Behind the Scenes Doing a 2 Minute TV Spot

Two weeks ago, Not Too Shabby was invited to a quick TV spot talking about turning one item into something else. It's is something we do everyday at Not Too Shabby, yet being on TV created a whole new stress level, and questions. I sent out an email to the team and asked for any ideas.

We came up with 6 fun & quick ideas, which was perfect because we needed variety - to create interest, timeliness - to keep the interest, and we needed to use everyday items - not everyone can see how to turn one thing into something else.

We took a vintage rap basket and added a light kit.

We turned an old framed window into a shelf; added 2 metal corner brackets, a piece of wood, and a little bit of Chalk Paints® and waxes.

We turned a vintage suitcase into a pet bed; recovered the inside of the suitcase, added 4 small legs, and a cushion.

Turned 2 vintage bistro chairs into cute patio plant chairs; removed the seat, screwed in a wire plant basket (that was close in size to the seat), dry brush the chair with Chalk Paints®, lay some burlap scraps inside the basket, placed the planter and plants into the seat.

We assembled all the parts, tested everything, prepared one 'finished' piece and then set up for the spot. 

Five minutes later, it was all done.  8 hours of prep, 6 helpers, and we're done in under 10 minutes.  We had a great time creating.  Afterwards we had a wonderful breakfast at Carol's Resturaunt (fantastic french toast!)

Already working on ideas for the next time.  Hope you enjoyed the behind the scene planning.

Prestige House Of Beaute

Lets start with CONGRATULATIONS Cierra!!! My friend Cierra has just realized her dream of owning her own salon.

Cierra's Salon is gorgeous!  The salon is stylishly painted black and white, accented with gold framed mirrors & a stunning crystal chandelier.  She also framed vintage prints with glossy black painted frames.

Cierra created this beautiful seating area with vintage chairs & a settee she painted and recovered herself.  The coffee table is painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Pure White.

Nice comfy chairs to sit in while you enjoy your pedicure.

 

For those of you who have complimented my hair in the past, it is purely thanks to Cierra, she is a genius with color, extensions, and cut.  Check out her salon in person at;

 

Prestige House of Beaute

437 Main Street, Placerville

 

Her salon is located near the parking garage so parking is no issue.  Or Like her on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Prestige-House-Of-Beaute/162242790482326?fref=ts 

 

When was your last great cut & color?

Bobbi

Antibes Green

I love all the amazing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®; I have been selling Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in my store, Not Too Shabby since July 2010, and I am completely addicted to how creative you can be with all of the colors, waxes, and techniques.  I have been painting furniture for over 25 years, and I've tried lots of different kinds of paint, finishes, and styles.  I have had the store since 2005, and have continued to refine my painting style and technique with various products, trying to get that amazing patina found on vintage pieces that have aged naturally. Since I have started painting with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®. I am smitten!  I really think these are the best paint and waxes in the world for painting furniture!

Because so many of you first timers come into the store looking for this fantastic paint I thought we could start with some information about each of the colors, a little history, examples, and inspiration.  Lets start out with Antibes Green.

Antibes Green is a bright happy apple green.  You can't help but smile when you see this color.  According to Annie's blog "Antibes Green comes to our palette from two sources - the neo-classical palaces, such as the Fontainebleau Palace and in Schloss Charlottenburg in Potsdam, and from the villages around Provence where countless artists have been inspired by the colours of painted furniture, shutters and doors."  Picture from www.anniesloanunfolded.com

We have used Antibes Green as an accent with Napoleonic Blue, mixed with Paris Grey, and accent trim with Scandinavian Pink.  Here's a great piece painted by Forget Me Not Furnishings in Venice Fla.  (check them out at http://www.facebook.com/ForgetMeNotFurnishings)

Here's a great folk-made cabinet we painted Antibes Green:

Here's some variations on Antibes Green when added to Old White:

Don't be afraid of using this color as a statement on a focal piece. One of our Beginning Chalk Paint® workshop Graduates painted her entry piece in Antibes Green - and it is simply beautiful!

What have you painted Antibes Green?

Bobbi

The Story Behind How We Got Our Great Paint

This is a fantastic article about our fearless leader, Lisa Rickert, and how she started Annie Sloan Unfolded.


Check out http://junkbonanza.blogspot.com/2012/09/lisa-r-story-of-annie-sloan-unfolded.html

I love her kitchen cabinets painted Paris Grey, they really look amazing and should give all of you confidence since Lisa painted them with Chalk Paint™ brand decorative paint while she was 7-1/2 months pregnant!

Enjoy the read, I hope it inspires you to paint more, experiment more, and above all have fun!

Bobbi

Anthropology - Maybe

Today marked the end of a huge emotional project.  I finally finished my antique hutch.  Just a little history on this piece, I bought it from the estate of my friend who was an amazing wood worker.  He passed away from cancer over 5 years ago and his wife sold me his 'pet' project.

I bought the hutch knowing full well that it was beyond my repair capabilities, but I could see how fantastic it would be and I knew I had to 'save' it.  For those of you who buy furniture you share my disease! 

The hutch was missing pieces but had amazing bones and I knew if I didn't get it I would regret it for a long time.  So, I bought the hutch, got it home where my family thought I was crazy.  The way the pieces were joined, and the details made me think the hutch was over 300 years old.  So I got it home and tucked my treasure into a spot in the garage.

For this project to be successful I needed several things to come together - lots of expert old fashioned wood repair, locating replacement pieces (preferably old wood), and the right paint.

Here's what it looked like before:

 

 

 

 

Here's where huge THANKS go to Cousin Jimmy, my brother Rodney, and David. When they would come over to visit I would drag them out to the garage and show them my 'prize'. After they got over their disbelief that 'you bought this' then they would get intrigued by the problem and start tinkering away.  That took care of the old-fashioned repairs - check!

 

Next, one of my pickers found some very old unused tongue & groove flooring.  It made the perfect backing for the top piece.  Another found some very old molding that could be used in some spots.  Old wood - check!



 

Then we went on vacation and in the Anthropology store, there was a hutch just like mine, dusty and dirty too, dated to the 1600's, priced at $6800. In their favor, their hutch was all put together.  Now my family was starting to see my 'treasure'.

 

 

After 5 years, and many hours, my hutch was finally put back together and was ready to paint.  Now, I felt the pressure.  What color to paint this amazing piece that would make it shine, and be respectful of it's history???  I scanned 100's of magazines, painted many sample boards, and finally came up with the perfect color - Chalk Paint™ brand decorative paint Louis Blue with an Olive wash.

 

 

I am so happy with how it turned out.  I was up till midnight last night putting on the finishing touches and then brought it to the store this morning.  I filled it with Halloween and it just glows!  It is just over 7 feet tall, and I feel like an artist!

 

I hope you come in and check it out.

 

Thanks

Bobbi

 

New Orleans - Champagne, Beignets, & Paint Pt 3

Final day of the paint convention and after a fantastic breakfast at Cafe du Monde (Beignets and Chicory Coffee - YUMMY) we got down and dirty painting.  We practiced gilding over Provence, loved the result, especially after waxing with dark wax.

Did some more work with the craqeluer, combined over decoupage, and some 'water-painting'. 

My favorite piece was stenciling Annie's way.  Annie loves using the same stencil and over-laying it over and over across the same piece.  I loved the result, it resembles painted damask, it will be perfect on drawer fronts, or a smaller pieces.

The best part of the painting was sharing information with everyone, learning other techniques, short-cuts, and favorite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint projects. 

After a creatively filled day, a few of us took off for dinner in New Orleans.  We ended up at a fantastic restaurant called Huck Finns.  I loved the BBQ Shrimp served over grits - still tasting it!  And BBQ would not be the way I described the meal, more like a piece of heaven!  http://www.huckfinnscafe.com/food-menu/
Although you might not get to Cafe du Monde or Huck Finns within the next week, you can take a fantastic paint class from Annie.  She'll be in San Francisco teaching painting techniques on Monday, March 19.  There are still a few spots left, go to https://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/event/ for more information and register before it's too late.

Bobbi

New Orleans - Champagne, Beignets, & Paint Pt 2

After our first day at the paint conference, we all joined Jolie Design and Annie Sloan at the Historic Van Benthuysen - Elms Mansion for a wonderful cocktail party. 

This extraordinary historic mansion, built in 1869, was beautifully set-up with food and cocktail stations throughout the home, allowing all of us to tour the entire house and grounds.  The house was recently repainted (historically matching in most cases), and the colors so reminded me of all the fantastic Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors like Antoinette, Duck Egg, Paris Grey, and French Linen.  Check out http://www.elmsmansion.com/history.html for more pictures and information.

We enjoyed champagne, tapas, alligator sausage, and some unbelievably delicious bananas fosters over white chocolate vanilla ice cream!  The best thing was the espresso at the end of the night - I'm still lusting after that! 

The night wrapped up with a traditional New Orleans handkerchief dance to some fantastic live music!  Back at the hotel to get ready for our second day and painting with Annie!

There are still a few spots left in the San Francisco leg of the Annie Sloan North American Tour, Monday, March 19.  Go to https://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/event/ to register. 
If registration has closed, you can come down and register in person starting at 8:00am, Monday, March 19.

Bobbi