Annie Sloan's North American Tour

Last month, Annie Sloan started her tour around North America. I was planning on a spring break trip to Daytona with my little sister that same week. I really wanted to take this workshop, but the timeline just wasn't working out. The Chicago class was the closest, but we were supposed to check in at Daytona the same day. After checking the possibility of flying to Los Angeles for the class or driving to Nashville, I finally asked my sister if we could leave a day later for our trip. To my surprise, she was perfectly ok with that and I got to sign up for the class!

My Mom and I drove up Friday night which was only a two hour drive and we actually stayed in the hotel where the workshop was held. It was the same hotel where I had attended a hair show just a few years ago!

The next morning they served a nice breakfast and we sat in a full room to hear Annie Sloan tell her story, talk all about her paint, and answer all of our questions. It was fun to witness her passion about the paint, color ideas, and projects. You could tell she could have talked about it all day and of course I could have listened to her all day! After breaking for lunch, we then had a hands-on workshop. We experimented with a variety of techniques. I had so much fun learning and being surrounded by people that were just as excited about painting as I was!

We drove home afterward and then I immediately got into my sister's car for the 16 hour drive to Florida! I was in the car for a very long time, but it was so worth it. Everything worked out perfectly after all the stress of possibly not being able to go.

I have already visited the distributer shop in Indiana to pick up tons of chalk paint and I can't wait to get started on projects! The workshop was a great learning experience and a spring board to experiment and learn even more.

I think the best advice when you are interested in something, is to get out there and learn from the best. Just stepping out and researching can be so useful in growing with your skill. The internet gives a lot, but don't forget the library. I have been checking out several books on design and furniture. The opportunties to grow and learn are endless. Knowledge is power! And I believe it gives the ability to build confidence and motivation!