Maison Decor

Saturday, August 9, 2014

September~Back to School Workshops at Maison Decor!

You all have been asking for more classes, so here you go!

If you have already taken the Chalk Paint® Intro Workshop you can join

me in this VIP workshop, "Decorative Finishes with Chalk Paint" workshop

will be on the September class list. Learn how we make these layered

looks with depth and beauty using washes and dry brushing.

Learn my secrets on how I apply these decorative finishes to achieve sophisticated

looks on furniture and cabinetry. Only limited seating for this special class,

so sign up early if you want a spot.

This desk was an inspiration photo I found on Pinterest

and I used it for inspiration on a desk I was

working on in the shop.

It was in rough shape, so I knew a layered look would be a good fit for this desk.

Layering on the paint using dry brushing and washes led me to this point~quite beautiful.

Another example of using a wash over a base layer of Chalk Paint.

Come learn how to successfully apply this technique on your own

pieces in our Decorative Finishes with Chalk Paint Workshop !

I also have two upcoming Chalk Paint Introductory Workshops.

This is my Everything class, and gets you from zero to sixty

in four hours on all things Chalk Paint related.

We have a Maison Decor Mini Workshop on how to wax as well.

Its a one hour lesson and it is for both the beginner or the painter

who needs a refresher on using Annie Sloan's soft wax.

We offer it on a lunch hour during the week.

Shimmer and Shine Workshop will cover how to add luxurious metallic finishes

to your painted pieces using various types of products.

Foil, Gilding Waxes and Pastes, and shimmering Pearl Plaster.

Check out our Workshop Schedule and register online.

Its back to school month at Maison Decor!

We paint everyday at Maison Decor~join us and

see why our workshops are second to none.

Our summer vacation at the lake

Our family just got home from a week away at a small lake in New Hampshire. Now that we have two stores, its a rare event to take time off. But more than ever, I was ready to get out of Dodge and find some rest and relaxation. This cottage was booked in early spring and I am so happy I was able to get us a week there as it sells out early. When we vacation, we bring our dogs, so that narrows down the options in cottage rentals. We stayed at this lake before, but the cottage was smaller and it wasn't sitting right on top of the water like this one was. So check out our spot and see what we were up to last week!

If you don't know these characters, let me introduce you. Left to right: Sylvia the schnoodle, Tobey the shih tzu and Dillon our rescue bully dog. Sylvia is technically Justin and Madison's dog, but she loves being part of the pack, so whenever she can, she wants to hang with the big dog! She is very smart and funny, and will copy anything that Dillon does. I gave her a blueberry off the bush outside the cottage door and she spit it out. I handed one to Dillon and he gobbled it up. Sylvia then picked up her spat out berry and chewed it up too. Its so funny to watch her emulate Dillon. We kept Dillon on a long lead tied to the big porch overlooking the lake. Sometimes Sylvia would get tied up too as she liked to sneak away. Tobey is getting older now, so he couldn't really even walk down the porch steps, so that meant no lead was necessary for him.

Lots of sitting around on the deck took place. With that water view, it was just the place to be! Our first couple of days it felt like fall weather was approaching~not hot and sunny like it should be at the end of July. Colin joined us for most of the week and was ready to relax as well. He has started his new career job as an outdoor project manager for a Boston firm, and he now understands why people take a week to relax on vacation and get away from the stressful demands of full time employment!

We planned to do a lot of water sports since we had a prime spot on the water.

We had a pair of kayaks and a canoe as well as hubby's vintage water ski boat.

This is a shot of me getting ready to drive the boat so hubs can waterski. He LOVES to waterski! This lake is a perfect waterski lake too. Colin skied, but this year I did not. Maybe next year (hehe).

Dillon loved to go in the boat for rides. He does not like the water though, and gets nervous and starts gulping it in big mouthfuls. Hubs would scoop him up like a baby and carry him out so he would have to swim back and it was just too scary for him, so he only went swimming once. Actually all the dogs only went in the lake once. They much prefer land.

It was in and out all day long. If we were on the deck, the dogs wanted to be on the deck. If we came inside to make meals, the dogs wanted to come inside. Just like traveling with toddlers, you had a lot of checking on where they were, and letting them in and out.

A view of the lake side of the cottage with its double decks and dock.

There were two decks, one of the second floor and one off the living room,

and they were perfect for hanging out our wet towels from the day's swim.

We would enjoy the morning sun and the afternoon shade, which was perfect for cocktails and appetizers before dinner. I cooked every meal, from breakfast to lunch and dinner. We had most dinners cooked out on the grill, but breakfast was a big indoor event, with a pound of bacon every day, eggs, english muffins and pancakes or french toast! I enjoy cooking and since I am always running to work, big breakfasts are a rare treat.

The sun would come onto the deck in the morning to dry out the towels from the day before and Dillon loved to grab a spot and warm himself in the sun. Thats my coffee and cell phone and reading glasses. Waking up early, grabbing a coffee and sitting out here was just heavenly.

As the day progressed the lower dock would be filled with dogs

and people enjoying being on the lake.

Justin and Madison even spent a couple of days with us grabbing in some down time.

