I cannot even sleep without scheming!
As I finally fell asleep on Monday night after a 6 hour drive home from meeting Annie Sloan in Boston (Oh yes I did! I met Annie and she is amazing!) However, with absolute no disrespect- first I need to share what was keeping me awake this time.
As I was laying in bed exhausted, but yet totally inspired and psyched…I was thinking & scheming, and here I am now making this BIG announcement regarding …. are you wondering what it is? (I am guessing probably not based on the title of my post, right!) Well, I am sure you guessed it right! Another …..Purple Painted Lady Barn Sale!
Date has yet to be confirmed – but it will most likely be a week or two after Labor Day. If you made it to The Purple Painted Lady Barn Sale last year and enjoyed it…..you are going to love this year even more. This sale is going to be even bigger and better!!!!! This will be a venue that you will not want to miss! I guarantee that! And if you paint furniture and buy your Annie Sloan Chalk Paint though me- get in touch if you would like to participate. Do I have a deal for you!!!!!! Stay tuned for details!
Ok- now here I am – saving the ABSOLUTE best for last. I met Annie Sloan in person! Yep–you know the name on every quart of paint that you love to use! That is who I was honored to spend the day with. The first time I saw Annie was on Friday night for a brief few minutes. I felt embarrassed because I was star struck when I saw her. Just like a groupie for The Beatles. Right there in front of me was Annie! THE Annie Sloan. The woman who created a product that I not only love, but has literally changed my life and the altered the path I was on.
What I adore most about Annie is her down to earth charm. Yes, she is brilliant! Yes, she created the one and only chalk paint over 20 years ago. Yes, she has written over 23 books. But the fact that this Rock Star in the design world is so sincerely gracious, kind and humble – well, it makes me adore her more and feel even more grateful to be part of her team….the Annie Sloan organization. I will post more about the Boston trip this week and share some of the highlights that Annie spoke about regarding her depth on colour combinations, direction and inspiration. But right now I would also like to write a bit about another fantastic woman who you may not know as much about. Her name is Lisa Rickert Jolie. It was Lisa who during her own home renovation/new build in Louisiana discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and had it shipped here from England to use. She loved it so much that she approached Annie about distributing it in North America and well, the rest is history. To get an idea about how big this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint phenomenon is, just one year ago there were only about 10 US stockists and here we are a year later going on almost 200 stockist. The incredible growth regarding Annie Sloan Chalk Paint had NOTHING to do with savvy marketing! It has all been due to the amazing qualities the paint has and word of mouth (and pen) by those who use it and then love it. As for Lisa (who is a power house of a business woman in a peanut size body.) Lisa has a very young family and I can only imagine the difficulties trying to balance her need and desire to be a wife and a mom with the corporate side of all of this. She is always available to field a phone call from one of her many stockists and is involved whenever we need her. I know she has had to sacrifice family time the last couple of years to help all of us achieve what we have. When I attempted to thank her in Boston- I got very choked up and had a difficult time not crying. Because as a mom- nothing is more important than your children. But from the outside looking in- I would say she is doing an incredible job. I know how much we (all stockists) appreciate everything that she does for us and the Annie Sloan brand! So Lisa, if by the slim chance you see this post….thank you very much for all that you have done to help so many women (and men) in the USA be able to do something that they love. I have worked in many places but have never been in a position to say 100% across the board- how grateful I am to be included in something so amazing and big! And when it comes to Annie Sloan and her Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and the Annie Sloan Unfolded organization (Jolie Design) – this is REALLY BIG! Cheers to Annie & Lisa!!!!
Well, if you ever near my shop and have a moment – please stop in. I am always available to help you with design questions and of course- any questions you might have regarding Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I will try to contain my enthusiasm and passion regarding Annie Sloan Chalk Paint as so to not take up too much of your time. But if you want to talk shop….than I am your girl!
Thanks for reading!