The Maison Decor Workshop Experience

 Workshops at Maison Decor~

that's a very big thing in this family run company.

We pride ourselves on the workshop experience~we want to deliver the most

information we can so that our students can go out and paint furniture. 

 That's the goal.

Its not about just leaving with some pretty looking samples 

of painted wood.  Its not about that for us~

its about cramming everything we know 

(about painting and waxing furniture)

 into our students heads in just four hours. 

 If you want to paint your cabinets, or you plan 

to redo some older pieces of furniture to save a few bucks, 

or if you want to start a side business selling painted furniture, 

or if you have a booth or a store and you want to 

learn all there is to using this magical paint called 

Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan,

 then a Maison Decor workshop is your ticket.

It all starts with this~the undeniably magical paint 

that Annie Sloan INVENTED over 20 years ago

in England with a chemist. 

 She called it Chalk Paint® because of its chalky feel~

the thing that made this paint so different was

 that is requires little to no prepwork in the way 

of sanding or priming, and that is what holds so much appeal!  

We set up our workshop table like a country dinner table~

a spot for every registered student that 

holds paint brushes, soft rags, wood samples of various styles,

wet wipes for painted fingers, water bottles for thirsty moments

 and of course our magic paint and wax.

Within 24 hours our guests have arrived and taken a seat at the table~

most come alone, but some have signed up with a girl friend,

 mother or daughter or husband.

 And before you know it the table is a whirl of painting, 

laughing and listening as the instructions and inside tips flow~

 We have a lot of fun while learning at an intense pace.

 Read our customer reviews on our workshop sign up page online~

we are very proud of our hard earned reputation.

 Four hours fly by...

What techniques work best for which kinds of furniture? 

What about scratched pieces? 

Broken and chipped veneer? 

What to do about a piece you have painted and it has started to bleed? 

Super shiny? Ikea?? 

You will get all these answers and much more~

Trouble shooting~the workroom is the  perfect place to

 make mistakes and figure out the right way to do things.

 When I am able to look over your shoulder and analyze

 your technique and give you an answer.   

 Everyone at the table learns together as we all do things a 

little bit differently~

 Create amazing looks in this Introductory Chalk Paint® Workshop~

I call it my everything class, as this really will set you up for

 painting just about anything you plan to paint.

 Lots of attention is spent on the waxing portion~

when and how to apply the dark wax, how to use the 

clear wax~what is the difference~what are some of the 

common mistakes most people make?

 I have been painting with Annie's paint since 2011

 in my own home well before I ever had a shop. 

 I was an avid DIYer with an interior design background. 

Now into my second year of being a stockist you

 will get an instructor that doesn't hold back, I promise you that!

 At the end of each INTRO Chalk Paint® Workshop

 you leave with your painted samples and any supplies

 you have purchased, and of course the confidence

 you now have in your own abilities.  At each class I teach,

 I use different colors so our shop has hundreds of samples

 in different colors and finishes for my customers to look at when they come to buy paint.

 From fancy to rustic~

 To layered finishes and crackled effects~

 Gilded pieces in pastels and neutrals and beachy techniques,

you will see it all right here at Maison Decor!

 We offer many other workshops for Advanced Techniques too~

just check our schedule online at shopmaisondecor.com

As a Maison Decor grad you can paint your furniture with confidence! 

 We have some surprises coming soon at Maison Decor~

including a new location!!

So stay tuned for that big news as we get the details ironed out.

 We do hope to see you at a Maison Decor workshop this year~

 Where you can get your hands dirty and play with the paint!

 You can get absorbed in our world and take it home with you!

 Whether its our super popular starter class or a more advanced level class~

 The whole point is putting you in the drivers seat for creating the looks you want!

Also~look for our stores in the June issue of Romantic Homes magazine!!

 We are featured in the shopkeepers section~its due out any day now!!!

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Looking for Chalk Paint® and more?

 When you walk in the shop at Maison Decor Malden 

there is no mistake about it~

we sell Annie Sloan's famous bestest paint in the world~!

Chalk Paint®!

 It is now a REGISTERED TRADEMARKED paint~!

We are the ONLY paint that can be called Chalk Paint!!

Pretty darn cool~Annie worked awfully long and hard for the last twenty years

with this marvelous paint she invented~and now that it has found popularity

the wanna be pretenders are comin' out of the woodwork!!

So I am PROUD of Annie Sloan! And PROUD to sell her paint,

as she so fondly calls THE BEST PAINT IN THE WORLD

We sell it in Boston too at 524 Harrison Ave!

 Anyway~so when you walk through our Malden shop door you will 

always find different set ups due to the fact that 

we sell everything that isn't nailed down basically....

but at the moment I have a big sideboard that holds a

 ton of samples done in all kinds of colors and finishes.  

