Journal – Page 4 – me & mrs. jones

has anyone seen the remote?

August 24, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

in searching for an idea for a swank tv concealment device, my clever, resourceful & exceedingly lovely client clipped this from a recent issue of veranda:

her newly-remodeled living room has a more saturated color scheme, and so she requested a custom blue. after her carpenter finished…

…i mixed a blue/gray and laid it on over a ground of buff white:

a quick coat of clear wax followed by dark brown tinted wax softened up to almost a glaze-y consistency went on top:

as a final touch, a bit of gilding wax was added to the little corner medallions.

mr. jones and i had a blast on saturday night at ragan & lon magness’s knockout moon lake, mississippi home, thoroughly enjoying one of the series of sold-out artafactor dinners, benefiting artsmemphis…an organization that (it goes without saying, i’m sure) is dear to my heart.

after a cocktails-in-hand boat ride, betsy brackin painted…

…and everyone got a good, healthy dose of the delta blues…

…as the sun set over the lake and delicious nibbles were passed. a terrific three-course supper of southern favorites prepared by chef emma lincoln was served in the breezeway. as a final, generous gesture of wild abundance, guests did not have to choose a dessert…they could have both. that is truly mrs. jones’s kind of party.

we were so lucky to get a ticket. attendees at all the dinners get a bonus – an invitation to the fabulous wrap-up party in november on the river in downtown memphis. can’t wait!

bravo to the magnesses and to greg baudoin, the artafactor chairman, for creating such a memorable night.

workshops

August 18, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

we need to re-name this concept…because, other than having to wash a few brushes afterwards, workshop days at the studio really don’t feel a lot like work. all summer, the loveliest groups have come to learn all about painted furniture techniques, stenciling, gilding, decoupage, and more…

…and to teach us a thing or two, too. what happens at workshops stays at workshops, though – we have sworn not to reveal any of the fabulous secret junking places, chicken recipes, and other secrets that our students have shared.

for those of you waiting for spots to open up: please keep the faith! we will be adding more courses to the schedule every month, and look forward to seeing you soon. in the meantime, make sure you’re on mrs. jones’s mailing list so that you receive the calendar & newsletter every few weeks.

still the king.

August 15, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

in honor of elvis week here in memphis, we’re celebrating at me & mrs. jones with a little giveaway. when you purchase a quart of chalk paint™ in pink cadillac pink or blue suede shoe blue (which all the rest of the year are known as antoinette and aubusson) you’ll receive a pair of our handy utility brushes…our way of saying thank-you-thank-you-very-much.

{and if you need a guide to all things elvis to get you through the week, or you’re a memphis music fan, click on the photo above to get more information about the app my friend sally walker davies and i created (with graceland’s blessing, natch) all about the king.}

sunflowers everywhere

August 15, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

a lovely client had this solid pair of dressers custom-built. they are very well-made, and will last forever, but the finish was not what she had hoped. savvy nancy stephenson, (who is consulting on the interior design) paged mrs. jones to see about a plan b. here is the before:

and the after, painted in a greige and rubbed down with both clear and tinted waxes:

nancy and her lovely client chose this fabulous hardware to finish things off:

on a separate but coincidental note, it made me so happy to see all the sunflowers in bloom this weekend at shelby farms park.

snippets

August 11, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

i hope you’ve had a wonderful summer – but oh my stars, where has it gone? and how can school be starting monday? between camp drop-offs & pick-ups and all the attendant laundry, a lovely week at the beach, teaching some delightful groups in workshops and projects at the studio, there has been too little time for custom work. here are peeks of a few recent pieces, with details coming soon…i promise!

the sound of the wind

July 11, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

and the sound of the sea

make me feel happy

just to be.

this has been the best week ever…time on kiawah island with my family to catch my breath, wiggle my toes in the sand, and count my blessings.

even though the young joneses staged a small revolt on “picture night”,

it all turned out in the end.

hybrid farm table

July 6, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

here is another table created by my neighbor, gary (the salvage king), from around the corner at gary’s antiques. using a set of reclaimed legs, he built a table for me to use in the classroom at the studio. (it also comes in handy when friends come to lunch.)

