A friend overheard me sharing my "chalk" paint recipe and couldn't believe it. Why not share? I'm not trying to sell paint.
I don't mind sharing my paint recipe. If you bother to ask me, I'll bother to tell you. The paint is super easy to make. What comes after that is the hard part. I believe in helping people get started. I'm not trying to sell paint. If you take that recipe and figure out how to use it, well, good for you! I want you to know that you can do this. There's nothing special about me that you don't have.
Here's the thing though: Don't make the mistake of thinking that because the paint itself is easy to make that the process and finished product isn't valuable. The process of using this paint is lengthy with multiple steps involved. While it doesn't require that you spend a lot of time prepping the surface to be painted, that doesn't mean that the piece didn't need repairs first. The paint needs to cure in between coats. Once the final coat is dry there are at least two more steps.
I was recently participating in an antique fair and I listened as one woman oooh and ahhhed over one of my pieces and her friend proceeded to talk her out of buying it. "Oh, that would be so easy to make. You could make that. You could have your husband do that. Don't pay for that." I'm absolutely sure that she could make it. I'm positive that her husband could, too. But I'm am 99.99% certain that they wouldn't. She left that day without buying the piece that she admired and stood in front of for 15 minutes. Do you think she went home and made it? I'd be surprised if she did.
These pieces aren't found on a whim. I research and drive, and drive, and drive some more before I find anything decent to buy. Yes, buy, as in purchase. I buy the materials: paint, brushes, rollers, LOADS of sandpaper, plaster, repair materials, and many times new hardware. That doesn't include the cost of gasoline and my time. And just imagine, I actually want to make a profit on top of that.
I've decided that every time I blog about a piece I'm going to list at the bottom the amount of time it took and the amount I spent on basic supplies, not including the price of the piece. You can do this. And I hope you do. I want to inspire you to paint your own furniture and create your own decorations. But, please, please do not belittle the time, knowledge, and money that I have invested. And please, for pete's sake, don't come up to me at a fair while I'm trying to sell something and ask me how I made it. Not the time, folks.
P.S. Y'all rock!
XOXO,
AbbyLabels: DIY, ideas, Interior Design, paint color, Refinish
