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Due to a technical issue, this week's Reimagined Monday post could not be published on time, but we love sharing our customers' projects far too much to let it pass us by.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

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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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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

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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

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Lest We Forget -- Thank You, Today and Every Day

Thank you to all the men and women

who serve and have served on our behalf.  

Lest we forget.

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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Big Announcement Part Three: Our Workshops Launch

Everyone has been asking about our Workshops! 

...and we knew we wanted to start them off at Apple Box™ Design Studio with something special, so we invited the fabulous Jennylyn Pringle to lead the first workshop in our new space!

Jennylyn is the President of Homestead House Paint Company, makers of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and a proud Canadian business.

Join us on Saturday, October 26th for "Got Milk Paint?" and learn from this consummate Milk Paint expert.  Register below to meet Jennylyn and learn everything you need to know to 'reimagine with confidence!'

Got Milk Paint? Workshop
Taking our hands-on Milk Paint Workshop will ensure that you acquire a strong knowledge of how to use Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Furniture Wax and Antiquing Wax. You will complete a special project to take home along with your new skills.  Let the reimagining begin!

All in-class supplies, light snacks and beverages are included.  Just show up in your paint clothes and be ready to have fun!

This hands on workshop offers:

• History, characteristics and preparation of Milk Paint
• Different uses of Milk Paints on wood, ceramic, metal, drywall etc.
• Easy methods of custom colour matching
• Faux-finishing techniques, antiquing, distressing etc.
• Crackle finishes 

Date:  Saturday, October 26, 2013
Time:  1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cost:   $225 + GST   (Includes all in-class supplies, light snacks and beverages.)
- Limited Seating -

Register early and save $25! (offer valid until Oct.20th 11:59 PM)

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All workshops take place at:

Apple Box™ Design Studio
#105, 5 Rowland Crescent
St. Albert, Alberta

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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Ahhh, Versailles! It's Our Colour of the Week!

Ahhhh, Versailles!  A lovely, historically-rich city in France inspired the name of this gorgeous Chalk Paint™ decorative paint colour by Annie Sloan.

We painted one of our boutique cabinets with it and customers have repeatedly tried to talk us into selling it! Here is the perfect opportunity to reimagine a piece that will most certainly be a showstopper in your own home...

VERSAILLES is our Colour of the Week: Reg $49.95, special deal $45 , but only until Sept. 27th (or until we are sold out)!

Here's some inspiration... C'est Bon!

Hue New

The Restored Home

One Girl in Pink

Twice Nice

Even Annie Sloan's shop in Oxford, England is painted with it!

Annie Sloan's Shop

 Get it before it's gone!

Available now, in-store and online!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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Here is Part One of Three BIG Announcements!

We've been hinting at some BIG news!  There are actually three REALLY BIG events coming over the next few weeks, but we wanted to let you in on one of them.  And since it is Reimagined Monday, we thought this would be the perfect day for it.

We do our best to hear our customers, and one of the things we've been told is that you wish we had another location closer to the North and West ends of the city.  While we aren't giving specifics quite yet, we can say that we are close to accomplishing that.

So, stay tuned for more details to come this month, with a very big

                        -------- (and we mean HUGE) --------

surprise to follow.  But for now, we are very happy to share this with you:

Happy Monday, everyone!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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Olive Inspired -- Check out our Colour of the Week!

These are olives.  And they inspired today's post.

Not really!

Today's post is, in fact, about Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan in Olive.

This gorgeous deep green (with an underlying hint of yellow) is our

Colour of the Week!

What was $49.95/Qt, is now on special at $45. But get it quick... this sweet deal is only on until September 20th!

Love Chalk Paint™ but need some inspiration? Just check out olive these fabulous projects...

Colours: Olive and Duck Egg

The Empty Nest

Apple Box Boutique - Olive and Barcelona Orange

Annie Sloan

Apple Box Boutique - Olive and Louis Blue

And just to be sure you know how fabulous Chalk Paint™ is in the great outdoors:

Paint Stuck Under My Fingernails

Available now, in-store and online!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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The Painted Floorcloth Craze

One of the many great things about being involved with the fantastic group of people using Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan is that it is like living in the world of Pinterest. So many of you have created beautiful reimagined pieces and new decor that we are inspired every day.

Painted floorcloth by Lisa Curry Mair

Painted floorcloth by Lisa Curry Mair

One of our favourite things is the new painted floorcloth craze that is happening in North America.  Artist Lisa Curry Mair is considered by many to be at the top of the list for expertise, including Janet Metzger of The Empty Nest.  But we have to say that we love Janet's beautiful work as well and wanted to share her tutorial for this Indian Floral beauty:

To see how it was created using:

visit The Empty Nest, and we're sure you'll be as inspired by Janet's project as we are.

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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