here is the before:

kim used a dark gray as a base coat on the top, and did a fabulous job on the apron and legs with off-white and a dark tinted wax. i added a little water-spotted wash on top using a soft blue, to give a sort of weathered zinc appearance.

to create this look takes a little bit of trial and error. working one plank at a time over the dry gray paint, i brushed a mix of 50% blue chalk paint and 50% water across the surface, using a 3″ chip brush and long strokes. where the ‘wash’ layer needed a little more softening or blending, i pulled it with a soft t-shirt rag, giving a strie look. in some places, i spritzed the wash with water, allowed that to sit for a minute, and then gently patted those areas with cheesecloth, absorbing the excess water and creating spots.

kim finished it off with clear wax, some streaks of brown wax, and a good buffing.

let me see your stencil

June 27, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

once upon a time, mrs. jones was a timid elementary school student, terrified of two fierce, alpha-type classmates: the l____e twins, katie and consetta…a two-girl gang. to this day, it galls to think how many times (and how quickly!) my mid-day meal funding was surrendered to them…and all it took was a snarled “let me see your lunch money.” writing utensils and other items were taken in the same manner: “let me see your pencil“, or whatever the object of desire might be.

i feel much safer now, (though after checking mugshots.com, not safe enough to use their last name!) the best revenge being not having not missed a single lunch since, and having done my level best to make the world prettier, one renewed surface at a time. i do wish that i had the chance to say to them, “well, let me see you stencil!”

the laugh would be on me, however, as even the l____e twins could – when armed with one of the following, and the correct brush – add fabulous patterns to their surroundings with some of these:

perhaps even bring them to a happy enough place that they would return all my old #2’s.

in the meantime, please drop by the studio and take a peek at these, and more, in person. don’t see something to fall in love with? stay close…more selections are on their way.

scullery table

June 20, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

do you remember the feature in domino – “turn this outfit into a room” – where the editors would choose a stylish ensemble and challenge a designer to turn the elements into a room? well, this ad from elizabeth locke has been at the top of my tear-sheet stack for a while, and so i decided to play a version of the domino game with it.

this sweet old table came from one of my favorite junque-ing stops, gary’s antiques. it was perched out in his parking lot, missing its leaves, and had a broken faux-brass foot. the top was in terrible shape, with the old varnish coming off in huge flakes. with rain headed our way, gary was willing to make a quick bargain, and the deal was done.

here is the before:

kim and i decided this would be a perfect chalk paint™ project to team up on, and that it might be fun to follow the look of the ad and go a little over-the-top feminine, since this is often where an impromptu sort of tea party happens when clients or students are at the studio. (it’s also where you will find the wine or the gin & tonic bar at an evening event here. take note.)

after sanding the top to remove the peeling varnish, we began to apply old white…but the stain, having been released from its vigilant old topcoat, bloomed through. (which is something that has happens on occasion with pieces of this vintage, and with all other sorts of paint too – casein, alkyd, acrylic…it’s a stain issue, not a paint thing. and if it happens to you, it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong.)

two quick coats of clear shellac sealed the stain back in its place again, and after another light sanding, the old white went on without further fuss.

using arles and the large allover brocade (one of my favorites from royal design studio), i added a little pattern on the top.

kim painted the pedestal base in old violet, a nice complement to the arles, and i ran a stripe of it around the edge of the top, too, as an undercoat for a band of distressed gold leaf.

waxed and buffed, it’s now in service in the scullery at the studio, and gary can’t have it back. ever.

free association…the florence version

June 19, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

quick! when mrs. jones says “florence”, you say…

…alabama?

…miss welch?

…italy?

or, perhaps…a new chalk paint™ color from annie sloan?

she has taken her rightful spot on the shelf…

has pride of place on the wall…

and looks extra-fabulous with a little wax & gilded highlights.

so now, what do you think? malachite? peacock feathers? renaissance artwork?

please stop in and meet her soon!

(photo credits: florence welch from young.hip.scene, florence, italy from greenwich mean time.)

having a bad chair day?

