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Thursday, April 5, 2012

A Country Dinner with Annie Sloan

This country house with its big barn was my destination for a special dinner
honoring Annie Sloan and the end of her US tour~
It was in the pastures off of a winding country road and lights twinkled
all around the property as Jami and I pulled in the drive at dusk.
(If you missed the first part of my story about 
my day with Annie Sloan you can read it here.)

Behind the old yellow house stood a massive barn dotted with antiques along
the perimeter with the ubiquitous "Antiques" sign hung above the entrance.
We had arrived at Counting Sheep, the home of Sally Barker, the first stockist
to be located in Massachusetts~in the town of Berlin, to be exact.
Look at this charming tiny workshop with twinkly lights
 that Sally has standing right next to her barn!
 This country setting is my idea of a slice of heaven~
And when I stepped inside the barn, this is what I saw~
a table a mile long with place settings of pretty mismatched vintage china!
  Old empty Annie Sloan paint cans were filled with tulips for the 
centerpieces and a collection of charming country chairs 
were pulled up to each setting!
White twinkly lights were strewn across the barnboard ceiling 
and the effect was quite magical~
 I captured Jami's reflection in the mirror as she gazed about the barn.  It was jam packed with vintage and antique treasures, lots of furniture painted the Annie Sloan way, and trinkets and bits on every surface. It was the first time I went to a dinner party and did not get a glass of wine first!  I was called to the hunt, and started gathering things to buy and take home~including the old hooked rug on the floor that Sally was standing on!
 So many treasures to look at~her barn was filled to the brim and I made my way around the collections until I ended up at the 
checkout counter where it was set up as a wine bar.
 Karen of Classic Wall Finishes poured me a drink~thank you very much!! There was a big galvanized tub with bottles of wine set in ice to the side of the counter top where all the wine glasses were set up
 in a gilded mirrored whatnot shelf!  
Jami and I got our pic snapped by Samatha Melanson, 
Sally's daughter, who is a professional photographer 
and has quite a career going at the young age of 25! 
She graduated from UMASS where my son Colin is attending!
 The next hour was spent rubbing shoulders with the stockists as we continued to shop and talk, talk talk...Jami, Shauna and I felt very special to have been included in this dinner party with the Annie Sloan crew, and of course Annie and her husband David.
 An ante room had been set up for a catered country dinner~
this was just the prettiest buffet
I had seen with a backdrop of draped canvas and coral tulle.
 Dishes of fresh garden treats to choose from to add to your
 salad and a sliced pork tenderloin with 
lots of side dishes~I was starving!!!
 Dinner would be served soon~
This little guy was interested in when dinner was going to
 be served as well, as the two of us looked longingly at the buffet~
Finally it was dinner time~I put down my bag and camera and grabbed a plate off the long table and headed to the buffet...and when I came back I found that none other than Annie had taken the seat next to mine!  Well, what do you know~!! Remember I told you in my post that I would be headed to Boston to rub elbows with the queen of chalk paint?  Literally, I was doing just that! As we gathered around the table and gobbled up the freshest and most delicious food people took turns making little toasts~the only draw back sitting next to Annie was that I couldn't snap her as she stood up and toasted us, the bloggers! 
With a special mention to Miss Mustard Seed who Annie said really got the ball rolling here is the states.
I chatted with Annie during dinner and the night seems a blurrr....on top of the day's events my brain was on sensory overload.  I remember talking to her about her video, and asking her if she had planned it or had it just come together in natural bits...I wondered because she was painting  bare footed, and she told me, "I always paint in my bare feet."  Where has this woman been all my life?  I didn't realize how special she was, only 24 hours ago I only knew that she created a paint.  Her video was the first time I sensed her lyrical nature, and those bare feet spoke volumes to me.
My view of dinner mate Annie Sloan
And a  raised glass was held by all~many times over.
I asked Annie if she was exhausted, and she said, "no, I mean how can I be exhausted when at the workshop I saw how many women drove in their cars from other states all the way to Boston to be part of my workshop~how could I be tired when seeing that~?"  I understood it was as invigorating for her to be on the receiving end of the admiration as we were on the receiving end of the lessons she shared. 
 Here was the table layout, with Patty Seaman, my teacher at the head of the table, and to the left was Jami, my blogger buddy from Freckled Laundry, empty chair was my spot, then Annie sat on the bench next to her hubby David, and next to David was Janet, another blogger buddy/stockist from Empty Nest.  Janet made a lovely toast to me, and I tell you, that we felt like part of one big loving family!  The other side of the table included Shauna, a blogger of Perfectly Imperfect, and Lisa Rickert Jolie, the king pin of bringing the Annie Sloan brand to the US~Lisa would play an important role in the days to come, but more on that at another time.
 As the evening winded down, Annie posed with this charming gift that Sally Barker createdto commemorate her 2012 American Tour.
 I actually called her "babe"! Oh my...I said,  "Come on babe, 
its time for me to get a photo of you!"~and she decided to pose with this collage, which made for a classic shot! This barn, loaded with women brimming with creative talents and joy filled hearts would soon be going their separate ways.  It was a night of celebration and now goodbyes, as all would be headed back to their respective lives~Annie with hubby David on a plane back to her shop in England, Sally would be staying in her country home running the Antiques shop and managing her duties as a stockist, Patty and Karen would be flying home to New Jersey to run their paint shop, Lisa headed for a flight home to New Orleans, Jami and I loaded up her car with our purchases (!!!) and headed for Maison Decor to rest our weary heads on pillows after this whirlwind of a day and night.  
However for me, the tour didn't quite end...
I'll share more next time!


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28 comments:

  1. One of those moments you hate to have end. But you have captured it well with your photo's. Lori

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  2. Oh Amy...I read EVERY word! How lucky you and Jamie were to experience that evening with Annie!What fun!
    Lorraine

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  3. What a lovely post Amy....it shows you had a beautiful time with your words and pictures and that you didn't want it to end,i am so happy you got to sit next to Annie and that you had wonderful food and wine and shopping and friendship,you sure deserve it after everything you give to us.
    I Love Maison Decor xxx

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  4. What a lovely evening! Thank you for sharing all of the details {with a hint of more to come!}.

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  5. THanks for sharing I am having so much fun living through you at your Annie Sloan dinner party!!
    Can't wait to see next post.
    Sherry

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  6. Dear Amy,

    Once again you have captured this magical time with all the perfect words and photos. I hope you don't mind, but I have shared this on our private Annie Sloan Stockist Facebook page. I know everyone will love it as much as I do.

    Thanks for being such a special friend of the Annie Sloan ™ brand. As I said in my toast that night, we truly do appreciate all of the wonderful bloggers who use, love and write about our incredible product.

    So happy to call you my friend

    Janet xox

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  7. What a great place, Amy! That table looks great. You should find out if any of the bloggers on the other side of the table got a shot of you and Annie, or should I say "Babe". : )

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  8. The setting for dinner was so perfect and the paint can vases so clever!
    What wonderful memories to have created. Thanks for sharing Amy.
    XO

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  9. Well, you KNOW I read every single word...and soaked up the excitement and beauty through your eyes! What a wonderful, wonderful place to have been able to go, sit, eat and experience Annie up close and personal. I can't WAIT for your next step of adventure! xo Diana

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  10. fun fun post, amy. so great to see you all with smiles and so much gratitude!

    michele

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  11. Are you still pinching yourself?
    Anne

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  12. I know you have been on cloud 9! Thanks for sharing this awesome evening with us.

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  13. Amy first thanks for your super kind comments, you have been a great friend during a really rought time for me. I decided to visit a few favorite blogs for a little much needed diversion even through it doesn't feel quite right and my hearts not totally in it but i do miss it. Thanks for your support. What an amazing night..you must have been in heaven...just looks increidble, right up your ally! Thank you for sharing such a special night.

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  14. Amy, I'm enjoying this story so much. You really tell it well, i sorta feel like i was there. Just hearing about it all gets my creative juices flowing. and... i love the color on the little dresser in one of the photos, the gray one...
    What a special and fun time you've had!

    Cindy

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  15. Amy,
    You have truly captured the essence of my attempt to create a relaxed, casual atmosphere in honor of Annie Sloan's visit to the U.S. I loved meeting you, Jami and Shauna and am thrilled to have had you join us here in the barn. Thank you also for mentioning my daughter Samantha in your blog post, I am so proud of her for following her passion. Hope to see you again soon.
    Sally
    Counting Sheep Antiques

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  16. Oh, how lucky you were to be in such a heavenly place with such great women. I had goosebumps reading you descriptions...I also felt like "I was there". I especially loved the table with mixed vintage plates (one of my passions) and the empty AS paint cans as vases. So creative and lovely. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us.

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  17. Hi Amy, This sounds like such a fun time. Make sure and show us your new rug and any other buys.
    xo, Sherry

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  18. Looks like such a wonderful time. I could spend hours & hours in that barn, so much to see. And what a special opportunity to meet Annie herself!

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  19. Thanks for sharing your fun night--it almost made me feel like I was there! What a great bunch of woman to be dining with. I think bloggers have made the chalk paint huge. There is so much power in blogging!

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  20. Amy -- so glad that you experienced such a magical evening with Annie! Next thing we know, you'll be heading to England to visit Annie there! (hey, a girl can dream, even on behalf of her friends)

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  21. Thanks for sharing this wonderful event with us. Your story and photos helped to make me feel like I was right there enjoying the food and conversation with you all. What memories. Such a special evening.

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  22. Amy...thank you for the beautiful photos and journey of your thrilling adventure with Annie...I felt as if I was with you in the room gazing at all those wonderful antiques and smelling that wonderful food...

    I think what I gained most from this post, is that Annie is a warm and kind individual truly thankful to all the people who have supported her in the U.S. You can tell from the writings of your story that she is truly appreciative of all the great things you have done to prompte her great paint and products...

    Can't wait to hear more of your story that you will blog in your bare feet!

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  23. Amy, thats awesome! What an honor, I'm sure! The pics are great, Annie proves to be a gracious host as well. How pretty was that dinner party?! I set my table very similar every Mother's day when Bill cooks brunch for the whole family. The barefoot thing is all too familiar in the Miller house as well ;)

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  24. I am SOOOOO freakin' jealous!!!!!
    You better be ready to make it up to me when I come back to MA!

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  25. What an amazing venue...it looks just magical! And I so happy that you got to hang out with her...she seems incredible!
    Stacy

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  26. Hi Amy,
    I was just visiting Counting Sheep to see when the next chalk paint workshop were and I saw your beautiful blog below their website. What a great nite that must have been. I live in MA as well, close to Berlin. Hope you can visit me at frenchcountrynortherncharm. I Love your blog, and am excited to find a New England decor blogger
    Carolyn

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