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?
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!
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