Turquoise and Gold Inspiration!

With the start of the New Year I was looking for a little

inspiration for my shop and I came across this page in 

Selina Lake's Romantic Style book, one of my favorites.

I keep some decorating books around the shop for people to flip

through for inspiration and I often look through them myself.

So I left the book open to this page, but not before I called Colin

over to show him this room and mention that I loved the look

and style of this room~that I wished our shop had a bit more of this 

feeling to it.....he agreed with me, as he is an affable sort!

I had a meeting with my picker, Rebecca, scheduled for later in the day.

In the meantime Colin and I wanted to move things around 

and get the shop layout to function better for our

workshops as well as to make an effort to spruce things up

a bit after the hubbub that the year end activity had left the shop

in a bit of disarray.  Lots of clocks were painted and shipped out,

as well as books and gifts and furniture pieces being made over~

all in all the store had lost a bit of its mojo.

So this photo gave me a clear head and some direction.

 Rebecca came by and had a bunch of pretty things that I bought for the shop~
to include more mirrors and this pair of candelabras~she said they came out of a Catholic church and were from the Victorian era. They were enormous at 30" tall, and once the tapers are added they will be three feet tall at least! I had to have them~so decorative featuring wheat shafts, grapes and grapevine leaves, and lilies entwine the 5 candle holders.  Colin was busy stringing some bistro lights across the shop as Justin had done in Boston (below) with great results.

While Colin strung lights, I got busy mixing up a turquoise paint color out of Chalk Paint by mixing Florence, Provence and Pure White for a stunning blue. Our long french dining table sits in the middle of the room and when not used for workshops we cover it and use it for the painting projects like mora clocks and the mirror you can see below.  We planned to move the monster armoire to the end of the shop as it makes passage around the workshop table difficult during workshops.  I wanted to place it at the very back end of the shop behind my desk.  Problem was it weighed eight thousand pounds, and Mr. Maison Decor has had a sore back, so it was left to Colin and me to figure it out.

We would have to figure it out~but in the meantime I had that 

inspirational photo in my head and I just had to create!! 

 I have written more than once on my affection for the French gilding wax
that I sell....I just cannot tell you how important it is in many of my projects,
taking the nice enough finished result to a higher level!  I just touch a finger tip into the pot and then spread it on the surface I wish to gild. Its simple and fast with amazing results.

This is the custom turquoise blue I mixed up for the mirror.

I painted the entire thing with this blue. Then I added a watery layer of Versailles over the blue, except in the paneled area of the Trumeau.

After that, I applied clear and dark to the entire mirror frame.

Now it was time to bring it to life.

Pot of Gold!!

 Here is a rough pic of the mirror all finished~I will be adding mirror hardware to the back of it and hanging it today and will update the blog with a beauty shot as this photo doesn't do it justice. Its four feet long and huge.

 Below is a pic of the before sent to me by Rebecca.

The Trumeau mirror has a worn out wood frame with a bit of water damage and crackling, and the center piece has gold paint on it...less than stellar. I knew there were a few ways I could have taken this mirror~like a beautiful French Linen and gilding wax...but I wanted to go for that rich turquoise and gold look.

 I worked the same routine on another 4 foot wide sofa mirror she brought me which had also seen better days~its got an enchanting Bohemian quality now.

The gilding wax just picks up the high points of carved decoration and it is incredibly easy to get a masterful result just with a finger tip application.
After the mirrors were finished I went back to look at the inspiration photo~
and much to my surprise I saw something unexpected in the photo.

Ahhh, I love this turqouise and gold...but look!
There on the mantle!!

 A candlestick practically identical to the ones I just bought from Rebecca!

 Mine had the same three elements of wheat, grapes, and lilies! They also held five candles! Woah! It was like the law of attraction from the Universe had come into play at Maison Decor! At least that is what I believe.

 This was a mind blower~I had never ever seen candlesticks like this....and two hours after saying I wanted the shop to look like the image in the book, this very accessory walked through the front door. Amazing.
Does this kind of thing ever happen to you? Have you experience the law of attraction?  I'll say its not the first time this has happened to me, but each time it continues to amaze me.

Yesterday we had the most productive day! We painted and strung lights, and even got all the furniture moved around in the shop!! I will be sharing the entire thing with beauty shots tomorrow~the workshops are coming and I can't wait! I'll be teaching ten ladies on Sunday and then ten more two weeks later! If you wonder what you can expect in a Introductory Workshop I am planning a blog post that goes through it with a bit more detail.  Its four hours of action packed learning and tips and insider info that will put you in the Chalk Paint driver seat.

For more information on the Gilding wax, click here.

Antique mirrors at Maison Decor and sharing the wealth

 Mirrors and me...lets just say I love them! 

So whenever I can I try to add more antique and vintage mirrors 

to my stores. Today I got 3 mirrors to add to the inventory.

This partial frame antique gesso and wood grey gilded finish is one

I have never seen before.  The frame runs half way around the bottom with tassels on

either side and swags of roses in between the fluted molding.

At the top there is a crown with clusters of roses and a ribbon!

 This round mirror is large and measures about 28" in diameter.

 A pretty header of ribbons and roses with a crown!

 A powder room would be the perfect spot for this beauty don't you think?

 The next mirror is an art deco style antique etched floral design mirror with a bevel edge.

 Whats neat about this mirror is that there are 4 amethyst glass rosettes! 

Yeah~purple glass!! You know I love purple....

 Its got a few minor condition issues, but all in all a 

nice vintage piece with special details at a great price.

 I have two fireplace mirrors~that is what they call these elongated rectangular shaped old mirrors.

This one is in the art deco style with etching and brass rosettes and its huge!

It measures 48" wide x 21" tall.

 The second fireplace mirror is more ornate and in the French style~

its also etched but has a beautiful frame along with the rosettes.

This large mirror is about 43" wide x 41" tall and has a grey gilt finish~

its a grand reception hall mirror and came out of an estate in Wellesley Mass.

(psss...that's where all the rich folk live....the old money rich kind of folk.)

When you need an antique or vintage mirror,

don't forget to check Maison Decor! 

We have more in the Boston store too!

This sideboard is getting the Gustavian treatment~

I'll be sharing after Christmas the before during and afters 

of how you can try to achieve this popular look.

Christmas is coming in a couple of days~

we had a nice family party at my son's dad's house the other night.

(Remind me that I am past the age to wear sleeveless attire now.

Bummer because I really thought I was ageless....)

I did wear a cute white mink stole with the silver sequined top...(why did I take it off?)

I got both of these at this great little consignment shop run by a single mom.

Now that I have my own shop I realize how much it means to a shop owner 

when you give them your business~so I picked up a few items for the women in my

life while I was there~including one SPECIAL item for my MIL!!

I'll share what she got after Christmas!

The consignment shop owner told me that my purchases are 

really going to help her out with her own Christmas.

I was so touched when she said that, because I really was 

trying to share the wealth, as it were, with real people hustling 

and working hard for a living.

So remember to shop local whenever you can~

it really does make a difference.