Noel - A Vintage Holiday Market

This weekend, I had the utmost pleasure of being

invited as a vendor to Noel - A Vintage Market by Sandy Bryan of

The Olive and Rose.  Her shows have been seen in

Romantic Homes Magazine and Flea Market Style. 

She puts on an amazing Mes Amis series that 

I was blessed to do last summer with Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan. 

Sandy KNOWS how to put on a show.  Think Friday night and
it's raining outside, though inside is cozy and decked

out for the holidays inside Beatnik Studios, on 17th Street

in Sacramento.  Its' stunning exposed brick walls

made for a beautiful backdrop for all of the vintage

finds we brought.  I enjoyed talking with the owner, Lindsey,

about the sandblasting of the walls to prepare the 

studio for shows.  It's amazing. 

Here's the "Chicken Farmer" aka Alexis Koefoed of Soul Food 

Farm helping me offload the trailer.  I took my workshop

tables, a perfect "market" display piece, the excellent mix

 of aged and functional!  I was grateful for her help this weekend,

I couldn't have done it without her.  She contributed

some amazing European pieces.  

I brought Vintage by Nina and Vintage by Nina Christmas

books. The Christmas books sold out within 20 minutes!

 we really worked hard setting up...

Sandy made sure there were plenty of beverages on hand

and invited Mast Coffee Co. to come for all

the caffeine I could drink and delicious pastries to satisfy any hunger

throughout the market!  Saturday morning, Mast Coffee Co.

made the most amazing breakfast for me, a croissant with

Pancetta, egg, and goat cheese.  Delish.  Seriously.

and the live MUSIC.  WOW.  This is Derek Thomas.

He entertained us on Friday evening with his amazing

voice and style.  You can find him here.

photo taken from Facebook - Music by Derek

After doing a little research, I find he is a part of the group

Thomas & Plecker.  I thought he was familiar - I first

heard their live music in Folsom at a party at Not Too Shabby!

Sandy got an amazing rate at the Citizen's Hotel.

Seriously.  I love me some Joie de Vivre hotels.

Not sure what cities these are in, but every one

I've stayed at in San Francisco has been top notch.

The decor is stunning.  This is the Chicken Farmer

after we finished setting up the space and checked into 

the Citizen to get ready for the big night.

I'm so in trouble for this:

I assure you, it was a fast face plant 

because she was up in seconds getting ready.

This pic was taken about 3 minutes after we emerged

from the bathroom with my hot glue gun.

Can you say wardrobe malfunctions?  Yes,

that's with an s...BOTH of us!!

I now have an amazing Anthropologie dress

with hot glued straps.  Apparently they 

didn't realize that being a floozie was not a

planned part of my weekend!  

I made LOTS of new friends and was blessed by many of my 

Facebook fans, that really made my day!  Grateful for my life

and for the pleasure to be doing what I love.

In the Mix Boutique

My friend, Darci, owner of a hot new designer boutique opening in 

Vacaville asked me to help with the design.  This boutique 

is going to be HOPPING...grand opening party on November 10th!

Here you will find denim, my personal favorite handbag line Big Buddha, and

really awesome jewelry.  It all can be found at 

In the Mix boutique

11B Town Square Place,

Vacaville, California

My job was to transform this beast into a beauty.

Here it is in it's three stages: before, Provence/Old White and Coco

and metallic glaze (inside case), then with wax:

Darci needed some help with ideas for the denim tables.
The previous tops matched the blonde wood of
the display case and it just wasn't going to work out.

I am a huge fan of reclaimed planks and thought it would be just 

what was needed to add a touch of charm to the scrolly iron feet.

Well, Josh and Darci struggled finding dense reclaimed wood

planks after trips all over to salvage yards and then I get a text with this photo:

even the pupster likes it and you can tell by Josh's smile that they

SCORED on this 1800's slat conveyor from an old shirt manufacturing company in New York City:

and here it is in it's glory, ready to be adorned by the finest denim available!

