Christmas Ornaments pretty enough to make you swoon!

I love all the luscious colors of our Christmas Ornaments this year.

It’s a combination of The Whistling Elk meets Little Paris!

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Chester, NJ Craft Show!

christmas preview

Getting ready for the Craft Show in Chester, NJ this weekend.

At The Whistling Elk - we always put a little Christmas out….a preview of what’s to come.

The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ

Of course we are stocked full of design ideas, home decor.  Little Paris is all decked out too.

We have a large selection of great clocks right now…

Bobeches, candlesticks, little fleur de lis ornaments and golden crowns….

so many little treasures!

clocks

Here’s our clock wall!

this is my 22nd craft show weekend….wow!

I love glittery trees and jeweled frames…so we have plenty!

But we still have a lots of italian frames, little books and pretty flowers…something for everyone.

A beautiful new ottoman just showed up this morning…the trucker brought it in the pouring rain.  That was fun!

It’s so cute with little french legs – ooh la la!

Schnadig Beau Banc Ottoman

L O V E !!!

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Love at first sight

I fell in love with this little table while out searching for antiques….

Its not old - just cute with great character!  It’s oval about 16 x 12 and was already painted with Annie Sloan Paris Grey.  It also has a marble top – black with a little pink and grey.

As soon as i saw it i knew i was going to paint and gild it!  It was just a matter of what color…

oval table detailed with annie sloan chalk paint

So naturally i did paint it – it wasnt even in the shop for 24 hours before it got a makeover!

So here “she” is wearing some Annie Sloan Henrietta over Paris Grey….and then rubbed with some silver gilding wax and some kings gold gilding wax.

Voila, so Little Paris!

oval table with annie sloan paint

Here’s some detail shots…who said you cant mix silver and gold accents????

oval table rubbed with silver and kings gold gilding wax

oval table paris grey and henrietta

It’s important to remember that you dont have to paint perfectly – when you are distressing it gives you a certain lattitude to be a little free…

I am so enjoying painting!  I had forgotten how much fun it is and what a great creative outlet is can be.

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Annie Sloan Chalk Paint – the marathon continues

This little table had a dark wood top…it really had style with those cute legs so I decided to just paint the top with some Annie Sloan Pure White.

I left the legs the way they were – so here is the table with the Pure White on it.

Table with Annie Sloan Pure White top

I waxed it with the clear wax and then applied a little dark wax then distressed it.

Last i hit it with some of the gilding wax then distressed it some more…

Now it has a whole new life!

Love it!

Small Painted Table – Annie Sloan Chaulk Paint

I also worked on this standing mirror…it had a lot of “design” potential!

One of the reasons i selected this piece to paint was because of the beautiful wood carved crown at the top…

and the way this mirror resembled a “boiserie” panel…

The way i envisioned painting this piece i knew that its architecture would  be greatly enhanced by using two colors to create a contrast.

I knew that using an alternate color on the crown and on the inset panel would work beautifully

and that connecting them by hitting part of the molding with the contrast color would be very pleasing to the eye.

So, i decided to use Paris Grey and Pure White.

Here’s the crown with a little Paris Grey which i purposely slapped on so it didnt cover all the dark wood.

Later i put some Pure White sloppily over the Paris Grey – i didnt care about covering since i knew i would distress it heavily later.

Crown Top of Standing Mirror with Paris Grey coat of Annie Sloan Paint

Originally it was also part of my plan to highlight this piece with some gold wax accents.

  However, a customer came into the shop

while i was working on it and asked me not to put the gold on until she saw it finished with just the white and grey…

she thought it might work for her  just that way…so i will have to wait until tomorrow when she comes in to see whether it will go home with her sans gold wax..

Here it is BEFORE distressing…

Standing Mirror in Paris Grey and Pure White before distressing

I painted the body of the piece all Pure White then applied the Paris Grey over only the molding and on the inset.

I did that because i knew when i distressed it i would get the dark brown and the white thru the grey.

Annie Sloan Paint on Mirror before distressing

Here is the boiserie mirror after distressing…I am just dying to highlight it with gilding wax!

Standing Mirror wearing Annie Sloan Chaulk Paint

Here’s some close ups of the details of the newly antique mirror!

