Peggy Del Rosario's: An Autumn Open House

Welcome to the world of Peggy Del Rosario, an amazing artist that has created a world enveloped in beauty, elegance, and old world style. Peggy opened her home for five very special hours today and invited people to view her immense talent, experience her warmth and flair for living, and visualize a space that achieves balance, beauty, character, and comfort in every single corner of her surroundings. Included were special offerings of collections from various women who share Peggy's love of luscious surroundings and special finds.

Peggy's back garden is an oasis of privacy and serenity and elegance. Amidst this in the foreground is the most wonderful Asian pear tree abundant with fruit. One wonders if it is really Oregon or could it be France or Italy, the European feel is so pronounced and rich.

As you enter through the front, you would never have any idea what is beyond awaiting you in the house and the back garden.

There were lovely items for sale in the garage....

I brought some of the Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan.

Even Mia, Peggy's adorable cat, stole center stage in front of the cozy fireplace.

This is one of the pieces that Peggy has painted, decidedly magnificent and breathtaking!

Details....

I love the way that Peggy handles the hardware on each piece.

And the way she mixes and applies her colors of paint.

Soon this piece will be displayed at The Purple Pear in the front window.

Peggy has such a rare and exquisite talent. It will be exciting to see what else unfolds in her palette of color and beauty.

And how fortunate we are to have someone so inspiring and talented in our midst. Please see what happens in the months ahead with this creative and incredible talent of a woman!

New hand-crafted candles

One thing I love about being a shopowner is that sometimes you feel like Christmas comes all through the year. Every time a shipment comes in and you open the box of goodies, you feel like a kid all over again, the excitement of anticipation and surprise always present in that moment.

I am always on the lookout for small businesses that are doing special and unique crafts.

A candle lit on a cold and windy Fall day is simply the best way to cozy up with a warm throw, cup of tea, and a special book.

Reconstruction or Deconstruction?

When I was finishing my English degree I recall a class called "Literary Criticism". I have to say it was one of my favorite classes and as a last assignment we had to be on a panel discussion with four of our classmates. We were given the topic "Deconstruction" to research and present. So when I see any form of dismantling or uncovering or exposing or redefining, I think of the author, Derrida and Deconstruction. Currently, that is exactly what I have going on in my store at this very moment!!

This is the wall that was installed by the last tenant to divide the two rooms. It was the one thing I saw that I knew would be dismantled to clear the way for open space and ease of flow.

This is the low ceiling in that room that had fluorescent lighting, not the best solution for a workshop area where quality lighting is key.

Deconstruction and dismantling of the wall!

The ceiling above the lower tiles was chipped off crumb by crumb.

Wow! This ceiling that was exposed definitely dates the building to its 1901 origin. Apparently, at some point there was water damage so it was covered up by lowering the ceiling and creating what was then a more "modern look".

The contractor who is redoing the shop space sold me this cabinet for displaying the Chalk Paint™ and waxes and books. It has a beautiful distressed look and came from a high-end boutique in the Pearl District of Portland that decided to change their look and no longer needed this beautiful piece.

Back home, my dining room table and room is still filled with shop boxes, files, ongoing shipments coming in, and unopened newspapers that we have not had time to read in the last week. We will be open for business on Thursday, the 18th but are actually selling Chalk Paint™ in the interim, so please feel free to stop by if you are in the neighborhood! The address is 6016 NE Glisan Street and our phone number is the same, 503-206-6554.

Time to Celebrate!

Time to celebrate!! I have a new store location!

The location is 6016 NE Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97213. There is a lot to do, but I am so excited to get my furniture, Chalk Paint™ decorative paint, and all the remaining things out of storage and into this new/old shop.

As you can see, a lot needs to be painted and new light fixtures hung. A wall needs to be taken down and the bathroom needs a facelift too! I am thrilled, as well, to have a bathroom in the space. I will be posting photos as I gradually give this space new life.

While traveling back from Mendocino, California yesterday with my husband I had lots of workshop ideas brewing as well as decorative ideas for the shop. As the sun was setting along the Pacific Ocean, it was nice to know that I had a home again for all the wonderful Annie Sloan products as well as furniture, books, gift items, and exciting new ideas that will be growing in this new location. I will be open for business officially on the 18th of October, but I will have product in the shop as soon as this Thursday, the 11th so if you are in the neighborhood, please stop in and say hello! New listings of workshops will be posted on my website by tomorrow so take a look at the offerings and come in and share the excitement of learning. My store hours and days will be as follows: Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. I be closed on Sunday and Monday. I am looking forward to seeing you!

Surprises Unfolding

Out with the old, in with the new. I have found a new store location!!!! I will reveal the new address this week. I will keep you posted. When the store opens I will also be selling the newly arrived Annie Sloan fabrics!!!

Junk Bonanza

I just returned Sunday evening from Minneapolis having participated in the Junk Bonanza booth that Annie Sloan Unfolded sponsored. What a great time this was for all of us helping educate and inspire people that were new to Chalk Paint™ decorative paint. Those that were familiar with the paint and the products were thrilled that we were all there with a full stock of paint colors and the waxes plus books, brushes, and handouts.

What an enthusiastic group of women we had in our booth spreading the word about the joy and the versatility of Chalk Paint™!!

We all managed to take breaks every now and then to explore the booths and the various offerings. I was amazed at the diversity as well as the ingenuity of the vendors. In this case, they were selling license plate bracelets. Fun!

And how about inner tube jewelry?

I loved this paper skirt on this dress form. Fabulous! And it was gone way before the show ended.

Close to the skirt was this beautiful paper rose wreath.

I think this incredible piece of furniture must have sold the first day because it had a sold sign on it the moment I walked into the space.

I finally had a chance to meet Christina Kramer, stockist in the area for Minneapolis and see her charming and beautiful shop, Denim Rose. Christina had some of the most beautiful pieces of painted furniture in her shop! What a sweetheart of a person she is, and I am guessing it must be in the blood of Minnesota people because overall everyone I met was so friendly and down to earth.

An empty space at the end, but not empty hearts. We all are anxiously awaiting our annual meeting to connect again with all the other retailers as well as see Annie, Scott, Lisa, and the wonderful staff for Annie Sloan Unfolded!

Getting close.....

It is a funny thing, but when one is on a road trip and you start seeing colors, you realize twenty nine colors have been prevalent in your life on a daily basis, and you start to search for objects that reflect a certain hue. This must be Florence, the color that is. Or it could be Provence. I had been seeing Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan everywhere and then when the driving was more bland or the colors more subtle I would still be combining colors or mixing them to create new ones.

The gradation of color in this wall along the highway in Wyoming caught my eye because of the softer tones in Annie's palette that are similar to Old Ochre, Country Grey, Versailles, and Cream. In the middle section, I even see CoCo and French Linen. The color at the top of this wall would be a great one to mix, but right off hand I would need to figure this out. I am guessing a little Scandinavian Pink added to one of the colors above with a mixture of another. The mind never stops thinking about Annie Sloan's beautiful palette.

The drive West from St Louis was long at times but also enjoyable. I can't recall sitting so much since I became a Stockist so it was a little hard to be patient at times and not be doing something every minute. Once we were home and had unloaded the car, I felt I was off and running and have not stopped except to sleep at night. I am narrowing my search down for a retail space and feel I am getting close.

In the interim, I have been taking calls and delivering product. As a reminder for those that use the Quick and Easy Paint Transformations book by Annie Sloan, please remember some of these colors are no longer current. It is best to go to my website Purple Pear Shop to view the 29 colors that are available in the current palette in the U.S. I will keep you posted on my new retail location!