I changed up some of the shadow boxes from blah silver

using a Chalk Paint® decorative paint in Aubusson Blue and Annie Sloan Dark 

Wax glaze topped with some Provence colored Clear Wax to accent:

My Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint dresser in it's new 

location at In the Mix!

and here's the new station ready for business:

and just because I KNOW you want to shop, here's a link

to the Facebook page to keep you updated

In the Mix boutique 

with a coupon JUST for you:

Chalk Paint® decorative paint is the best paint in the world

Chalk Paint® decorative paint by the amazing Annie Sloan is the best paint in the world.  Why, you ask?  Sit down and grab a cup of tea, I have so much to tell you.  Here are a few reasons why I believe it and am shouting it to you all from 35,000 feet in the air (hooray for in flight wi-fi!):

We have Annie.  For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Annie, she's amazing, kind, humble, unassuming and the creator of the amazing Chalk Paint® decorative paint.  Here is a link to her site if you want to learn a little more about her.  This is me meeting Annie for the first time in England last September in Oxford, England!

- Chalk Paint® has been around for over 22 years.  The paint, the wax, the Annie!  Annie created Chalk Paint® and it has withstood the test of time.  It's a symbiotic product that can be layered on one coat at a time almost always without the need to sand.  NO MORE STINKY PRIMER!  It goes on furniture, floors, walls, metal, wood, you name it...with ease!  Why NOT Chalk Paint®?!

Me with our educator, Barb Skivington
High Point, NC August 28, 2012

- When you take a workshop, you aren't just learning from someone who sells Chalk Paint®, you learn from a stockist who has been TRAINED by a certified stockist within the Chalk Paint® family.  Early Sunday morning, I hopped on a plane bound for Greensboro, North Carolina by way of Atlanta to attend our Chalk Paint® certified stockist trainer session for two days.  Every Chalk Paint® retailer goes through an amazing two day course to learn everything they need to know about the paint.  How many paint distributors do that??  There is a great amount of effort that goes into ensuring that our retailers are well versed in Annie's full line of products.

I even had the pleasure of meeting this amazing girl, Christie Carter, from Carter's Cottage.  She is a stockist from De Kalb, Illinois.  It was an eventful start to my week.  I have backed up paint deliveries to make this week and some pieces of furniture to paint and Chrissy has some surprises in the Eco Chic warehouse for me to check out once I get back home!

And now that I have eaten two $7.50 box lunches on this flight after racing from Atlanta's terminal D to terminal A in under 10 minutes flat between flights, I'm signing off.  I was starving, don't judge.  For $15, I ate 1 bag of roasted almonds, 1 sliver of smoked gouda, 4 crackers, 1 sliver of cheddar, 1 sliver of brie, 2 Twizzlers, 2 Oreos, some grapes, a few apple slices, 2 bites of a low carb bar (that WAS in the same box as the Oreos, go figure), 8 nachos with mild salsa, and a Coca Cola.  I call that an in flight buffet!



But WAIT!  I almost forgot this...

ANNIE SLOAN 
FABRICS 
are
coming
in a few weeks!!

Patina Decorative Finishes STUCK on plane for Chalk Paint®

Boy it takes getting stuck on a plane for me to sit down and blog.  I'm on my 6th hour of flying from San Francisco to High Point, North Carolina.  Other than California, North Carolina is my second favorite state in the U.S.  I dream of renting a house on the North Carolina beach in the summer with our family.  I won't have much goofing around time because it's a quick trip this way for some Chalk Paint® decorative paint training.  I splurged on Delta's wireless for my trip, $40 for a month which seems like a lot, but I don't sit still well at ALL so that was $40 WELL spent.  But, see I even busted out a blog post!

I'm on my way to North Carolina to meet up with Annie Sloan Unfolded for a certified stockists' training session with the fabulous Barb Skivington from Faux Works Studio.  I'm so excited finally land in North Carolina and take it all in!  Dinner tonight and lots of painting in the next few days.  The best part is I had no time to get a mani and these ladies and gentleman WON'T mind a little paint stuck under my fingernails!!