Many shoppers find this helpful to look through to find the

 finish they hope to recreate for their own projects.  

We have all the colors straight out of the can painted on 

wood samples so you don't have to just pick a color from 

a color chart.  If you want to go a little further you can select 

from samples that show things that have been antiqued and glazed and crackled too.

 Now that Annie Sloan has got the official registered trademark 

under her belt she has given us a new logo too. 

 Look for the circle with ANNIE SLOAN STOCKIST on it~

it comes in different colors, but the design is the same. 

 She thoughtfully made it available in different colors to

 fit different shop's decors.  I used some of Artisan Enhancements

 transfer gel to put in on this vintage frame~

 The other stuff in the shop is the latest projects we have using Annie's paint, 

like this fabric and cane backed french chair. I still haven't finished it, 

but it is at the point where it is ready for waxing and maybe something else. 

 The pretty dresser sold and will be headed out of the shop next 

Tuesday making space for new vintage pieces to display.

 While you might run across some home decor items in the Malden shop,

 we are mostly the go to place to see projects of all kinds, 

like painted chandeliers, painted furniture of course,

 and tons of things to inspire the DIYer who is looking for help, 

ideas and answers before they begin their own projects.

 One of the newer things we have added to this shop is the 

Artisan Enhancement line which works nicely with our beloved Chalk Paint®.  

 The Easy Crackle is my latest fav~and I have been 

cracking it up around here!! This is a sample board showing how the 

Easy Crackle reveals the under color of Old Ochre after

 it has been covered in Paris Grey.  I finished it off with 

Clear and Dark soft waxes by Annie Sloan to create an antiqued look. 

 The doors to this music cabinet were given the Easy Crackle treatment.

 They also got a dash of Pearl Plaster for that luminescent pearlized look.

You will get plenty of choices to pick from if you are looking 

to add a little extra character to your painted furniture. 

 Come look at our specialty samples to help you decide. 

That way you don't have to guess what it will look like! 

You can actually handle pieces of decorative wood moldings

 in all kinds of colors and specialty finishes like gilding waxes, 

pastes and the Artisan Enhancement line.

How about doing your closet doors with some Easy Crackle and Chalk Paint®?

I thought the basic white latex painted door would be a good foil for adding Easy Crackle

and then a layer of Duck Egg blue paint....look at the crackly finish!

It adds character to wherever you add it~

I have some clients who are doing  over a set of builder basic hollow core

closet doors in their bedroom right now.  The plan is to make them look like aged

antique paneled doors.  They will be doing Graphite base 

with Paris Grey and Easy Crackle just like my Music Cabinet doors.  

So stop by our shop~its more like a furniture art studio!

This Sunday I will be having an Advanced Techniques class in washes and glazes

with ten ladies~we SOLD OUT in record time....that tells me you guys are looking

to do more with what you have~and its just so easy to do 

with all of these great products and a little know how!

Our next Advance Techniques class will be using the Artisan Enhancements line.

I'll be headed out to Colorado at the end of the month for some one on one

with one of the founders of the company for some hands on learning~more on that later!!

And to wrap it up if you have an extra minute head over to my son Justin's blog,

The Brush and Pail~

he wrote about his dear old mom today. 

*blush*

For workshop information and registration go here

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This and that and Advanced Workshop schedule

 Our Boston store has a new display in the window.  Justin channeled a bit of Ralph Lauren for this one...while I was in the auction house he texted me his idea and so I shopped for a few items to add to his display.  All of these items are for sale of course.  I love coming into the Boston shop to see what's new as I rarely get to spend any time in here.  Last Saturday when the Malden shop closed, Colin and I took a ride into Boston with a few new items to add to Justin's inventory.  I couldn't resist snapping a few pics to share them with you.

 Gothic gilded mirror leaning against a great painted dresser with fab knobs.

                           A low chest perfect for a flat screen console~

 Some hand painted mugs~

Justin makes the coolest little signs and 

he displays them in white piglets.  Love his hand lettered font.

 While I am just snapping away Colin sat with Sylvia, Justin's schnoodle. She is our Boston mascot and is just a little puppy with a darling disposition.  Justin was at the gym next door working out after hours when Colin and I popped into the store late Saturday afternoon.  Little Syl was just sitting on her tiny dog bed and was so sweet! Colin scooped her up while I ran around the store grabbing a few photos.

 

Colin and Sylvia

 When we got back home Colin showered and got ready to go out with his friends~I had never seen his shirt before...it had the breast cancer pink ribbon thing on the button placket. I asked him where he got it~he told me he ordered it from a fancy shirt company and said that 20% went to breast cancer research. His friends thought it was pretty cool and they got the black polo shirts too.  The girls they meet at the nightclubs think its pretty sensitive of a guy to care about breast cancer.  Colin is just a handsome young man who actually does think about such things. I don't know how we got so lucky with him! He is a pleasure~ok, enough bragging on him...

