Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
Graphite, The New Black
Graphite is a rich dark charcoal, the black in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® color palette.... Read More
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..
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..........
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.......
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And for more blue inspiration, just click on any of the blue swatches in the color palette: Napoleonic Blue, Greek Blue,Louis Blue, Aubusson Blue.
Diy Efex Gilt Mirror
I 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.
Using 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 .
They 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.
A 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.
I love the way this turned out. A quick, easy and inexpensive upgrade to a most ordinary mirror.
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 ............
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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.
Video: Mixing Chalk Paint for Tints
Available on Colorways at Leslie Stocker.com
And to see my other instructional videos, and any of my paint charts, just click on this Tools tab.
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
DIY Faux Mercury Glass Sconce
You can see other upgrades to my master bath by checking out these previous posts you may have missed. In the Looking Glass, Upholstered Bench, Walnut Cabinet and Master Bath Vanity Upgrade
Strong, Dark & Handsome
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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