aisle in booth 708! How will you recognize us? Well we have a big banner coming!

Then there will be our Chalk Paint® color chart you won't want to miss! It is a wall full of painted furniture and decor. We have included a spring theme painted Little Free Library that Mary Lou painted for us! It has so many colors of Chalk Paint -- Emile, English Yellow, Greek Blue, Pure and Old White, Barcelona, Antibes, Florence, Graphite and probably more!

We made a lot of progress on the wall of furniture yesterday with about 11 pieces done at this point. Starting more today!

We will also have lots of decor pieces randomly displayed on the wall showing how you can paint on virtually any surface -- plastic, resin, metal, ceramic, leather, fabric and more!

And the piece de la resistance will be a French Provincial style piano --

which will be painted throughout the four days right in the booth! We will be doing a Rococo finish using Primer Red, Aubusson Blue, a Duck Egg wash and Gold Foil!

We will also have our Ask Our Customer opportunity where guest customers will be available some of the time during the show to discuss their experience with Chalk Paint with Home Show attendees! Come experience Chalk Paint® at the Des Moines Home and Garden Show!

Dated Oak Transforms to Restoration Look

At TLC Vintage Collection, central Iowa headquarters for Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan, we are constantly looking for easy applications that can quickly transform dated decor. I know that in Des Moines, Iowa and around the country, there are plenty of these dark oak kitchen cabinets or doors from the 1970s or later (or earlier for that matter). Heavy, dark and not to interesting. But not for long!

Here is what you need to do, and as usual the prep work is the least fun and most tedious. But with any project, you need a clean canvas for your paint. If the wood is in the kitchen, use a degreaser first, then wash with Dawn dishsoap and hot water, followed by a rinse of clear water. If not in the kitchen, you can skip the degreaser!

I was challenged by one of my commercial customers, who is a faux finisher, to produce the Restoration Hardware look over a varnish finish. Below is a Restoration Hardware sideboard. Their work is normally on raw wood, and varies in shades of greys, blacks, browns and tan/whites. But we do not want to go to the work, dust, caustic material needed to get down to raw wood. It is unnecessary if you are using Chalk Paint®, which will adhere to almost any surface.

photo from Restoration Hardware product catalogue on line

I grabbed an old oak cabinet door (if you know my work room, you know that almost anything is at hand!) My customer had photos of existing furnishings she was trying to match in a kitchen so I thought that what we needed were layers of Graphite, French Linen, Coco and Paris Grey. We would also need a paint brush, and then a wax brush for the Clear Soft Wax. 

This method uses very little paint compared to fully painting kitchen cabinets, because we are dry brushing each and every coat!  There is not a true full coat of any color. You add each one to the amount that produces the depth of color you are working towards. Our first layer was Graphite.

When dry brushing, I like to put a little paint on my brush, then discharge most of the dampness onto a piece of cardboard. Your brush is very nearly dry when you paint with it. Our purpose here is that we will not totally cover up the grain of the wood, but allow it to show through. Paint with the direction of the grain. Graphite helps define that grain first before we layer more colors, so the coat of Graphite is a little heavier than the others to give us a base to work on. 

Each coat is allowed to dry before adding the next. Feathering on paint through dry brushing allows us to whisper the paint on -- just picking up the high points in the previous coat of paint. While I have shown one of Annie's beautiful paint brushes in the photo, I do find that my oldest, cheapest roughest chip brush is what I like to dry brush with more often than not. 

I followed Graphite with French Linen.....

Then Coco......

And finally Paris Grey to make the board look as if it had highlights.

When dry, three coats of Clear Soft Wax were applied a day apart each. Since there is little paint on the board, we need to give each coat a little time to cure before adding the next so we have a strong bond. A little sanding with 200 grit sandpaper helps blend the edges of each color together.

After the third coat is hardened in a few days, you can buff if you wish. But personally I like the matte look of Restoration Hardware, so I did not buff this wax.

A trendy look for some old cabinets at a fraction of the cost! You can enjoy your thriftiness and the compliments you will be getting from all your visitors!