I'm so grateful this week that everyone at Soul Food Farm is okay, the animals, and the house because this was a photo I took from the farm a few days ago:

It came so close to destroying everything.   But, my people are okay and that makes me okay.  Nothing could keep me from being by Alexis' side that night.  My heart sunk as I could see the fire from the highway.  This is the third year in a row a fire has threatened their world.  These two girls right here are MY people:  

So, it's time to sign off so they can land this plane.  I just got another dirty look because I pretended not to hear the "It's now time to shut off all electronic devices at this time" PA announcement.  But, wait, one more pic before we all depart...

It looks like I'm not in dry, brown, firey (sad face) California anymore...

LOVE Annie Sloan!

Don't you just love her?  Three of our stockists in California make a debut as well as Barb Skivington from North Carolina!  ENJOY!

World's biggest Chalk Paint® decorative paint Loser Blogger!

I have been the biggest loser blogger of all.  I had great plans to make it to the Haven Conference and hoping to be inspired to blog more often and then I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder serving in a tennis match.  Prior to surgery I was not ambidextrous, but I did discover that my left hand actually can brush hair, teeth, and do the basics. 

NO bueno!  

I'm 6 weeks post op and actually feeling good and finally out of the dreaded sling.  I haven't been a stellar patient and MAYBE I drove before I was supposed to and MAYBE I carried some paint boxes that weighed more than 5 pounds, but funny when I went back for my 6 week post op this week, my surgeon said, "Nobody has ever had a range of motion that you have at 6 weeks!"  Ha.  I didn't let on why, our secret, okay?  I started back teaching workshops and had a blast with kids camp a few weeks ago and finally feel good enough to paint again.  I'm not yet sleeping through the night because rotator repair is AWFUL, but I am regaining strength and my ability to do more paint related!

I get calls often from customers wanting me to paint for them.  Contract work is great, but I can be super critical of my work, especially when it's something being painted specifically for a customer.  I usually never turn down contract work, but always try to talk my customers into taking a workshop so I can teach them how to do it on their own.  It's SO empowering for them and darn, if I have a bum shoulder!  

The sweet customer that owns the table below just said the right things to me that talked me into painting for her.  I'll share the dining table in another blog post, I think it is about 100 inches long.  It's huge with 4 leaves and I painted it exactly as Annie did in the French Look Book, page 83 with Chalk Paint® decorative paint in Paris Grey with the edges gold leafed.  I'm no Annie Sloan but it turned out beautifully thanks to her inspiration.  

While I was picking up the dining table, I admired this stunning old game table in the hallway. I look at EVERYTHING now with the thought of ohhhhhh, what will dark wax do for those edges?!!  My customer said that someday she would like me to paint it for her.  Well, there is no time like the present, so along it came with the dining room table to my garage.  I stared at it for days as it is simply beautiful and imagined what I would do with it.

As the days went on, we emailed back and forth and she shared with me the story behind it.  I sincerely hope she doesn't mind me sharing, it's such a sweet story.  

"I'm really excited about the two-tone idea for my mother's little game table.  She'd be so happy about this... she was an artist, and this would mean the world to her. My mother was my everything until I lost her in 1999. (I cared for her, that's why I put off nursing school...I graduated from nursing school just last year.)  That table is the only item I have of hers, other than a little tea cup.  My mother was born with cerebral palsy and had a very tough life, so for her to have found the money to have purchased that little table was an enormous deal.  She must have used her life savings. I cherish that piece so much because it meant so much to her."

Sniff (right?)  I am so touched she entrusted her table in my hands.  She will be picking it and her new/old dining table up tomorrow to take back home.  I hope she loves it.  It's painted in a custom color with Chalk Paint® Olive and Old Ochre mixed with Old White to highlight the trim and Clear and Dark Wax. 

