Reimagined Monday: Barcelona Orange Corner Table

Today we are featuring the bright and the bold.  Annie Sloan's Barcelona Orange is one of our favourite colours and it requires a certain "elegancia" to use it, but once you do... well, there may be no going back.  At least that's what happened at Apple Box Boutique and we've started adding more vibrant shades to our original cottage and shabby chic pallet.

Enter Erin, an Art Director and Graphic Designer from St. Louis Missouri.  She is a very busy blogger, DIYer and local media talent whose blog How To Nest For Less is interesting, informative and just plain fun. Erin also loves colour and isn't afraid to use it.

Following is an excerpt from her blog about a sweet little table that she reimagined for her home using, what else?  Barcelona Orange!

"As many of you folks know, I’m a color freak. I’m not afraid to use bright and bold pops of color throughout my home. So what better way to transform a plain old corner table (from my lovely aunt) than using my new LOVE, Barcelona Orange.

 
One of the best bonuses of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is no primer needed! So I got to work and gave my corner table two coats of Barcelona Orange (except for the top of the table which I left as the natural wood). To give it some extra oomph, I lightly distressed the table and used the Annie Sloan wax!


I gave the entire table a coat of clear wax then went back and pressed in some dark wax throughout. HOLY SMOKES. Then is when the table came alive! Wanna see?

Look at that dark wax in the crevices! LOVE.

I can’t wait to get this in my dining room! I’m working on a transformation, including new drapes, some chair covers and painting my piano. It’s a BIG overtaking, but I can’t wait to show you my final vision!"

¡es una preciosidad! It's gorgeous, Erin!

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!

Happy Mother's Day!

Project Personality: Cheesy Good Chalk Paint Tutorial

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Hello!  I`m happy you made it!

Today a semi-confession: I have a close personal relationship with cheese.  I love it equally as a food and a sense of humour.  I love it in movies, books, sauces and fashion.  And it is well known amongst my friends and family that after a lifetime of indulging, I believe I am mostly made of it.

So it only stands to reason that I like cheesy, kitschy (+ inexpensive) household stuff and this post is about how I manage to mix that adoration with my love for beautiful interior décor.

Enter the 1960s/70s plasticy, cheesy wall hanging.  They were everywhere. Plastic arrived in home style magazines as a must-have and people couldn`t get enough of it.

There were these fruity, lattice thingys,

scary bird plaques

and fab flowery whatchamacallits.

There is a teeming overabundance of molded polysomethings that sit unloved in second-hand stores across the nation.  Most current decoraters wouldn`t touch them with a 10 foot pole unless their client was all retro-loving and insistent.  Ahhh, but not I!  These are the things I covet because I know "the secret".

Not the secret that made author Rhonda Byrne famous.  If that were the case, I`d be rich and would hire someone else to make over my plasticy, cheesy wall hangings.  No, this is a secret that some believe is, well, wierdish and that I am far too willing to share.  So, here goes... tutorial time!

During a visit to Value Village, I saw this poor little spoon-hanger-planter in the "no one wants me" pile.

Of course I snapped it up immediately.  The brownish-black bronzy-copperish colouring is seriously dated (and defies explanation) but I liked the detail.

Off to the cash counter with my $4.99 prize and then to the boutique where the most difficult decision of the project was choosing which Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) to use.

Part of my secret weaponry, ASCP paints onto practically everything without primer and I use it on glass, plastic, metal, crafts... anything requiring a little pizazz.

After some mulling, Duck Egg Blue was selected.  I really wanted to bring out the best in this... planspoo?...plangsploon?... splanter! by giving it an old-world patina.

Because it is an uncooperative shape I took it apart to make it more manageable, dusted it off and got started.  No surface prep required.  Just the paint, a chalk paint brush and a little newspaper.

I gave it two light coats of paint and found something to do for a few minutes while it dried.

Hello Willow...

Oooo... nice candelabra arrangement by my broomy Leslie (that`s short for business roomate... yup, more cheese):

 Gratuitous shot of my new Annie Sloan sample board:

AND... time to wax. 

These are the finishing tools of the trade: ASCP Clear Wax, ASCP Dark Wax, my favourite wax brush and good quality lint-free cheesecloth (what else!).

I brushed on then rubbed off one coat of the clear wax and buffed through in areas I felt would be naturally distressed to give it "life".   Once the clear wax was no longer tacky to the touch, I brushed on a smattering of dark wax to bring out all that ornate loveliness. The waxes have the consistency of room-temperature butter and I used the cheesecloth to wipe away the excess until I liked the look.  

I`ll take a close up.  

That`s better!

Once that was set, I gave it a quick buff with clean piece of the cloth, and Voila!

The painted splanter was in the boutique for a few days and we were asked so many times about it that a tutorial seemed to be the thing to do!

That and squirreling it away to take home with me.

 What do you think?  Moldy Oldy or Cheesy Good?
 

Mother`s Day: Our Day To Give Back

Mother`s Day Is Our Day To Give Back

“Mother’s Day is all about cherishing the woman who has raised you to become the person you are today.  It is an opportunity to thank her for all the she is and all that she has taught you through her unconditional love.”

All this week, we are offering 15% off one-of-a-kind furniture and home decor with gifts to suit any lucky Mom.  With new items arriving daily, the selection is better than ever. Watch our blog and Facebook page for the daily special and even more savings.

One stop shopping... Make the ultimate statement and pair your gift with flowers.

One of the things we love about sharing our boutique with Sugar Blossoms Floral Design is that every day, no matter the season, no matter the weather, walking into our shop is like entering into a wonderous garden full of heavenly scents and cheery colours.  But nothing compares to the spectacle that is Mother`s Day!

