A Twist on our Colour of the Month: Baby Bluesfest!

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the arrival of their son!

To welcome the heir apparent, instead of our usual "Colour of the Month" deal, we are celebrating by offering up best pricing on a new blue every week.

First up:  

Louis Blue

NOW just $45!

Order online and pay just $10 flat rate shipping no matter how much you buy!

While there is much debate about King Louis of France ever having been crowned in England, we love this colour and it is one of the most popular in the Annie Sloan pallet of Chalk Paint™  decorative paints.

Whether put to use to achieve that fresh and breezy look in any area of your home or to enhance the decor in your little boy's room, this lovely pastel blue is always a hit.

Annie Sloan describes this colour as "a pretty pastel blue that works particularly well when waxed with a dark brown."

Image: The Paint Shoppe

Here is a little 'Louis Blue' inspiration to spark your creativity:

Louis Blue on a delicately shaped French side table with a little dark wax in places and rubbed back a little to reveal the wood underneath.

Image: AnnieSloan.com

Pompadour
Add 3 parts of Old White to 1 part of Louis Blue to make a graceful grey blue that makes me think of the beautiful and refined favourite of Louis XV so Annie Sloan called it POMPADOUR

Image: AnnieSloan.com

Sophia
Add 8 parts of Old White to 1 part of Louis Blue makes a very soft grey Swedish blue that Annie Sloan has called SOPHIA after King Gustav's daughter.

Image: AnnieSloan.com

Stone Bentley Creations

Reloved Rubbish: Louis Blue with Old White Striping

Image: Pinterest  End table with Stained Top

Apple Box Boutique Inc.: French Provincial Dresser with Gold Gilding

Summer Wind Interiors

Louis Blue looks fabulous mixed with other colours and used to create contrast as well!

Apple Box Boutique Inc.: Olive accented with Louis Blue

Louis Blue mixed with Paris Grey makes a lovely Gustavian grey

Image: Pinterest  Cabinet in Napoleonic, Drawers from top: Louis Blue, Duck Egg, Provence, Greek Blue, and Aubusson Blue

HAPPY BABY BLUESFEST!

♥, 
Apple Box Boutique

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Project Personality: Something Old, Something New...

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Hello, and welcome to Project Personality -- I'm writing today because it is time to Share The Love!

Having jumped the broom with 'The Spartan' a while back, here's bettin' you're wondering why my blog title is "Something Old, Something New".  Well, it's simple really -- that phrase describes a lot about what has happened in my world over the last few years.  I left my old career in corporate environs to take on a new venture doing something I used to love in a new business involving new and old techniques and products to update old, and sometimes new, furniture.  Yup... like I said, it's simple.

What also happened is an accumulation of a large number of things I thought may be needed along my new path; all with good intentions but the truth is I may soon qualify for the TV program Hoarders unless I weed through my catalog of furniture pieces and let go of things I likely will not get around to painting, reupholstering or otherwise finishing.  And that means...

SALE TIME!
Now and then we will be posting items that I adore but that need a new home and a little more attention.  The idea is to make space for the things I intend to work on now that we truly know what our beloved Apple Box Boutique is aspiring to become.

Along with building up our repertoire of DIY and paint-related items (knobs and stencils on the horizon!), we'll be holding more workshops, taking on more custom projects and doing our best to keep what we reimagine for the Boutique as unique as possible.  We also have a few other surprises up our paint-shirt sleeves, but those are under wraps until the time is right.

In the meantime, watch for our offerings here on the blog and on our Facebook page.  These items will be sold on a first come first served basis, be that via the Apple Cart (our online shopping site) or in-store.  And if buying turns to painting, we'll be here to help you with that, too!

We can custom paint your purchase, sell it to you as is, provide all the supplies to get you on the road to a successful DIY project or help you make the most of it through one of our paint workshops.

Let the reimagining (but first the shopping) begin!

This is a lovely French-style piece that has been painted in Louis Blue Chalk Paint® (Annie Sloan) with gilded accents and handles, but it requires a new bottom in it's lower drawer.  It's not a difficult thing to repair, but with all the changes happening at the Boutique, there has been little time to get it done.

Repaired, this piece would sell for $575. As is: $299

If you love it too, just visit The Apple Cart (our online shop) to make your purchase, or hurry in to the Boutique and grab it while you can!  We'd love for it to be paired with a happy new owner.

Speaking of LOVE... 

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Apple Box Boutique!

~♥~ Leanne

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Fall Sale! Great Deals -- Get Them Before They 'Leave'!

Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn... it's hard to believe summer has passed but with fall comes a feeling of fresh starts (remember those first crisp school days), which is why we are making room in the Boutique for all the new things to come!

And that means... it is Fall Sale time!

Here is a sneak peek of some of the pieces on sale today and tomorrow:

♥,  
Apple Box Boutique

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Reimagined Monday: From Uninspired to Shades of Antoinette

Have you ever decided against something because you just couldn't "see" it as a completed project, only to have it creep back in to your consciousness?  It happens subtley at first, then you think of it over and over until finally you are drawn back to it with a fresh perspective?

