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Annie Sloan’s home store in Oxford

About one block from the Oxford Print Cooperative, which I went to visit yesterday, is the home store of the world famous Annie Sloan! How lucky am I to live so close to Oxford?

annie sloan Oxford store

Did I hear someone say, “Who is Annie Sloan?”
She is the creator of the absolutely fantastic chalk paint and is one of the main forces behind the painted furniture revolution and the atomic rise of shabby chic.

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Her charming, tiny hole-in-the-wall shop sells her line of paints, her line of fabrics, and found objects (like these giant French grain sacks, which only cost £10)

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Just now her store is filled with treasures from a recent buying trip to France. There are little jars, and plates, and drawer pulls, and tea towels, and all sorts of charming little French home accents.

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One wall is dedicated to huge swatches of paint. You can come feel the paint, look at it from all directions, hold samples up against it, play with your ideas.

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Although I’m not in the market for Annie’s chalk paint just now, and since there are stockists in Vancouver, I’m not going to buy any this summer, but I can’t get these beautiful grain sacks out of my thoughts.

I love that they’re darned with heavy wool and large, course stitches.

Hmm, what can I do with rustic, printed and darned fabric? I’m really tempted to buy one and think about it later.

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I’m also tempted by these buttons. Chloe has been making beautiful owls filled with lavender and using large vintage buttons for the eyes. Maybe some owl eyes. 🙂

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Any way, I hope to go back to the Printmakers guild on Tuesday and I’ll stop in at Annie Sloan’s shop again. I wanted to check out her work book but was too rushed for time last Saturday.

Linking with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. 🙂

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Comments: 24

  • August 11, 2013
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    Love Oxford, used to live about 40 minutes away and would go as often as I could, looks like a great shop!

  • August 11, 2013
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    What a cool shop! I love the chalkboard idea and now I know who created the paint. The grain sacks are cute too. I would like to see the owl’s with the button eyes? Lovely post, have a happy week!

  • August 11, 2013
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    What an inspiring little shop!
    I’m sure you could paint some lovely images on the old sacks. The stitches might make a nice pattern beneath the paint. And if you stretch is out, small gaps in the fabric might make your painting look very cool. Something to think about. 😉

  • August 11, 2013
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    Oh gosh… you must go buy a couple of those grain sacks!

  • August 11, 2013
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    Wow! How lucky to visit this cute shop. Not what I expected, but it is so cute. I see you are having a great time. Blessings, Martha

  • Pondside

    August 11, 2013
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    As if Oxford isn’t fantastic enough, they have the Annie Sloan Mothership……I’d love to visit. Now I’ll have to go off and google to find out where to buy the paint in Vancouver, as I’ll be there for a few days soon.

  • August 11, 2013
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    Another vote here for the grains sacks! Would love to see what you do with them.

  • claudsy

    August 11, 2013
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    Ah, Veronica, you have such great little adventures. The shop looks a treat–too crowded for me. I’d be like a bull inside there and terrified that by the time I escaped I’d own the whole blasted thing. Breakage is a bear to deal with, you know. 🙂 The grain sacks have so many marvelous uses here in the States. I hope you do get a few for yourself.

      • claudsy

        August 12, 2013
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        Bless your heart, Veronica. If I thought I could get over there and play in your backyard for a couple of weeks, I’d start saving for the trip now.

        I’ve always wanted to explore the UK for all sorts of reasons. And the little shops are one of those reasons.

  • August 12, 2013
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    How lovely to visit where the chalk paint craze began! The store looks like a charming place to browse around. I have a French grain sack, lovingly darned and patched, and I don’t know what to do with it, either. Sometimes I hang it over the stair railing to admire and imagine its history. There’s a distributor for the chalk paint here in Victoria, but I have not yet visited. Enjoy your time in Oxford.

  • daryledelstein

    August 12, 2013
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    i could get lost in that shop … oh my

  • August 15, 2013
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    What a lovely store !

  • June 20, 2014
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    LOVE seeing the little shop Veronica! I am sharing with my chalk loving readers & friends!!

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