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If you haven't already heard...Carrie had a big announcement at the beginning of this week. Watch the video to hear what it is...

Have you ever looked at your fireplace and wrinkled your nose in displeasure? You can't stand the tile and/or grout colour but a complete reno is not in the budget, right? I don't like mine either. So, once again, it's Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan to the rescue. I was so excited to finally get the chance to start this project that I couldn't wait for someone to come home and hold the camera for me so, I apologize for the shaky and unfocused moments. So here is the fireplace BEFORE I got my paint brush on it:

Ok... here we go...   Part I - Today is the day!

And now for Part II - It is finished!

A closer look at the finished product using Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan:

Here's another inspiration of a fireplace done by a customer:  

  If

you're looking for a little more inspiration take a look at these fireplace ideas we found on Pinterest.

Recently, I was thumbing through one of my favourite decorating books and discovered there was a common thread: vintage doors and windows used as a focal point in a room. I've always loved old, chipped doors with paint peeling off and vintage windows – either with the glass panes or without; they're some of my favourite things to go picking for. Here's the inspiration:

Right now, the DIY section of our store is filled with old doors, windows and shutters, and I realized that the windows in the store could look like a million dollars with a little inspiration and chalk paint. Here's some of what's waiting in our DIY corner... [gallery size="medium" ids="3510,3511,3512,3513,3514,3515"] Are you feeling as inspired as I am?

For those of you who have been to our store, you know that across the courtyard from us is McBurney Junction Furniture.  I remember many years ago, before The Passionate Home was born, I would shop at McBurney and love every moment.  I purchased a hanging candle holder for my sister as a house warming gift for her new home in California.  I was so proud and excited that I had made a purchase at this amazing store that I admired so much. Skip ahead many moons and I can hardly believe that McBurney and The Passionate Home share the same postal code.  We have shared so many things over the years, customers, wine…etc.  It is with mixed emotions that I received the news that McBurney Junction would soon be closing their doors for the last time. At first I felt shock, then tears, and then encouragement. As we all know the saying, “When one door closes, another will open”! The road through life is not straight; it is filled with forks, curves, hills and valleys. It is filled with emotions, fear, doubt, excitement and awakening. Ladies of McBurney…we wish that you embrace your next experience with your whole heart as you all deserve to have everything your heart desires. Thank you…we love you! Here's a note from Nikki & Karla:

This article as written in 2007 and I find that it still speaks to me today. I hope you find it both entertaining and informative. Rules in decorating...WHAT there are rules?? The rules of decorating are so deeply ingrained in our consciousness that we rarely consider challenging them. Keep colours complementary. Follow the architecture. Don't mix periods or pedigrees. All the furniture should coordinate. But as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." It's often the elements you don't think will go together that bring real style to a room, adding a jolt of personality and the freshness of the unexpected. Consider the concept of harmony, which characterizes the best interiors. Harmony is achieved by a synthesis of different tones, a careful blending of seemingly incompatible elements. Just as a choir made up solely of tenors or sopranos can't produce the full brilliance of a musical score, a room decorated exclusively with antiques or modern furniture, or fitted out in a restricted palette, will end up, at best, a one-note wonder that quickly looses its appeal. Think about the notion of balance. It is what we strive for in our lives - between family and career, indulgence and discipline, exhilaration and relaxation, ego and empathy. To create a room that is balanced requires juxtaposing objects that, at first seem to be contradictory or clashing. If you are thoughtful in your composition, you can put together an ensemble that embodies the Chinese yin and yang principle, which holds that all of life can be understood by the complement of opposites - male and female, light and dark, hot and cold, positive and negative. Furnishing a gracious and handsome room, like assembling a savory sandwich or planting a splendid garden, depends on the nuanced contrast of textures, colours and shapes. Consider juxtaposing the refined and the rustic or highly decorative pieces with simple shapes and watch how your room grows in richness, becoming a reflection of your own complex and multifaceted personality. Of course, you need to be at once careful and fearless when breaking the rules. There must be method to your madness - shop at The Passionate Home or have our interior decorating consultant find the balance.

One of the biggest questions we answer at The Passionate Home is, "How can I use Chalk Paint™ to paint my kitchen cabinets?" Well, as you've seen from a few of our blog posts, it's not that difficult (Chalk Paint™ makes most things easy to paint!) and the results are amazing. This summer Carrie and her son, Max, got the itch to revamp the island in their family kitchen and we wanted to share the transformation with you.

The island had long ago been painted a vintage white and it was time for an update.

They started by re-facing the island with tongue and groove board

Then they applied a good coat of Chalk Paint™ in Coco (which Carrie loves!)

They followed the coat of Coco with a coat of Graphite to match the doors leading in and out of the kitchen. Carrie then lightly distressed the paint job and finished it off with a coat of dark wax.

Now it was time to make the new counter top. The reno duo chose 2" planks of old fir for the surface and laid it out on the floor to measure it up.

This photo shows the boards laid out on top of the island waiting to be glued together - this part was not as quick and easy as painting!

While they were waiting for the counter planks to set, it was on to re-finishing the bar stools. Carrie chose Arles to add a pop of colour to the space.

 
                        BEFORE                                                      AFTER

Finally...after a bit of patience and a lot of elbow grease, the family is enjoying their newly revamped kitchen island.

Are you inspired?

OCTOBER IS OUR CANADA WIDE CUSTOMER APPRECIATION MONTH!

Stockists from all across Canada are celebrating the endless possbilities of Chalk Paint™ with 31 DAYS OF CHALK PAINT™!

Starting October 1st, each day one Stockist from Canada will be sharing photos of projects they've done using one of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint™ colours! Each Stockist has been assigned a colour and we can't wait to see what everyone has been doing.

But that's not all - we want to see pics of YOUR Chalk Paint™ projects too. You could win some fabulous prizes. Here's how:

1. Post a pic On Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tell us why the colour is your fave
2. Use the hashtags #31days #31stockists #31colours #anniesloancanada
3. Each day, the Stockist of the day will choose a winner from the posts that day

BONUS GIVEAWAYS!

At the end of October we will do two final draws from everyone that has posted throughout the month. You will be entered to win a copy of Annie Sloan's newest book out in Novmember and a huge Grand Prize package!

Here's a list of all the Canadian Stockists (click on the image to enlarge):

...and their assigned colours:

For all the details and to keep up with what everyone is doing, visit the 31 Days of Chalk Paint™ Facebook page regularly as well as on The Passionate Home's Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram feeds. We'll be sharing lots!

Looking forward to seeing everyone's creativity.

So, I got to thinking a few weeks ago. Can't you just hear my husband groaning? Don't worry honey, it's not that bad :)

Anyway, with all the salvage shopping I do for the store, I've built up quite a collection of vintage frames; they're absolutely beautiful, but I had no idea what I was going to do with them. Then, I decided to "refresh" our bedroom and when I was done, I just couldn't get over the fact that our TV stuck out like a sore thumb in the decor. What's a gal to do? Get framing, that's what.

It really was a very simple project. First, I chose the frame that would fit best around the television set. Then, took a bit of scrap plywood I had hanging around the house and built a box to fit around the tv so that the frame had sat flush and I had something to secure it to.

Then I painted all of it with one coat of Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan in Graphite. That's it. That's all. Done! Now our electronics blend in perfectly with our refreshed bedroom decor.

Inspiration Month might be over for 2014, but we just can't stop sharing

It's probably one of the most frequently asked questions in the shop, "How much can you paint with one can (32oz) of Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan. Well, rather than try to answer it with the usual "150 square feet",  we thought we'd show you!

The answer...16 pieces!

We used one can of Provence to cover all of these pieces that included a variety of surfaces such as wood, metal, glass, and fabric!

Local Vancouver blogger, Anne Shetty, recently did a post showing us how much she was able to cover with just a small tester pot. Take a look here.

We hope this helps you visualize what you could paint with just one can!