New Chalk Paint® Workshop: April 28th

Chalk It Up To Fabulous Workshop

This is the Chalk Paint® class everyone has been asking about!  Spend an afternoon reimagining your small furniture or home decor item.

Learn application techniques, colour layering, distressing techniques and the how-tos of finishing using clear and dark Soft Wax.  Then apply your new skills and reimagine your own piece, with expert guidance on hand.

Must be able to carry in your item unassisted.

Includes paint, finishes and all painting supplies for use during class.  
Lunch and beverages are provided.

Attendees will also receive 10% off all Annie Sloan products purchased on the day of the workshop.

Just show up in your paint clothes and be ready to have fun!

Date:         Sunday, April 28, 2013
Time:        11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location:  Apple Box Boutique 6507 - 112 Avenue, Edmonton, AB
 

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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People Are Chalking Workshop: March 12, 2013

People Are Chalking Workshop 

This ‘jump-start’ Chalk Paint® workshop covers everything you need to know about Annie Sloan paints and waxes.  Learn application techniques such as washes, dry brush and layering, different distressing techniques and finally the how-tos of finishing and antiquing using Soft Wax. 

You will leave with the enthusiasm and expertise to go home and reimagine a piece of furniture with confidence.

Attendees will also receive 10% off of all Annie Sloan products purchased on the day of the workshop. 

Just show up in your paint clothes and be ready to have fun!

Date:         Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Time:         10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Location:  Apple Box Boutique 6507 - 112 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Attendees will also receive 10% off of all Annie Sloan products purchased on the day of the workshop!

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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New Arrival: Miss Mustard Seed's Book, "Inspired You!"

Some girls get giddy over a new pair of shoes. Marian Parsons gets giddy over room makeovers. With a lot of ingenuity, a little bit of effort, and a tight budget, she has transformed her home into a beautiful space and filled her heart with a lot more contentment. Thousands have found inspiration at Marian’s blog, missmustardseed.com, and now she shares dozens of new projects, ideas, and DIY adventures in the pages of Inspired You.

Marian will remind you that homes don’t have to be magazine material to be special, comfortable, and inviting. The goal you’re working toward is home. Not a perfect home. Not an “impress the neighbors” home. Just home—one whose walls and rooms tell the story of the family who lives there. Beautiful homes start with inspiration and a willingness to try. So uncover your God-given creativity. Be encouraged, be willing, and be inspired.

Follow this blog to win your copy!

In two weeks, we will draw randomly from all of our blog followers.  Watch for your name and contact us within 48 hours to receive your book!

Like us and tell us on our Facebook page that you're a follower of our blog, and receive two more entries to WIN.

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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People Are Chalking Workshops: Open for Registration

People Are Chalking Workshop 

This ‘jump-start’ Chalk Paint® workshop covers everything you need to know about Annie Sloan paints and waxes.  Learn application techniques such as washes, dry brush and layering, different distressing techniques and finally the how-tos of finishing and antiquing using Soft Wax. 

You will leave with the enthusiasm and expertise to go home and reimagine a piece of furniture with confidence.

Just show up in your paint clothes and be ready to have fun!

Upcoming Classes

Date:         Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Time:         10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Location:  Apple Box Boutique 6507 - 112 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

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Date:         Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Time:         10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Location:  Apple Box Boutique 6507 - 112 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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Chalk Paint® Workshops: Lots of Learning, Lots of Fun!

We managed to tuck in two Chalk Paint® workshops right at the end of January, and it amounted to a lot of learning and plenty of laughs.

The People Are Chalking class is a great way to learn a variety of applications, distressing and finish techniques.

We made good use of the fabulous Chalk Paint® colours in Annie Sloan's designer line of decorative paints.

It was so much fun to share ideas and questions... such a creative bunch of people made for really interesting and varied samples!

Samples in progress!

 
Thank you to everyone who attended in January!  

We are so looking forward to the February offerings:  We'll be holding another People are Chalking 'jump-start' class and new this month is the workshop everyone has been asking about, Chalk It Up To Fabulous -- bring your own small furniture piece or decorative item and REIMAGINE it!

To register or learn more, visit our CHALK PAINT® WORKSHOPS page
or click here:

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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New Chalk Paint® Workshops have been scheduled!

This February...

Chalk It Up To Fabulous Workshop

This is the Chalk Paint® class everyone has been asking about!  Spend an afternoon reimagining your small furniture or home decor item.

