dear readers: thank you for checking in!  it’s now official…mrs. jones’s website has evolved into a whole new version, with more fun and more function, thanks to tara, web designer extraordinare.  my blog has gotten a makeover as well, and can now be found at a new address: mrsjonespaintedfinishes.com/journal

if you click over to the journal, you will find that not only do my photos look better, all of my posts from this blog have been archived at the new address and are completely searchable. you can also sort through my blog posts by category, and have one-click access to mrs. jones’s facebook page, etsy shop and toolkit.

so, please change your bookmarks, links, and shortcuts to the new address:

http://www.mrsjonespaintedfinishes.com/journal

and come browse the new and improved site! many thanks, stephanie

lovely memphis designer anna lattimore has the table front & center in her beautifully-edited guest vignette at market central this month, too, which i am so grateful for. 

both are available at market central and etsy.

this cute little table followed me home from the nashville flea market last fall, and so a few pages from a damaged copy of the 1954 audubon field guide that featured the tennessee warbler seemed the right fit for a decoupaged treatment. here is the before and after:

after deciding that i couldn’t improve on the old layers of green and white paint on the legs and apron, they got a good sanding and sealing with varnish.  and this “portlandia” video made me change my mind about stenciling a bird on the table…so i settled for a trail of silver-leaf feathers instead.

it is available on etsy and at market central.

this new year’s, thomas was kind enough to bestow upon me an inscribed copy of his new book, the finest rooms in america.  he is just too lovely for words, and not even mr. jones is allowed to read the exceedlingly witty and gracious note that he included.  dear thomas, please come back to memphis soon.

here is the before:

(having never dissected a chair before, it was fascinating seeing what was under the dusty old uhpolstery…all those layers of stitching and padding and burlap and springs.)

  and on the subject of upholstery, since there are so many different ways you could go with these (hot pink velvet and turquoise mohair were on my shortlist)  i decided to leave them un-done, and to let the buyer finish them to their liking.   

here is the after, & some details:

they are available at market central, and on etsy.

{and they were featured on chinoiserie chic…many thanks to lovely tastemaker beth connolly for the mention!}

(i hope have the installed “afters” to show you soon.)

mrs. jones recently fielded a question on using wax as part of a painted finish, and wanted to share a little more information in case others might have the same query.  wax (as you know) is a petroleum-based product, and acts as a great sealer and protective layer on top of paint.  but because it is so, well, waxy, paints and glazes else will not adhere to it, and so it needs to be your final layer (or act as a “resist layer”…more very soon on this technique.)

it’s simple to use wax over paint to protect, add sheen, and give that old-fashioned furniture feel.  for an application like this, i love minwax’s paste finishing wax.  run the bristles of a chip brush ( the 2″ size is perfect for this, as they fit neatly into most can openings) over the wax, and then brush in quick, short strokes over the surface, following your painted brushstrokes, and bearing down to spread the wax evenly.  you’ll feel the brush begin to “pull” as it runs low and needs to be reloaded.  let the wax dry – depending on your humidity levels, this can take 20 minutes to 2 hours – and then buff with a soft cloth, like an old t-shirt, folded to the size of your hand.

the only drawback to the basic paste waxes is that they have just a hint of a pink-ish tint, which shows on white paint, and on darker colors.  over white, i prefer bowling alley wax, which goes on very clear, and is supposed to never yellow with age.  it buffs to a higher shine than plain paste wax, and is even glossier if you put on a second coat. 

tinted waxes (mylands makes my favorite, but there are other great ones available) give you wax and stain in one step.  (peek here to see a project using tinted wax on raw wood, and here for a restoration project.)  over lighter shades of paint, a tint such as raw umber, antique pine, or dark brown will leave behind a yummy patina and a nice aged effect.  black tinted wax over black paint gives beautiful depth.  brush it on as thinly as possible, and if buffing with a cloth doesn’t remove as much as you want or give the desired sheen, try going over the surface very gently with 0000 steel wool instead*. 

(word to the wise: tinted waxes should not be used on a piece that will come into contact with light-colored fabrics, since there is a chance that some of the pigment might rub off from, say, a dining room chair on to your aunt louise’s white blouse, or from the bed headboard on to that fabulous white pillow sham you just brought home.)

*one other little trick to have up your sleeve is to apply a thin, very sparing dusting of rottenstone to the surface just after you brush on the wax.  when you’re ready to buff, the rottenstone acts as a gentle abrasive, bringing up the shine and making the work go a little more quickly. it will leave just a tiny hint of dusty gray behind where you’ve sprinkled it, another great way to “age” a newly painted surface.  using a small (1/2″ or 1″) chip brush, dip just the tips of the bristles into the rottenstone, and then tap the brush gently above the waxed surface to distribute the dust.  (richard martin, long the king of fabulous painted finishes in memphis, has a signature look to his work that includes a dusting of rottenstone left in all the right nooks & crannies, and is perfectly gorgeous.)

and, finally, don’t toss your waxed-up chip brush…ziplock bag it, and keep it for next time.  the bristles might become stiff, but will soften up when you start working with it again.

 in the meantime, please forgive any technical hitches and/or glitches while things get switched over. ( though knowing tara,  it will all be smooth as silk.)

(sorry it’s a little jumbled up.)

 and after:

it’s gone from bachelor-pad-groovy to sweet and chic, i think.

the lamp had been red with gold, but was the perfect size and style for the room.  (please forgive the lack of a “before” photo.)  after stripping and priming, it was painted in bands of brown: benjamin moore’s brown sugar and pratt & lambert’s obsidian.  i gave it a final rub-down with myland’s antique brown wax.  (and immediately began craving chocolate chunk brownies.)

the pieces are on their way to clarksdale, mississippi, as the lovely expectant mother practices her breathing excercises and watches the clock.  i hope to have photos soon of the completed room to show you.