Reimagined Monday: From Tired to Wired

It's Reimagined Monday!  

Visit to see a fantastic transformation that takes a treasured antique hutch from tired to wired...


Want to be a part of it?
just send in before/during/after pics to info@appleboxboutique.com to be entered into our monthly Reimagined Monday draw, and you could win paint, workshops, painting supplies or other cool stuff.

Reimagined Monday: You Did 'What' To Those Versace Chairs?

It's Reimagined Monday! Check out our new blog post!

Sneak Peek:

Reimagined Monday: A Boy's Bedroom Makeover

It's Reimagined Monday! Check out our new blog post!

Sneak Peek:

Reimagined Monday: Typical Wood Cabinet Finds Its Beauty

It's Reimagined Monday! Check out our new blog post!

Sneak Peek:

Reimagined Monday: Sneak Peek

Check out our latest Reimagined Monday features at our new Blog address!

Sneak Peek:

Sew Fabulous with Chalk Paint™

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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We'd LOVE it if you shared our new blog

Reimagined Monday: Sneak Peek

Check out our latest Reimagined Monday features at our new Blog address!

Sneak Peek:
February 3rd
Chaise Making a Statement with Painted Upholstery

Sneak Peek:
February 10th
A Bouquet of Painted Prettiness

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: A Very Special Gift using Chalk Paint™

We received this gem of a Reimagined Monday submission and are happy to share it with you now that Christmas has been celebrated and the surprise is out from under the tree!

Lois wanted to do something special for her son that has very personal meaning and felt that Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan was the perfect solution.

"Hi. Just finished my Christmas projects for my son.  My mother passed away at 94 years of age in September and left 3 very tired looking stacking stools to my eldest son.  I decided to give them a facelift and surprise him for Christmas. I am sure he is going to be as thrilled as I am.   

I had heard about Annie Sloan's chalk paint on a television program and was eager to give it a try.  I was so excited that there was a store relatively nearby (by prairie standards) and made the journey from Lloydminster to Edmonton to get some advice and my supplies.

Here are the before and afters:   

I started off with two coats of Emperor's Silk and followed up with 1 1/2 coats of graphite.   

I then waxed and sanded back the edges to reveal the red and then followed up with two additional layers of wax. Unfortunately when I purchased the paint you did not have any waxing brushes in stock so I applied the wax with a rag.
 
I think I would have been even more successful had I been able to use the brush but I am happy with the results nonetheless.

Perhaps I will win this context and get the much desired waxing brush!!  I am definitely going to use this paint again and have a long list of projects awaiting. 

Merry Christmas!

Lois Classen-Lorenz"

We think they look fantastic, Lois -- we agree that a wax brush makes projects that much easier and we hope you ended up with one in your Christmas stocking!

Best of luck in this month's Reimagined Monday draw!

Don't forget to enter our monthly contest for your chance to win!

Here's the info:

Reimagined Monday Draw

We would like to highlight more customer projects!  Send us your before/during/after pictures and tell us about your creative process using Chalk Paint™ or Milk Paint and you'll be entered into our monthly Reimagined Monday draw.

Each month we will give away a different item like paint, brushes, books, supplies, gift certificates and more. You don't have to be featured to be eligible... the month you enter is the month you will be included in the draw.

Send your name, pictures and story to:

info@appleboxboutique.com for your chance to win!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Honey Oak Kitchen Gets a Sweet Makeover

Charlene Finlay-Westover's cabinets were your typical honey oak kitchen all the rage in the 80s. Dated and brassy, it was time for a change.

Since Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan requires no prep, all that is left to do on used kitchen cabinets is to give them a good cleaning to remove any surface oils.

In Charlene's case, the easiest part was opening up the quart of Paris Grey and getting started!  Finished with Clear Wax by Annie Sloan and given an old world patina with Dark Wax, this kitchen went from honey oak to SWEET.

Check out these lovely before and after pics!

Amazing what a little reimagination can do! 

Charlene wrote, "I am currently painting my old oak kitchen cabinets with your Annie Sloan chalk paint .... loving the results!  I am interested in attending the opening of the St. Albert store."

Thank you for sharing your fabulous project, Charlene -- these look like showroom cabinets!

Don't forget to enter our monthly contest for your chance to win!

Here's the info:

Reimagined Monday Draw

We would like to highlight more customer projects!  Send us your before/during/after pictures and tell us about your creative process using Chalk Paint™ or Milk Paint and you'll be entered into our monthly Reimagined Monday draw.

Each month we will give away a different item like paint, brushes, books, supplies, gift certificates and more. You don't have to be featured to be eligible... the month you enter is the month you will be included in the draw.

Send your name, pictures and story to:

info@appleboxboutique.com for your chance to win!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: 'Playing' with Chalk Paint™

Due to a technical issue, this week's Reimagined Monday post could not be published on time, but we love sharing our customers' projects far too much to let it pass us by.  So ...welcome to "Reimagined Monday on Tuesday!"

When we heard from Kelli Pack about her Chalk Paint™ project, it was music to our ears.  We love a custom creation, and painting a piano has it's challenges -- but WOW, the results are fabulous.

