Saturday, July 12, 2014

Learning Chalk Paint Techniques and Beach Fun

I like nothing better than learning new painting techniques, and spending time with family. I got to do both tonight when Janae and I took a class at Camas Antiques on Annie Sloan chalk paint with Amanda from Girl in Pink.


I have followed Amanda's blog for quite some time and I knew I love her style. When Janae and I went to Camas Antiques the other day we saw she was having a class with a discount when 2 signed up at the same time. It turned out it was on a day Janae had off so we thought it was meant to be. (Janae works a lot). Janae paid for my class as an early birthday for my upcoming 50th birthday. It was a wonderful present!

It turned out we were the only ones who signed up for the class and Amanda was so sweet to still hold the class. I think this time of year there are so many vacations being taken and that sort of thing that people are not in the taking classes mode. Janae and I could not think of a better thing to do on a hot summer night!


Amanda knew what colors we like from what she has seen on our blogs and she made the class just perfect for us! Janae did a beautiful job on her stencil board--and I think this was one of her first time stenciling.


I have stenciled quite a bit--but never with chalk paint so that was fun. The chalk paint dries so fast it makes stenciling so much easier than with other kinds of paint! Janae did a lot better layering her stencils than I did--I need to work on that technique! Though I do love how my board turned out.

We both love the paint and loved learning how to do the baby wipe wet distressing method. I have been reading a lot on the internet about different techniques but it is so much better to actually get to try it out with someone telling you how to do it. I have always wondered how to do a wash and we learned that too. The more knowledge you have the more creative you can be! We learned how to use the Artisan Enhancement Pearl Plaster and that is a new favorite product for both of us now.


Amanda has so many beautiful pieces in her booth at Camas Antiques. If I didn't want to paint myself I would buy her pieces!


I love the colors and techniques she uses.

Thank you Janae for a great birthday present!


It has been a fun week...have to share a few photos from our recent trip to the Oregon Coast.



As usual Janae took great photos of her dogs, and I got some of her and her dogs. We didn't bring our dogs because we have discovered you need to have 1 person per dog and more than that can be overwhelming :) Especially when posing them for photos.




It was so gorgeous--at home it was 90 degrees and an hour drive to the beach and it was 70 degrees.


The forecast this week is for over 90 degrees everyday with next Tuesday over 100 degrees. That very rarely happens in Oregon! My plants aren't loving it. I am watering 2x a day just to keep them alive and some of them are actually getting burnt. Yes, us Oregonians, human, plant, and animal, are not used to this heat!


Sounds to me like a good reason to make another run to the beach...

Thanks for visiting!

16 comments:

Grandma Carolee said...

So glad you were able to take the paint class with Janae. What a perfect birthday present! Enjoyed the beautiful pictures at the coast.

Karen said...

Hi Sandy,
It is so special that your daughter enjoys taking classes with you and that you share common interests. She is beautiful and that pic of her doggies on lawn chairs wearing glasses is adorable and will likely be on pinterest! I went to a chalk paint class and always get a little nervous before transforming wood to white/cream. It looks like you had a fabulous time at the beach. Have a wonderful week! Karen

Ana said...

Your daughter is such a sweetheart. We are both so blessed to have daughters who not only like the same things we do but that also like to spend time with us. Love all the cute little doggie pictures. Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Hugs and Kisses,
❤️Ana

mzzbev said...

What a great post! Love all your pictures especially all the dogs on their colorful chairs! Have a blessed weekend! -Bev

Amanda said...

Lovely post, Sandy! I really enjoyed our evening together! You and Janae are both so creative and talented. It was a pleasure to have you join me for a workshop!
Blessings,
Amanda

Burlap Luxe said...

Hi Sandy what a great month for you!
Love that you were able to have a chalk paint lesson because that paint can be a little tricky until you get the knack of it's drying time and the stiff drag in it. It's designed to be so forgiving when you paint something so you can acquire that less then perfect look.

I love the pup pix, it make me want to take our Pia out to play in the sand with a colourfull beach chair.
Thank you so very much with your visit and adding to my comment roll with such encouraging words to my art and creations.

Have a beautiful B-month
Let every day of July inspire the best from you.


Xx
Dore

Junkchiccottage said...

How sweet Janae treated you to the painting class and you two must have felt like royalty to have the teacher all to yourselves. Very sweet. Love love the pictures of the dogs in their sun glasses oh my gosh so cute.
Glad you had a great vacation.
Kris

Jennelise said...

Beautiful projects! That sounds like so much fun! Thankyou for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment on my blog! Take care!
Jennelise

Janae said...

Both the class & the beach were so much fun :) I had a great week! :)

must love junk said...

What a fun thing for you and Janae to do together! (I'd love to shop there!)
The pics of the dogs (especially in the chairs) are SO cute!!
Susan

Unknown said...

Thank you for giving me hours of enjoyment! Your blogs are interesting, beautiful and exciting. living-rooms-looks

farmhouse-story said...

such a lovely bday gift and you get to spend time with janae, too! your beach pics are just beautiful, sandy! the pups are so cute lined up in their bitty chairs with the sunglasses:) stay cool this week--maybe a run back to the beach is needed:)

sunnyskiesandsweettea said...

What cute pictures! I love the one on the sea doo. Summer is passing so fast...

Blessings,
Amy Jo

June said...

It looks like you hit a perfect day for your trip to the coast Sandy! I LOVED the photos of you all having a good time. The photos of the dogs are adorable. My mom and dad lived in Lincoln City for years and so Dale and I made many trips over there. It was so fun!
How fun to be able to take a class with Amanda. I love your canvas and frames.
sending hugs...

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Looks like a lot of fun at the beach, Sandy! Janae's pups look just adorable in their beach chairs! : ) I did an Annie Sloan painting class once and it was great to learn some of the techniques. I don't think the baby wipe one was around at that time so I'm curious as to what that is.

Diane said...

We don't live far from Camas antiques, so I'll have to stop by there again. Your projects came out great. Love the beach photos with your family and the poms!