As the new year approaches

The Purple Pear will be closed through the holidays and will re-open on January 3rd. On January 5th I will be teaching a "Basics" workshop and there are still openings if you want to join us and get a early start on your furniture painting ideas for 2013.

I have many new ideas for the shop including new workshops with Annie Sloan's new and beautiful fabrics. We will be making lampshades as well as easy pillows with her fabrics that I have in my shop.

This is one of Annie's beautiful toiles, Normandie. Wishing you all a relaxing and safe holiday and I will see you in the new year!

Beautiful Pillows!

I think I am pretty well known for my love of beautiful textiles. It has been a passion of mine for many years. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet a woman who makes the most beautiful pillows using antique trims and designer fabrics. She also brought in some petite Christmas stockings that would be perfect for gift enclosures. Below are a few photos.....

Work Book Launch Party!

I am so excited about Annie Sloan's newest book!! I am hosting a launch party at my new location on NE Glisan Street in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, December 13 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. We will paint swatches, jot down design ideas, cut fabric swatches and magazine clippings. This latest book is sure to bring you lots of inspiration as well as remind you of all your ideas that you might explore in the middle of the night. It will be a keeper of dreams and doodles. What fun!

Store Progress

We're almost completed with my store remodeling, and my customers have been so gracious in spite of the sawing, hammering and other usual construction noises. We've enjoyed sharing our Annie Sloan products with so many of you at the new location at 6016 NE Glisan in Portland.

This morning, I made my first sale of Annie's fabric at my new store to a true lover of the French country look. Debra Ruggles, from Canby, Oregon, is shown in the photo below with her purchase of Normandy Toile. I wanted to capture this exciting moment for The Purple Pear and Debra was gracious enough to allow me to do that. Thanks Debra! Please stop in and take a look at the other three designs that I am offering. They are all beautiful and the quality is superb!

The Purple Pear will be the location for many exciting events during the remainder of 2012 as well as for the new year ahead. In 2013, we will be hosting an evening guest artist series. More immediate, several workshops are scheduled for November and December, mixed in between the holidays. Please check the dates on my website's "Welcome" page.

Also, a grand opening for my new store has been set for Saturday, December 8, from 4-7 pm. (More to follow in a subsequent blog.)

Finally, for those of you who have already stopped by The Purple Pear's new location on Glisan Street, I want to express my appreciation for your visits. The remaining touches of remodeling will soon be completed, and it is my hope that The Purple Pear will be a place to find joy and inspiration. As one of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe, once said, "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."

Smitten with a Block Print

I rarely return a second day to the Portland Antique Expo, but I did go back today for several reasons, one for business and another for obsession as well as business. Some of you may know my passion for textiles that seems to have no boundary. I am usually drawn to anything with a beautiful "hand" as well as florals if they are done well. My favorite kind of textile is linen. I love to wear, sew, and collect it. Yesterday, as I was quickly going down all the aisles scanning for things that drew me in, my eye caught the most beautiful French chair covered in a lovely red and white vintage toile. I stared at it with envy and respect, and then as I turned to the right I saw the most exquisite linen textile hanging over a chair.

What is there to not love about this incredible piece? It is 100% linen. It is unmistakably a block print. The design is vibrant, eclectic, and modern even though it was made in the 1930's. For me, it was love at first sight. And it was one of those pieces that took a lot of time to decide whether I should invest in it or not. It was not cheap, but was it worth the price? Absolutely and probably more! So I slept on it, always a risky thing because in the meantime someone could have purchased it. I took the gamble and went back and purchased the eight yards without a single regret. I am relieved it is now in my collection, at least for awhile.

What I love most, other than the fact that it is linen, is that it is such a vibrant, forward design. When I first saw it, I immediately thought of several designers that did comparable designs, Florence Broadhurst from Australia and Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and Roger Fry who designed for their own company, The Omega Group. These last three were also members of the Bloomsbury Circle in England as well. The designs from all these artists were very innovative and avant-garde, and this is why these kinds of designs always manage to stand the test of time.

Do the math. This piece is over 80 years old and it still would fit today in any of our contemporary surroundings. It is a gem, beautiful in its design, color and richness all gathered together on a piece of exquisite linen. I will have to part with it, unfortunately, but I will admire it as long as I can. It will be for sale on my website soon with an interesting story to accompany it.