Long post: my worker bee team~a french desk~chalk paint tips

 Team Maison Decor is gearing up for the second shop~

Colin has been the backbone of helping me day in and day

 out since late April when I opened Maison Decor in Malden.  

He has gotten so good at painting furniture, and what is really 

great is that he loves painting now, like I do. 

Its pretty zen~you get in a zone and 

paint....my picker came by yesterday and I got 4 more pieces 

from him including the best thing I have picked up to date...

but I'll be saving that one for another day. 

(Cliff hanger, right? I got that blog tip from Betsy Speert!) 

 Justin will be running the new store, Maison Decor Boston. 

 He has been commuting to Malden and continuing his training with me, 

while we gear up for that opening in just over a week.

 The latest addition to Maison Decor is Damon.  He has been a 

pleasant discovery, and I have begun training him as well~if you happen to

 come to Malden, you might get a chance to see Damon.  

He is a sweetheart and is learning the ins and outs of my wonderful 

Chalk Paint™.  He flashed his fingers at me, and I had to snap 

a pic as it is sooooo Annie Sloan logo-ish!

 I set Damon up painting a second set of wood plank 

samples in all of Annie Sloan's colors.

He is very diligent, but is new at painting~just goes

to show all you beginners can do this too!

 Look at all those samples...Tip:  we wrap brushes in foil until 

the second coat, as this paint dries in 15 minutes!!  If you are gonna take 

a break from painting, wrap your brush up so it doesn't get crunchy.

 Colin is using his favorite color, Old Ochre on the new french desk.

 I want to add some touches of Versailles and gilding to this 

piece so this should appear all finished very soon.

 Here is the first coat of Chalk Paint®. 
  How does it look?? Not too great?  

The reason I am showing you this shot is because this is how your first 

coat should look~total amateur hour! I want to see the brush strokes, 

with a light coat...not a big thick heavy first coat. Your second coat 

will go on so nicely and cover those bare areas from the first coat.

 Colin in the zone....

 The piece Justin is working on is the Lions head chest~we were 

taking off the hardware and removing all the drawers to find this 

broken bottom panel on the bottom drawer.  Sometimes you get 

these little challenges and set backs...but we removed it and will 

replace with a fresh cut piece of luann that will slide into place like a glove,

 and then anchor it with small brads. You can get luann at Lowes or 

Home Depot~so take the time to do it right, and you will be happy you did. 

This piece is going to be straight up Graphite~and it is going to 

make a handsome chest with that original Lion's head hardware.

 You can see the edge of the chest here...if you walk in our shops 

you will catch things being painted and decorated with stenciling or gilding~

its the perfect time to see how Chalk Paint goes on, or watch us wax a piece. 

 This petite settee with the lift up bench was done in Provence. 

I adore this cheerful blue!

 I romanticized the church pew ~its waiting to be 

waxed today and then headed to Beantown!

 I found this solid wood carved horse head that was made

 into a lamp 60 plus years ago...well my picker 

found it and I think its amazing!

Its pretty neat~can you imagine this in a study with a great lampshade?

The wiring is beat, I have to enlist Mr. MD's help to rewire it.

 Loaded up with new brushes for the shops...I added a fine

 stiff white bristle brush to the line

and its been excellent for gilding work, lettering, or when trying to 

add Chalk Paint™ onto a defined 

space, like the French desk that I will be detailing. 

 Of course the Ultimate Wax Brush is just that~

 I had completely sold out last weekend~

and am glad to say they are back in stock!

I recommend washing your wax brush when you are retiring 

it from use by using Dawn dish washing

detergent and very warm water, rinse and pat dry 

with paper towels, then air dry. 

When I am doing a project I keep it moist and supple

 by storing it in a neoprene glove.

 Hey look at this darling itty bitty coffee table! It has a lift off glass top~

I would love to decoupage a map 

or something on the table top, but Justin had a better suggestion. 

We will print off some old images of the Boston neighborhood where

 Maison Decor will be, and just place them under glass. 

That way if the buyer would look to customize the table

 for their own look it won't be a permanent fix.

 Oodles of clocks are arriving today~this one is getting its wax job 

this morning and will be shipping out soon. I have a custom order

 for a wedding gift clock (cool idea!) and two more in the pipeline.  Colin

suggested we paint up a bunch and have them on the 

tall walls in Boston, and I think its a good idea.

The boys brought in a few pieces yesterday~I have not been

 in the shop since last Monday.  The floors came out a bit spotty 

because we used the eco-friendly water based polyurethane 

and they dry so quickly that a haziness can result...but overall

 I think they look great! Behind the buffet cash station

 you can see the sink area~I plan to skirt it with burlap.

My idea is to stencil this burlap first...

another first for me with Chalk Paint®.

So thats the latest from my neck of the woods~

have a great weekend and if you go to the SOWA vintage market in 

Boston this Sunday on Harrison Ave, stop in and say hi!

We are right next doors!