Sunday, June 23, 2013

American Paint Company - Why we switched

For those of us who know us - you know that we were retailers for CeCe Caldwell Paint. We loved the paints and used it every single day in our shop for about 14 months. We were one of the first retailers to sign on and sung its praises.
We have since found a paint that we love even more and we are happy to announce that we were chosen to be distributors of this wonderful paint.
American Paint Company is like the other paint in that it is all natural, chalk and clay based paint, no VOCS and non toxic. It also cleans up with soap and water and is so easy to use.

That is about where the similarities end.

American Paint Company is thick and luscious - it is so thick in some cases that you actually need to thin it down to use it. It covers so much better and goes so much further. 
The colors are beautiful and vibrant. 

The maker of this paint has been making these products for over 25 years and knows all of the ins and outs of her products... she knows the best applications and how each product should be used and how it will hold up. She is quickly responsive with questions or challenges that arise. This company is very retailer oriented. They know how important their retailers are to the success of the company and do everything they can to make them successful.

They are great listeners - we request a change and it is done - we suggest new products and they are manufactured.

The wax is amazing... soft and easy to use and smells like honey. The top coat finish is like nothing else on the market...again, easy to use and so durable.

You have to try this paint to really believe how wonderful it is. No sanding, no priming and no hassle use.

We are currently looking for retailers in WA, ID,OR, MT, WY, ND, SD, AK and BC Canada.
If you or someone you might be interested contact us... we love to talk paint.

Orphaneddecor@yahoo.com

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Coat (of paint) of many colors - CeCe makes it easy

People ask me all the time how CeCe Caldwells Paint and some of the other paints on the market at the moment are different. There are a ton of differences.
One of the ones that I enjoy the most is the subtle changes in the color of our paint.
Because our paint is made not only of  natural chalk but also clays - you can add some dimension to your painted pieces simply by lightly sanding or burnishing the paint.
I get asked all of the time "What did you put over the paint to make it look like that?" Nothing, is my answer, our paint does all of the work.
After painting your piece, you simply need to use a very fine sand paper - I use 320 grit and do a little sanding. That find paper will burnish the paint, highlight any brush strokes or roller marks or imperfections in the paint..leaving a slight differing in the color.

 Destin Gulf Green  - you can see the burnished brush strokes.


Kentucky Mint


Seattle Mist.

I love that the color variations can add some dimension and interest to a piece when it lacks embellishments or when you don't want to distress.


What if you don't want to see the brush marks or the color variations? Use a coarser grit sand paper, don't sand or when putting on your second coat when brushing your paint on - dip your brush in some water first and then load with paint - less brush marks...

Give it a try....it's paint made easy.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

A Happy Accident - Story of a little table that would not behave.

Have you ever done a project with a certain  look or finish in mind but the piece will not cooperate?
That is how this story begins. I have had this little table for a bit now and wanted to do something really fun with it. Finally, I had the vision and decided to start working on it.
The vision was to sand down the top of the table  - then to use my new stencil and use stain to stencil the top and paint the bottom in a nice neutral.
So I sanded down the top of the table - not realizing that the top actually had a veneer on it. To make a long story short - there were a couple of places that got a little more sanded than some others, leaving light spots.....darned sander...I am sure it is defective.
Anyway, I thought no big deal - I will go ahead and do my stencil technique. I used a brand new script stencil that has just come out and a foam brush and gently sponged stain onto the stencil. 
I thought this will cover the light spots or disquise them....not so much.  I did not take pics of this ugliness because at the time I thought I would have to paint over the top to hide them. 
Them I had the bright idea that I would dark wax over the light spots and that would blend in the lighter spots. So I waxed and wiped and waxed and waxed and waited.....nothing...not a bit darker. So I thought I will leave the dark wax on over night...brilliant.....I know. So I did. The next morning, I can into hardened dark wax in globs on the light spots...what was I thinking....I buffed my butt off and finally had to sand off the dark wax.... yeeks. 
 Can you see the ugly dark marks? Yup, dark wax blobs. I didn't take pics of that either because again, I thought I am going to have to paint the top....but I loved the stained script and really did not want to cover it up....sigh.

So....today, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to paint over the stained script and decided that I would use Virginia Chestnut. So I painted over the top of my gorgeous stained stencil.
I just couldn't leave it be....all covered up...that pretty stained stencil...so, I decided to just try and wipe some of the Virginia Chestnut off to reveal the script here and there. One of the things that I love about CeCe Caldwells All Natural Chalk and Clay Paints is that you can distress the paint simply by using a damp cloth. I wetted a cloth and went to it. I figured if worse came to worse, I could always paint over it again.
So I wiped and looked ....wiped and looked....I liked what I saw. It looked like the paint was worn away exposing the pretty stained stencil...yay. I wiped it back a bit until basically the ugly dark and light spots were left covered and the rest revealed......A Happy Accident!!!! 
I love it and am soooo pleased with myself.

I added some clear wax and a good buffing had it looking great. It actually looks better and more subtle in person but I don't have great lighting for pics...but you get the idea. The customers in the store all loved it as I was finishing it up.

I love how the top turned out. I decided I would paint a coat of Virginia on the bottom followed by a coat of Myrtle Beach Sand - some light distressing and clear wax...and voila... she is ready for a new home.


She is so cute in person. If you are close come by and take a look. I already am thinking about the next project that I am going to use this technique on...a nice drop leaf table...I think. I love this stencil and will have it available in just a couple of days. 
You can see our other great stencils HERE. We are happy to ship and shipping  on stencils are FREE!!
This girl is ready for adoption. What do you think? Happy Accident?