Introducing Annie Sloan....

Finally it's here!! 

Annie Sloan week. 

Yay! 

I've been so looking forward to sharing all this with you.

The week before last, I had the enormous pleasure of spending the day with Annie, learning by her side how best to use her paints. And ever since then, I've been a busy little bee, scurrying about putting all her hints and tips into practice, ready to show you on Modern Country Style.

And now, finally, the time has come.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and Waxes are products 

that have been developed to use especially for painting furniture 

- though they have a myriad of other uses too. 

The reason why these Chalk Paints are special is that they can be
painted on seemingly any surface with little or no preparation 

needed to help the paint to adhere.

It's the whole preparation malarky - stripping, priming and sanding -
that I've always hated so I've been thrilled to bits to find paints that 

cut out the tedium.

Fancy painting straight onto galvanized metal for a look that lasts?

Feel free.....but if you don't use the right paint, it'll all come a-peeling off.

I hope through reading the posts this week

that you'll come to understand

how different they are from 
any other paint range  

How incredibly user-friendly they are while still allowing you 
the control in determining the final look of any piece. 

Annie Sloan knows her stuff.

She's been in the business of paints for over forty years. 

And that meant riding the nineties where, in the UK at least,

paint techniques were not the fashion.

But I LOVE it that Annie didn't flee to pursue 

the next money-making project when times were hard. 

She persevered with what she loved.

Her heart and soul are in her paints. 

It's this passion for her products that comes over 

as soon as you enter her gorgeous shop.

I wanted to start the week by 

showing you behind the scenes at the 

Annie Sloan shop in Oxford.

I was expecting a mega-emporium but no! It's a sweet little shop 

{not to be confused with a little sweet shop}

that's a bit like a tardis. It looks small from the front 

but streeeeeetches back further than seems possible.

On one wall is a huge paint chart, showing how each of the Annie Sloan paint colours looks straight from the pot, and alsowhen mixed with Old White, currently the palest colour in the range.

{Though not for long....}

And dotted around are beautiful pieces which show the whole range of paint effect possible from using Annie Sloan's paint range.

And don't stray far, peeps, because, tomorrow, 

I'll talk you through the colour possibilities...

Ooooh, and next Friday 22nd July, I'll be having a 

Paint, Please Link Party

where I want to see what *you've* been painting

....rooms, furniture, children. 

{Okay, not children.}

You'll be able to link up all your 

fabulousness you've achieved 

(using any range of paint)

and we can have a group-ogling session.

My favourite thing to do!!

(All images: mine)