free demo || ANNIE SLOAN SOFT WAX

I would say the number one product we receive the most questions about, is Annie Sloan's soft wax.  It is such a fantastic product!  However, it can cause frustration if it's not applied properly.  Next Saturday, I am going to offer two {free} demonstrations on applying soft wax.  A little way to help customers who are struggling with the soft wax and for whatever reason can't attend a BASICS painting class.  Here are the details for you local peeps!

W H E N:  Saturday, April 29th, 2017

T I M E: 10:30am and 11:00am

W H A T: demo on applying Annie Sloan soft wax, 10% off your purchase of a wax brush, coffee + muffins

C O S T: free

Each demo is limited to 12 people.  Although there is no cost, you do need to sign up at the shop.  You can sign up by calling, emailing or stopping by the shop!

SPRING ENTERTAINING CLASSES

Hello!  I am so ready for Spring!!  It has felt extra cold, wet and gray this winter and this girl is looking forward to some sunshine.  Anywho, I am excited to announce the details for the Spring Entertaining Classes......

The Fall Entertaining Class sold out really fast, I am hoping to be able to accommodate more ladies by offering two, smaller workshops.  I will post more details in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, grab a girlfriend and sign up, it's going to be a lot of fun!!!

before + after || upstairs offices and workshop area at the shop

Last week Matt finished the upstairs office + workshop space!

We bought this old house turned retail building just over a year ago.  We wanted to have the upstairs finished before our grand opening (March 27th, 2016) but we just ran out of time....and money was running out too!  I am so glad we waited!  After being at the shop, we figured exactly how we would use the space, and that is different from how we originally thought we would use the space!

Here are some BEFORE pictures....the upstairs space was originally 3 bedrooms.  It had three layers of wallpaper, over drywall.  The floors were yucky, the windows were rotting, the lighting was bad, and it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

We removed all of the wallpaper and drywall.  Under all of those layers, we found shiplap!  We sanded it and sprayed it white.  Matt spent a lot of time sanding and spraying those walls...they really look amazing!

We sprayed all of the doors with a pure black satin paint.  The doors and hardware are original!

We added can lights and two sconces in the workshop area.  We also added new engineered hard wood flooring, the same that we have downstairs.  The HVAC was updated to make the space comfortable and we replaced the windows with new wood windows.  Can you believe these darling built-ins?  I love, love, love the character of old homes!

My Christmas present from my sweet hubby, was this amazing table!  He used white oak for the top, which matches my downstairs shelving, and he welded the base, which also matches my shelving.  They had to bring it up in two pieces because it is so big and heavy!  It's perfect for classes and workshops!  I am one lucky girl!!

It's a blank canvas at this point!  I still need to fill the office spaces, but I am not in a huge rush.  I love it simple and clean so I am just enjoying it as it is!

xoxo

Darci

fall entertaining class || a creative class at the cottage

A few weeks ago I hosted my 3rd annual FALL ENTERTAINING CLASS.  It was such a fun evening and I think the ladies had fun too!  The weather held out and it was a cool, cloudy Fall evening.  Just perfect for a night of friendship, food and creativity!

The girls and I decorated the front porch with colorful pumpkins and different squash, as well as a few mums and ornamental kale.

Each lady received a SWAG bag to take home.....just a fun little bag full of goodies and another way to say THANK YOU!

We made new friends, created pumpkin succulent centerpieces, enjoyed yummy food and drinks.  I think it's safe to say that each and every one of the beautiful ladies that attended, walked away with a full heart and a head full of fun and easy entertaining and decorating ideas!

Thank you to Brittany Rossman Photography for capturing the evening in photos!

Thank you to each and every one of the ladies who attended!

And thank you to my mama who helped me serve the ladies that evening....

Happy Thanksgiving friend!!

xoxo~Darci

parties for the kiddos || teaching little ones to paint

One of my favorite parts of working with paint, is teaching others how to work with paint. Even better, teaching little girls. They are always so excited, well behaved (the class typically runs just over one hour) and they are just plain cute!

Sometimes Addilyn gets to help….which she loves!

If you are interested in having a painting party for your kiddos, here is some more information!

Happy Painting little ones!!

CENTERPIECE WORKSHOP + A BIG GIRL BED

So this weekend we hosted a centerpiece workshop.  It was a lot of fun and always a treat to meet new ladies!!  I never remember, or have time, to snap photos of events, but this time I tried to be intentional of snapping a few photos.  {My apologies about the quality of photo, all of the lights were on and I am not a professional:}

It was such a fun workshop!  Friday night we had a full house, and Saturday morning had a few less but still full and fun!  Each lady painted their box with Milk Paint and then filled it with fresh greens and embellishments.  It's so fun to see how different each centerpiece turned out.  Everyone walked away with a beautiful centerpiece and a giant smile, so I would say it was a success!

And in 'Haney news'….

we just got a dog.

The sweetest bulldog ever!  He is such a sweet heart and the girls love him!

The roof is going on the barn.  We were going to install a metal roof and then last minute we switched to a comp roof.  Lots of reasoning behind the switch but I will spare you the details!

And with Savanna getting Addilyn's big girl bed, Addilyn got a 'new' big girl bed.

I purchased this bed years ago at a barn sale.  It was rusted and chippy and I didn't have a space for it but I just loved it!  It sat in the garage for years and then last year, my sweet husband scraped all of the loose paint off and we painted it with Chalk Paint®, {1 part old white and 1 part arles.}  We decorated Addilyn's room for Christmas, and both of the girls love snuggling and reading on her new bed.  This is such a fun {and very exhausting} age.  It melts my heart to see the girls playing together!  I try to remind myself that this stage will pass so soon and I want to be present and cherish our times together.

Well, I need to get back to painting the basement entertainment center before the girls wake up!  Hopefully I will be able to post 'finished' photos soon!!

xoxo

CHALK PAINT® CLASSES :: what's the difference?

Hello and happy {rainy} Thursday!

This is what has been consuming my extra time lately….

Packing, cleaning, and organizing.  It feels so good to go through everything!

I am using the dining room as my packing and sorting room.  If I don't love it, or haven't used it in one year, it's donated or put in the garage sale pile.  It's hard to stick to my rule!!  I am always thinking 'someday I might use that'.  Yesterday,  I took six huge bags or little girl's clothing to the Blessing Room….and I still have two bags to give away and several outfits to sell at the garage sale! It feels soooo good to simplify!!

Speaking of simplifying, some areas of my home are looking pretty bare!  I am having a garage sale tomorrow, and the buyers are coming by to see if they want to purchase any of our furniture.  My goal is to hardly move anything…..either sell it or donate it!

So, the point of this post is not to talk about me, but to explain the different Chalk Paint® classes and workshops we offer.  I get quite a few customers asking about the differences.  Good question!  Below are descriptions for our most popular classes.

First Friday {which I am going to change to every Friday starting in March}!

The first Friday was something I started this year, and people seem to really love it.  As of March, I am going to offer this every Friday, instead of just the first Friday of the month.  I will be calling it OPEN WORKSHOP.

OPEN WORKSHOP is where you can bring your own project to paint, in our workshop.  We open our workshop from 1pm-5pm on Fridays.  

You bring your own paint and wax {or purchase when you arrive} and you can use our workshop space, brushes and tools.  I am happy to offer tips and advice, in between helping customers.  You can stay for the entire 4 hours, or just pop in for 45 minutes.  The goal is to provide an incentive {a fun and creative environment} for you to just start painting!

I have light refreshments and the cost is $10.  You don't need to rsvp, but just know we only have space for 5-6 people at a time.

BRING YOUR OWN PIECE

BYOP classes are offered once a month.  The class lasts 3 hours.  Here we guide you through the steps to paint and finish your own pice of furniture {a tray, box or shelf are great, nothing larger than 2 feet wide or 2 feet long.}  We teach tips and tricks and help to build your confidence.  We provide the paint, wax, brushes and tools.

Light refreshments, drinks and a tote are included.  The 3 hour class is $75.  You do need to rsvp for these classes, the maximum number of attendants is 6.

INTRODUCTORY TECHNIQUES

This is a fun class, meant to inspire your creativity and evoke confidence.  You will learn four techniques to understand the basics of this unique paint and proper wax application.  You will learn tips to achieving beautiful results on all of your painted projects.   You will paint and wax molding pieces that are yours to keep.

Light refreshments, drinks and a tote are included.  The 3 hour class is $75.  You do need to rsvp for these classes, the maximum number of attendants is 6.

To sign up for classes, you can call {503.857.8176} or send a note via our contact page.  I will send you detailed information about the class and add you to the list!

Happy Painting!