Thursday, June 21, 2012

Pretty Store Signage~windows are done!

 Finally! My store has signage~and I was very happy
with how it came out!
Its feminine and pretty and to the point~
 My sign designer, Dave Larson, has been doing
 this for decades and he didn't disappoint.
Here he is putting on the Amy Chalmers Designs sign~
I had to take down the chandy and move the draperies.
 So while Dave was busy at the windows I was busy myself~
I had a big day of Chalk Paint™ sales and then I 
had a few minutes to play with the camera...
I noticed how perfectly the pink chandy went 
with the Antoinette and Versailles table.
Certainly has that Shabby Chic look that I love~ 
 I picked up a few things at Sally Barker's antique shop Counting Sheep.
(Besides more Chalk Paint™)
I found this perfect Shabby Chic wastebasket ~
And a pair of wonderful hold backs~!
These huge drapery hold backs are going to 
make a statement...then I got out some of my color samples
some wallpaper that was going in the antique desk....
and it all looked so pretty together.
 And finally I got to pop a can of Florence! 
Wowsers~that is some color!
I picture it with gold and dark wax and maybe some Coco...
When Dave was done with the windows I had him
take out the projecting sign so I could see how it looked. 
I picked out the color to match Henrietta~
 Its going to overhang the sidewalk like this from
 a huge French iron spear like bracket.
 Here is the bracket~really handsome!
 Hubby will hang it up for me soon.
 Until then, I am so pleased with the window signs...
the only downside is that the 
window treatments make the signage kind of disappear~
so that might call for a new design in the drapery department.
 Wherever the ivory panel crosses behind the white lettering 
it disappears~not so much when you are walking right by,
 but from across the street like I am here, it is noticeable.
But I'll figure it out...enjoying them too much right now to care!
 Dave Larson designed my business card too~and that is 
the same logo design we used in one of the windows.
 So pretty!!!
I'll share the big Maison Decor sign as soon as it gets up!! 

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Tiny Topiary Garden Arbors and Interior Store Shots


 I like gardening and I love arbors and garden ornaments 
and all those kind of things~I have seen fairy gardens in blogland, 
but didn't realize there was a fairy garden industry out there~
 On Fathers Day I took Colin to visit his dad at a big Nursery
 in Wayland Mass, called Mahoneys. They had a section dedicated 
to fairy gardening! There were iron arbors and gazebos and
 tiny benches and chairs and wheelbarrows and garden tools~
all incredibly adorable and almost irresistible. 
 At the last auction I was lucky to get a heavy plaster planter 
that looks like a basket~once I saw the tiny fairy selection
 I decided to plant a fairy garden in the antique 
basket planter using Teeny Weenies.
 Teeny Weenies are the tiny plants like ferns and such that
 they sell to go with the fairy garden things.
Its really darling~this is it before I added the potting soil, 
but now it is outside all planted up with the wire arbor added in the middle.
 So that was really fun~thought I would share what I do on my day off...
 Strategically taking pics to avoid kitchen pileups~
you can add these arbors and gazebos to any planter for a fun touch.
 In the middle of the top row is a new coffeepot in 
my favorite purple transferware~I found it though
 a facebook connection of all places!! 
Someone asked me to like her shop...and when I went over,
 there was my reward!! Mar Bailey has a lot of things that 
I like in her shop~check out her link if you are interested!
 Look at how often they put gazebos and arbors
 in the paintings of the transferware~
its very romantic I think!
My teenie weenies all planted up~
and rare shots of my house these days...
 I do love topiaries for decorations~especially good fakes like this one!
 I took some of the teeny weenies and added them
 to the zinc conservatory I have in the store.
I hope they live!!
 Back to the ranch~ I took a pic of a faded delphinium...
it reached up into my opaline chandy and it looked so pretty I thought...
 I still love that wallpaper I found at Lowes...
I will be using some of it at the store in a desk soon.
 The Lilly table sold~didn't take long, you all were right!
 My brother Paul and his GF Deanna and her daughter Lilly 
came up from Texas for a visit~they come every summer and pop 
in to see us sisters in Boston and then head to Marthas Vineyard 
to live off the fat of the land at my parents~now THATS 
a summer vacation!! Deanna and Lilly said visiting my store 
was at the top of their list! Oh yeah baby! 
 Some interior shots~I was asked to send them to someone...
 Just don't feel like I have the touch for getting good shots lately in the store..
might have to call Betsy and borrow hers...she is on picmonkey making perfect!!
 Wings and pink chairs...

 These look a little overexposed...
Hey~tomorrow I am getting my sign!! 
I was supposed to get it today but the sign guy called me 
this morning and said he propped it up to take a pic to send to 
me and it fell off the counter onto the floor and got 
a huge scratch!! ARGH!! I feel like I have been waiting forever.
Well tomorrow I am getting another paint shipment,
and I should have the new Chalk Paint color Florence!
Until then~


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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Pink and Green Lilly Table and more~

 A pretty frenchy table got a paint job in Antoinette and 
Versailles Chalk Paint™. These pieces are so fun to paint 
because they have so many details, and they come
 out so great when you highlight them~
 The before in a basic white paint job~
 Looks kind of funky~but just you wait!! I painted the doors 
and the drawer Versailles and the rest of it in 
Antoinette with a bit of Coco for accents~
 Then I drybrushed the Versailles with the 
Antoinette for a soft fairy tale look~
 Waiting for a new owner to come take her home~
just $55 takes her away~!
 I also worked on my chandelier that I bought at auction...
it was missing a few ceramic chandelier rose drops.  
You can find just about anything you need 
online now! I found these in pink on Etsy.
 Made for chandeliers, with little holes, these are
 vintage chandelier parts I bought from a woman in England~
I paid $40 for 6 roses, but to me it is worth 
it to have the chandy complete! 
 Each chandelier bobeche is hand decorated with pink and blue roses 
so when I found the pink drops to mix in with the blue drops I was very happy!

 Sorry for the flash~it makes it look a bit harsh, but I 
wanted to make sure you could see how wonderful the roses look 
hanging daintily from the old chandelier..I have a new online store
 that I am getting my Maison Decor retail store items loaded into, 
and you can find it on my sidebar when you click the pic of the Mora clock.  
I will announce it formally later on...but is looking pretty good already...
the last attempt at an online store was not so successful, 
as the company I  used was hard for me to figure out.
 My client's hope chest is all done and is curing...
and will be picked up at Sunday's workshop. It looks so pretty
 and I have many compliments on the piece. The second workshop
 is a sell out too! Happy to say~I will be instructing 7 women again 
on how to paint and wax a piece they bring from home. 
More classes as added will be found under the store link 
also located at the top of my sidebar.
 I hit an auction Saturday and scored this gorgeous heavy silver plate tray...
I thought it was coming to the store...
but somehow it ended up in my dining room!!!
 The blue opaline looks might pretty on it....
Another project I worked on during my Sunday/Monday 
off was some minature plants and tiny fairy style arbors...
I have a couple I worked on and will show you later on~
I hope you are all tapping into your creative sides and
 painting, sewing, cooking, planting or something!!!! 


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