Justin has been working his butt off and enjoyed just kicking back

on the floating raft with a good book while his dog and our dogs waited on the dock.

Dillon in his usual chilled out postion, while Syl and Tobey were their vigilant selves.

Hubs and I pretty much stay out of the sun these days, as its not kind to our pale skin tones. We would put on our big sun hats, and cover up and hang on the porch, like this time when we were shucking corn for dinner. Dillon is all wrapped around the pole with his lead. I think we had a half a dozen leashes laying around so we could hook them all up at a moments notice.

This shot of Sylvia looking through the railings at my mother in law was so cute.

My MIL comes with us every summer and she is so easy going and

I love to spoil her by doing all the cooking as that is

what she is always doing for everybody else.

Classic summertime shots at any cottage around

here probably include sunglasses, bug spray,

magazines, and towels galore.

What a view! This is right outside the sliders to the main living room.

And right upstairs was another deck offering the same.

One thing I like to do right after getting to our summer rental is to head to the local market and get a big load of groceries and lots of fresh fruit and flowers. I love flowers on our table, its homey and pretty and I get to enjoy them all day for a week! This cottage didn't have a vase so I made do by putting the flowers into a juice container.

We ate blueberries by the handfuls and the peaches were in season

and perfectly sweet and juicy. We swam, we slept, we ate,

and did it all over again, every day for a week!

So this is our Summer Vacation scrapbook for 2014.

Now its back to reality and work and all that necessary stuff we call life.

Our lovely days of enjoying this special time will be in our memories forever.

The towels have been stripped from the railings, the ski boat trailered up,

and all our dogs tucked in for the ride home.

Until next summer, we bid this lake adieu!

Oh, did I mention I got to sneak in one quick visit to the most wonderful antique shop?

I'll share more pics of this shop and how to find it on an upcoming post this week.

How to Paint Velvet Chairs with Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan

We do a lot of custom paint jobs at Maison Decor.

One of the current projects in house is a pair of Victorian chairs

with velvet upholstery. Velvet wears like iron, its pretty hard to wear it out

and often you will find pieces in great condition, but you just don't like the color.

These chairs belonged to a young couple who inherited them from a grandparent

and they plan to use them in their dining room at the ends of the table.

However they wanted a color that went with their decor, and thats where we

stepped in....with our Annie Sloan paint brushes and Chalk Paint!

Lightly mist the surface of the upholstery with water, then paint in your choice

of color. These chairs were going from chartreuse green to Napoleonic Blue.

We recommend lightly dipping your brush into a cup of water, then straight into

the paint can, then onto the surface of the fabric. It should take two or three coats doing

it this way, so as not to overburden the fabric with thick layer of paint.

This will help reduce any cracking that a heavy layer of paint could produce.

Velvet is a lot trickier than regular fabric, as it has a nap. So work your paintbrush

with the direction with the nap, so it lays down.

In this photo you can see the first coat has been applied to the chair on the left.

Let the coat totally dry out, then lightly sand

in the direction with the nap, using #500 grit

sandpaper. Then it is time to do the second coat.

This photo shows the second coat has been applied.

The color is richer and there is none of the

green color showing through anymore.

If there is, do another layer, let dry and then sand again.

After the paint is all dried, and you have sanded the surface

very lightly with #500 grit to make it nice and soft to the touch,

its time to wax it! Yes~you will wax your fabric.

But this is going to be a little bit different than waxing a piece of furniture.

You will want to make a 50/50 blend of wax and mineral spirits

so it is light and will not overburden the fabric.

Using a plastic wine cup, I mix it up by eye, and then spread

it using one of our wax brushes.

Just rub it all over the fabric, wiping off the excess with a clean lint free cloth.

Don't leave any excess wax on the surface of the fabric, work it in,

and wipe it back, one section at a time.

It will leave the fabric looking and feeling like leather!

Here are the pair of chairs,

all set to take their place at the head of the table!

Looking quite marvelous, and oh so much

less expensive than a trip to the upholsterer!

Thats why I love to call Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan:

"Upholstery in a Can".

You can sit on it after the wax cures,

and you will not have paint or wax coming off on your behind.

I know, as I have been sitting on my waxed dining room chairs for

over a year now. Its true, Annie's paint is really special.

Potpourri Post~Don't miss it!

Its been a long time since I have blogged, so I have a lot to share.

We have been busy little bees in our shops!

Justin's shop, Pioneer Goods Co, got the green light from the

City of Boston so he is up and running now too in Boston's South End

at 764 Tremont. Its been a long road, but that kind of explains

why there has been little time for blogging.

So this is some of what has been happening:

At Maison Decor in Reading we have been doing a little redecorating around

the shop. We started by painting our giant paint cupboard. Gina gave it a paint job

with Old White using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. This just gave it a completely

different look. The cabinet was painted in a brown color that was not Chalk Paint,

and after being asked a billion times what the color was, I decided it was time to

make it over using Chalk Paint. I love how it looks now.

Very cottage, a little bit Shabby Chic

and altogether, its lighter and brighter. We kept the Antoinette color in the background

where all the shelves are. Consider using a contrast color or accent color inside

your pieces that have shelves or interiors that are seen. Its an easy way to make a piece

look a little bit more special and custom.

