Mama’s Happy – Chalk Paint 101 {A Sponsored Review}

{Disclosure: Mama’s Happy offered a Twin Cities Familys Blog compensation and our contributor the chance to experience one of their classes in exchange for this post.  This is a fabulous business with multiple locations and we can’t wait to highlight what this class offers!}

I have never worked with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint before last night.  I’ve heard a number of good things and have seen some beautiful pieces transformed by Chalk Paint on Pinterest – but this was a foreign product to me.  I love painting and repurposing and have used a number of different acrylic and oil based paints, but Chalk Paint is a whole new world.  I had the opportunity to attend an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint class at Mama’s Happy in St. Paul and got the scoop on all of this jazz.

Chalk Paint is different then chalkboard paint.  Chalk Paint refers to the consistency of the paint and the fact that there is literally chalk in the mixture.  This gives it a matte finish and a velvety texture.  It can go on almost any surface – yes, I’m still marveling at this fact!  Well, honestly, my brain is going crazy thinking about all the possibilities. Our instructor said she has painted filing cabinets with this paint.  (Does anyone else’s jaw drop at this concept?  Even a good primer and paint would welcome scratches on a shiny metal surface – oh my.)  After painting, a thin layer of wax is applied on top of the paint.  This protects the paint while still keeping the matt finish.  I’ll let Annie Sloan give the details of this interesting product, her website shares it all.

The workshop took us through the facts and care about the paint, and then we got into the fun of painting!  We tried out 4 different techniques of applying the paint and then learned the endless possibilities of layering colors and applying waxes.

Here are my 4 samples…remember, I’m just a novice –

Wash: 2 colors of paint layered, and the top layer actually gets partially washed off to show the under color.

Modern Smooth:  A clean coat of paint ending with a smooth finish.

2 Layer Distressed: 2 colors of paint layered, then sanded to show the color variation.

Impasto: Thick paint application gives a piece texture.  It can mimic the appearance of leather or pressed tin.

These are just a few of the different looks you can achieve from this one paint.  I was so impressed with the variety of styles and the variety of textures.  I’m now a fan.  So, Mama’s Happy started as an occasional shop in Independence, then opened another shop (not occasional, normal store hours) in Linden Hills in MPLS, and just recently added another store on Grand Ave. in St. Paul.  They sell a “fabulous mix of upcycled, repurposed, handcrafted & vintage” items, including a great number of pieces done with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Mama’s Happy is also a stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Annie Sloan is a company based out of England and there are just a few vendors of her paint products here in MN.  Mama’s Happy sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and supplies, they have an adorable home and gift shop, and also provide workshops to fully understand the possibilities of this unique paint.  It was a fun evening out, a chance to gab it up with some sweet ladies and the opportunity to absorb some creative skills and learn about a fab (new-to-me) product.