February Workshops

This noon I finally got around to updating my workshops for February. I posted them in the Events & Workshops tab (above) and on my website if you are interested.

Last Saturday, I taught a furniture painting/3 technique workshop to Janice, a very lovely and very creative woman. She decided to paint a shelf in Provence with the Rustic Waxed technique. I love the way the color looks with a rustic finish and the dark wax. Beautiful!

Janice loved her results, and so did I! Around 4:00 pm, closing time, I was feeling very feverish and weak. Little did I know I was consumed with this awful, torturous flu. I have honestly never, ever had a flu that was unrelenting in its grip. I have been in bed all week, still am, and tonight I still am fighting a semi-high fever. I cannot get it to go away! Just when I think I might be getting better and I go downstairs "pretending" I am well, it is within a matter of minutes I am back in bed.

Some of you may know I have three cats. They all have loved having me home. For a person who never takes a nap, they all think this is such a marvelous change in their lives. No only am I home, I am in bed constantly! They are in for a jolt when I finally get back on my feet because I am never one to sit still unless I am sitting by the fire reading a book. And then they invariably find my lap a nice place to be cozy as long as I am residing there.

This is my man, Solon, the one who has greeted and helped anyone who walked in the door all week. He has the perfect Southern hospitable manner, bar none, and patience galore. I have to thank him here in this forum because many of my customers read this blog. I had originally hoped to get to my shop no later than Wednesday, but little did I realize the fierceness of this virus. Now I am shooting for Tuesday. I hope I make it. Solon needs a break too! Thank you for all your patience in my absence.

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.

Marion Davies and the Beach House

My daughter knows my love for museums and fascinating people highlighted through history and so one morning we loaded the car with the boys, the dog and headed off to the Santa Monica beach to a place called The Annenberg Community Beach House. Originally it had been owned by Marion Davies and had been a huge mansion with many columns, a large swimming pool and a smaller beach house for guests.

These chairs were outside the beach house and reminded me of the Chalk Paint™ color Paris Grey.

This was a photo that was inside Marion's beach guest house. This was the back of the mansion on the beach side showing the expanse of the estate and the surrounding buildings. The beach guest house, the only original remaining building is to the far left in this photograph and this is the house we were able to tour.

This was a close-up photo of the mansion from the front with the swimming pool and beach on the back side.

Marion Davies was the stage name of Marion Douras, a daughter of a New York magistrate. She was the chorus girl at the Ziegfeld Follies when Hearst noticed her late in 1915 or 1916. Hearst's infatuation with her was enduring and caused his estrangement from his wife and family. Marion was a comedienne and a movie producer as well as a shrewd business woman.

Davies was a fascinating and intelligent woman who loved staging elaborate parties at the mansion. She owned this property through the generous salary Hearst paid her, but also through her own wise real estate investments. The mansion was demolished sometime after her death by a developer who had other visions for the property.

Over the years the property changed hands several times, but the last contractor installed these large posts to commemorate the placement of the original pillars of the mansion.

This was the original swimming pool.

These were some of the tiles that were in a bathroom of the beach guest house, so one can only imagine the interior of the mansion as being magnificent and filled with beautiful paintings, furniture and other fine art as Hearst was a consummate and discerning collector throughout his life, and many of these collections were shared with Marion in this property.

It was such a lovely morning and enjoyed by all, including my grandson who loved watching the water feature outside the swimming pool.

Work Book Inspiration

The lights were dim, but I was waiting and ready for the launch of Annie Sloan's newest book, Work Book!

I love this little book on Doodling in French by Anna Corba's. It seemed a perfect match for Annie's book too.

We are just beginning here....

There is something about the Rococo style that captivates me. I think it is because the palette is so soft and serene.

I guess I am a little hesitant to categorize a style other than what it is, Classical, but when I look at this palette, I think immediately of something a little more complex, sophisticated, and thoughtful. I want to pick up a book and read or simply sit and think within this palette. I find it invigorating as well as introspective.

When I page through Annie's Work Book and I arrive at the page that says "Asian style" I am immediately transported to my brother's home in San Francisco which has the most wonderful collection of Asian art and furniture. These are the colors that you see when you enter his world, the colors of Imari, Chinese reds, beautiful greys and golds. It is a world that gives one balance and peace and a sense of the earth.

I have to admit, I am not one to lean toward a Modern style in furniture. However, I appreciate the artists whom I am familiar that have stimulated my thinking and allowed me to go beyond my predictable palette. Annie knows how to introduce a person to another style, another way of seeing. I love her for this. I don't want to live a warm and cozy life in my secure corner of the world. Occasionally I want to see other designs and be exposed to other ways of thinking. This is why I have had this fascination with Annie for a very long time. She is an artist who will nudge you toward another way of seeing and feeling and interpreting. And so this is why all of her books are so inspiring and prolific and perennial.

In the weeks ahead and into the new year I will be spending a little more time with her fabric and working on my new Work Book with doodles, paint swatches, magazine clippings, and my own stylistic explorations!

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 Finale to Opening Week

We had the most wonderful week celebrating our grand opening after the remodel and welcoming many former and new customers.

Today was a steady stream of customers and friends stopping in to see the shop and taste some goodies and see our latest offerings in paint and merchandise.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers in hues of purple, pinks, and mauves arrived from a special friend and in-law from Illinois. What perfect colors to compliment a shop called The Purple Pear. What a sweet surprise when they were delivered the day before the party! A look into the shop from the outside....

And Carole, the owner for our building walked in carrying this beautiful bouquet of fresh poinsettias in the most beautiful basket with a wonderful bottle of red wine and a celebratory card. She is such a gem of a person and we feel so immensely fortunate to have found her and this lovely space.

People mingled and enjoyed goodies and sparkling wine. We are so happy to be where we are in our new location and we are looking forward to the next event which is the Annie Sloan Work Book Launch Party on Thursday evening!

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.

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.....