Learn application techniques, distressing techniques and the how-tos of finishing using Soft Wax.  Then apply your new skills and reimagine your own piece, with expert guidance on hand.

Includes paint, finishes and all painting supplies for use during class. 
Lunch and beverages are provided.

People Are Chalking Workshop

This ‘jump-start’ Chalk Paint® workshop covers everything you need to know about Annie Sloan paints and waxes.  Learn application techniques such as washes, dry brush and layering, different distressing techniques and finally the how-tos of finishing and antiquing using Soft Wax. 

You will leave with the enthusiasm and expertise to go home and reimagine a piece of furniture with confidence.

Includes all materials, paints and finishes for use during class. 
Snacks and beverages are provided.

To register or learn more, visit our CHALK PAINT® WORKSHOPS page at www.appleboxboutique.com

We’re looking forward to seeing you in class!

♥,
Apple Box Boutique

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Chalk Paint™ Your Leather? You Betcha!

Welcome to Reimagined Monday!

We've talked about using Chalk Paint™ on fabric in the past, and today we are featuring a twist on that idea.  Not only can you paint furniture, walls, floors, fabric, concrete, plastic, metal, glass... the list goes on, but you can also paint vinyl and leather!

Amber and Brad of the blog Shades of Amber posted this fantastic example and we wanted to share it with you...

ASCP Leather Sofa

Yes, you read the title correctly! We have a customer, Denise, that used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on her leather couch and chair! We couldn't believe it either, so we had to take pictures and share.

Purchasing new furniture was not in the budget, and slipcovering it was too feminine for the room. So, why not Chalk Paint it? She was so excited to get started, she almost forgot the before photo. This is "during," but it gives you a good idea of what it looked like before.

And the same section after Chalk Paint and sealed with Clear Wax.

Here is the whole couch right after painting and waxing.

And the chair and ottoman.

And here it is about one month later.

It is very soft to the touch and very natural looking.

Now, it definitely will become more worn with time and use (especially since she has two big dogs that sit on it), but what a great way to update and extend the life of a piece of furniture.

Here again, is one month later, you can see the rugged aged look developing on the seat cushions where the dogs climb up and sit.

It is perfect for her husband's "man cave" and reminds me of a distressed, aged leather sofa you would find in a old English library in a country estate. 

all project photos and material are copyrighted by Shades of Amber, Inc. 

If you're like us, you are now scanning your home for all those leather pieces that don't quite fit with your latest decor.  Let the reimaginings begin!

♥,  
Apple Box Boutique

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Late Night on the Ave is October 4th!

Be sure to watch our blog "On The Apple Box" for details on our Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan colour of the month and our October draw!

Looking forward to seeing you this Thursday at Late Night on the Ave!

♥,  
Apple Box Boutique

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Get Creating with Annie Sloan Paint Books and Classes

At the boutique we do our best to share what we know about painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, but it is also really helpful to have step-by-step instructions and detailed pictures... which is why we keep Annie Sloan books on hand.

Quick and Easy Paint Transformations: 50 Step-by-step Ways to Makeover Your Home for Next to Nothing

Author: Annie Sloan

With this book in one hand and a brush in the other, you can learn how to create different finishes and effects with paint to change everyday rooms and furnishings into something special, all for the price of a pot of paint. The first section of the book tells you everything you need to know before you start - how to prepare surfaces properly, choose the right paint for the right place, use the best tools and select a colour scheme that will work with the room in question. Then, the 50 different techniques are divided into nine sections: colour washing; distressing and aging; fabric effects; wood effects; stone effects; metallic effects; stencilling and printing; stripes, checks, and spots; and, varnishing and glazing. 

There are step-by-step photos showing how to achieve the finished look, backed up by inspirational photos showing the effect used on walls and doors, furniture and floors. Learn how to bring old second-hand furniture bang up to date, or how to give modern pieces a softly aged appearance, as well as ways to treat and transform floorboards, doors and plastered walls, all with the aid of a pot of paint and a brush. Whatever the style of your interiors, "Quick and Easy Paint Transformations" will show you the best way to makeover your home.

