What's Your Neutral?




When I’m in a quandary about color, I have a few Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® combinations that never fail, never .... Read More

Combining Function and Beauty



I love all things design, so when I spotted this vintage flat file cabinet at a local thrift store, I couldn't............ Read more

Safari Cupboard




A non-traditional interpretation of a safari theme on a vintage cupboard using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a............   Read More

Video Layering Technique STEPS 2 and 3



  


Colorways newest video tutorial. Layering Techniques for Chalk Paint Steps 2 and 3. View on www.LeslieStocker.com


To enter the NewYear New Look Giveaway,  just click here



Moroccan Stencil by Royal Design Studio




This small chest of drawers was painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Henrietta. Using the Royal Design Studio........... Read More 

Layering Technique for Chalk Paint Colors on Wood STEP 1





In this video, I’ll show you the basics of my technique for layering chalk paint colors on wood. I get asked this question ALL THE TIME so please let me know if I did a good job showing how to do to layer chalk paint. This is a very basic technique for layering chalk paint and other pieces may require a more advanced application. I’ll try to show that in the next video.

A Tale of Two Chandeliers



I'll admit I have a thing for chandeliers, especially antique ones. I love finding them at flea markets and................  Read More...

Annie Sloan's New Book






You know I’ve been big fan of Annie Sloan for a long time. I started collecting her books years ago, even ............   Read More.....

The Louis Blue, Blues




This was one of my first big projects with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®. Before I painted it, I was an old-fashioned.......  Read More

Rachel Ashwell's New Book




Will you be buying Rachel Ashwell’s new book? It will be available in March of 2015, but you can pre-order...........  Read More..

Paint a Patina




These Railroad Lanterns are from 1st Dibs and have a gorgeous, natural patina that developed over years............ Read More

Do You Decant Your Chalk Paint?





In this my newest video tutorial, I explain why I do. There are several techniques for maximizing the life of your paint but this is the one I use. I’ll also show you some others. It’s important to get the most out of your paint because it’s expensive.


Sunbursts, Large and Small




I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I find myself getting heavy handed with gold paint......................  Read More


And if you are wanting to paint something Gold, or even just add some sparkle to your home, check out my posts  ,DIY Gilt Mirror ,  Faux Mercury Glass Sconce,   Easy Picture Frame Upgrade and   Sparkle Your Holiday Decor.

Enchantment in Stockholm




Number 17 in Stockholm has an almost magical look. Don’t you just wonder what is behind that door...................  Read More......



English Yellow......too Green?



When I started using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® years ago, the only yellow available was Arles. While a beautiful color, it was not a primary yellow and difficult to use as such when mixing custom colors. So I was delighted when....   Read More


If you like to mix your own Chalk Paint custom colors I have several charts to help with the proportions and recipes. See my charts,  Mixing for Green,   ASCP Custom Greens,  Mixing for Orange, and Mixing for Purple.   And ..my new videos are just back from the editor so look for the  first one to be up on the blog later this week.

Paint it Blue




I like to browse the home decor catalogues that arrive in my mailbox for new combinations of color and fresh paint ideas. The Chloe Tall Chest (MSRP $399), is featured in the current issue Grandin Road and also on their website. It comes in five colors but.... Readmore..........
For more ideas of contrast color combinations, see my posts, Opposites Attract, another orange & blue palette, Custom Purple and Lime Green, and Cinco de Mayo.

Pantone Color for 2015



What do you think of Pantone’s choice for color of the year; Marsala?




Does it remind you of anything? Say ..a certain color of……… Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®?




And for more Primer Red inspiration see my posts, Garden Door In Wales, and Duck Egg Blue and Primer Red, and  Heart of the House.

True Blue




Combinations of blue are my favorite color palettes. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is so easy to.......

And for more blue inspiration, just click on any of the blue swatches in the color palette: Napoleonic BlueGreek Blue,Louis Blue,  Aubusson Blue.