Kelli is a new Mom who completed this reimagining last year and submitted the pictures to our Reimagined Monday Draw this past week.  We are so happy she did!

Here is Kelli's piano makeover story:

"My name is Kelli Pack, mother of a 8 month old boy and live in Sherwood Park.  Last year I re-finished a beautiful 1949 Heintzman piano using Annie Sloan Chalk paint.  

I combined OLD WHITE and DUCK EGG BLUE.  

I loved the Duck Egg Blue but wanted to lighten it up a bit.  So I combined 1/4 cup old white to 1 cup duck egg blue and I was so pleased with the color. 

I gave the piano 2 coats of my paint mixture to get maximum coverage because the piano was a blonde maple I didn't want any of the original finish to show through.   

After painting the outside of the piano I realized I needed to take it apart in order to paint certain areas. Once I took it apart I saw that it was very filthy inside and so I took all the piano keys out and cleaned it out.   

 Putting it back together was pretty simple.  

After the two coats I did a coat of clear wax using a large round brush.  Then I did a coat of dark wax.

I went through a lot of clear wax because I didn't want it too look too distressed so I took off a lot of the dark wax using the clear wax.  The dark wax left behind slipped nicely into all the cracks and grooves to give it the perfect amount of distress that I was after.  Then I gave it a good buffer and voila!

 Overall it was probably a good 40 hours of work including gutting the piano and cleaning it out and then painting and waxing.   

Then the fun part of moving it into the living room. Nothing a 4 man team can't handle!

This was my very first project with chalk paint and I absolutely love it.

I just want to thank Leanne at Apple Box boutique for all the tips because without her I definitely would have screwed this up :)

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!"

Thank you to Kelli for sending this to us.  We're excited to share your story in this special edition Reimagined Monday on Tuesday -- we love a happy ending!

Don't forget to enter our monthly contest for your chance to win!

Here's the info:

Reimagined Monday Draw

We would like to highlight more customer projects!  Send us your before/during/after pictures and tell us about your creative process using Chalk Paint™ or Milk Paint and you'll be entered into our monthly Reimagined Monday draw.

Each month we will give away a different item like paint, brushes, books, supplies, gift certificates and more. You don't have to be featured to be eligible... the month you enter is the month you will be included in the draw.

Send your name, pictures and story to:

info@appleboxboutique.com for your chance to win!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

WIN $1500 Worth of Annie Sloan Products!

Beginning Tuesday, Nov 26th*, you can take a photo of yourself in front of our Chalk Paint™ display and upload it to the contest. You will then be provided with your own link to share amongst your friends and family to generate votes.

You could win up to US$1500 worth of products

The upload link will be posted here and on our Facebook Page starting Tuesday!

Contest ends 12/8.  Don't Miss it!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

*We're closed on 11/25, so start taking your pictures in front of our Annie Sloan display on Tuesday, November 26th.

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Project Personality: Custom Colours Made Easy-Peasy!

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Hello and welcome to Project Personality!  Today I am going to share a bit of a secret with you -- an easy-peasy way to create a 'personality colour'.  We all have colour preferences, and if you are like me, it is more about shades than colours.  I like blues, but only if they have certain undertones.  I like reds, as long as they don't have too much orange in them.  And I like orange.  Crazy, right?  Or maybe not...

One of the questions we get asked a lot at our Boutique and in our Studio is how to mix paint colours to achieve that perfect shade of... well, whatever it is our customer's heart desires.

The great news is that Annie Sloan developed her Chalk Paint™ with 31 gorgeous colours AND the concept that they should freely be mixed together to create new and personalized shades.

She went a step further and published her Work Book to provide information, tips and a great place to paint your creations, explaining that is was meant to help "plan the colour palettes of a room, work out a piece of furniture, and draw little sketches. You can use the pockets to collect ribbons, fabric pieces and cuttings from magazines. Experiment with colour combinations making your own mixes."

It's a fantastic tool and lots of fun to fill it with your creativity.

Sometimes, though, you are looking for quicker way to get to a colour, and The Purple Painted Lady has the answer.  She developed an online Paint Mixer that allows you to add different amounts of 'paint' to get to the colour you've been dreaming of.

I was looking for a 'muted peacock' colour using Chalk Paint™ decorative paint.  Have you ever tried to explain something like that to someone?  I did, and while they worked hard to come up with my vision, it was always a bit too blue, or too green and nothing like what I was envisioning.

I turned to the Chalk Paint™ mixer and created this:

All I had to do was start layering in the colours by adding 'parts'!

Mixing 1 part of Antibes Green to 3 parts Aubusson Blue brought my vision to life in a matter of seconds.  I could have added a third colour, but I loved what I saw and that's all it took for me to grab a paint brush and get started!

It is good to keep in mind that since this is an online tool, your monitor will play a part in how closely your virtual mix matches the actual colour, but I have to say that mine was petty darned close. I'll share the painted piece with you as soon as I finish it up so you can see the results!

I happened to use it for the Annie Sloan paint line, but The Purple Painted Lady also created one for Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint - another hugely popular paint product.