Creating the French Look

Author: Annie Sloan

The French interior evokes a way of life to aspire to, with its good food, unhurried pace and, above all, its past for which many people feel nostalgia. Developed over hundreds of years, the French look reflects all tastes, from the cultivated grandeur of the chateau to the simplicity of rural living, and can be adapted to every home, including the Mediterranean style villa and elegant town house. In this book, the look is divided into 'Chateau', 'Country', 'Provencial' and 'Parisian style', and applied to living room, kitchen and dining room, bedroom and bathroom, and to living space in the garden.

As well as describing each overall look, focusing on colours and fabrics, Annie Sloan emphasizes the details and accents required by each one, and, aided by 25 clearly explained step-by-step projects, shows how to achieve it. Among other things, she explains how to paint and distress furniture, and describes how to cover an armoire door with embroidered voile. Whatever interior you desire, this book will guide your choices from the grand statement of the painted armoire to the finishing touch of a little posy of lavender.

Annie Sloan Paint Classes

We will also be offering Annie Sloan paint classes if hands-on learning is more your style.  And when you register, you can save money by using our coupon code: APPLE.  Watch On The Apple Box  for news on upcoming class dates, or visit the ASCP Classes page on our website to request email notifications.

Whether you feel you need a little how-to info or a lot of applied assistance, we want to help you feel comfortable and prepared to take on your summer DIY painting projects and more!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

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Project Personality: The Liebster Award

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

The Liebster Award

 

I would like to thank the academy...

Actually, I would like to thank the lovely CJ of Juniper and Roses for her very kind nomination. CJ, after reading your blog and "About" page you appear to be a kindred spirit... or my long-lost English twin. We should talk!  Let me start by saying how much I appreciate this.

I've been scouring blogland to learn more about The Liebster Award, and although there are variations on how to write about it, the meaning remains intact. So here is my best attempt at 'following the rules':

Award Description:

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The Meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Post about your win on your blog. 
2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award and follow their blog. 
3. Copy and paste the award button to your blog (you can right-click on the Liebster label from my page, save it to your computer, then save to your blog). 
4. Present The Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognised. 
5. Let them know by leaving them a comment on their blog.

Some posts on the subject ask that you include 11 things about yourself, but I thought I'd throw a mish-mash out there from a recent email questionnaire and let you choose your favourites!  Here goes:

1. What color are your socks right now? Left: Pink, brown and white argyle, Right: Pink, brown, white and blue stripes.
2. What are you listening to right now?  My keyboard. 
3. What was the last thing you ate? Splurged on a single jelly bean. 
4. Can you drive a stick?  Yes and I am extremely good at being very bad at it. 
5. How old are you right now?  25130477 minutes old + the time it takes to answer the rest of this questionnaire. 
6. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Golf… it’s hysterical.
7. What is your favorite drink?  Oh… so many to choose from.  Chocolate martini, perhaps, since it is a ritual of mine to have one in every new city I visit.  Okay, so I’m incapable of lying… it could be more than one. 
8. Have you ever dyed your hair?  Yes, all the time.  My true hair colour, if I recall correctly, is cotton candy pink. 
9. Favorite food? Anything not made of animals but smothered in gorgonzola sauce. 
10. What is the last movie you watched?  Pride & Prejudice for likely the 221^st time.  I wish I were exaggerating... okay, NOW I am exaggerating.  I love that movie, unabashedly. 
11. What is your favorite day? Every single one of them. 
12. How do you vent anger?  I don’t get angry often enough to have a pattern. 
13. What was your favorite toy as a child? My imagination. 
14. What is your favorite season?   Probably garlic powder. But my favourite seasoning is spring.    Side note:  Garlic powder is good for cooking, but also for setting your makeup which is how I attracted my Greek boy.  This has also led me to believe what they say: ‘The way to man’s heart is through his stomach”.
15. Living situation? With a Renaissance man in a cozy little bungalow eternally under renovation and never with enough closet space.
16. What is on the floor of your closet right now? What isn’t on my closet floor right now. 
17. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Lisa Marie Grubwinkler Wallace Molyneaux, in part because she has a shockingly big name and is a surprisingly little person (Love you, Lis).  This year is 43 years as close friends, but really we are family. 
18. What did you do last night? Stayed up until 4:00 in the morning hanging out with my astonishing daughter Mista, talking about life, love, work and weddings, generally all in the same sentence.  The TV series Gilmore Girls was based on us. 
19. What are you afraid of most?  Money… apparently. 
20. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?  Anyone who knows me could answer this, since I am mostly made of cheese, even the holy type... it keeps my spirits up.  What?  Oh… the holey kind.  I like that too and since it is mostly air, it keeps my figure svelte.  But hold the burger.
21. Favorite dogs? It would be a quicker to ask about my least favourite dogs, to which I would respond “the hot kind”.  
22. Favorite day of the week?  Love ‘em all.
23. How many cities have you lived in? I’m not sure how to answer this, since I’ve lived on the outskirts of so many.  And isn’t ‘outskirts’ a funny word,  I mean, say it over a few times… outskirts… Yup, funny. 
24. Diamonds or pearls?  Diamonds… no, pearls…. Nope, diamonds…no… this is what I get for being a Libra. 
25. What is your favorite flower?  Fluffy, flouncy, softly floaty, floofy, cherubic flowers of all shapes and sizes.  I like the kind you bake with too.  Really?...That's a different kind of flower?  Hmmm... explains so much about my desserts.

