May 15th, 2012
…isn’t that what they say imitation is? so, i would say “thank you”, but a recent incident may force a change in the way mrs. jones conducts things here.
long story short: thank goodness my true blue friend helen morris has sharp eyes for things in addition to great design…she brought to my attention that an etsy seller (who shall remain nameless) had copied an original stencil pattern of mine and was selling it as her work. bad karma, right? the kicker: she also swiped my accompanying photograph and was using it as a way to sell the stolen stencil design! brazen! shameless! outrageous! (is anyone else shocked by this?)
after my emailing her directly and notifying etsy, she de-listed the offending stencil and photograph. (without an apology, just a terse, gallingly unashamed “item has been removed.”) other (much more seriously prominent) stencil designers, from whom she has stolen numerous images and designs, are taking legal action. magpies, beware!
from now on, it seems that watermarking images will be a must. since it is too daunting to consider going back and editing every photo i’ve ever posted, i am just going to have to rely on your kindness and decency so that i may keep sharing (as i’ve been so happy to do) without worrying about things being misused, or proper credit not being given (which is turning into an expensive problem, seeing as how my intellectual property attorney bills by the text/minute/email. ouch.)
and while i realize that putting images online at times begs for a good copy & paste, and sharing sites such as polyvore and pinterest have blurred the lines of what’s permissible to virtually borrow, please let’s get back to the basics…be kind, share (carefully), give credit where credit is due, don’t touch things that don’t belong to you without asking first, do unto others, etc. etc.
thus concludes my rant. thank you for listening.
(above photo really unrelated to anything, really…it’s a little plaque i made for the broom closet door at the studio – which is where i would like to lock a particular etsy seller. there. i’ve said it. anyway, the details: silver leaf over henrietta chalk paint. vintage vacuum stencil from stencil 1.)
By stephanie | Posted in: Please Note | 4 Comments
May 13th, 2012
thanks to everyone who came by the studio this weekend to celebrate our opening and say hello! (distractified by all the fun, i only had the presence of mind to pick up my camera at the very beginning and end of each event, so please excuse the lack of actual guests in these photos…the proof is in the recycling bins.) it has been such a beautiful, fun weekend.
and just like at home, setting the dates for the parties was great motivation to get things finished up – there is just one room left to go.
(the gorgeous flowers that lovely jeniffer church sent look just like the ones on the cover of annie sloan’s book, don’t you think?)
i am so grateful to my family and friends for helping me pull everything together…hanging gigantic bulletin boards, hanging lights, hanging light fixtures (all mainly at the 11th hour), for arranging and sending gorgeous, happy flowers, bringing yummy food and celebratory-type gifts, hauling and icing down drinks, and just generally for being there for me over the past months as i’ve prepared to take this leap.
in other late-breaking opening news, i am so excited about my wonderful new neighbors! sew memphis has just opened around the corner, and midtown massage & bodywork is opening on may 28th right next door. when you come to cooper/young, please pop by and see them too.
By stephanie | Posted in: Family & Friends, In The Studio | 3 Comments
May 8th, 2012
we had a super-fun workshop last saturday…four lovely students (all at varying levels of experience) each brought a lamp base (3 brass, one ceramic) in for a re-vamp. they did a fantastic job, as evidenced below:
(patty, who swears she has never painted anything before, scored this great brass lamp at the oxford goodwill for $3.99 and put the coolest crusty weathered zinc finish on it, using graphite and louis blue chalk paint as a base.)
(lisa’s lamp was rescued from their flooded hunting camp. the brass finish was ruined, but she made it fabulous with annie sloan’s olive and old ochre, and pewter gilding wax.)
(jackie has had this ginger jar lamp since high school – it had been frighteningly bright and shiny, but she made it gleam like old polished plaster with country grey and old white under annie’s soft waxes.)
the group learned three different annie sloan chalk paint finishes, and chose one for their lamp. during “dry times” we chatted about fix-ups for shades, favorite places to flea, and alternate methods using metallics. it was a wonderful group – i can’t wait until they come back with pictures of their finished lamps in situ. gold stars for everyone!
(matt went for a mellow antiqued gold finish for his floor lamp, beginning with graphite. bravo!)
By stephanie | Posted in: Before & After, In The Studio, Inspiration | 5 Comments
May 6th, 2012
…and, hopefully, now you don’t.
with the craziness of renovating the studio and keeping all other current balls in the air, it was fun to take time out to work in a little nancy-drew-ing and repair a lovely client’s concrete floor. annie sloan chalk paint in old ochre was a great starting point: close to the background color of the existing floor and providing an excellent bond to the concrete. a little tweaking with tinted glazes and it was ready to seal. (and now, the home is ready for the realtors’ open house.)
By stephanie | Posted in: Before & After | No Comments
May 1st, 2012
four samples for a lovely client considering treatments for a beautiful cypress-paneled library in a home they’re building. different paint washes combined with tinted and gilt waxes…which one will they choose?
By stephanie | Posted in: Inspiration | No Comments
