Project Personality: Coats of Paint

Project Personality

with Apple Box Boutique founder Leanne Playter Korsos

Hello!  Last week, On The Apple Box introduced me to all of you and I am excited about my first post for Project Personality.

Today is more of a rambling than a how-to (though there are plenty of those to come), but I just can't help myself.  I LOVE colour and fashion, and with all the blue skies, sunshine and occasional April showers we have been having it finally feels like spring and everyone is out in their new frocks.  When it comes to painting that's all it takes for me to start "dreaming in colour".  This week, the inspiration was spring coats!

 
Whenever I fall for something I start to create design boards that encompass the item, the colour or even just the 'feel' of it.  That's what happened over the last few days and I wanted to share my obsessiveness enthusiasm with you.  The idea was to take the gorgeous outerwear I've been seeing and build around it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP).  It's been a lot of fun looking through Apple Box Boutique's inventory of unfinished pieces and envisioning what could be!

I've been liking blue lately (probably due to the big skies of Alberta) and this coat tipped the scales to true love:

I've already selected a cute little foyer table that is destined to be this colour and I've decided on Provence.

Mixed with other ASCP paints there are SO many lovely shades, but I will go with 1 part Provence and 3 parts Old White:

If I ever find a stunning dressing table like this one from Mak and Jill, it will absolutely be my go-to colour!

This scrumptious confection is something  a modern day Marie Antoinette might wear, and of course I love all things "MA":

Emperor's Silk is referred to as "the perfect front door red", so it is suprising that it mixes to such a lovely candy-coloured pink.

With a little dark wax, it can look like this:

But add 3 parts Old White and I have just the right colour for my 'girl's room' dresser!

Stiltkskin Studios found the perfect piece to dress up with it.  This could have fit easily into MA's boudoir and they posted it on my birthday... How did they know?

Spring evenings always remind me of Vincent van Gogh paintings, and those incredible deep-blue night skys.  My next wardrobe addition will definitely be something like this:

No mixing required here!  Napoleonic Blue is a limited edition paint from Annie Sloan, but I hope it becomes a permanent part of the colour collection.

Especially when it makes a fairly ordinary dresser look like this:

Another bright (and versatile) shade that you generally see a lot of in fall is making an appearance and a statement this spring:

This is the signature colour associated to Van Gogh's muse, the city of Arles.

Appropriately, it is also the name given to the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that has changed my mind on yellow.  I wasn't a huge fan until I saw this:

... and now I just can't get enough of it!  I've just finished painting a cabinet with Arles and it has become a coveted piece at Apple Box Boutique:

 But the really hot colour right now seems to be bright green:

Because of that, Antibes Green is flying off the shelves!

It doesn't hurt that layered with Aubusson Blue, it is reminiscent of colourful peacocks and the current decorating trend that borrows from their plumage.

Robyn Story Designs (for Michelle) + Oliveira Textiles = Lazi Daze Photography

Isn't this pretty?

I have a million more images from my boards to share (okay... maybe just hundreds) but sensory overload is a real condition and I wouldn't want to be the cause!

I love that you stopped in to spend some time with me (thank you!) and am looking forward to future Project Personality articles...  In the meantime, I'd be interested to know:

What is your current project and what inspired you?

My thanks to Ciruelo Interiors for the colour cards!

Highlands Secrets

Highlands is a lovely, friendly place and a big part of what makes it special are the little gems you find here. Case in point: Sabrina Butterfly Designs.

Local fashion designer Sabrina O'Donnell was featured this week on Breakfast Television and it was especially exciting for those of us who happen to be "in the hood". Her boutique is just a few doors down and is such a unique, unassuming space that we like to think of it as one of our 'Highlands secrets'.

This week brought to the forefront that Sabrina and her fantastic line of clothing are in fact not a secret at all. Hers is a bustling, cozy, friendly shop that beckons a wide range of personalities looking for something special that will not only be beautiful but easy to care for.

Most of Sabrina's designs are wash and wear; she has managed to make dressing well very, very easy and the comfort level gets two big thumbs up. Plus she carries jewelery and other fun items. But don't just take my word for it. Stop in and see for yourself!

Sabrina Butterfly Designs is located in Highlands at #102, 6421-112 Avenue. And don't forget to swing by Apple Box Boutique to say hello!