Here is Gina going at it. It took her about one hour to do the entire cabinet.

One coat pretty much gave total coverage! I did some light distressing

and clear wax and a touch of dark wax to finish it up.

We have been doing some custom jobs as well, including this pair

of Victorian chairs. We are not painting the frames, just the upholstery,

They were chartreuse velvet chairs and the client wanted them in a rich royal blue.

Spritz the fabric with water then start painting. I dip my Annie brush into a cup of water,

then right into the paint can and onto the moistened fabric. We did two coats, painting

with the nap of the velvet. Don't try to completely cover the colored upholstery in one

coat. Be patient and do it two or three times using watery brush to lighten the weight

of the paint on the fabric.

Gina is laughing here, because I asked her to pose for this pic and had

her scrunch down...anyway you must work the paint into any tufted areas

or between any folds. Annie's paint brush is great for this!

This photo shows the first coat completed on the left.

See how you can still see bits of green coloration coming through the blue?

That is the way you want this process to work. It takes time, but results are

no expensive upholstery job required. After the painting is finished we sand lightly

with 500 grit with the nap, then wax with a 50/50 mix of Annie's clear wax and mineral spirits.

The resulting feel of the fabric will be like leather. I will show the waxed chairs next time I post.

In other big news for our little family business, Justin's shop is finally OPEN!!!!

Here is a shot of his Boston neighborhood shop. Little iron garden fencing surrounds his store. Its so cute and quaint looking. Its on the corner of a busy street and has great visibility. We hosted an event last Friday night, a Tintype Portraiture Event with itinerant traveling photographer Giles Clement, from Oregon. It was a smashing success! Follow along with a few pics below as I show off bits of the event.

As I walked in the doors, the place was already a beehive of activity.

Giles had set up a mini studio in the rear of the store.

At the back end of the store you can see Giles camera and there he is off to the left

pouring this solution over the piece of tin that will eventually hold the image.

Its super fascinating to watch in person. This couple is about to get their picture taken.

Here is Colin posing for his portrait.

This was his portrait! I love how intense these images look on the tintype. The eyes

seem to be the central focus of the image. We had a portrait done of me with my sons and dad

too, so it was three generations. Pretty incredible. And you only get one shot, its not like digital where it can be redone or fooled around with~Giles was great at capturing your group at the exact moment.

I watched him getting kids and dogs and groups...all with beautiful results!

The tricky part about groups is that the camera focuses on one plane, so Justin reads a bit darker being in the back. Even my dad looks darker in the front, while Colin and I are lighter. Very interesting process. You watch it develop right in a tub of solution before your very eyes.

This is Justin's portrait. So handsome and his eyes are just killer in this medium.

We brought Dillon in for the event as we wanted a true family portrait lol!

He was great! So laid back but in this pic looks like he was itching to get

inside to see what the hubbub was all about.

Posing with the dog was a bit of a challenge. We had to put him up on a piano

bench, then Mr. Maison Decor had to scrunch down to be included in the shot.

Dillon was busy looking all around, and so it's amazing that Giles captured him looking right at the camera! I think tintype is why the phrase "capture" was invented for photography.

So the party and event at Pioneer Goods was a bit hit!

Thank you to everyone who came out that night

and supported Pioneer and Giles Clement. Small businesses rule!!

We had lots of families bring their little ones,

and now they will have portraits that will last a lifetime and more.

Pioneer Goods is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11-5 at

764 Tremont Street if you would like to visit.

Follow along on Instagram at PioneerGoods

for all the latest information.

If you did you would know that Pioneer is also an

Annie Sloan Stockist and we just stocked up on Chalk Paint supplies.

Justin is also head of our Mora Clock division and he and his team have done an

outstanding job on getting clocks hand finished and shipped out to our clients.

Here is one in a Rhode Island home, photo courtesy of its new owner.

Our Maison Decor Mora Clocks have had such an upsurge in popularity

and we are excited people are loving them as much as we are!

This one is waiting to be picked up by its owner. Its rare that we actually have

one in our shop as we need to send them out as soon as they are finished.

We had fun putting together a garden party dinner table setting in Reading.

Mix your vintage tablewares with modern paper cutlery placemats that we carry.

How fun is this? Its charming without being too granny.

Here are a few pics of a few more displays.

We mix in vintage furnishings like these in newly covered toile seats

with new items, like our Park Hill candle line,

for a refreshing and fun shopping experience.

There is always a new look in our shop and we cannot tell you

how many times we hear, "it looks so different in here"!

Our vignettes and accent pieces are ever changing and sometimes sell the day we put them out.

As you may know, I am a HomeGoods Pinterest Designer and this centerpiece was one I put together

using a HomeGoods metal orb with a HomeGoods floral wreath that has tiny little lights woven into the wreath with a battery pack.

I put them together on a vintage silver tray for a summery centerpiece.

Imagine changing it out with a twig wreath for the fall and some mini pumpkins tucked inside the orb. And then again at Christmas, refresh with some greenery cut from Balsam.

So easy to do and not a big expense either.