Furniture pieces painted with chalk paint are all the rage right now! I know you’ve seen them on Pinterest and your favorite decorating blogs. I’ve been really wanting to try chalk paint, as the colors I’ve seen in Annie Sloan chalk paint are simply gorgeous. When I came across some cans of ASCP at a sale for $5 per can (and $5 cans of wax to boot!) I knew my time had come. I snatched up three colors of paint and three cans of wax and decided to figure it out.

The beauty of chalk paint, or so I’d read, is that there is no need to sand or prime. Plus, you get a nice flat chalky finish on your piece that is really pretty. After using chalk paint on a few pieces, I’m happy to report that it really is all that it’s cracked up to be. I’m a big fan. Here are a few transformations I’ve been working on:

Now, chalk paint can be very expensive if purchased pre-made. However, I quickly learned how to make my own to save a bundle. You’ll need:

Whatever color of latex paint you want
A carton of plaster of paris (dry mix that comes in a carton. Available at Home Depot or Lowe’s.)
Water
A stirring spoon or old whisk you don’t mind getting paint on

I mixed about four parts paint with one part plaster of paris and thinned a little with the water. I used a plastic bowl to mix in, as there isn’t room to stir if your paint can is full and you add the plaster mix directly to it. Sometimes I needed the water, sometimes I didn’t. The paint will be a little thicker, which I liked for better coverage, but you can thin as much as you like. One word of caution, I think I used a little too much plaster in one can of paint because when I opened it this morning, it had set up right in the paint can. I was still able to mix water into it and get it back to a paint consistency, but it was a bit lumpy.

I painted two coats of chalk paint on each of the above items and then finished with a top coat of either wax or glaze. The green chairs and the duck egg blue table had clear wax applied to them. The turquoise coffee table was distressed with sanding paper and had a brown glaze applied. The three-drawer chest was ivory to begin with, then I painted with charcoal chalk paint, distressed with sandpaper, and applied a coat of clear wax.

There are so many ways you can use chalk paint that it really is its own art form. you can use more than one color, apply various top coats, and distress or not. The choices are all up to you!

Y’all know I LOVE to decorate with one-of-a-kind items in my home. I’m always on the lookout for things that have meaning, are beautiful, are functional, and reflect the personality of the Hill Four. I treasure the pieces I have found in weird shops or eclectic boutiques. The more history or story a piece has to tell, the more I like it.

One King’s Lane is hosting a really cool event today through Saturday where you can pick up a piece from the set of the Nicholas Sparks movie Safe Haven. These are items that were actually used in the filming of the movie! As an added bonus, all proceeds go to the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, which is a nonprofit committed to inspiring and transforming students’ lives through education, curriculum development, and life changing international experiences, so they are prepared to embrace a life of being active learners and engaged global citizens. Cool, right?

Hop over and buy a few things. Let me know what you choose, will you?