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.

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.

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.

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.)

(this concludes my shameless self-promotional plug for the day.  you may now return to your regularly scheduled web-surfing.)

while mrs. jones adores and appreciates a low-lustre, matte look for painted furniture, sometimes the situation (or the client) calls for shine.  not the gleam or sheen that comes with a waxed, rubbed, glazed or oiled finish, but a truly high level of lacquer-like glossiness.

there are only two ways that i know to achieve this look…both require an oil-based finish, and therefore a ventilated, dust-free work space and a lot of patience.  these methods are at the farthest reach of the “ease of use” continuum that has  chalk paint® on its opposite end.  but when high-gloss is what you want, nothing else will do!   so here goes a little break-down for you…

key to have on hand are the primer and paint (and possibly topcoat) of your choice – read on for more details! – sandpaper in grits from 120 to 400, wood filler or brushing putty, a japan scraper or putty knife, freshly laundered fabric drop cloths (the plastic ones attract dust via static and tend to scrunch up into your wet paint, plus the fabric ones are reusable), tack cloths, a vacuum, swiffer-type dusting cloths, a new air filter for your hvac system, and a very very clean brush meant for oil-based products.

first, this is the perfect time to switch your air filter out for a clean one…your furnace will thank you!  then, make sure that the surface you’re painting is prepped and as smooth as possible.  (because you’ll be sanding and priming, your piece will not need to be stripped.)  fill any holes, gouges, or grain with wood filler or brushing putty.  sand smooth with 120 and then 220 sandpaper.  wipe down with a tack cloth to remove sanding dust.  prime with a best-quality enamel underbody, such as the ones made by fine paints of europe or benjamin moore.  sand again, moving to a finer-grit paper as you go, ending with a 400-grit rubdown.

when you are through sanding, wait an hour at least for all the dust to settle. (a longer wait is advisable, otherwise you will end up with “floaters” that settle in to your wet paint.)  vacuum or replace your drop cloth with a clean, dust-free one, swiffer or wipe down your entire work area with a damp microfiber cloth, and put your doggies outside or in their kennel-condos.  because you may have kicked up a little more dust moving things around, wait a little while longer, and then carefully go over the surfaces you’ll paint one more time with a tack cloth, removing every possible bit of grit. (when you take the tack cloth out of the package, unfold it completely and then gently bunch it up in your hand, re-bunching to expose a clean area every few passes.)

now you’re getting to the fun part…the color!  you’ll be working with either oil-based satin finish enamel, such as benjamin moore’s impervo* (which will require a topcoat of high-gloss polyurethane), or fine paints of europe‘s hollandlac brilliant (after which you’ll be done.)

(when you’re looking at paint labels, the word you’re looking for in gloss is leveling.  that means the paint, due to its solvent content, will even out or “lay down” and not hold any brushstrokes, giving a mirror-like finish.  the high solvent content keeps the paint “open” longer so that it can level, but by making it much slower to dry, it’s much more vulnerable to dust, dog hair, and other little gremlins getting in to the wet paint.)

which to use?  there is one important consideration: color.  the high-gloss topcoat that you’ll need to use has a very distinct amber tone to it, and will dramatically alter lighter colors.  if you’re using deep blue or green, or chocolate brown, or black, you’ll be fine using an enamel with high-gloss poly, and this has the advantage of being more readily available locally.   but this topcoat over any lighter paint colors will result in a noticeably-yellowed finish. so, for lighter colors, i use fine paints of europe’s hollandlac brilliant.  the hollandlac is expensive, but combines the two steps into one, and so saves you time (and the math works out about the same vs. buying both layers.)

if you don’t have a fpe dealer close by, just call emmett fiore, their colorist.  he will send you the appropriate amount of hollandlac brilliant, tinted to the color of your choice.  he and his cohorts are as fabulous as their paint, and can match any hue in any fan-deck.  no other brand has the depth of gloss that fpe does. (and mrs. jones does not receive so much as an extra stir-stick for this endorsement of their product…having tried everything out there for gloss, this is my unbiased, un-compensated opinion.)

(*putting a high-gloss topcoat over an acrylic or latex enamel has not been successful for me…but i would love to hear other thoughts on this!  i’ve always ended up with a base coat that crinkles up once the topcoat is applied.  heartbreaking, and worse – starting over! )

with a clean brush (i love the shortcut from wooster…but this is a chance to break out your best purdy or omega, too) and thoroughly stirred paint, lay the color on, avoiding excess brushing but finishing each section or surface with long, smooth strokes.  a brush that does not carry enough paint to the surface will result in a skippy, orange-peel looking finish, but over-loading your brush causes “sagging“, so take care to get a nice, moderate amount of paint on just the tips of your brush bristles…dipping the bottom 1/2 inch into the paint should be just right.  as you apply paint, brush from an unpainted area back in to the wet paint you’ve just put on…this is important, so that you won’t over-brush the paint or thin out what’s on the surface:

when you have finished, clean your brush with the barest amount of mineral spirits possible, leave the room and don’t come back until the next day.  i’m serious about this – you’ll just stir up dust by walking through, and the piece will look so beautiful you’ll want to touch it…don’t.  the products you’re using will require at least an overnight dry in between coats…walk away.

once the paint is completely and thoroughly dry, give it a light sanding with 400-grit paper. (in our memphis humidity, drying can take up to 72 hours before you can safely sand again.)  this will smooth out any little mistakes and will give the second coat a little “tooth” to hold on to.   once again, wait for the dust to settle.   vacuum or swap out your drop cloth, run the swiffer pad around, and wipe down the piece with a tack cloth.

apply a second coat of paint, same way.  if you’re using hollandlac, once your piece is dry, you’re done!  if not, now you’ll follow the same instructions as above for your topcoat: light sanding with 400, clean up all the dust, tack the piece.  with a clean, dry (no solvent/cleaner dripping out) brush, apply the high-gloss poly, taking care to make sure that you’re covering everything smoothly and evenly.  clean your brush, and step away overnight.  you may need to repeat these topcoat steps…use your judgement when everything is dry.  if you’ve missed places or it needs more protection, add another coat.

so, a quick review: sand & fill, clean & tack, prime.  sand, tack, paint.  repeat.  repeat again for polyurethane topcoat.

now, put the hardware on, put the drawers back in, and enjoy!

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.

this cute but time-worn nightstand is making the transition from a grandmother’s attic to a a very stylish 9-year-old girl’s room.  before any of you mahogany/walnut/cherry-lovers out there rush to judge mrs. jones, please keep in mind that this piece was in dire need of refinishing…and isn’t it better to have it back in use, rather than hidden away in a hot, humid attic?  i truly think so…but know that there will be other opinions.  (which i hope will be kindly expressed.)  all that aside, here is the before:

my lovely client requested a high-gloss silver finish to work with lillian’s grown-up new lilac and gray bedroom scheme.  (on-site photos with the cute back-ordered crystal knobs have been promised.)  in the meantime, here is the pre-delivery after:

this piece required a little sanding to smooth out the surface.  as you know, with a glossy finish, the smallest imperfections are magnified…that little speck of something or another can end up looking like a boulder.  so, sanding and tacking away all the dust and grit is really important.

i primed first with stix, a great water-based undercoat, and then painted on two coats of modern masters’ metallic in silver.

after another sanding and wipe-down, two coats of high-gloss polyurethane went on, for the depth, shine, and durability that lillian’s mom asked for.  the poly does have an amber tone to it (which in some environments may deepen over time) but i really like the way it mellows out the silver and warms it up a little.  it’s tricky to use this topcoat over light paint colors, but over metallics it gives a nice softening effect.  i think that the brighter look really plays up the cute details on this piece.

here is the before of a set of chinoiserie nightstands and dressers which my lovely client snagged at an estate sale in all their 1970′s yellow-and-red faux bamboo glory:

she asked to have them done in white high-gloss, which calls for only one thing: hollandlac brilliant.

which means, of course, an excellent excuse for a phone conversation with my colorist crush, emmett fiore at fine paints of europe.  {sigh.}  he is a smooth-color-talking hugely-hue-knowledgeable dreamboat, and i adore him.  in just a few days, a litre of her choice of benjamin moore’s white dove was on the doorstep, mixed in the only paint i know that you have to touch to see that it’s not still wet.  after no small amount of prep work (sanding, removing some yucky old sticky estate-sale stuff, filling grain with putty, using an enamel underbody, etc.) here is a glimpse…

my client has an excellent eye – these are going to be knockout in her guest room.

the next project is a rustic, colorful re-do of this cute corner cupboard…before:

…this lovely client wanted to keep the inside the same aged green/blue, and to use a splash of it on the outside, too, with terra-cotta for most of the exterior.  (the fabulous lindley martens assisted in the scheme.)  kim (one of mrs. jones’s very own mixologists, in case you haven’t met kim & jessica yet) matched exactly what they were looking for in annie sloan’s wonderful chalk paint® , which was then topped with annie’s dark wax for age and crustiness, like so:

the final piece on deck right now is a “granny’s attic” special, being glammed up for a teenaged girl’s room…before:

here is a peek at the after:

she chose a glossy silver finish, which i’ve done here with modern masters’ silver (over a prepped surface, primed with stix) and then benjamin moore’s high-gloss polyurethane as a topcoat.  (so, yes, you really could bounce a basketball on it.)

all the final photos, plus tutorials on both of the high-gloss finishes shown here are coming shortly – please drop by again.

thanking goodness that the world didn’t end a few days ago, mr. jones and i welcomed the new year with friends at our house for cocktails & dinner…our favorite night of the year.

it was a great chocolate-brown-and-gold opportunity to use a new stencil from wallovers to make patterned table cloths…

another pattern from stencil me in that made perfect mayan-calendar-esque placecards (on pre-cut round cardstock from michael’s – who knew?)…

to gild rocks that charlie collected for me, along with flower pots…

and for meg to dip oreos (which bear an alarming resemblance to the mayan calendar!  have you examined an oreo lately?) into almond bark and edible gold glitter as take-away treats.)

votives were dipped into modern masters‘ tequila gold paint for a sparkly, drippy rim.

as a final (cheeky!) goodbye to 2012, my pal perre created a mayan temple out of goat cheese, with red pepper jelly standing in for the human sacrifice.  hilarious and yummy!

other than a little rain and the fact that our friend john did not wear a feather poncho as promised (technical issues, i am sure!) it was a lovely night.  happy 2013 to you all.