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I wrote this post about my experience with chalk paints and waxes a month or so ago.
A few chalk style paint makers read it and offered to send me samples of their products, and they've been arriving at my doorstep ever since. Such fun! And such generosity....
I'll show you all the goods today, tell you about the one I've used so far, and then as I get a chance to use everything else, I'll write up reviews . 'Cause girls, we know we love us some honest opinions, eh?
My first delivery was from Kathy at The Vintage Dames. She retails Ce Ce Caldwell Paints. She is UBER helpful for newbies using this paint, offering lots of help! Find her on Facebook HERE.
Her package included all this cool loot. I've already used everything she sent on Lila, which you can see below:
I also used Ce Ce's Kentucky Mint, which I'd purchased from a retailer who will no longer be carrying her paints (so got it on clearance) on Kristen here:
My Review: I love CeCe's. LOVE. Would use it exclusively if I could afford it. Her palette is gorgeous, and her paint is completely natural. It took 2 coats to cover, though darker colors may only need one. It wet distressed beautifully. Her Clear Wax is easier to spread than Annie Sloan's Clear Wax, and has NO SMELL. The purple-ish scrubber pad made it a pretty straight forward process, as any extra wax you inadvertently put on comes off with it in a couple swipes. Then you buff with a cloth to a satin-type finish. I still hate to wax and buff, but I'll definitely be using CeCe's wax again when I want that kind of finish.
I also received products from Shabby Paints, which included paint and their topcoat VAX, which I can't wait to try out. I've got a desk that has volunteered to be the next victim.
Over the weekend, I got some samples from Aimee at Restyled Vintage Designs who is a new retailer for American Paint Company (she's one of my Painting Mavens of Awesomeness and participated in the vintage market I wrote about yesterday). I got three colors to try....Liberty, Home Plate, and Blue Jean.
I mentioned yesterday that the Mavens got to play with paints and waxes....I must say, I the APC wax is just as easy and non-smelly as CeCe's. I'll give these colors a run and let you know....
Lastly, I received a big 'ole box from Van Gogh Chalk Paint Collection.....full of full size products to try. Unfortunately the transit from Canada was difficult...
One of the jars must've been jostled open, covering everything in their lovely Silver Moon Glaze...
Not to fear....it's all drying on my counter. I won't be deterred from trying out their products....which included these 2 quarts of paint (a white and a turquoise) with a brush,
and 2 waxes (clear and dark).
I have also been mixing up my own chalk-style paints and experimenting with finishes. I'll review my recipes and such in this series as well. Fun times ahead!
So, now if it would just stop raining.....I could try all these wonderful paints and waxes and finishes!
8 comments:
Nice comment on Annie Sloan's page. Very professional and succinct.
Excellent response to the bro-ha-ha, Cindy. I think it is just stupid that there is all this controversy over something this simple. It was like the drama with Rachel Ashwell and the use of Shabby Chic. I have lost my zest for ordering any more product for a while.
Your project, by the way,turned out great. xo Diana
You chose a perfect quote to put on this post. Your response is perfect. I have to say it was fun playing with the different paints. I think it is so awesome of these retailers for being so generous with their product.
How fun to have all those goodies to play with!
Educational and inspiring post - thank you very much, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts on the other paints.
Re 'chalk paint' - the comment about customers liking/supporting multiple restaurants is a very good analogy. I am 'brand loyal' on very few things, depending on the phase I'm going through at the moment. I do get turned off by negativity and the 'killer' competitiveness of some companies (Provocraft/Cricut come to mind - used to love my Cricut, hated how provocraft treated their customers and outside software, switched to Silhouette and won't buy another Provocraft product). I am somewhat surprised that the term 'chalk paint' could be copyrighted, I thought it existed (though perhaps not as commercially marketed) for many years, but no matter.
Thanks again for a thoughtful post, I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Patty
Lucky you! You're going to have so much fun trying all those samples. There were paint companies I had never heard about, like Van Gogh... I wonder if Van Gogh is going to sue them for using his name, especially if we only paint furniture with it!
I understand why Annie Sloan wants to protect her name, but her name is "Annie Sloan", not "chalk paint"! She was the first to claim she used an old recipe and an old way to mix paint, so obviously it's not hers. Imagine if a carpenter shutted down all other furniture makers' websites just because he builds tables and forbids everyone else to do use that word!
Or imagine if I received a mail by M. Obama because he doesn't want me to call my blog "the Little White House" anymore!!!
Argh! Hubs and I were just talking about all this trademarking of common words that seems to be going on. I can't remember the example that roused us to discussion....I'll prolly wake up in the middle of the night with an Ha Ah moment on that, but I do clearly recall that it was regular 'ol words with TM after them. I think it's just wrong, and I run the other way from those that have the audacity to do it. Isn't chalk paint just that? Descriptive words for a paint recipe? I don't get it.
Sue xo
I was so glad to find your blog and post today. I really appreciate the info here I was beginning to think it was just me. I have worked with AS Chalk paint and 2 other chalk like paints, don't want to offend anyone. I HATE TO WAX! I am doing an island currently in a black and waxing with a dark or trying to wax, after numerous attempts to get an even coat I am painting back over and glazing. I am a decorative painter and have worked doing this for 10 yrs and tell myself every time that I am not going to use chalk or chalk like paints again. Most I have found take 2 coats minimum even light colors so why not prime and paint. Why waste the money on such expensive paints. I actually tried another chalk like paint recently by Amy Howard and it is only 28.95, I believe that is correct, I found the coverage to be great and it doesn't seem to feel quite as flat as the other ones and she had a line of paint called Toscana which is just gorgeous.
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