Day 6....Supplies

Just a few weeks after the discovery of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Waxes we found ourselves knee deep in quite a few cans of paint and various other supplies we were using on our pieces.  Trish, the fabulous organizer, decided that we needed some method to our paint can madness.  

We painted the tops of all the cans with a dab of color so they would be easily identifiable.  She also got us these great plastic {a good material if a spill should occur!} basket crates with handles to haul all our supplies around in... and yes, that's simply a laundry basket from Big Lots with some cool matching bin in the middle!!!  

The second most valuable tool besides the paint is the paint brushes.  The best brush to use is a NATURAL bristle brush....no synthetic bristles with this paint please.  These brushes are known in the paint brush world as "chip brushes" and they are quite inexpensive, starting at .99 for the small ones and up to $3.00 - $4.00 for the bigger ones.  We like to give our students each a pack to take home with them from our workshops.  They clean up great and if you forget to {or don't feel like it!} they can be tossed without feeling guilty about the price!  A variety of sizes is good to have on hand ranging from 1" to 3".  It is also nice to have smaller artists brushes on hand for painting small areas and details on things.  These can be purchased at Michaels or any art supply store.

You will also want Annie Sloan Wax in clear and dark and 2 wax brushes.....this will be a separate post....so be sure to come back for the Wax Post....it will be very important!

Here is a list of other things we keep on hand in our "buckets" (besides paint & brushes):

• sandpaper in a variety of grits, ranging from 80 up to 220
• paint stirrers
• paint can opener (we have several because we loose and find them everywhere!)
• mineral spirits
• lint free rags {old t-shirts or shop rags}
• paper towels
• baggies or aluminum foil to wrap used brushes in until you can clean them
• screw driver for removing hardware
• hair dryer for drying the last little spot you just cant wait 10 more minutes to dry!
• Cheese Cloth for buffing or some sort of buffing tool 
• a simple notebook for jotting down your latest mixures
• And of course..."Quick and Easy Paint Transformations" book by Annie Sloan

Having all this handy has many advantages (and it ALL fits in our cute little bins).  It makes it all easy to clean up and put away.  This is important to the hubby too.  Your new habit may not set well with him, especially if you have suddenly taken over his garage!  It also makes it easy if you are traveling to another location to paint.  Your friends are going to beg you to come help them and get them addicted to the crack  paint too!

Oh yes, we also suggest snacks...Chocolate is always on our list!

To find out where you can purchase Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Waxes

 visit Annie Sloan Unfolded!