Shop Series: Creating a Garden Display area

 The shop~this is how it looks as things are getting put together,

and as each load of inventory comes in, there is reshuffling to be done.

I drew up a floor plan of how I imagined the space to be laid out,

but as with everything I do, it is an organic process 

(do you hate that word?)~

if I have to describe it, usually I just decide something like, 

"oh this is the area that I will create a garden zone" ~

and sometimes you guys will give me ideas

that I know I am going to use~

like when Nita,from Mod Vintage Life,

suggested I put my little homemade

garden house in my garden area for a display tool~

I loved that idea!

I made this garden house out of old windows~
you can see how I did it here.

Since the store will be opening up in the late spring, 

here in New England

gardening is embraced by many of us~

I really wanted to have a garden area,

and I made good headway yesterday in starting that zone.

But before I show you how I did that let me show you the finished 

mora clock in cream and old white~

I added more cream to the crown and the waxes and it looks so pretty!

 I painted this for Margaret~

I think the cream and old white look pretty together.

 I will be painting one more for Robin~

I have sold 13 clocks so far!! I get lots of emails asking

how to get one, and I am working on a better online shop,

if you are interested you can click here to get the ordering information.

alright, back to creating a garden display zone....

 The garden area will be in the front double window~and until I get 

drapery fabric that I want I decided to use this big bolt of irish

polished cotton I got at auction two weeks ago.  I rolled it out 

onto the floor and gave myself an extra foot

 of length and then cut 4 panels~

 I bought a huge lot of Irish linen and cotton and 

some had water staining~which I decided to use for my 

display~you know the feeling of tattered elegance? 

 I could throw it in the wash with clorox or oxy clean,

but I think it looks kind of cool like this... 

  Colin and I hung up a 2" antique gold wooden pole~

and I tried out one of the several panels 

I will be carrying in the shop~on the left

 is the taupe and grey toile of birds...its really pretty. 

 And on this narrow window I brought one of my smocked panels

 from home~I am trying to source these as I

 must carry them in the shop too~! 

And look at this darling wire light fixture! Isn't it cool?

Well, anyway, back to the front window~

I took the lengths of fabric and folded over at the top about 6"

 and used clip on rings to hang them from the pole~

but what happened next is what I liked the best.

I had just painted this small demi-lune

 table in Annie Sloan Versailles,

 which is a pale yellowy green.

I really love this color, 

and thought it was nice for the garden area~

so the next thing you know I am up 

on the ladder with a pencil writing out the

 words~Le Jardin~~across the window header.

 Then I took the paintbrush and pot of Versailles 

and just painted loosely over my pencil marks~

it took me 15 minutes to do this and I will be doing more words

 around the room across the wall.

Not sure yet~but maybe it will be different 

Sloan colors or gold or....I'll let it happen organically!

 (that word again).

All of my garden-ish things were put in front of the window

 and I have lots more to add, like statues and urns etc...
and later on in the day hubs and Colin would deliver a table and chair
set that is perfect for a garden room.

 Look at this terrific moss and twig garland! 

I think each roll is about 10 feet long x 10" wide.

I was going to wrap my columns in it~

and it would be pretty with white lights too.

While I was working in the shop

Betsy Speert called to check in on me, and I was telling her 

how I wasn't sleeping well, as so many things are in my head...

I got up at 2:30 am yesterday...argh! Well I wanted to announce

 that my store will offer Annie Sloan products, 

and I couldn't wait to share that news, so thats probably why...

but then I woke up again this morning at 2:30....

its like I have a newborn infant on a breast feeding schedule...

thats what it feels like!! 

Anyway I told Betsy that I had just come from auction

 and I bought a cute table and chairs, 

and she told me it is called an "Ice Cream Set"! 

Isn't that the cutest name for a cute set like this? 

I told her we would have lunch at the set

 when she comes to the shop

 after she gets home from Florida in 2 weeks...

Oh and those pink and gold luncheon sets 

(a coffee cup, saucer and lunch plate) 

were another score from auction...

I had to have them, they are soooo me!

So pretty~and how fun are these chairs!?

 Look at the rock hard flat seats~expect those to be changed out.

  Maybe a flirty little slipcover in something darling and french....

 Oh and the other thing I most wanted to get at auction

 was this gilt tole chandy with porcelain roses.  And I prevailed~

there was some chick from an Ipswich antique shop bidding against me~

and this character my friend Paul 

(who you may see here some day on the blog)

who is a lawyer/antique dealer, 

told me I would get it at a good price 

because they are sooo ugly!!! 

Well if that chick wasn't there Paul would have been right, 

but I had to have it.  Paul and I have such different taste~

he always says, "oh get this for your shop"

 and it is hideous~or he will point to a builder brass standard chandy 

and suggests, "this is perfect for you shop, 

you like chandeliers".....

I just give him the look, and he stops suggesting.

 *smile*

Look at the porcelain roses~some dolt painted them

 in red paint because they wanted red roses.

But you know what is under that red paint? 

Some are pale pink and some are pale yellow!!

They have that gradation of color too, 

so I am going to try to remove the hideous chipping off 

red paint to reveal the stunning pastel roses....

and then clean it all up and make sure all the crystals

are in place and flick the switch and fall in love!!! 

You know, I saw my bloggy friend paint her own tole chandy,

and if you love them like I do, after you have finished here,

go visit The Shingle Cottage for some inspiration!

You might follow her too, 

as she had to start her blog over from scratch.

So that was my day yesterday~see Colin smiling at me?

He knows how happy I am~and its true, I am!