Sunday Potpourri

We have been busy lately unloading tractor trailers that have delivered

home furnishing and accents to us from our trip to the Atlanta Market.  

Lots of moving stuff around and creating new vignettes in the shop.

Same thing happens when we sell a large piece of furniture.  The area

gets a makeover.  I find that very fun, and what has been really more fun

than me doing it, is watching Justin do it!  

He is just a natural at display.

(and yes his eyes are really that blue!)

This photo above Justin's pic is the after photo when he finished 

incorporating all the new goodies and the photo below is a recent before.

Both are nice, but then we got more product delivered, and he was the 

guy who put it all together.  Its just like doing your own house,

when you want to freshen it up  occasionally with new accessories,

but here at the shop, we have to reinvent things all the time.

See how there is less stuff here?

More stuff looks good in a shop, not so much in a home.

Justin whipped up our antique gilt frame chalk board with some chalk art.

The chalk boards have drawn a lot of interest, 

and I think its because they are the real deal.

We plan to offer these oversized antique chalkboard frames so if you are interested

let us know and we will put you on a list as we will be getting these oversized frames

from various sources (the big ones are hard to find).

 You can have first dibs on refusal or right to purchase when we get

these fabulous pieces in the shop.

With all the snow recently it has given me time to take on another

paint project.  This is a drop front french desk that I fell in love

with despite its need for a little TLC before painting.

Normally I don't pick pieces that need fixing up, but this one

was calling my name~so I added a little wood filler to repair some surface

issues to the drop front section of the desk.

 Its gonna be a custom job all right!  Lots of ideas in my head, 

and I decided to go for a rustic look based on a desk image 

I saw online. After painting a base coat of 

Graphite Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan, 

I did a coat of Artisan Enhancements Easy Crackle.  

This would create texture and work to 

create the old world finish I had in mind.

We sell both Chalk Paint and Artisan products online and in our shop

if you are looking for them.

You can see the Easy Crackle drying up 

after I applied it with a stippling motion over the paint. 

I didn't put it everywhere, just a bit here and there.

 After it dried I did another coat of Graphite, followed by some washing with a 50/50 mix 

of French Linen and Old White. That is when the Easy Crackle texture started to appear

and I was well on the way to that glorious rustic Gustavian finish I was trying to achieve.

Next would be the interior....

source unknown

Oh! 

This is the inspiration photo that made me want to make it nice and rustic.

Its still beautiful but its rustic painted finish makes it stand out in a nice way.

This was the desk I recently finished for a client in not such a rustic way.

It has the antique look achieved with dark waxing, but it is more polished

looking than the French desk I am currently working on.  Now sorry to leave you

hanging, but I will be back with the finished result soon.

I posted a during photo on Facebook and was contacted by someone

who may be interested in purchasing it and they would like to 

select their own color for the interior.  So if the sale goes through,

the interior will be as much a surprise to me as it will be to you!

I hope you all had a nice Valentines weekend.

It was also my birthday weekend, as it falls the day after Valentines Day.

My hubby took me out for dinner on V-day and we had a bit of fun

dressing up in our cowboy stuff on this cold and blustery night.

I am lucky to have found this guy~he is truly the best partner for me

and I try to never take him for granted.  We will be marking our tenth

year together this April!  That coupled with a mid milestone birthday for me

has me trying to make the most out of every day.  Not sure why that is~

a big birthday or a big event just makes you more aware of what is 

special I think.  I spent part of my birthday at an auction, which is

one of my very favorite things to do! 

Check out this Empire table!

 It would be wonderful in a hallway or a living room as

a library kind of piece.  Piled up with books and magazines, 

a basket to catch the daily mail, and then put a cool lamp on top!

  Wow! I can see it in my minds eye!

 It has a drawer that blends in with the

 top molding so you can hide papers inside.

 It is solid as a rock with great chunky lines.

 You will see a few other neat pieces of 

furniture coming into the shop as well as a big french piece I bought for 

our house!  I will have to paint it and do a big reveal~so stay tuned!

I am also trying to do a bit of a living room makeover, but 

am not finding the time to get as many changes as I would like.

Some new pillows and some art prints have been added,

as well as a new sisal carpet, which I really love.

However our room is a bit too small, and it is giving me a challenge on

the floor plan.  So just like anyone, decorating can be fun but 

it also can be frustrating.  Thinking  now I might need to purchase a pair

of matching arm chairs to sit across from the sofa.  But all of this

decorating dilemma will be addressed in upcoming posts, so you can 

chime in on what you think works and doesn't.

I love getting free advice!

For paint and home decorative accessories,

Annie Sloan workshops and more click on our link below.

www.shopmaisondecor.com