For the love of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Having my work in the Knot Too Shabby store has introduced me to some pretty cool creative products and ways to use these products to improve the aesthetic of forgotten pieces of furniture and home decor products.  One of those products is Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  http://www.anniesloan.com Sure there are other paints out there and even recipes out there to make your own chalk paint, but Mrs Annie Sloan is the one who made it a household name and she deserves the props for that.  So as Michele Rivard has created and in the process of revamping what I like to describe as the Home Depot for Women I wanted to make a sign for her new Chalk Paint Display.

Michele Rivard on a business call

When a creative idea hits me I need something to write it down on, I am better about having notebooks available to me, but I've been known to grab a nearby napkin to illustrate my brainstorms as well.
Here is the example of how this idea hit me.

As you can see along with Annie Sloan's chalk paint sign Miss Mustard Seed's sign http://www.missmustardseedsmilkpaint.com is in the planning stages as well.

After showing Michele my drawing and seeing her enthusiasm I returned last week to the store and photographed Michele's cans of paint.  Photographically I knew I hadn't planned things out to a "T", but I also knew it was involving the transfer process so which is rustic to begin with.  That gave me a little room for the variations in lighting that were bugging me.

After taking the photos I edited them, got them printed and transferred them onto a score of a finding, a huge plank of wood I had rescued previously from someones trash. Here are the various stages of the making of the sign.

Now you see why manicures never last for me!

Nearly all the paper is removed

Add a little distressing

Here's the top half of the sign.  Its new home is at Knot Too Shabby www.knottooshabbyfurnishings.com

Lastly here is a photo I used for an additional transfer that in my excitement I dropped off the transfer on a pallet I made before I photographed it but the image is still striking so I am going to post that until I can show off the transfer.