That's what happened with this poor little white/gold veneer dresser, lovingly stickered by a little local girl with an affinity for Winnie The Pooh.

It sat in the back of the storage area gathering dust for months.  Finally, I brought it in to the boutique to get a feel for it in a creative space.

Then the inspiration arrived... Manolo Blahnik shoes from the 2006 Sofia Coppola film "Marie Antoinette":

 

The perfect colour? Annie Sloan's Antoinette.  This dresser was made for it!  And so the reimagining began.

Because there is no sanding, priming or stripping required, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint was exactly the right thing to use on this off-white veneer. 

No worries about toxicity or clean-up either, so I set to work right on the spot in the boutique.

First, removal of the hardware.  Each handle and knob had been gilded in gold, so those were keepers!

Before long, everything started to come together, and it was time to distress.  Keeping the lines of a piece can be what distinguishes it, so rather than sanding I used a water technique to distress through to the gold gilding along the edges and details of the dresser.

You can see it a little better here:

It's not as easy to see the gorgeous finish as I'd had hoped (photography lessons might help! *lol), but here is a swatch of the Annie Sloan paint colour:

Here are the lovely Manalo Blahniks again:

And this is a final pic of the completed dresser.  It is in the boutique, waiting for the perfect new home!

But now I have a problem!  In my search for inspiration I found more Manolo Blahniks!

So many beautiful, inspiring colours... so little time!

Perhaps something special in Louis Blue, coming up soon at On The Apple Box!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

Here is how to share your reimagined paint project at On the Apple Box:

Send us a description of how you used Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint or Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to get from your vision to the reimagined piece, before and after pictures, pictures of your project in progress or a couple of it in its finished state, and you may be highlighted on our blog!

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We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog:

Reimagined Monday: Distressing... But In A Good Way!

Anyone who knows the folks at Apple Box Boutique also knows we LUV us a good laugh... even a cheap, slapstick, falling down on the job chortle will suffice but rest assured, laughing is a priority.  If you feel that way too, then you will love reading Dream Home DIY, a blog written by Michelle about her and her husband Justin's home reno trials and tribulations.

They are wacky and fun, and manage to make do-overs feel okay as they DIY their way to their vision for their newish abode.  Following is Michelle's first attempt at painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and Justin's reaction to said project.  Enjoy!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Transformations

"Annie Sloan chalk paint is literally EVERYWHERE right now;

So naturally Ive been dying to try my hand at it.

No priming, no prep sanding, limitless color mixing options, amazing distressing ability, low VOCs, easy cleanup...

And it can be used on furniture, floors, cabinets, walls...
Applied both indoors and outdoors...
On metal, wood, brick, concrete...

Are you serious?  Where have you been all my life?? 

Just stop for a second and imagine the possibilities.

Well, a few weeks ago we spoke with Miss Patty Seaman from Classic Wall Finishes to get a bit more info on the product and after chatting with her, we knew it was a perfect fit for our home.
She is a HUGE wealth of knowledge and was oh so excited to talk about the paint.  I really loved that.  Not to mention she used to live in Virgina, so of course I immediately felt a bond with her.
Paris Gray, Louis Blue and Old White seemed like wonderful colors for us to start with so that's what we got.


Now Ive had an idea for a display piece on our new stenciled walls swirling around in my head for a bit.
Enter our $6.75 Goodwill find
(and some rough cut lumber.  But more on that later)

Because the look we were striving for was a layered, weathered over time vibe
I painted a first coat of Paris Gray right over the dark stained mirror.

Next, a coat of Old White was applied directly on top.
I was able to do this within 20 minutes as the first coat had already dried.
Uh.Mazing.

A thin application of the Annie Sloan wax (allow to completely dry) and a bit of distressing with fine grit sandpaper...
We're in love.
In fact, Justin walked through the door and Mr. I Never Get Excited stated:
"Holy beep.  That paint is the beep"
Yeah.  It's that good

When distressing traditional latex paints, they tend to roll off.
Chalk paint wears off.
And that makes a huge difference.

Now to flank either side of the mirror, we wanted a distressed piece of white washed old lumber and I thought this would be the perfect time to try out another technique.
White washing

Note- This was "new" rough cut lumber when we received it. 
We set them out in the driveway for about 3-4 months.
Mother Nature did the rest.

Dilute a bit of paint with a small amount of water and lightly drag your brush along the grain of your lumber.

Next, with a bit of patience, we hung everything in place on our pretty stenciled wall...

Voila!"

Update - The fork and spoon were purchased from Pier 1

We think it turned out (as Michelle puts it) Uh.Mazing.  Thanks for sharing your ASCP projects, Michelle!

♥,

Apple Box Boutique

Here is how to share your reimagined paint project at On the Apple Box:

Send us a description of how you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to get from your vision to the reimagined piece, before and after pictures, pictures of your project in progress or a couple of it in its finished state, and you may be highlighted on our blog!

_______________________________________

We'd LOVE it if you shared our blog: