« crowning touch »

February 22nd, 2012

another project for rodgers menzies’ lovely client…a long-time member of a carnival memphis crewe, and (to me, at least) local royalty, it totally fits that a crown is her favorite motif. after a remodeling of her bathroom, she requested a wall treatment that included soft stripes and gold crowns.

for the right stencil, mrs. jones went straight to helen morris. who else but she, reigning stencil-designing queen of the united kingdom and beyond, could create a better diadem?

rodgers asked for glazed stripes on a ground of benjamin moore’s powell buff (# hc.35.) here is part of the room, before:

when our first stripe choice, standish white (# hc.32.), wasn’t quite light enough, i added a little glacier white, # oc.37. after taping off six-inch stripes using my trusty laser-level and 3m’s delicate-surface tape, i used a chip brush to apply the white glaze strie-style. (a process note: to make things feel nice and symmetrical on areas like the ones here around the bathtub and the water closet, start with a stripe in the center and then work out in either direction.)(and yes, you too might have to put little bits of “reminder” tape into stripes that are not to be glazed.  then again, you may be younger and more clever than mrs. jones.)

rodgers and i gridded out the spots for the crowns with little re-used bits of tape.

they went on first with modern masters olympic gold. after the paint dried, i re-stenciled each crown with water-based size, and then brushed on gold leaf. (each sheet of leaf covered 3 crowns.) a gentle burnishing to remove the excess, and they were done.

this elegant old home has some of the most fabulous fixtures…i adore that our lovely client refused to change them out.  gold dolphins, baby mermaids, beautiful marble, crystal towel bars and more are all at home here.  behold:

(did i mention she likes crowns?)

« …and a bag of chips »

February 16th, 2012

only rodgers menzies could get away with handing me a gallon-size ziplock bag full of chipped paint and saying, “here you go, nancy drew!”  as you know, one does not turn down a request from the lovely mr. m., and so i packed up my glazing medium, tints, and brushes, and went to one of the most fabulous old homes in memphis to do a little detective work.

one of the dining room walls had been damaged by water, and our lovely client wanted to replicate the existing fantasy-glazed finish.  rodgers knew the base coat: benjamin moore’s dijon, #193.  working to develop the glazes from the chips of the old finish, and guided by the pattern on the current walls, i did my best.

here is a corner, before (and please excuse the color cast in this image – yikes!):

and after:

here are some other views:

not mrs. jones’s usual bag, but a very fun challenge, and for truly one of the nicest, funniest, most considerate people i’ve ever worked for.  oh, and lovely she has these fab old dining room chairs…here’s a detail of the finish:

« the writing on the wall »

February 13th, 2012

i believe they call this a busman’s holiday: after clocking in a full week with brush in hand, mrs. jones spent saturday – wait for it – painting.  we’re in the process of giving meg’s room a little teen-age girl re-do, and she chose this very awesome color, oil spill, in hudson paint’s chalkboard line to use on the walls entering her room.  (more on the room itself very soon.  the walls are benjamin moore’s evening white, #907 .  the ceiling is pratt & lambert’s demoiselle, #6.5, a most gorgeous shade of pink.)

it was so worth it…when meggie’s friends arrived saturday afternoon to get dressed together for the middle school dance, they all signed in.  cuties.  put me on that bus anytime.

(jewelry-sporting jackalope from spruce.)

« china cabinet do-over »

February 1st, 2012

it’s not all put back together yet, but here is a sneak-peek of a “groovy” (my lovely client’s word) china cabinet – a must-use bequest from her mother-in-law.  despite its grooviness, the piece is very practical, and has pretty lines and is the right scale for their dining room.  not to mention the whole mother-in-law angle.   anna baskin lattimore wisely suggested a high-gloss paint job as a fix.  here it is before:

and after:

edgecomb gray (benjamin moore’s #hc.173) is on the inside, and diplomat gray (pratt & lambert’s #33.21) on the outside, both mixed in hollandlac brilliant, with thanks as always to the wonderful emmett fiore for his expertise.

(we will have a final “after” very soon, once the shelves are back in and arranged, promise.)

here is a snippet of the fab chair fabric in the foreground:

« studio news and f.a.q.s »

January 31st, 2012

wow! the number of emails and calls mrs. jones has fielded since her contact information went up on the annie sloan websites is unbelievable, thrilling, and a tiny bit overwhelming.   since there seem to be some recurring questions, here are just a few points of clarification about the new studio set-up:

• we will open just as soon as possible, most likely in mid-february.  while i absolutely cannot wait to fling wide the doors at 889 south cooper, there is still lots of work to be done (electrician-ing, painting, cleaning, website-updating, moving, unpacking, arranging, landscaping, and – oh yes – signage) to convert the charming cottage & former beauty salon into our new galaxy headquarters.  not to mention the fact that mrs. jones refuses to leave her custom commitments hanging…i can’t begin the new until i wrap up the current, now can i?  all of which puts an unprecedented number of balls in the air rightthisminute…i know you understand.
• if you’d like to stay up-to-date on the opening date, hours, and all the retail details, please either click on “contact” above and sign up for the mailing list, or “like” me & mrs. jones on facebook. as the date approaches, there will be announcements made via newsletter (thank you tara!) and facebook posts.
• workshops on all manner of subjects will begin in april...ditto above: newsletter/facebook notifications will be made, so make sure you’re in the loop!
• we will be carrying all the current annie sloan paint colors, waxes, lacquer, and her two most recent books. also coming this spring: annie’s new craqueleur product, the gorgeous new pink (antoinette), brushes, gilding supplies, some favorite stencils, and other sundries.
• custom work will continue to be part of the mix, though on a slightly more limited basis.
• yes, there will be a party! and you will be invited!  (though it will be in april, when all the renovations are complete.  so you have lots of time to plan your outfit.)

thanks to everyone who has been in touch…i appreciate all the enthusiasm and support very much, and look forward to seeing you all soon.