Rainy Day Rainbow Projects: Part 2

Welcome back to ways to entertain your children (or parents) at home with a little Chalk Paint®! If you missed Part 1, catch up here.

Project Three – by Sophie (5), with assistance from Mum, furniture painter Kate of High Birch Interiors

At 5, Sophie is officially our youngest ever contributor to the Annie Sloan blog! For this reason, Sophie needed an extra helping hand from Mum.

For Sophie’s project you will need:

• Chalk Paint® in your favourite colours (Sophie used Provence, English Yellow, Scandinavian Pink, Antoinette, Emperor’s Silk and Pure)
• Clear Chalk Paint® Wax
• A brush (Sophie used Annie’s Medium Chalk Paint® Brush)
• A piece of lint-free cloth (an old t shirt or pair of cotton boxers will be sufficient). 
• Tape – Kate and Sophie used frog tape but masking tape or packing tape will also suffice.
• A tray to paint. This can even be an old plastic tray although wood will be easiest, especially if your Chalk Paint® assistant is as young as Sophie!
• Optional: a stencil to add to your tray to give extra character.

Instructions:

1. First, Sophie’s Mum Kate helped her by taping off sections of the tray. (Top tip: Kate taped sections of different sizes and got Sophie to start with the edges and then work her way inwards. This allowed each paint stripe to dry fully before Kate applied the next bit of tape).

2. Then Sophie got stuck into painting! I love the colours she chose for this project.

3. Chalk Paint® is water based and extremely low in VOCs. (VOCs are chemicals that are added to paint to help it last longer. They’re good for paint, but they’re not so good for humans, which is why I only uses trace amounts in the Chalk Paint® recipe). This means it’s easy to clear up if you get any on your clothes – just take your clothes off straight away (not all your clothes! Just the clothes with paint on! Stop taking your clothes off you silly goose!). Then wash the paint away with more water. Try to skip this step if possible!

4. Sophie wanted to personalise her tray with an “S” stencil. If you don’t have any stencils at home you can find lots online to print off, trace onto cardboard, and cut out. Definitely get an adult to help with this.

5. Allow your Chalk Paint® base to dry completely before adding your stencil. Tape the stencil in place to avoid any smudging. Then paint your design in a contrasting colour.

6. Leave your Chalk Paint® to dry completely. This is a good time to finalise plans on the rocket ship you are building to get to Mars, read your favourite book, or hoover the living room.

7. Next, apply Clear Chalk Paint® Wax to your tray to finish and protect your beautiful work! Sophie used a Wax Brush but you can use a lint free cloth and massage the wax into the paint gently so that it soaks in properly.

8. Allow to dry fully then take lots of photos to show your friends and family!

Project Four – by Evan (11)

Our final rainbow Chalk Paint® project is by Evan, 11. Evan’s Mum is an official Annie Sloan Stockist and at her shop, Five Fields, Evan has painted loads of brilliant projects (including a bath). Evan lives in Canada and has been attending school through Google hangouts during the pandemic. He wanted a cool backdrop to cheer his friends up and he knew Chalk Paint® was the only answer!

All you need to Chalk Paint® your own video call backdrop is:

• Your favourite selection of Chalk Paint® colours (from left to right, Evan used: Paloma, Burgundy, Barcelona Orange, English Yellow, Amsterdam Green, Aubusson Blue and Athenian Black)
• A wooden board large enough to cover the wall behind your desk
• A paint brush (Evan used Annie's Chalk Paint® Brush)
• Clear Chalk Paint® Wax

Instructions:

1. First, Evan painted strips of colour down his wooden board. Because he’s something of a pro and a very creative and confident artist he didn’t need to use masking tape for his rainbow pattern. This also means he didn't wait for each colour to dry before adding the next one, blending the colours next to each other. I love the artistic flare! 

If you’re less confident the use masking tape to create a guide. Spots are a good pattern too – and you can use bowls and plates of different sizes to make circles in all kind of shapes on your backdrop. You could use blue and yellow to paint a starry night sky. Or perhaps you’re more of a wild child – why not use a base of Barcelona Orange then add wiggly stripes of Athenian Black for a roarsome tiger print background! 

2. Once you're happy with your design and the Chalk Paint® is completely dry, make sure to apply Chalk Paint® Wax. This will mean you can pick your backdrop up and move it around without messing up your finish! 

3. Finally, take lots of photos to show your friends and family. Perhaps you can Zoom your grandparents and show them your colourful creativity – and your lovely face (even if your face isn’t lovely, I guarantee your grandparents like it). Use the hashtags #AnnieSloan and #ChalkPaint if you share on social media for the chance to be featured on Annie’s pages!

Please let us know in the comments if you tried any of these ideas and how successful they were! I'd love to hear from the next generation of Chalk Paint® maestros!

Yours, 


Annie. 

Rainy Day Rainbow Projects: Part 1

Ways to entertain your children (or kids, how to entertain your parents) at home when it's raining are more important than ever during lockdown. If you’re wondering what crafts to do with children that are educational, fun, and best of all, easy to clean up, then look no further. Let cooped up imaginations run free with these four easy rainbow projects, suitable for children of all ages. 