And now for my nominations..

• Sheila at French Vanilla Home
• Joanna at To A Pretty Life
• Debra at A French Touch 
• Carrie at Hooked On Decorating and, of course
• Mista at Cinnamon Photography

A very big THANK YOU again to CJ of Juniper and Roses for honouring On The Apple Box with The Liebster Award, and for allowing me the opportunity to do the same for some of my favourite blogs!

~♥~ Leanne

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New Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Colour: Florence

Welcome to our newest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ color that was inspired by the colors of the copper green mineral and semi-precious stone, malachite, and from the same family of stones as azurite and turquoise. In the 17th and 18th century it was used as a color made with verdigris but as it is a very fugitive color turning black with time so we are not aware of how it was used on woodwork in many houses.

It is a classical color found in classical Italian furniture.
(Information and photo courtesy of Annie Sloan. Text by ABB.)

Florence will be in-stock next week, and we can't wait to start painting!  Here are a few projects from around the net to inspire...

Source

Source

Source

Source

Source

Of course, we could have tried out this gorgeous new colour on a candlestick or a piece of moulding, but true to form, our 'Chief Reimaginer' Leanne had to go big or go home.

        Leanne:  "Here is my primitive 'computer sketch' of my ASCP Florence project."

        Us: "Really... don't you want to try it on something small first?"

        Cue Leanne's stare of disbelief and chirping crickets

        Us: "Right.  Well, we'll take pics"

So, we'll share the end results with you once she finishes.  For now, here is the 'sketch':

and here is the Florence paint swatch, extended with ASCP Old White:

Based on Ciruelo Interiors PG swatch

We already love it!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

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Project Personality: Jewelry For Your Furniture

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Hardware.  It sounds so 'masculine'!

... Until you think about interior design, decorating or furniture refinishing.  In this world, it means "pretty"!  Of course that was said in my most sing-songy voice, because what I am talking about is fancy handles, flowery knobs and shiny pulls... or as I like to call it, jewelry for your furniture.

Each time I reimagine a piece, a part of that is deciding what the bling should be.  Should I keep the original jewelry hardware, refinish it as well or replace it outright?

In the past I've run from store to store trying to find just the right hardware to finish off the look I've dreamed up.  It can take a lot of driving, parking, fuel and energy so finally I decided to carry hardware in the boutique in the hope that having it alongside Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™, paint supplies, decor and flowers means other DIYers won't have to travel to all ends of the city (or farther!) to find the good stuff.  Who doesn't love one-stop shopping?

Our first shipment of knobs has arrived and we'll be adding more over the coming weeks!  Of course our Blog and Facebook followers get a first look. Here are a few of the styles we have in stock:

So now dressing up your furniture AND your home is as easy as stopping in to say hi at Apple Box Boutique!

See you there!

~♥~ Leanne

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Pretty, Pretty Rain

We are at the boutique today meeting our customers as they come in to shop rather than hide away from the gloomy day.  Stopping in for cheery flowers from Sugar Blossoms, or picking up a little something special for yourself or a friend is a great start to conquering any blues that may come your way.  Thinking happy thoughts helps... and a little imagery never hurt either.

We thought that since we seem to be stuck with the rain, why not celebrate it?

Last but most definitely not least... the classic, timeless joy of singing in the rain:

Click to watch Gene... it is sure to make you smile in the rain.

Wishing you a joyful day, too!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique   

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