We're fortunate to carry both these paint collections, and I am already mixing up a custom Milk Paint shade for a client's piece.  I'd love a 'corally orange' -- yup, another shade that currently doesn't seem to exist out in the 'real world' but that is floating around my imagination and as pretty as can be.

I am inspired to create it!  Next stop:  The Purple Painted Lady's Paint Mixer!

~♥~  Leanne

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We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Handmade Bureau Gets An Update!

Today's Reimagined Monday post comes to us from the lovely Laura Aberg.  We were very excited to have the opportunity to reimagine Laura's dining suite to fit with the decor in her brand new home, and while we were hard at work on that, Laura undertook a project of her own.  In Laura's words:

"This old bureau was handmade for my mother when she was a little girl living on a farm near Drumheller. Fast forward 30 years and it was handed down to me and my mother repainted it. I am a mother now to a sweet, lovely, rambunctious 2.5 year old daughter, and we just moved into a new house. So I took the old bureau on a "re-loved adventure".

Here are the before, during and after pictures! One word describes this piece- 'sweet'!"

 

The official Before pic: Mid-century bureau

Work in progress

Chalk Paint™ selfie :) - A mask when sanding anything is a great idea

It's coming together!

All done and in place

It's even sweeter when a loved item can be reimagined to work with current decor and kept in the family. 


This pretty little bureau is one-of-a-kind in every way!

Thank you, Laura for sharing this with us. You've been entered into our Reimagined Monday draw!

Don't forget to enter our monthly contest for your chance to win!

Here's the info:

Reimagined Monday Draw

We would like to highlight more customer projects!  Send us your before/during/after pictures and tell us about your creative process using Chalk Paint™ or Milk Paint and you'll be entered into our monthly Reimagined Monday draw.

Each month we will give away a different item like paint, brushes, books, supplies, gift certificates and more. You don't have to be featured to be eligible... the month you enter is the month you will be included in the draw.

Send your name, pictures and story to:

info@appleboxboutique.com for your chance to win!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

It's 11/12/13 - Celebrate with our ONE DAY ONLY Sale

TODAY ONLY Get 11% off One, 12% off TWO or 13% off THREE:

• Packages of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint or

• Quarts of Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan! 

  
Applies to in-store purchases at
Apple Box™ Boutique in Edmonton and Apple Box™ Design Studio in St. Albert

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Saturday? The Boutique is CLOSED Today!

Apple Box Boutique is CLOSED today, but rest assured it is only temporary!  Our flagship shop is in need of some improvements so we are taking the weekend to make it better than ever.  Let's call it "Reimagined Saturday"!

If you are in need of Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint or just can't wait to purchase something with a bird on it, please stop in at Apple Box Design Studio.

The Studio is open from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM today!

Thank you all for your patronage and support. It’s because of you that we are growing and able to continue making improvements to our beloved Boutique.

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Project Personality: Big Announcement Part Two!

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Well, hello! It's been awhile...

We've received plenty of email about our post "Here is Part One of Three BIG Announcements!" and we know you are wondering why it has been so quiet on our blog. We've been working hard on something FABULOUS!

First, let me say that AppleBox™ Boutique in Highlands is our beloved gem and while it will remain open (and will always be our charming-little-cottage-chic first love!), we felt it was time to allow ourselves to spread our wings.

I am thrilled to announce that Apple Box™ Design Studio is opening in St. Albert, AB!

When we were choosing a location, we wanted it to be easily accessible, and found a great space a couple of blocks from the Lois Hole Enjoy Centre.  Our new Studio is just off of Anthony Henday Drive which we've discovered over the last couple of months is a super-fast way to get completely around the city and out to the surrounding areas.

But that isn't all of our BIG news!

As huge fans and stockists of Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan, we've learned that the woman behind this incredible paint is a down-to-earth gal that truly supports the folks that use her products and everyone that is involved with her company. We're proud to be a part of it, and super-excited about this...

Grand Opening featuring Annie Sloan

 

Annie Sloan, British decorative paint expert and creator of Chalk Paint™ is in Canada and making a rare appearance at our Grand Opening event.

Judging from her recent stop at the Toronto Home Show, everyone wants to meet Annie and while we wish we could invite you all, our 2300 square feet can only fit so many!  So our Grand Opening will be a private event, by invitation only, and here's how you can attend:

*Send us a note about your project + before and after pictures of the piece you painted with the one and only Chalk Paint™ by noon (MT) tomorrow, Thurs. Oct. 10th and you'll be entered into a draw for tickets to our Grand Opening including a demo by Annie Sloan and complimentary cocktail reception.

Don't have a painted piece to share?  LIKE our Facebook page for more opportunities to win a chance to attend our Grand Opening featuring Annie Sloan and be among the first to visit Apple Box™ Design Studio.

Send your submissions by noon (MT) tomorrow to
info@appleboxboutique.com.

For more about Apple Box™ Design Studio and upcoming events (like our Studio Launch Party - a public event), visit our website   and be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page!

We're looking forward to your visit!

~♥~ Leanne

*All images and your notes may be published online, in print or at our Boutique and/or Studio.

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