Project One – by Bailey (12), Orla (9), Eden (4), and Mum, furniture painter Chloe of Maisie's House

The Kempster family have hung these rainbow mobiles outside their door to spread a little joy outside their home, and I love this idea. Sharing your creativity with all your neighbours is the perfect way to bring your friends together, make new ones, and you're sure to be the envy of the street.

For these hanging rainbow mobiles you will need:

• Chalk Paint® in your favourite rainbow colours (Chloe's clan used Emperor’s Silk, Barcelona Orange, English Yellow, Antibes Green and Napoleonic Blue. She then diluted them with water to make blending, mixing and painting easier)
• Paper Plates
• Toilet Rolls
• String
• Hole Punch
• Paint & Brushes
• Glue Gun
• PVA Glue
• Trims (Chloe used a variety of upholstery trim, but ribbon, crepe or tissue paper will also work)
• Scissors
• Sequins, glitter and sparkly stuff (optional)

Instructions:

1. Paint a toilet roll in your chosen colour and leave to dry, this will make the main part of your hanging mobile.

2. While that is drying, cut a paper plate in half, then paint in fab rainbow colours! Bailey, Orla and Eden love a bit of sparkle so they also added extra glitter and sequins to the rainbows using PVA glue.

3. Once your rainbow is dry, attach it to the front of the tube using a glue gun (make sure you have an adult to help with this bit).

4. Take your hole punch and make 2 level holes at the top of the toilet roll tube on either side, then thread the string through to create a hanging loop.

5. Get help from your nearby adult and add upholstery trim to the base with a glue gun. You could also use tissue or crepe paper cut into strips, or ribbon, or anything you have lying about. 

6. For extra finishing touches, a trim was fastened to the top of the toilet roll with a glue gun and also glittery stars and sequins were added.

7. Ta- dah your rainbow mobile is finished and is guaranteed to bring a smile to those inside your home – and out, if you make like Chloe’s family and hang yours on the front door to spread some joy.

Project Two – by George (7) and Mum, furniture painter Kate of High Birch Interiors 

George painted this crate for a project his Mum Kate undertook for The Hygiene Bank, a charity which gets much needed toiletries and sanitary products to those in need. It is being used as a collection box in a local supermarket. What a wonderful way to help you community and have fun whilst doing it. 

For George’s Rainbow Crate project you will need:

• A crate or box to paint 
• Chalk Paint® in Emperor’s Silk, Barcelona Orange, English Yellow, Antibes Green, Giverny, Paloma and Pure.
• Clear Chalk Paint® Wax
• A brush (George used Annie’s Medium Chalk Paint® Brush)
• A piece of lint-free cloth (an old t shirt, a tea towel, or even a pair of cotton boxers will be sufficient. Just make sure they are clean! You know what Dads are like). 
• Tape – Kate and George used frog tape but masking tape or packing tape will also suffice.

Instructions:

1. First paint the inside of your crate in your chosen colour. George chose Chalk Paint® in Pure. 

2. Next, use tape to mark off bands of colour. If you’re painting a crate exactly like this one, cover the lower half of all three slats where the different bands of colour will go.

3. Paint above the masking tape. Here, George began by painting stripes of Emperor’s Silk, English Yellow and Giverny. 

4. Allow the paint to dry – perhaps this is a good time to try some maths homework, have lunch, or go for a walk as it will take an hour or so and you don’t want to rush. George recommends a kick-about in the garden! 

5. Once the Chalk Paint® is dry, and before removing the tape, apply Clear Chalk Paint® Wax. Use a clean corner of the lint free fabric, or, if you have one, a Wax Brush to apply the wax. Rub the wax into the paint like hand cream rather than painting it on too thickly; less is more. Remove the tape once the wax is applied. 

6. Leave the Chalk Paint® Wax to dry – you can use this time to wash up your brushes, help Mum by tidying your bedroom, check under the bed for monsters (always best done in daylight) and check back in about an hour to make sure the wax is touch dry.

7. Once completely dry, apply tape over the painted stripes ready to paint with your next three colours. Mum, Dad, or any other helpful adult may need to assist at this point. You want the lines to be straight and the tape to be adhered gently enough so as not to remove any paint on removal, but firmly enough to ensure crisp lines. Look how neat the lines on George’s crate are!

8. Repeat step 3 - but this time use Barcelona Orange, Antibes Green, and Paloma (or your chosen colours). You could even use the same three colours but in a different order. DON’T paint the same colours next to one another – if you do this you are very silly and have wasted a lot of time and masking tape.

9. Repeat steps 5 and 6, and when you get to the waxing part make sure to wax the inside of your box too. This will prevent the paint from chipping when you’re getting things in and out of your new treasure chest/memory box/Charity Donation collection point (delete as appropriate).

10. Allow to dry fully then take lots of photos to show your friends and family! Use the hashtags #AnnieSloan and #ChalkPaint if you share on social media for the chance to be featured on Annie’s pages!

That's all for now! Come back for Part 2 here to see more rainbow projects and colourful inspiration. 

Yours, 

Annie.