April 1st, 2013
way better than anything that would have fit into mrs. jones’s easter basket was a weekend visit by thomas jayne. (frequent readers already know of my unabashed admiration for him…detailed here, here and here.) thomas generously took time away from his family to greet his memphis friends and fans and sign copies of his gorgeous new book, american decoration. it’s no small feat to fit his 6-foot 6-inch frame (and even larger personality) into our little coop, but we did, and it was a wonderful afternoon.
after signing dozens of books, thomas was kind enough to speak for a few minutes on decoration in our region, and, more specifically, on the use of painted furniture (ahem!) as a potentially key bespoke element in a room’s scheme. entertaining questions in his typically thoughtful/insightful/cheeky way, he did happen to also point out that mrs. jones is not a painted lady, but a painting lady. (so there, those who think that we are teaching zumba lessons at the studio!) (he also left a note on my board to that effect. right next to a clipping about himself. as i said: cheeky.)
once we’d plied him with just a teensy bit of champagne, thomas also gave up the key to his fabulous pied-a-terre in the french quarter, where we were (coincidentally…or not?) headed the day after next. though we did not impose upon his hospitality with a prolonged stay, we were very tempted to push the limits of squatters’ rights…every inch is de-lish…an unforgettable and completely inspiring space! another post will follow soon with some of my favorite new orlean-ian color combos, but for now here is a little taste of the most perfect apartment on the planet:
many thanks to all of you who came to enjoy the afternoon with us.
By stephanie | Posted in: Family & Friends, In The Studio, Inspiration | 1 Comment
March 12th, 2013
we’re on spring break out west this week (more details coming) but here are a couple of process shots of one of a pair of armoires i’ll be finishing as soon as i get home…beautifully custom built for my lovely client with the guidance of jill sartelle street, they will house all of her family’s entertainment gadgetry. the finish is in old ochre chalk paint® with a layer of clear wax and then another coat of wax tinted just a little. gilt wax highlights the details. full “afters” coming soon, along with beautiful hardware and gilded metal stands.
By stephanie | Posted in: In The Studio | 2 Comments
February 26th, 2013
here is a quick glimpse at a mirror frame done this week for a lovely client who has just finished a bathroom remodeling project. she loves her mirror for the shape, size and scale (and mrs. jones does too) but the existing finish no longer suited the renewed space.
a quick coat of chalk paint® in paris grey was first. the color was exactly right, and the adhesion qualities of annie sloan’s amazing medium made it just the ticket for a first coat. a spotty resist layer of vaseline and paste wax followed, applied with a chip brush, just to the higher areas on the frame. then, miss mustard seed’s milk paint in typewriter, lightened up with a dash of ironstone. the hoped-for crackling and peeling happened overnight as the paint dried, encouraged along with a piece of coarse steel wool this morning.
topped with raw-umber-tinted glaze to seal and mellow the finish out a bit, it’s ready to go home again. (onsite photos have been promised.)
By stephanie | Posted in: In The Studio, Tips & Tutorials | No Comments
January 20th, 2013
new workshop topics for a new year…we’ve had a blast studying color relationships and chalk paint® at “hues/clues”…
…creating floorcloths using remnants of vinyl flooring, stencils, and annie sloan’s fabulous paint and lacquer…
…and playing with milk paint using miss mustard seed‘s palette of de-lish colors, and all the accoutrements: waxes, hempseed oil, crackle medium and burnishing paste.
{one of the things we cover in milk paint class is different “resist agents” and how they affect the paint…our clever students labelled so their boards that they can easily refer back to the techniques they like best…}
make sure you’re on the mailing list to receive the monthly workshop schedule. we don’t want you to miss a thing.
By stephanie | Posted in: In The Studio | No Comments
December 28th, 2012
as regular readers know, mrs. jones and her fellow chalk paint™ stockists are super-excited about annie sloan’s recently released work book: for your colour & paint ideas & inspiration. annie has (literally) written the book on decorative painting 24 times over, and is at work on yet another painting guide to be released this spring.
in a workshop coming up on january 5th, we are going to stretch our creative selves and delve into the work book, playing with shades, tints, and combinations of color using chalk paint™, creating our own color wheels and getting a firmer handle on which colors look best on what style pieces. there are two spots left…we’d love for you to join us!
here, we challenged kim to match the blue of these vintage ball jars from the nashville flea market. she came up with several beautiful blue/greens, and nailed it perfectly, don’t you think?
By stephanie | Posted in: In The Studio, Inspiration | No Comments
