« it was grand »

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.

« mrs. jones gets framed »

April 11th, 2012

my seeking a way to display samples of all of annie sloan’s 29 fabulous colors intersected directly with my friend chris garner‘s desire to try the chalk paint and to divest himself of some frames from the “scratch & dent” pile at his shop (from where, as you know, the most gorgeous frames and mirrors come.)  it resulted in this happy situation on the walls at my studio:

now chalk paint shoppers can easily see, touch, and compare all the hues.  there is lots of fabric-swatch-holding-up going on too, which is really fun to see.

(here is a “before” of my haul from his attic:)

and just wait until you see the gorgeous moldings chris is creating with some of annie’s colors, her waxes, and a little gilding.  i can’t wait to show you.

« isn’t she lovely? »

March 27th, 2012

yes, this is she, herself, our annie sloan.  a really truly lovely lady, gifted artist and artisan, colorist, teacher, designer…chock-full of humor, honesty, integrity and generous heaps of creativity.

and i do mean generous.  she will share every bit of inspiration, knowledge and experience she has just to try to make sure your project turns out well.   120 lucky attendees and all of annie’s stockists from our region spent monday in nashville in an annie immersion.  the day began with breakfast and a meet & greet, then a two-hour talk and demonstration by the fabulous mrs. sloan.  she gave all sorts of tips on mixing colors and patterns, the history and stories behind several of her colors, and a sneak preview of two wonderful books she has in the works, along with fabrics and new hues coming in the next few months.

following lunch, we broke into smaller groups for hands-on instruction.  the day wrapped up with a sociable hour while annie kindly signed books and samples and took photos with her many adoring “sloan rangers”.

and talk about the stars aligning…annie’s nashville visit coincided with the fab fairgounds flea market.  what a treat all the way around.

« {softly} open for business »

March 5th, 2012

please don’t be blue…you have not missed the grand opening!  it hasn’t happened yet.  but with the front room (just about) ready for visitors, some of the inventory here, all my precious hens on deck to lend a hand, and people (literally!) knocking on the door for chalk paint, it seemed like the right thing to do to open the doors a few hours a week, and ease into things at the new studio. it has been wonderful to meet lovely customers from all over the region, and mrs. jones truly appreciates not only their visits but their patience too as we get all the retail bumps ironed out.

saturday, my thoughtful and industrious friends michelle and ragan “crashed” the garden at the front of the shop.  armed with an tailgate full of violet pansies (my fave!) trowels, watering cans, and the cutest blue pots – just the right color to go with the scheme – they snuck around planting and making things beautiful until i caught them:

just to give you an idea of the progress so far, here is a before of the exterior:

and the current after:

(with huge thanks to jonathan christian at signworks for his help with my fab sandwich board and sign panel, todd tice at signs first for creating the stencil for the sign and the mailbox numbers, and mark & kevin at posh for the moss in the urns.)

and here is the before:

and then the first draft of the shop…still to come: cute curtains, a chandelier, and more goodies. but so far…

(for this, i thank with all my heart my fine feathered friends cheryl, katherine, karen and catherine, without whom all this happy paint and so on would still be in boxes piled on a pallet while mrs. jones sat frozen in anticipation and fear.)

and now, off to finish custom projects for some lovely clients, call new orleans to re-order emperor’s silk, old white, graphite and louis blue, paint & clean the back rooms at the studio, sew & hang some curtains, find my adorable but elusive electrician – where is he? – and plan some workshops! see you soon.

« 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.)