June 15, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

what a fun workshop today…four lovely students brought challenging chairs to make-over. here are the befores:

they chose a paint finish to learn and apply that suited their style and played up the details of their particular piece, and got right to work. after lunch (and giving the paint time to dry), each waxed and buffed her chair frame, and then chose a stencil and fabric combo, nailing down the fabric-painting process perfectly after just a short tutorial…did i mention this was a gifted class?

here, karen uses the double-overlay roundabout, a favorite from cynthia davis’s wallovers line:

(did i also mention how much i love our new stencils? these are just a few of what we have to offer…)

everyone there was just wonderful…i love my students! these adorable sisters were such a treat to get to know. linda (on the left) won the prize for student traveling farthest, hailing from windsor, ontario. {yes, with her chair.} she and diane (on the right) have a whole weekend of painting planned.

our special guest speaker arrived mid-afternoon…my darling friend, the covered-up-in-clever lauren anderson stone (she of gathering moss and crazy upholstery skills) stopped in to instruct the group on finishing up their chair seats with professional polish. power tools were involved, as was a staple gun, but it was mainly lauren’s expertise and experience that got the job done.

finally, the almost-afters, and the details:

diane chose gray washed over with white, and dark- and gilt-wax accents.

linda’s caned-back beauty got new life with blues, reds, dark wax, and pewter touches.

debbie used an antique white paint to create texture, and dark wax to highlight the details on her chair, while karen employed a rustic finish in a happy green with dark wax, which contrasted perfectly with her modern stencil choice and played up the circular motifs on her piece.

a job well done by everyone! mrs. jones has put all four on the honor roll.

are you picking up a vibe?

June 9, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

mrs. jones will confess right here, right now, that she is very jealous that kelly wearstler came up with the concept of a vibe tray first. do you think she would mind very much if we referred to these xxl tear sheet displays at the studio as “vibe boards”?

the boards themselves are bargains from the pottery barn outlet. we painted the frames in chalk paint™, old white. i owe a huge favor to my super lovely friend, karen, who was able to defy gravity and help kim and me get these on the wall, securely and perfectly level!

(just in case you’re wondering what the crazy little handwritten tags are…i’ve tried to approximate the closest color in annie sloan’s chalk paint™ palette for some of my favorite looks.) (so maybe we will call them “get the look” boards and not tread on ms. wearstler’s snazzily-shod toes.)

let your flag fly

June 5, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

i know, i know…but it’s hard not to be a little giddy over the queen’s diamond jubilee today, especially when you get invited to a fabulous tea to celebrate…it’s always a treat to be a guest of the runaway spoon herself, my talented & fun friend perre magness.

elizabeth regina may not technically be my monarch, but as a confirmed anglophile it’s been fun to celebrate as if she were. since i became mrs. jones in a dress shipped from laura ashley in london, am a stockist for annie sloan, who’s based in oxford, am being buffed up by a book editor from brighton, and have these new union jack stencils in stock at the studio, too…

…couldn’t i just play along today? i pledge to be 100% american again by the fourth of july at the latest.

two lumps, and extra marmalade on my scone, please.

god save the queen!

pine hutch before & after

May 22, 2012 by Mrs. Jones Admin

you won’t believe (and can’t see from these photos) how cute this bedroom for twin sisters is going to be. selena mcadams and our lovely client chose happy, juicy shades of pale lilac, plum and orange to give precious 5-year-olds a fabulous room that truly can grow with them. tufted, upholstered bed nooks, a vintage chandelier, tribal-print rug and fun folk art are all part of the scheme. (photos of the finished room have been promised!)

for their reading and arts & crafts area, their clever mom asked to re-purpose this old pine hutch. here’s the from-the-garage before:

(at some point, a little trompe l’oeil chicken wire/plates & books still life was added to the door. my lovely client was ready to see that go.)

selena chose benjamin moore’s cabernet (in satin impervo) with a touch of faded gold lining (antique gold rub & buff applied with a small brush) to detail the edges. as a little surprise for the girls, we gave the insides of the drawers a freshening-up with annie sloan’s chalk paint™ in barcelona, and then sealed them with a satin polyurethane so that they can be wiped clean in the event of an inadvertent glitter glue explosion. here is the almost-after: