Shutter + Brushes

This is a customer project we did using Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint with a custom blended grey wash. We sealed it with a lacquer finish to give it a bit of shine and added durability. The table top and buffet top we stained using Old Master’s Espresso Gel Stain. What an amazing transformation this dining room set had. This was a splendid restyling from a formal dark, heavy finish to a light and unfussy formal dining room. The whimsical floral pattern on the chair seats just works in Roxanne’s house.

This video shows your just how easy it is to turn a scrap board into a cute little picture for your home or for a gift. I simply painted a small board with Annie Sloan’s new paint color Coolabah Green, let it dry and for a few hours and applied this sweet transfer to that literally took 2 minutes to do and look gorgeous. The transfer came from the Iron Orchid Design Ephemeral Melange Transfer Set. The board needed a bit gold gilding that was easily applied to make it shine! https://youtu.be/YTBgSjc-_ZI

May 25, 2023 – Today we open our little Shutter & Brushes Paint Studio in our nest at the beautiful Birds Gotta Fly Vintage Store at 916 N. Michigan here in Elkhart! It has been a long time coming and I am forever grateful to Pamela K Hoffer. Pam has been a wonderful mentor and inspiration for me over the years. I am so excited to get started with my sister Heidi Bemiller and dear friend Ann Allyn on this journey. You will find them busy during the day in the shop painting customer projects and we will be selling Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and IOD Design elements. In the…

The minute I walked into Rita’s home and saw her dining set the thrill of possibility immediately engulfed me. I sincerely appreciate homeowners who invest in quality furniture and appreciate the value of restyling it. This set had so much potential and just needed to be infused with flair. Deciding on a finish with a customer is always a puzzle to put together as I distill their vision into the new finish. It did not take us long the select this glamorous rich finish. Pinterest is an amazing resource to study finishes and gather ideas. We started with a base layer of Annie Sloan Honfleur Brown chalk paint and very…

I admire a vibrant and lively color on furniture projects. When my fellow artist friend Janie asked me to update a dresser I knew it would be a creative project. We took some time selecting a color but Annie Sloan Scandinavian Pink with a dark brown wax finish fit the bill perfectly. While neutral colors are just fine, why not take it up a notch and add color to become an attention getter in your room and a true object of desire. The hardware was restyled to freshen up the look with gold and pewter gilding wax that gave the piece a nice highlight. The large piece was in good…

Annie took on this project after we did a design consultation at Birds Gotta Fly in Elkhart. Suellen was not sure what color to paint the pieces for her guest room. When she saw the Annie Sloan Olive chalk paint with black wax she fell in love. So often people are overwhelmed when selecting a color and finish. Many people pick universal and basic colors that feel comfortable, safe and versatile. When you look at the wide range of colors available why not take the leap and pick a bold color like Suellen did? Allow the pieces to make a statement in you room. If you grow tired of the…

I knew when I saw this piece that it had good bones and could be something very feminine and delicate. The old finish was damaged over the years by excessive use. We had a few repairs to make and Barbara stressed she wanted it to be something special. Due to the condition of the top we use a bit of a stippled texture with the paint application to hide some the surface blemishes. The color combination is Dixie Belle Drop Cloth and French Linen with a very light whitewash accent. The something special for this piece was the IOD transfers. I incorporated transfers from a number of sets but the…

Pati had this vintage dining room set that belonged to a family member she adored. It has been passed on to her and she uses it in her lake house kitchen. The chairs and table were solid with a few cosmetic repairs necessary. This was the perfect project for Annie and her very handy husband Larry to work on together. After a good sanding and cleaning Dixie Belle Lemonade chalk paint was used as the base color for the table. Pati loves daisies and we were able to find a Re-Design Brand Transfer to add the flowers to bring this set to life. Annie recovered the seats in a complimentary…

We have had a run on dining room sets lately, but this one certainly has a bright personality. It started as a very traditional table and chairs that was begging for an upgrade. The chairs were a little rough and worn but solid, and the table had a fair number of scratches. Heidi and I worked as a team on the set. She did an awesome job painting the chairs with Dixie Belle Gravel Road and the table was done in Dixie Belle Drop Cloth. I followed up with grey glaze to pull the deep color of the chairs to the table and added a durable sealer. We just love…

We are very fortunate to work with the designers at Miller-Gray who did an amazing job on this condo in St. Joe. These chairs were solid and sturdy but just did not quite fit in. We used a soft shade of Benjamin Moore gray for solid coverage on the base. To top it off we did a gray color wash on the rattan. In the light, the chairs are a stunning silver color. This was a joint project for Annie and I to work on! I imagine myself enjoying these chairs with a great cup of coffee watching the sunrise!

Absolutely fabulous is how we describe the totally updated look of these lake house bedside tables. The pair came to us with lots of style and were very high quality that just needed a new and updated finish. These were painted in a stunning deep grey. The decision to leave the original hardware and gold tip legs was a good one. They add so much more to this piece. Heidi used Benjamin Moore paint and it went on just perfect for a flawless smooth finish. Her work is top notch!

A friend of mine had this old chair that belonged to her mother and she gifted it to me as a project chair. She was moving and while hard to part with, she just could not take everything. I started working on the chair adding a few touches here and there. When I completed the chair I offered it back to her and the special chair and memories are right back where they belong, in her home. I used Annie Sloan Athenian Black Chalk Paint as the base color. As I was painting it I noticed the interesting faces that appeared on the chair back and decided they needed some…

S & B Artist Annie Slessman and her very helpful husband Larry, did repairs on this vintage cedar chest. The chest was refreshed with Dixie Belle White Fluff chalk paint and Annie Sloan clear wax. Pati has a lake house and wanted a light and airy feel for this chest. We could not just leave it all white, so we added some accents to the trim with some of the aqua blue wall paint from the room where the chest sits. It was a great edition to show the details on the trim work on this chest.

This super cute set of round wooden coffee tables were refinished by S&B Artist Heidi Bemiller. The tables were painted with Dixie Belle White Cotton chalk paint. To add some softness and styling to the pieces, Heidi did some light distressing and finished it with wax for a velvety smooth protective finish. These will not doubt be eye-catching on Kathleen’s sun porch.

This very old hutch came from an estate and had been in storage for a very long time. It proved to be a big challenge to prep for painting after living in a damp and dusty place. After several rounds of cleaning and giving the piece a chance to completely dry, it was sealed in shellac. This allowed us to lock in any remaining musty odors and prevent any spots of bleed through from the old surface. The top had a large area of tile glued to it which required a lot of elbow grease to safely remove. We loved the warm honey color after the sealer was applied to…