January Warmth and Inspiration

There is something about January and the adjustment of being so busy in December and the holiday tempo that makes it seem a little forlorn. Leaving my grandchildren is always hard and it never seems to get any easier even as some of them are reaching their teens. It was a nice boost this year to return to my fairly new location and shop and plunge right into a workshop with inspiring and energetic women. What a fun way to begin a new year.

What I love best about workshops is the mingling of mutual passions and ideas and ways to hunt for bargains whether it be furniture or hardware. There is always someone in the group who has a secret way to find the best deal. Everyone talks about design, color, and technique in a refreshing and sharing manner. We all love paint and being creative, but we also love a chance to share and know we all belong to a mutual group that loves design and improvement and recycling neglected pieces of furniture.

After we were done painting our wood samples, we decided to try painting some metal hooks. This is what I love most about Chalk Paint™. You can paint on absolutely anything and these decorative hooks took to the paint as any refined hook would do given the same opportunity!

How about Florence with Antoinette and a little distressing and some dark wax?

And then there is the regal beauty of a Primer Red with some dark wax and a distressing.

A Fleur-de-lis with Chateau Grey, a little distressing and softening with dark wax is pure elegance.

And who does not love Provence in any form? Here it is ready to hang in the warmth of a little distressing and dark wax.

And here is Antoinette in all her beautiful subtle refinement. I love the warmth of the dark wax and a little distressing to give this piece an extra charm.

At the ending of the workshop we all shared our information on Pinterest and Facebook. There will be more pins to pin and more friends to add to all of our pages and isn't this the best way to begin a January that at the onset seems a little calm and remote from families and friends where the miles may seem a bit long. I am warming up to a wonderful year at The Purple Pear. The wind may seem cold and the temperatures chilly but there is much to warm our hearts and keep our creative pulses beating.

Annie Sloan's Work Book Launch

I am really excited about the Work Book Launch Party tomorrow night. All the Stockists in the US are going to join Annie Sloan in celebrating the publication of her newest book. She will be celebrating in her own shop in Oxford, England while we are having our own parties. This is such a fun book and one where you can actually paint swatches, draw or sketch inspiring ideas, collect fabric swatches and magazine inspiration, and share what you love on Pinterest at the same time!

Today in my shop, I spent some time painting in the swatches for the different styles that Annie has designated in this delightful, useful, and fun workbook. What I discovered as I was painting the various pages was that I was drawn to a specific palette. I love all of Annie's colors, but I have never sat down in this way and categorized them in terms of periods or style. What I was strongly drawn to was the colors of the Rococo Style. These definitely resonated with me in so many ways.

I am guessing this just might be the experience of many who buy this gem of a book and find themselves immersed in the ideas and colors and how they are represented in this unique and inspiring way. Hope you all are able to find a class close to one of the stockists in your area so everyone can participate in this fun and exciting event!

Grand Opening Finale Saturday

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the final day of our Opening Week and we end with raffle drawings and refreshments! If you are in the Portland area, please stop by and visit our new store.

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!

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!

Meeting Jeni

I am so excited to introduce Jeni Barackman as a new member of our Annie Sloan group of retailers in Oregon. Jeni is a woman of many talents, inspiration, and creative energy. She has opened a wonderful store in the charming downtown area of Hillsboro.

This is one of the many pieces that Jeni has painted with the Chalk Paint™ decorative paint, Emperor's Silk. When I visited Jeni in her beautiful location, I was amazed at all the furniture she had painted and the beauty of each piece.

This eye-catching table was done with the most beautiful lettering, and if Jeni wants to share her secret, I will leave this up to her!

Here is the detail of the table top. She told me that this piece sold so quickly that she barely had time to photograph it.

I have always loved the color Cream in Annie's palette, and Jeni has surely exemplified why this color is so soft and easy to use in any room. Please take some time to stop by and introduce yourself to Jeni in her new shop. She would love to have you visit, and she has every color in stock as well as the waxes. Her hours are as follows: Sun/Mon closed, Tues 11-7, Wed-Fri 10-5, and Sat 9-2. Please visit her at 158 NE 2nd Ave, Hillsboro, OR. She will inspire you and you can welcome her to her new position as retailer of the greatest paint in the world, Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan!

Spring Green Reflects a Business

One of the benefits of having a retail space in one of Portland's Activ Space locations is the feeling of being part of a community of small businesses. One of these people that moved into her space around the same time as I did was Jasmine Tran of Essance, a natural aromatherapy company that specializes in holistic skincare and aromatherapy. Jasmine is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to her business. We often chat about our businesses, and frequently are the only two left working in our shops after every one has closed down. One morning I went to visit her in her shop, and she asked me about an unpainted display table. She wondered if she could paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™.

Jasmine has the most beautiful spring green her shop that reflects the vibrancy of her products. Her products are green in the sense that she uses natural ingredients, no chemicals, eco-friendly, and are vegan, a big requirement for me when I am looking for any skincare products. When she asked about this special paint, I had recalled a color I created with Arles, Antibes Green, and Chateau Grey. It was so close to her shop colors that I was quite amazed when I saw the results after she had painted the table and showed it to me a few days later.

This is the piece before she added the hardware.

This is the finished piece!

And here is Jasmine, one of the most positive women I have met. Check out her website at www.essance-us.com.