It doesn`t hurt that they`ve sweetened the bouquet by offering an opportunity to win brunch at La Boheme and a $50 flower arrangment!  It`s as easy as pre-booking with the added bonus of no worries about selection (or for some busy folks, forgetting to order those all-important posies)!

I`m reminded of a poem I once heard that began:

My Mother kept a garden,
a garden of the heart,
She planted all the good things
that gave my life it's start.

Apple Box Boutique for gifts she`ll love and Sugar Blossoms Floral Design for beautiful flowers: What a great way to thank your Mom... for everything.

Reimagined Monday: Chalk Painting Fabric (Wow, It Works!)

Today's Reimagined Monday is short and sweet but OH SO FABULOUS!

Just when we thought there couldn`t be a single thing left to make us love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) any more than we already do, along comes...

Painting on Fabric

Yes, it`s true.  You can paint on fabric with ASCP so all those great colours we know and love can coordinate in our rooms with the furniture and decor we`ve already reimagined or aspire to create.

The following are examples of two very different looks with one great paint...

Amber and Brad of Shades of Amber stenciled onto dropcloth pillows:

"We reupholstered the bench cushions using a large drop cloth and made pillows out of burlap and the leftover drop cloth material."

"To add interest and to help break up the monochromatic theme, we Chalk Painted the pillows using various stencil designs. We used French Linen, CoCo and Graphite on the pillows. Yes, you can use Chalk Paint on fabric! Because the paint is so highly pigmented, it just fades ever so slightly each time you wash it. This fading only adds to the beauty of the look."

"For an even softer tone on tone look, we used Old White on this pillow below."

And Teresa Decker loved this headboard, but not the dusty rose tufting:

Her answer?  Paint the silk with ASCP in Old White, then finish with clear wax: 

"To answer some questions..yes, i did water down the paint a bit, then hand brushed it with a small brush moving in the direction of the pleating. it took two coats, but not that much paint. I then applied soft wax with a soft cloth getting into those pleats. It is soft to the touch, it does not crack or flake if you push into it. As far as how it will hold up...only time will tell, but it feels quite durable and shows no signs of cracking. I think a coat of clear wax now and again will keep it supple. thank you again for all of the complements, and mostly, thank YOU Annie! I am quite flattered that you responded and liked what I did with your magical paint! :-)"

How could anyone, including Annie Sloan, not love a result like this:

I`m already "shopping" the studio for fabric to try this on.  Or I may just skip out to pick up a dropcloth to stencil!

Fabulous.

Thank you to GraphicsFairy for this image.

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!

French Inspired Art by Christie Repasy

There are so many exciting things coming up at the boutique this spring and summer that it is hard to choose which to announce first, but with Shabby Chic and Cottage Chic taking Canada by storm, how can we do anything other than introduce our latest offering...

Artwork by Christie Repasy

We love Christie`s paintings so much that we have developed an entirely new program and will be offering Online Ordering on our website.

It`s easy to use... just visit our Gallery and click on French Inspired Art. Note the Item# for the piece you would like to purchase and click the Order Online button to enter it into the order form.

That`s it!  The item will be held and you will be contacted by our Customer Service Representative to confirm your order.

Visit our French Inspired Art gallery to see more of Christie`s art.  And watch our blog for an upcoming article on this gifted artist.

Signed,

Tonight: Late Night on the Ave featuring The Periwinkle Pixies

Tonight is our special Mother`s Day "Late Night on the Ave" event and our featured Momtrepreneur is Jacinda Cote of The Periwinkle Pixies.

I am a huge fan of Subway art and love, Love, LOVE Jacinda`s graphics and personalized signs.  It is easy to see her lifelong love of crafts and typography in her designs.

Both creative and inspirational, Jacinda offers custom services as well as a line of products including:

• Unique vinyl lettering
• Subway Art
• Wood projects
• Art printables
• One-of-a-kind graphics
• Online shop graphics kits
• Home decor
• Home Parties and Craft Classes

A mom to two beautiful children, Oskar and Penelope, she runs The Periwinkle Pixies from home while offering digital designs through her Etsy shop.

Stop by between 4:00 and 9:00 tonight to meet Jacinda and save on shipping by purchasing her beautiful subway art at the boutique!  And don`t hesitate to discuss your ideas for custom designs.

There`s more!...

• Apple Box Boutique has sale pricing on all furniture and home decor items
• Pre-book Mother`s Day flowers with Sugar Blossoms Floral Design and you will be entered to win a brunch for two at La Boheme and an arrangement worth $50

See you tonight!

“Late Night on the Ave”: May 3, 2012

This month we are celebrating Moms at Late Night on the Ave!



"Sweet `n Sassy" available by special order

Mother`s Day is fast approaching, and tomorrow from 4:00 - 9:00 PM, Apple Box Boutique is offering sale prices on all home decor and furniture.

But that`s not all!  We will also feature Momtrepreneurs offering hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind gifts.

When you stop in, be sure to pre-book your Mother`s Day flowers with our in-store floral designer, Leslie of Sugar Blossoms, and you will be entered to win a brunch for two at La Boheme and a flower arrangement worth $50!

Then check out the rest of the Highland`s merchants for more great deals and events:

See you there!

A Little Birdy Told Me: There's a Winner!

We would like to thank all of our blog followers for reading
On The Apple Box.

Amy of Maison Decor is the winner of our "A Little Birdy Told Me" giveaway!

We will be sending these Little Birdy napkin holder and salt & pepper shakers off to Amy this week:

Little Birdy Salt and Pepper Shakers

Little Birdy Napkin Holder

We are already looking forward to our next giveaway... watch our blog!








*Winner has been notified by email