Vanity Makeover

My friend, Alexis from Soul Food Farm, has the most amazing

furniture, just waiting for makeovers.  I spent my Monday

there this week.  Painting with "the girls" 

and the new pups, who obviously grew tired of my painting!

I started with an amazing white cabinet that needed

new life.  I mixed up CHALK PAINT® brand decorative paint

in a blend of French Linen, Louis Blue and

Old White I call French Louis (super original name, right?)

  Then once dry, I dry brushed Old White on top and 

then sanded with 1200 grit sandpaper

to burnish the paint. and soften the dry brushing.

We took a little break while Alexis and her friend, Geo,

whipped up some lamb chops, fresh greens from the garden

and Polenta pan fried with Soul Food Farm Olive Oil.

(The estate olive oil is a huge hit in our household!)

YUMMMMM.  Seriously, life is good. (Notice

the paint on my pants, I got sloppy that day!)

This vanity is one of four in a set Alexis has been

keeping stashed away, waiting to be graced by 

CHALK PAINT®!  I really love furniture

that rests on casters.  LOVE.

One and a half coats of CHALK PAINT® 

in Old White.  I painted right over this handpainted

part, then used a warm, wet rag to wipe it off

to save the beauty of the painted flowers. I filled

in all chips with Dark Wax and 

buffed to a beautiful shine.

After painting the dresser, the tall cabinet and
the vanity, I ran out of paint, so I left the
mirror as is and discovered how much
I love the contrast and balance.

Here she is, in all her glory...

She will be proudly displayed this summer in an

amazing new venture we are revealing soon!

Why Annie Sloan CHALK PAINT®?

I always enjoy seeing the look on my customers' faces when I say, "Right, no priming, no sanding!"    I remember back in May of 2011 when I first heard of CHALK PAINT® decorative paint by Annie Sloan and as a licensed California painting contractor, I'm ALWAYS searching for the best paint and the easiest to use.  I always was a Benjamin Moore™ girl since 2001 and since I was first bitten by the CHALK PAINT® bug in June, I haven't looked back to my old friend Ben since.  Now, I'm not bashing Ben, he makes a great premium wall paint, but I'm over him now.  Just last week, I used Ben while doing a color consultation and working on matching our paint up for wood and trim and some Ben for the walls, I realized how very different our paints are from Ben.

Obviously, having your kitchen cabinets painted by a professional is costly.  Why?  Well, I call it 12 steps.  The average kitchen cabinet job will run you usually anywhere from $4,000-$8,000.  Having your cabinets done by a professional involves these steps:

1. Sanding
2. Cleaning with TSP
3. Primer Coat 1
4. Sanding
5. Primer Coat 2
6. Base Coat 1
7. Sanding
8. Base Coat 2
9. Light Sanding
10. Glazing (if you want an Antique Finish)
11. Polyurethane Coat 1
12. Polyurethane Coat 2

Now this doesn't even COVER the time between coats to dry.  Still think you need a professional to do your cabinets?  Think again.  I'm often asked if I'm still doing contract work.  I'm happy to say not as often as I used to, it takes a toll on my body, I have had one shoulder surgically repaired and another that needs it, also.   Now that I've hit the big 4-0 this year, I'm thinking of long term.  The beauty of what I do is that I get to teach my customers how to do their own cabinets!

If you don't know what TSP is, it is Trisodium Phosphate, a concentrated degreaser and cleaner.  WEAR gloves and carefully mix!  Here is the brand I use:

Annie Sloan's CHALK PAINT® for Cabinets:

1. Clean all surfaces with TSP (I NEVER skip this step because we always have grease on our kitchen cabinets!)
2. Paint in one of our 29 beautiful colors (or mix up your own custom color, I'm a fan of Louis Blue and French Linen right now!)  It's going to dry fast.  When it's dry, you can do the next step!
3. Paint on a second coat
4. Clear Wax
5. Dark Wax
6. Buff to a sheen

Lately I've been reading about other bloggers scoffing at the cost of CHALK PAINT®...but, why?

Consider this:

For one pot of CHALK PAINT® at the California selling price of $38.95, you can skip this:

Home Depot sells is right HERE for $39.98 a gallon.  That's right, I said you DON'T need primer for just about any surface you are going to paint.  No priming.

No more of this mess either (yuck):

Just paint it right on top of that surface.  Stop buying sanding disks for your palm sander!

You have ugly cabinets?  Check out what one of my customers in the North San Francisco Bay area did with his kitchen ON HIS OWN with 3 pots of CHALK PAINT® in Old White, 1 tin Soft Wax, 1 Wax Brush (total cost was under $200):

Before:

After:

If you want to learn to paint with CHALK PAINT® and aren't sure where to begin, send me an email and I'll tell you all about workshops held every month that will teach you all the basics on where and how to begin.  In a workshop, we will cover three techniques and everything you need to conquer waxing with clear and dark finishes!

Happy Easter

French Baskets created with CHALK PAINT® in French Linen

I have been on a roll lately and trying really hard to

keep up with the sales at my new "Patina" space.  

I found a set of 3 boring baskets

at Goodwill not too long ago, they are even lined

with plastic if you wanted to put flowers in.

I mixed up a 1:1 ratio of Annie Sloan CHALK PAINT®

French Linen (my favorite color) and water to thin

it down so I could paint a wash onto the baskets.

This is a great trick to "grey" vintage picnic baskets, too!

Thanks to Debbie at 'Round the Coop and her awesome

Pinterest, I found this tutorial about how to print on burlap. 

When I was in Oxford, England visiting Annie Sloan

at her shop, I scored a grain sack from France.  I framed

the front and had some amazing remnants from the 

back of the sack.  So, using this tutorial...

'Round the Coop DIY board on Pinterest, 
I used my basic Canon inkjet to produce this

image on my French burlap with an image
from The Graphics Fairy

Affixed it to the front of my new French basket

and added my latest obsession, Cotton Bolls (not a typo!)

Annie Sloan CHALK ® Tour San Francisco Event just days away!

 The Annie Sloan CHALK PAINT® American Tour began in New Orleans with two days of intense training and fun!  The first day concluded with a fantastic party at the Elms Mansion.  

From left to right,

Local Retail Partner, Susan Bell of Decor with a Past in Live Oak, serving
Fabulous Finds in Marysville and Junk in the Trunk in Grass Valley

Local Retail Partner, Bobbi Eddy of Not Too Shabby,
serving Folsom and The Red Door in Elk Grove

Stockist, Me, Tami Fandrei of Patina Decorative Finishes, serving Northern California

Stockist Debbie Cooper of 'Round the Coop, serving Country Roads in Old Orange as well as L.A. and Orange Counties

Local Retail Partner, Melony Hannah of Well Worn in Oroville, serving 8th and Main in Chico and Sera Bella Home in Redding

We all had a fantastic time as you can see:

Completing the party with a New Orleans Tradition:

the "Second Line" to live music!

Day Two.  Annie paints barefoot.  Don't you love it?

Will you be joining us in San Francisco?  There is still time to sign up.  You could even come the day of, there are "open registration" spaces available for those who "drop in!"

For more information, go to the Annie Sloan Unfolded site here!  While you are at it, check out the new website that was launched this week!  I think it's "BRILLIANT!"

Annie has landed...

That's RIGHT...she's in America now, New York City to be exact!  There are still a few spots available for the Tour here in San Francisco!  Want to meet all of our stockists and LRP's and OF COURSE, Annie?!

Here is the link! www.anniesloanunfolded.com/event

I spent my morning at Barnes and Noble as I tapped my foot waited patiently for the crew to put out their new shipment of magazines!  Soooooooo...just to drop a few names and covers:

Annie Sloan was in these NEW issues, including the PREMIER issue of Vintage Style: