My French Country Dresser

I recently purchased some beautiful unfinished furniture from a French Furniture manufacturer that I will be painting in a Provençal Style. 

This dresser is solid mahogany with wonderful hand-carved detail, as shown here.

 I knew that I wanted to paint it French Linen, but perhaps a lighter shade. French Linen is a beautiful neutral grey, but I wanted a lighter version so I tested variations of it mixed with Old White on these colors boards and decided I liked a mix of half of each. (When using a custom color, make sure you mix enough to cover the whole piece!)

  

I first painted the entire piece Old White, so that when I distressed it the Old White would show through (a favorite technique of mine). I used Annie's small paint brush for this job to make sure to get into the detail (it's perfect for this!).

Here's the dresser with its first coat of Old White. As you can see, I paint right in my shop - no odor!

Then I painted it with a second coat of the Old White/French Linen mixture and distressed it down (with a 220 grit sandpaper) to the first coat of Old White for a weathered look. 

After waxing and distressing, I buffed it lightly with a 600 grit sandpaper to achieve that wonderful patina.

And here is the finished piece!

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Click to see more tips, tutorials and photos: Paintbrush and Pearls

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from Brocante Home!

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Click to see more tips, tutorials and photos: Paintbrush and Pearls
Click to see my Brocante Home Blog

Express Yourself! The Colorful World of Chalk Paint®

photo via Annie Sloan and Drake

"Color combinations are the single most important aspect to painting furniture." Annie Sloan

I'm often asked if you can create other colors with Chalk Paint®. Yes! Annie has developed a palette of highly pigmented colors that we can use to create literally hundreds of other colors. Because the colors are made with almost no black pigment (except Graphite), you can easily mix them without them becoming muddy like other paints. So mix away. Use your imagination to create your perfect color.

Let's explore the techniques and guidelines on how to use color and tone to achieve the effect you want. 

Technique One:
Adding Old White or Pure White to lighten a color.

This is Aubusson mixed with Old White

This is Coco mixed with Old White

And this soft pink from Emperor's Silk

The colors right out of the can can be very intense - let's say you want a lighter version. That can be easily accomplished by mixing Old White or Pure White with the colors, as shown above. Mix Pure White for a more "modern" look and Old White for a more "antiqued" one. I often use this technique on the pieces that I paint for a more neutral effect and just a hint of color.

Technique Two:
Mixing two colors to create a third. 

 + =

Mix Old Violet plus Cream to create Paloma

via The Little Black Chair

Beautiful combination of Aubusson and Duck Egg

The combinations are endless - really! This takes a little bit of experimenting, but, that's half the fun. In the next series of Workshops, we will be trying our hand with this, so watch for our schedule for the new year. Make sure you write down the colors you used and the proportions, or, as I do, make enough to paint the entire piece. 

Technique Three:
Painting with two or more contrasting colors.

Old White and Country Grey 

Most all of Annie's colors can be considered neutrals and can be used together on the same piece. There are two ways that I like to do this. The first is by using one or more colors on the outside of a piece of furniture. This works especially well if the colors are "similar" to each other. See how beautifully the Old White and the Country Grey look together on the armoire above!

A  beautiful example of Versailles and Olive

But if you love a more intense color effect, a second technique that is especially loved by Annie and one that I use often is to paint a pop of color in drawers or cabinet interiors, like the Scandinavian Pink inside the Graphite secretary. I paint with a lot of neutrals and just love to see the surprise on a customers face when they look inside a piece and see a pop of color!

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Our Featured Artists....

are Becky and Andrea of...

"The Little Black Chair", Chalk Paint™ Stockist in Littleton, Colorado.

They painted this beautiful piece in a mix of Aubusson and Duck Egg. The interior is French Linen.

Aubusson 

   Duck Egg

French Linen

Each month we will be featuring another artist's furniture painted with Chalk Paint™. To see my Pinterest gallery of these  
CLICK HERE.

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Click to see more tips, tutorials and photos: Paintbrush and Pearls
Click to see my Brocante Home Blog

So far, so good!

Our new shop in Richmond has been open just a few weeks and we are thrilled by the response! I'm grateful to all of our customers who have found us there and have told their friends.

If you haven't had a chance to visit us in Richmond, we are stocking the complete line of Chalk Paint™decorative paint by Annie Sloan. And, we plan to add more furniture and accessories as the weeks go by.

Our new shop is located at 19 S. Belmont Ave, in the heart of Carytown, at the shops at DêCOR. (Don't worry about parking, there's plenty behind the shop.)

Lots of wonderful restaurants to visit too. So make a day of it. Hope to see you there soon!

P.S. - Here's a peak at a few of the furniture pieces I will be working on over the next few weeks. All are solid hardwood, hand carved and dovetailed. I can't wait to paint them!

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Click to see more tips, tutorials and photos: Paintbrush and Pearls
Click to see my Brocante Home Blog

Getting Started with Chalk Paint®

I've had so many requests for my "Cheat Sheet" called 

Getting Started with Chalk Paint®

that I wanted to share it with you.

This should help those of you who have yet to take the plunge. 
It's easy! Really!

__________________________________

Getting Started

Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan is a water-based paint that is low VOC and fast drying, offering great coverage and let's you layer for unique effects. The paint is easy to apply, and one coat often gives sufficient coverage. It's also easy to "layer" different colors and then sand areas to reveal underlying colors. For the best patina and protection, Chalk Paint® should be sealed with Annie's Soft Wax and both a clear and dark version (for a more antiqued look) is available.

STEP 1:

Always start with a clean piece of furniture.

STEP 2:

Paint and allow to dry. If needed paint a second coat and let dry.

STEP 3:

Apply wax (we recommend using the Ultimate Wax brush) spreading a thin coat, pushing it into the paint and then, while still wet, wiping off any excess.

STEP 4:

For an antiqued look, apply dark wax, wiping back immediately, leaving some in the grooves, making sure to apply the dark wax before the clear wax has dried. Let the wax "set up" so it is not tacky to the touch, then go on to the next step.

STEP 5:

 If desired, distress with a fine grit sandpaper (200 - 300 grit).

STEP 6:

Buff all over lightly with an extra fine sandpaper (600 - 800 grit) for a nice patina, 

adding more clear wax if needed. Buff with a soft cloth for extra shine.

_______________________

If you still are uncertain, taking my hands-on Workshop is the best way to learn the process. Check my blog for my Schedule of Classes and Workshops.

Happy Painting!

Rachel

Bienvenue!

Welcome to my Chalk Paint® Blog

Paintbrush and Pearls

Here I will be blogging exclusively on my experiences using the best paint in the world. I will be sharing tips, tutorials and photos to help you with your painting.

Please join me on this adventure!

To see more of my new blog
CLICK HERE

Rachel