Annie Sloan chalk paint

And here is another one - salvagedinspirations.com/best-homemade-chalk-paint-recipes/

Calcium carbonate available on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000ZL1XUK/salvageinspir-21

Is this article any help? inmyownstyle.com/2012/08/testing-1-2-3-versions-of-chalk-paint.html

I have been told that chalk paint is emulsion with plaster of Paris added to it. I do not know of a source of plaster of P here where I am in France but maybe someone with the bug and a spot of spare emulsion could have a bit of experiment with it - I will get some P of P when in UK next to have a go - it would greatly expand the choice of colours available to be able to mix your own and the tone would be right if you used the same paint as the rest of the room.
I am thinking of doing my dresser in Farrow and Ball eggshell - mainly because it will not need polishing after painting and I can buy it at about the same price as UK in a local town.

Yes - they probably just needed a new hinge!

Reminds me of when I worked for the housing department and someone turned up with a door as they were fed up of waiting for someone to come to their house to fix it. It has only just dawned on me that they had to take the door off it's hinges to fix it and therefore could have fixed the fault themselves .

When we moved here, the dining area (which is now added to the kitchen) had a wooden ceiling. It is now duck-egg blue, I love it. Actually it is a bit darker than that, but I call it that because then people know what I mean. I had it mixed for me. Unfortunately I also had two large spare tins mixed, and we had a freezing cold winter a few years ago and I lost my entire paint store - even having a heater on in the garage all winter failed to save them. So my kitchen is getting scruffier every year. I need to go through the whole process of getting a colour mixed up again. I shall probably have to take a drawer front or something in.

I have used Egyptian Cotton for years Tegan . I have that (matt emulsion) on the walls and radiator and a built in bookcase in the same colour using satinwood. Hope you are pleased with the result.

I agree some of these houses are a bit bland left as they are but adding extras can transform them with a bit of life.

When we had a loft conversion done we ended up with a wall of wood panelling in the bedroom [it was quicker than having it plastered] so I'm quite chuffed that I can now paint it in a light colour and it'sfashionable [my ex painted everything in yacht varnish so you can imagine how yellow the pine became ]. I think a lot of these houses are getting a bit too bland. I love duck egg and my curtains are going to be a Laura Ashey duck egg striped pattern. Have gone for Egyptian Cotton paint [as recommended on mumsnet].

Lovely. I do like that style and I love clapperboard houses especially one I saw in a film called, Something's Gotta Give. The interior is definitely a style I love and copy added with other ideas.

I think people find a huge selection of,ideas by looking through house magazines, interior design books and now there are so many sites on line to browse through then it's a case of putting together whatever your personal taste is.

It's beautiful - and very 'Me'. I mostly stick to duck-egg and cream, although I have plums, heather and a little pink in the sitting room amongst the cream and pale beige. I'm a bit more cluttered than that house though.

www.thelilypadcottage.com/house-tour
this might be it [sigh.....]

I saw an amazing house on Pininterest a few nights ago that I now can't find. It was called Lilypad Cottage. I don't know how people come up with such brilliant ideas.

Pleased the roller idea worked for you Tegan. As you say, it cuts the time in half and a smoother finish. I love browsing in charity shops, of which we have a lot more now since the recession started it seems.

We have Glasgow Antiques Centre nearby, a huge building packed with all sorts plus an Annie Sloan section who do demonstrations. Must go along sometime since reading this thread.

DD has been salivating over Preloved jane then looking at 'Pinterest' for more ideas.

I know - you will never go back. I first discovered them when I had to paint behind a radiator. A thin roller with a long handle was the only thing that would reach. And the replacement heads are so cheap now.

The roller is brilliant. I'm painting an old pine cupboard whilst I'm painting the bedroom and I just go back to it and put another coat on every so often. Unlike the first cupboard, which I painted with a brush [and had lumps in it] the paint goes on very finely and I just add layer after layer. I'm going to use a sponge on the handles [which aren't removable] and the roller has worked well on them, but can't go into the grooves etc. I did notice when I went to Wickes to buy the roller that they now sell something called chalk paint, so I'm thinking that they've jumped on the bandwagon. As I said, I bought the roller from Wickes but then, annoyingly when I went to Wilkos to buy the paint [Dulux 5L for £25 on offer] their rollers are much cheaper. Whenever I go to Wilkos I always have to remind myself to check their prices for everything; I love that shop [still a family run business I believe]. It's the carpet that needs replacing [this is what spurred me into decorating the room; no point replacing a carpet without decorating the room first and this carpet is nearly as old as me and, quite frankly in even worse condition]. Problem is that the one thing I can't do is the ceiling so that will hold the rest of the work up. One good thing about being retired is that I can nip into any charity shop I pass and find bargain furniture that would look good with a coat of paint. I've never used rollers before [even on walls] so using them is a revelation.

I use rollers too, whenever possible.

Have you tried Preloved, Agus? It's wonderful for old furniture, you can set a search for your area. Not that you need any more...

DD has certainly got the bug now too. She loves the shabby chic look but, I have to keep,reminding her she does need space for all these amazing finds she sends me links to!

Let me know how you get on? I have been meaning to try her stuff for years and never got around to it.

My house is fairly shabby chic, and I have always painted everything in sight. I prefer to buy old furniture made of real wood and do it up rather than buy melamine that falls apart after a couple of years. I usually buy a good Crown or Dulux matt emulsion, give it a few coats and then finish off with a matt clear varnish. It works wonderfully on old kitchen cupboards. We have moved around so often that we could never have afforded to replace all those outdated kitchens and bathrooms, it was easier to update the colours. Also no-one would ever know that my bathroom and kitchen tiles are painted, too.

Paintaholics 'R' Us!

Tegan I sit on the floor to do skirting boards with pages from glossy magazines slipped under them to save the carpet, easier than taping. My bottom can take the strain better than my knees

Ooh never thought of using a radiator roller like that. Thanks! Am kicking myself cos they had sets of two with a mini tray at a bargain price in Screwfix and I could not think what I would use it for.

Bought a little roller to use today. If you could see the mess the rest of the house is in with me doing this painting ...

I'm in the same boat. Extremely annoying when my mind has more energy than my body and restricts me from doing what I enjoy.

I was wondering about using a roller. A decorator years ago used a roller to paint some doors for me and it made the job so much easier. I have, however chickened out of painting the bedroom walls and ceiling and I'm getting a quote for the job. It takes me forever to paint things like skirting board [and my knees don't thank me for it, either ].

Whenever even

We never possible, like painting a flat surface, I use a radiator roller instead of a brush. It's much quicker and can help avoid streaks.