Standing Mirror Top Detail

Annie Sloan Paris Grey and Pure White

When i am painting i find myself working on a lot of projects at once…

if i have a can of paint open i generally use it on as many pieces as i can so i dont have to open/close the paint, clean the brush etc.

it may be that i am just lazy…. but i think its a good idea to use the paint on something else while the can is open…

so here’s a little mirror that i also worked on!

Oval Mirror Before Annie Sloan Pure White

This distressed mirror was a brownish/cordovan kind of a color with some gold in the corners.

I just went ahead and coated the whole frame with Annie Sloan Pure White, Clear waxed it, distressed it and then

hit it with some of the gilding wax.

Oval Mirror Annie Sloan Pure White Chaulk Paint

Here it is all done and ready for me to put in Little Paris so perfect for my shabby chic shop!

The Annie Sloan Chaulk Paint has been a pleasure to work with and i am loving

all the new decor created…a very good product for interior design!

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The Great Annie Sloan Paint Experiment

I decided to experiment with the Annie Sloan paints…

so i bought some Paris Grey and some Clear Wax and have been painting everything in sight for the last couple of days…

out in front of The Whistling Elk in the courtyard.

Round Table Painted with Annie Sloan Paint

This is actually a before shot….

The bottom legs/skirt etc has  been coated with Annie Sloan “Paris Grey” while the top has an old coat of a beige tone benjamin moore paint on it.

Originally this table had a dark stain on it.  It has been hanging around for a while and was pretty beat up.

When i selected it to experiment with i thought it might be fun because when distressed it would show the dark stain thru the beige…and the Paris Grey.

Annie Sloan Paint

I also selected this table because it has nice detail for painting.  The top has a raised pattern to it around the edges which

is separated from the center by two circular grooves which i plan to gild. And, the little finial

at the bottom of the leg stretchers is screaming out for gold…

So with my design plan in my head and the brush in my hand, the Annie Sloan paint went on easily and covered well…waxing was easy too.

Painted Table with Fleur de Lis

After sanding the table and distressing it to the level i desired i painted a fleur de lis on top with some antique gold paint i had around

and also put the gold in the round grooves and on the outer edges of the table.

Then i waxed it again…

The next day I sanded it down again, distressing the gold paint and the fleur de lis.

I sanded some spots down to the very dark stain but decided i didnt like what i had so repainted/waxed some spots and re-distressed.

I actually really like the soft beige coming thru the Paris Grey.

I also decided not to distress to strongly overall as i liked the softness of the look.  So, when i was satisfied with what i had i  waxed it one last time.  The next day i buffed it out.

Annie Sloan Paint – Table and Chairs

I had these two upholstered chairs so i painted and distressed the chair legs to go with the table!

It was easy – paint, wax, sand/distress, wax….Voila!

So Very, Very Shabby Chic and perfect for  Little Paris!!

Painted Table and chairs

here’s what the chair legs looked like before…

Annie Sloan paint on chair legs

So the bottom line is that i am enjoying the whole process and having lots of fun with the Annie Sloan Paints!

Stay tuned because i hateto waste time so have been painting on other little projects which are coming along…

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Gift Wrap makes Interesting Wallpaper

Wrapping paper makes great wallpaper collages….it’s fun to design a room around it!

We used it in Little Paris on an accent wall – it was easy to apply and easy to take down…..nice…

wallpaper

This paper comes in large sheets and i love the way all the colors work together!

wrapping paper

You can frame these individually as posters….

a very inexpensive way to decorate your walls!

la tour eiffel wrapping paper

In fact, its more rare for us to sell these papers at The Whistling Elk as gift wrap than it is for wallpaper or posters!

statue of liberty wrapping paper

map of rome gift wrap

paris wrapping paper

gift wrap collage

wrapping paper

This one is brand new….a combination of labels, stamps, postcards, and pictures….lovely!

 

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LoLLia…a personal inspiration for interior design

At The Whistling Elk we take our scent seriously…no…seriously!

We LOVE LoLLia

LoLLia Wish – Shea Butter Handcreme, Perfume, Candles, Shower Gel and Soap

And who wouldn’t…it fits with us perfectly…

the packaging is beautiful…

its brimming with  quality ingredients – like Shea Butter

and it is deliciously scented!

LoLLia Believe handcreme, soap, perfume

We showcase our LoLLia  products on an elegant Habersham Palais Dining Table

but it doesn’t matter where we put them – they still attract Attention…

The colors of the packaging are reminiscent of our Little Paris - very girly and shabby chic

with patterns, florals,  crystals and soft colors.