 I finally got the Maison Decor Advance Workshop schedule started and I have decided to do it in a monthly series. One special workshop per month will be offered.  I added a Glazes and Washes class for February 17 and an Artisan Technique class for March 24 which will be all about the Pearl Plaster and other products.  At the end of this month I am headed to Colorado to spend  5 days with one of the creators of the product and I will get some one on one training time from the master of these wonderful and exciting products!  Of course I will still have my Annie Sloan Introductory workshops, two times every month. March 10 has SOLD OUT and March 17 has only 5 spots left.  Please sign up if you are considering it, as they will be gone probably by the end of the week.

 This table leg bears a smokey wash and a gilded wash...

And last but not least~

Thats my mom on the right in 1969.  She looks pretty chic in her tight bob and cats eye glasses and empire waisted shift!  She is standing next to my Nana, and then next to Nana is my aunt Cynthia, my mom's youngest sister and my Uncle Arthur. They have 2 boys and 2 girls.  Very sadly Aunt Cynthia died of melanoma when she was only 49 years of age. We miss her.  I think everybody agreed she was the prettiest out of the 5 daughters and had a matching personality to boot!  Uncle Arthur is one of my favorite uncles~he is that dashing kind of guy, tall and handsome and got charisma in spades.  When he walked in a room, he just lit it up!  Now he is plagued with an undiagnosed condition and the doctors are busy trying to figure it all out and find out how to treat him.  So if you are inclined, please add him to your prayer list. 

Hang in there Uncle Art! We love you and are pulling for you.

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What happens in a Maison Decor Workshop?

Note: New classes for March have just been added.

Sign up here.

 Lets take the mystery out of what happens at one of 

our popular Annie Sloan Introductory Paint workshops at Maison Decor.

I have a limited enrollment of ten students per class.  Before anyone arrives for the class I 

get each person's work area set up with the tools needed for the class~brushes, sandpaper,

buffing cloths, sample boards and moldings and things like that. An apron with a name tag

for each student is provided as well.  

Your job is to bring a lunch and I take care of the rest!

Most students come by themselves,  not with a friend~

so if you have been on the fence about attending because you don't have a pal to go 

along with you, don't worry as most attendees are solo flyers!  

Before the first half hour of class

has passed you will be laughing and feeling quite comfortable with each other.

Then at a few minutes before ten o'clock on Sunday morning the students 

file into the shop and get settled in for the next 4 hours of painting instruction.

  Its my intention to make sure they go home with all the information

 they need to paint and wax and create some unusual techniques as

 well as understand the hows and whys of when to apply the clear 

and the dark waxes.  What to do when certain furniture issues strike? 

These are the things we cover during our time at the table

 while we paint our way through the next four hours.

 During the Introductory class you learn how to create 4 different techniques. 

 Some of these involve interesting methods like using hair dryers 

and wet cloths and other things you have never heard

 of when it comes to painting furniture!

 Each sample board takes multiple steps to create, so we go back and forth 

between the steps and you can see the various samples 

taking shape with first and second coats of Chalk Paint­®. 

 You will get up close and personal with that scary dark wax!!

 And come to see the beauty it reveals when applied properly~

 Creating rustic and smooth finishes for farmhouse or traditional looks are on the list of things we cover.

 Its a table full of action~paint and brushes and oohing and ahhing!  

We take a 20 minute lunch break at noon and then get right back 

to the next steps on our sample boards.

 Each class I teach I switch up the colors used to make the samples~

and I also show you the latest things I  have in my shop like the fabulous Pearl Plaster. 

We experiment with the "must have" French Gilding wax by adding

it to one of our finished Chalk Paint® samples.  

This has been one of my favorite tools for furniture makeovers

 and you will get to play with gold and silver to see what your favorite metallic wax is.

 When class is over you have your own samples to take home with you.

 What I have found is that while most students have never 

used the paint, the ones that have used it before enjoy lightbulb 

moments like these:  "OH!! That's why my piece isn't as smooth

 as the ones in your shop!" or "I was using way tooooo much wax on my pieces!!"  

 No matter the colors we will be painting with, all of the information applies! 

 You will get to see the various samples done in other colorways 

to find just the right combination for your project that is waiting at home. 

 After the class people stock up on what they need for paint and wax 

and this is also the time for Q&A on specifics.  

I am glad to help you figure out color solutions or answers to dilemmas you might have.

I teach the Annie Sloan Introductory Paint class twice a month.  

That means only 20 people a month that can take the class~and it sells out months in advance.

  I just added the March classes online today~so if you are thinking about this class,

 please sign up before its too late.  Sign up online  

Look for Advanced Workshop painting classes

 and more Furniture Finishes class to be added to the selection soon.  

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