April 8th, 2013
annie sloan and her teams on both sides of the atlantic do not mess around when it comes to training, support, and showing their stockists the love. along with “key personnel” kim and jessica, i spent a fantastic week in new orleans soaking up enormous heaps of great information on creativity, painting and the business thereof. during the couple of short breaks that we had, we made mad dashes through the french quarter, the bywater, lakeview, and the university district uptown, literally snapping photos on the fly…jessica, our native guide, knew all the shortcuts. here are some of my favorite color combinations sported by the fearless new orleanians…
but in their fierce climate, the colors don’t stay vibrant without occasional upkeep:
as you know, new orleans is a complete sensory feast…so much to see, smell, taste. hearing music is a big part of the experience there as well…
the annie sloan unfolded gang created a treasure hunt through the shops and galleries on royal street for us one evening, ending with a private party at the presbytere (and crawfish etoufee and bread pudding. divine.) my favorite (non-food-related) stop of the night was at bevolo, where we chatted up a fedora-clad artisan making copper lanterns.
before leaving, we were able to squeeze in a visit with nadine & simon blake (completely lovely mutual friends of thomas jayne’s) whose wonderful shop on royal street is full of goodies for the home. we knew right away that we loved them…how can you not have a crush on someone whose command center includes a pink rotary phone, and carries the cutest canine-related things?
i hope that spying these god’s eyes will bring us luck, and another trip back soon.
By stephanie | Posted in: Inspiration | 1 Comment
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
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
November 26th, 2012
in her new retail endeavor, the most dangerous category of purchasing for mrs. jones is books. (last week, i thought it was possibly stencils. the week before, brushes and knobs. but now, i am certain it is books my banker should be concerned about.) (not, however, if you lovely people come and buy some. and did i mention we have them wrapped and ready to go, for your gift-giving convenience?)
miss mustard seed’s inspired you, annie sloan’s work book: for your colour & paint ideas & inspiration, home by novogratz, and young house love have joined good bones, great pieces, stencil it and annie’s other recent books, quick & easy paint transformations and creating the french look on our shelves. more titles are on the way, including paris in color and thomas jayne’s fabulous new american decoration
(one copy of which, recently arrived via fedex, is completely priceless:)
but my amazing mr. jayne has promised a book-signing party this spring here at me & mrs. jones, so you will be able to have an inscribed copy too.
here is a sneak-peek at a couple of the fun tidbits inside annie’s interactive work book:
she has created corresponding pinterest boards too, so that you can join in the virtual/visual conversation with her.
you’ll also find a stack of books that are on hand at the studio purely for your browsing enjoyment. on open days, you are welcome to come by, fix a coffee or tea, and make yourself comfortable with one of these.
By stephanie | Posted in: In The Studio, Inspiration | 1 Comment
October 23rd, 2012
have i mentioned lately how many nice people come through the door at 889 south cooper street? most know exactly what they are looking for, but some wander in, curious. one such lovely browser lately was brit mcdaniel, whose soft-spoken & petite package holds untold amounts of energy, passion and talent. after prying out of her that she is a ceramicist and artist, kim and i talked her into unpacking her tote so that we could see some of her fabulous work. she obliged, and since we gushed over the bag itself, gave us a short screen-printing tutorial as well…what a total doll!
a selection of her ceramic pieces will be carried exclusively at spruce shop, and will be featured at their holiday open house party next friday night. she’ll also be at the porter flea in december. we’ll be so proud to say that “we knew her when…”!
By stephanie | Posted in: Finds & Faves, In The Studio, Inspiration | 1 Comment