Diy Efex Gilt Mirror



Efex Mirror1I don’t have a picture of this mirror “before”, but believe me it was very ordinary. Just your basic 24″ x 36″ dark brown wall mirror. I had been working on my Efex Christmas tree ornaments when I decided it was due for an upgrade.
Efex mirror beforeUsing my favorite Rustoleum spray paint, I gave the frame a quick coat of gold. I also sprayed  2 pieces of Efex, (T31), those wonderful flexible furniture appliqués .

Open Leaf  t31They were too wide to attach as a strip on the frame, so I cut the strips apart and placed them in pairs symmetrically around the edge. Once I had a pattern I liked I used contact cement to adhere them.
Efex Mirror 3A quick footnote..I like to paint my pieces before gluing. I think the coverage is better and usually touch ups are minimal and can be done with a Krylon Gold Leaf Pen.
EM5
  
Efex Mirror 2

I love the way this turned out. A quick, easy and inexpensive upgrade to a most ordinary mirror.
EMComp copy

For more Efex projects, see my posts, Sparkle Your holiday Decor Chinoiserie Cabinet,   Easy Picture Frame Upgrade And to find an Efex dealer so you can make your own upgrade to that dull boring, mirror, just click here

Gustavian Bedside Chest




At first glance this Gustavian bedside chest of drawers looks simply white. But upon closer inspection.....
Read More...

Swedish style furniture is a particular favorite of mine. For more Gustavian inspiration see my posts,  Swedish Gustavian Chest,   Swedish Country Style,  and  Country Blue Wardrobe

Complex White



I have had this old chest forever. I’ve considered painting it many times and always backed off. It’s made of  solid walnut and for the most part is pretty sturdy, although there is a sizable split in one of the sides. Still, I love the  geometric style and the original drop pulls. The only changes have been...........
Read More........


I love colors that are rich and have depth. For more ideas on how to make a single color complex, see my posts, Why Not Just White?,  Old White and Pastels,  and  Chalk Painted Secretary

French Armoire




This lovely 2 piece French Armoire is available from Soft Surroundings (MSRP $6898). You can paint a similar finish using ............
Read more...

Armoires offer stylish storage in any room and are easy to modify to fit your needs. I use this Armoire  in my foyer to hold coats and jackets. For more inspirational armoires see my posts, Lovely Lavender,  Warm White Armoire,  and  Shades of an Armoire.  

Gold and Grey




Inspiration today comes from Ralph Lauren Home on Pinterest.  One of may favorite color combinations is............

For more warm and cool color palettes see my posts,  Country Console,    French Sideboard (also from Ralph Lauren Home),  and  Something Blue

Strong, Dark & Handsome





Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint comes in three colors that I consider strong and dark; Typewriter, Curio, and Artissimo...... Read More...


Trying to choose a color from a small printed swatch can be frustrating. I keep notebooks and journals of my projects and have compiled them into swatch books to share with everyone who loves to paint. To see all the colors of Miss Mustard Seed, check out these posts you may have missed.  MMS Milk Paint Color Swatch Book I  and  MMS Color Swatches II.

Winner Efex Holiday Giveaway




Thank you to everyone who entered. Colorways will be having more exciting giveaways in December so stay tuned.
Believe it or not I don’t paint everything with Chalk Paint or Milk Paint. If you are wanting to try something different see my posts, Efex Picture Frame,  DIY Sunburst Mirror,  and Sunburst Mirror 2. 
You can also check out my Pinterest Board,  I Made This, to see more of my DIY projects.

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Color Swatch Book II





Wooden eggs hand painted with the 18 colors of  MMS Milk Paint and photographed. Swatches taken from hand painted samples............ Read more 




Sparkle Your Holiday Decor



Efex Ornaments 1


Just a quick reminder....this is the last day you can sign up for the Efex™ Holiday Giveway.  Sign up here to win a fabulous selection of furniture appliqués and create your own holiday ornaments.