LoLLia Calm handcreme, bath gel, soap, perfume and candles

LoLLia fits with our sense of interior design – it will beautify your room decor,

sit on any vanity and elevate it and maybe even provide the  inspiration for a room do over with its color palette.

Our testers for the lotion are always crinkled up from being used and tested

and we like that!

These sad specimens are about to be retired…

But happily we’ve got more!

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Desk ? Vanity ? Identity Crisis makes for elegant, sleek design

This amazing piece of furniture arrived on Friday. 

Note to Self Desk...or Vanity

It came along with the sofa that i recently blogged about…you know the one i waited all day for…that was so late in arriving…

I was so excited about the sofa that I didn’t unpack the desk right away. 

 Yesterday we brought it up to the shop floor of  The Whistling Elk  and put it together.  It’s gorgeous. 

Vanity or Desk elegant and sleek

Top down…its a beautiful desk…

Raise the top and voila its an amazing vanity with a beveled mirror!

No real identity crisis here – just imaginative design. 

The legs are metal with a silver finish that looks fabulous – sleek and elegant satin finish French legs.  OOh la la!

The entire top is ivory with a patterned art finish in a soft gray which resembles wallpaper.

Vanity / Desk with slide out shelves on sides

 Originally I was thinking this piece would be placed somewhere in  Little Paris as it looks very French and very sophisticated

but it’s going to look amazing anywhere in the shop or in your home for that matter! 

When  I purchased this piece of furniture I must have been in  a hurry or something because i didn’t realize that the middle section of the top was hinged

 and raised upward to reveal a beveled mirror…creating a vanity.  I must be slipping…I did order it from a catalog picture — something that i RARELY do. 

 But all’s well when its a happy  and beautiful surprise.

Desk top seen from the back

The name of this desk/vanity is Note to Self….how appropriate!

Wallpaper Pattern on top of vanity

What a beautiful and clever design which will elevate the décor in any room.

Note to Self Desk Vanity

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Shabby Chic Sofa is sheer elegance

off white shabby chic sofa

Friday we got a new sofa for The Whistling Elk shop floor!

 Its very beautiful and comfortable and has that shabby chic appeal which means it also works for Little Paris.

It’s sheer elegance for your home!!

The main fabric is an off white and the decorative pillows have  embroidered designs in icey blue.

pillow with embroidered design shabby chic

It’s simple and elegant – just what i like for good interior design and will work in either a formal or informal room. Perfect!

I set it up in the back of the shop near the custom cabinetry and my favorite picture of an elegant lady – just love her.

shabby chic sofa and elegant lady print

The sofa is grouped with a gold chenille swivel chair from Hancock and Moore ….

sofa, chair, cocktail table

I love the way the mirrored cocktail table reflects all the color around it.  It adds a special elegance to the whole setting.

The sofa was worth waiting for….It was supposed to arrive around noon and instead showed up after 7:30 pm….

Sometimes in retail you have to have a very open schedule and be very, very patient!

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Painting Fleur de Lis Stencils for a Romantic Room Design

Fleur de lis stencil for the wall design

Here on my desk is my lastest project for a client.  We are going to paint fleur de lis designs randomly on her office walls.  I cut this Fleur de lis stencil when i painted the Paris Boudoir in Little Paris shop.

In order to give my client some choices for how the fleur de lis will look i first painted some copy paper with the wall color (2 coats)…

fleur de lis stencil with modern masters 14k gold metallic paint

Then i stenciled the fleur le lis design over the paint three different ways.   The first (above) is stenciled with just full strength modern masters 14k metallic gold paint.

For the 2nd sample of the wall design i mxed the 14k metallic gold with glaze to make it more transparent.

fleur de lis stencil with modern masters 14k mettallic gold mixed with glaze for a room wall design

Lastly, I added some paint crystals to the 14kgold/glaze mixture (below).  This gives the fleur de lis a glittery effect.

The glitter will catch the light and sparkle – its a faint effect so you actually wonder if you are really seeing it!  Love it!

fleur de lis with paint crystals

Voila !  Beautiful effect -so easy to do and painted randomly around the room makes a completely original wall design!

 PS….I have little sparkles all over me (from the paint crystals)….its like fairy dust maybe it will bring me luck today at The Whistling Elk.

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