American Made Chalk Board Paint!!!

Many of us have used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the past.  Some of us have created our own.

And now, there's an American Made brand on the market,
Hudson Paint!!!  Founded by New York based decorative painter and color consultant, Arno Cornillion. Hudson Paint has been featured in Oprah Magazine, House Beautiful and This Old House.  

"Hudson Paint 100% acrylic color chalkboard is a beautiful,washable finish for creating erasable color panels. Lowodor and easy application over wallboard, wood, plaster, masonite, MDF (Medium density fiberboard), primed metal, and wood."  

And don't you just love the whimsical, colorful packaging!!!

Hudson Paint

Their color palette includes 30 vibrant and often surprising selections which reflect Anro's decorative painting experiences.   

Hudson Paint has 3 additional specialty paints including Floor Paint, Door Paint and Lime Paint.

 

See what inspires Anro and company on their inspiration page.  You can find this fabulous paint company on Facebook at Hudson Paint and at numerous retailers across the country, in Canada and online. Better yet, they offer a smaller 8oz size @ $9.99, plus quart size @ $24.99 and gallon size @ $74.99.  I love the variety of sizes and the pricing too!!!

It's always good to buy American Made!!!

Let me know what you think....

Heather

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!!!

This is truly the best time of year for creative DIY ideas so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite DIY Xmas Things with you!!!

Sleigh Bells Ring by Censational Girl is absolutely sensational!!!

Censational Girl

From Our Unexpected Journey, Adrienne created this gorgeous holly monogram wreath!

I'm loving this DIY Rustic NOEL Decor by Melissa @ The HappierHomemaker

The HappierHomemaker

In 2009, Matt & Becky shared with us this stunning ornament wreath. This EASY and affordable tutorial was worth resurrecting and sharing with you.

And last but not least, I had to re-share with you one of my very own favorites, Musical Santas!!!

Larissa Hill Designs

Let me know what you think....

Heather

A Pleasant Surprise!

What a pleasant surprise when I opened my email this morning to find that Maryann of the Power Of Paint, "a place for paint lovers" featured my Color Selector Tool for Chalk Paint!!!

The Power Of Paint is truly "a site dedicated to all things Paint" and must read on every paint lovers list.

Let me know what you think....

Heather

The Story Of My Sideboard

In my recent post, Color Selector, I chose a color combination which I call Gray Sparrow, a mix of Behr Gray Morning and Sparrow Ratio to refinish my dining room sideboard. My goal was to achieve a Habersham effect and I DID IT!!!

Below is my story of my sideboard...

I mix my chalk board paint in a less conventional manner using a Ziploc Twist 'n Loc Containers container.  They are perfect for measuring purposes and the top twists on like a jar so it keeps my paint fresh and ready to use.  In this case I chose the 1000ml container which approximates 4.2 cups.

The faux Annie Sloan Chalk Paint recipe that I use comes from Jamielyn of          i heart Nap Time involves mixing 2 tablespoons of Plaster of Paris to 1 cup of flat paint.  So, in this case I added 8 tablespoons to LHD (Larissa Hill Designs) Gray Sparrow paint combination.

LHD Gray Sparrow

Step 1

Apply coat of LHD Gray Sparrow chalk paint over the current white chalk paint layer and lightly sand areas where you might expect normal wear and tear.

Step 2
I particularly like Deana's tutorial at Alchemy Fine Living on using MinWax to age furniture. I chose to use MinWax Classic Gray Wood Finish applied lightly over the entire sideboard leaving it to penetrate for 5 minutes before wiping it off with Cheese Cloth.

And, yes I was watching Ellen while completing this step!!!

Step 3

I chose to subtract the stain by wiping it in even strokes up and down and across the top until I was satisfied with the color. And below is my final painted sideboard finish....

Now, here in lies my dilemma!!! It is a great color which closely echoes the Habersham painted finish which I wanted to replicate however, I really don't like it.

My question for you is, "Have you ever been so unhappy with a paint finish, that you repaint it all over again?"

Let me know what you think....

Heather

 

Color Selector

One of the most difficult decisions for DIYers who repurpose and refinish furniture is, 'what color should I paint this piece?'  Well, at least it is for me!
So, I came up with an easy tool/stick that I call my Color Selector.

It's a simple method that helps me better visualize my color choices through the chalk paint layering process. I use the largest paint stick I can find (this one is the always trusty Home Depot 21" x 1 1/2" commercial paint stick) and paint in small sections with the help of Frog Tape, sometimes mixing paint colors along the way, sanding, waxing or staining until I find the color of my dreams!!!

My first step was to paint the entire stick in the base coat I chose for my sideboard, a creamy white.  I then layered 7 different Annie Sloan Chalk Paint substitutes by Behr, mixing and creating my own colors along the way.  Each of the colors are then recorded on the back for easy reference.

I then applied a coat of Min Wax Gray Stain....and voila,

my sideboard Color Selector! 

Unfortunately, my camera skills don't do the completed Color Selector justice! However, it allowed me to select the color to accomplish the finish shown in this Habersham chest.

I look forward to sharing with you my newly refinished Dining Room Sideboard in my LHD (Larissa Hill Designs) combination chalk paint color...Gray Sparrow.

3/4 ASCP Duck Egg Blue & 1/4 ASCP Paris Grey ratio

or the more affordable

3/4 Behr Gray Morning & 1/4 Behr Sparrow Ratio

Let me know what you think....



I've Been Busy.....

Most recently, I spoke at The Luncheon Of Hope in my home town of Sudbury,Ontario with my sister, Lori, who is also a breast cancer survivor.  We were diagnosed within one year of one another with 2 very different types of breast cancer and two different stages.  It was an amazing experience and we were honored to be a part of this annual luncheon which raised $48,000.

Lori-Anne Clements & Heather Hillier
Luncheon Of Hope 2012

Today, it was overcast in Pittsburgh so I decided to paint my dining room furniture.....in my dining room!!!!

I chose my favorite chalk paint recipe which involves mixing 2 tablespoons of Plaster of Paris and 1 cup of paint and voila, you have an affordable chalk paint.  I chose my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Old White substitute by Behr - Polished Pearl and this is what my sideboard with the doors removed looks like so far....and yes, I've left everything in it!

So, now I just have to choose my top coat color and these are the Behr Annie Sloan Chalk Paint substitute colors I am considering.

ASCP Versailles - Behr Outback

ASCP Country Gray - Behr Baja

ASCP Old Ochre - Behr Pecan Sandie

ASCP Paris Grey - Behr Sparrow

ASCP Duck Egg Blue - Behr Gray Morning

Let me know what you think.....

Heather

And The Winner Is.....

A couple of weeks ago, I asked my followers to vote on a paint color for my Nesting Tables and "Your vote will determine how I paint the entire set, WHITE OR GREY.... " 

Well, the vote is in and by a margin of almost 2 to 1, GREY was the winner!!! 

So, here they are.....

Project #7 Completed!

Let me know what you think....

Lost And Found - Nesting Tables

While purging our garage the other day, I stumbled upon a set of nesting tables that I had completely forgotten about.  If I recall correctly, I had purchased them for our daughter's first apartment in her college sophomore year and she really didn't care for them.  It was not the 'design aesthetic' she was going for.  Anyhow, I was thrilled to have found them.

Coincidentally, I had recently been leafing through one of my favorite home
catalogs, Wisteria and fell in love with their Cabriole-Leg Table Set and knew I had to refinish my table set to reflect their traditional Swedish design. 

If you have been following my blog, you may recall my  Homemade Chalk Paint Experiment and the resulting table shown below.  I decided to use the same technique on my nesting table set.

So, I mixed 2 tablespoons of non-sanded grout and one cup of leftover flat white ceiling paint and began to paint my tables.

Below you will find the 'before and after' with one coat of paint.

 

This chalk paint recipe provides even and full coverage much like Annie Sloan Chalk paint at a fraction of the cost.  After two coats of chalk paint, I lightly sanded each of the tables and generously applied my 'go-to' Howard Citrus Shield Premium Wax in Golden Oak.  So easy to apply, 'wax on, wax off'...

Now, this is where I need your help.  I'm not too sure about the final color of the tables so I repainted one with a 'grey' chalk paint that I mixed with some leftover Behr paint. I then sanded it and applied my 'go-to' wax.  Below, are my two tables with their final waxed finish.  They are positioned in between my two Craigslist Cane Chairs and will complete one of the vignettes in my spare bedroom.

Project #5 Almost Complete!

Your vote will determine how I paint the entire set, WHITE OR GREY....

Let me know what you think.....

Joining the party at

One Project Closer

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