Efex ornaments 2

Not only was it easy but it was fun to create my own Christmas tree decorations.  My post,  DIY  Efex™Holiday Ornaments, shows exactly how I did it.

We all need a little sparkle in our lives, not just during the Holidays. If you are looking for DIY’s to add some serious glam to your decor, check out my posts,  DIY Sunburst Mirror,   Chinoiserie Cabinet DIY Mirror Follow-up,  and Easy Picture Frame Upgrade

Behind the Scenes Part I




Last night we filmed six new instructional videos that will be up on the blog in the next few weeks. I thought I would share a few behind the scenes photos. Here is how we set up the shoot...........

Video: Creating Custom Color Formulas with Chalk Paint





Do you know how to create custom color formulas with Chalk Paint? Today on Colorways a new video demonstrates the process.  Click on link below to view.

Master Bath Vanity Upgrade





Last year we made some upgrades to our master bath that included a....... Read More


If you are interested in other changes I made to the master bath check out these posts,  In the Looking Glass, Upholstered Bench, and Walnut Cabinet

DIY Efex Holiday Ornaments



 
Efex Holiday Ornaments
 
One of my favorite activities of the holidays is making Christmas tree ornaments.  When my children were small it started with construction paper chains, (which I still have), to painting holiday wood shapes, stringing beads, and painting glass ornaments. Although I am more or less on my own these days making ornaments, I still like to create something new for our tree.

Efex™ reached out to me this year and I loved the idea of turning their furniture appliqués into ornaments. Here's  how I did it.
 
Before After Ornaments

Choosing several of their designs, I used my favorite gold spray paint, Rustoleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish.   After they were dry,  I pulled out my Krylon Silver metallic pen and painted accents. Of course you could use other holiday paints and colors, but I love the sparkle of gold and silver on a tree. One of the best things about the Efex™ ornaments is that they are unbreakable. (I don't even want to count the number of glass balls I've lost over the years). And although I don't have little ones running around the tree anymore, I do have my sweet, always excited, golden retriever, Mollie, to keep in mind when trimming the tree.

I used ornament hooks but you could also use string or decorative ribbon attached with Contact Cement.  A  fun, fast, easy and safe, holiday craft for your family. Decorate your tree and enjoy!

Colorways and Efex are partnering for a Holiday Giveaway. Sign up here  to win your  Efex Appliques and  create your own ornaments.

Holiday ornaments can take up a lot of storage space. I store mine in this beautiful cabinet. For more storage ideas see my posts, Colorful Storage,  Flea Market Find,  and   Take One Stepback

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Color Stories-White




Ironstone, Grain Sack, and Linen are the three colors I consider to be in the...............Read more at



Paint color can be so confusing sometimes. There are many color studies, color cards, custom color recipes and swatch books on Colorways. You can find them by clicking on the Tools tab and the Color Palette. For mixing colors see my posts, ASCP Custom Color Greens,  Mixing for Green,  Mixing for Purple,   and  Mixing for Orange

Efex Holiday Tree Upgrade Giveaway




Colorways and Efex Furniture Appliques are partnering to bring you this exciting holiday-themed contest and giveaway featuring a package of nine fun rosettes from Efex, a perfect project to spruce up your spruce (or fake tree)! It really is a fun way to add new decorations to your holiday tree - just paint, gild and hang. Package includes: 3 R5 Cherubs, 3 R78 Roman Shells, 3 CC1 Sea Shells and 1 Kings Gold Gilding Wax - total value $132!

You may remember seeing some Efex on my blog as I've tried out several of their amazing products and have been sharing a few of my ideas and projects. Check out these posts you may have missed, Efex Picture Frame,  Efex Chinoiserie Cabinet,  and Efex Architectural Frieze

Be sure to enter on Colorways at LeslieStocker.com

The Contest closes on November 21 and the winner will be announced the next day. Good luck, and who knows, you just might win.