Notre Dame Paris Nocturne

Look what Kenny found for me!

(ok, technically not for ME because I'm not keeping it...)

I believe it's simply Paris street art, sold to tourists in the 1950's

but someone did write on the back of the frame that is was an

"Important French Artist"

His name? 

PIERRE

Gee, thanks!  That should narrow it down...hahaha

Unfortunately, the piece is not signed other than

"Notre Dame Paris Nocturne"

written along the raw canvas edge

(you know, in case you can't tell that it's Notre Dame, in Paris, at night...)

Whatevs.  It's still really cool!

I'm starting to attain a little collection of 1950's Paris street art...

lucky me!

Michele

Bold, Vibrant Color

Ken's been on a MISSION lately...

a mission to bring me as many mirrors from our studio as he possibly can

I now have MANY, MANY MIRRORS at the store...

I spent Saturday painting this beauty

I adore this style of mirror, but don't find them too often

How lucky were we to score TWO?

This one's mate is sold and being painted in my favorite shade,

Luxe Grey from Amy Howard at Home

I've been really "into" neutrals lately,

so I opted to just for for it on this mirror with a vibrant hue

"Minty Fresh" is one of our newest colors from Real Milk Paint

It's called Minty Fresh in honor of Kenny

He cleans the insides of every piece we paint, 

declaring them "minty fresh" when he's finished

The results?  GORGEOUS, right? 

I used gold leaf (Amy Howard at Home) 

without bole for a more modern look

The benefit of using leaf instead of gold paint or gold paste?

It doesn't come off when you apply wax or glaze over the top...

The leaf does NOT budge!

Of course, nothing compares to the incandescent "lit from within" glow

you get from metallic leaf

I glazed this mirror with Walnut Stain, also from Amy Howard at Home

it's sheer, so I built up my patina using multiple layers

 why yes, that IS paint all over my hands and down my forearms! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Michele

Farmhouse Love Affair

I LOVE that these piece have been painted again and again...and again!

Someone really loved them

We've simply cleaned them up,

reinforced where necessary,

made a few repairs,

and there you have it! 

Authentic patina,

perfectly rustic and distressed

We've held on to these pieces for years...

I just couldn't part with them, although we never used them

The table works well as a desk

Don't you LOVE the top?

Amazing.

I think there is at least a dozen different colors on these pieces

Original hardware...gorgeous!

All that crazing and chipping tells a story...this desk has seen a LOT

Would you believe I told Kenny to throw away the chair?

I know. 

It needed attention, and attention it got!

Now it's all shored up, sealed up, and ready for use again

Interested?

stiltskinstudios@gmail.com for more info

Thanks!

Michele

Sometimes, Less is More

So...this bed

So many options!

I struggled for weeks over what color/finish it "needed"

I finally settled on Luxe Grey from Amy Howard at Home

highlighted with white and some gold leaf

In theory, it worked

In reality, it was a lot of "look"

 if you know what I mean

The bed just didn't need it!

I switched gears, keeping the Luxe Grey

but highlighting with only Dust of Ages

So. Many. Details.

This bed took me WEEKS

(primarily because I could NOT work on it continuously...had to break it up!)

In retrospect, it's totally worth it

(well, it WILL be worth it when it sells!)

I had BIG plans to stage this bed...

a queen sized air mattress, pretty ruffled bedding, lots of pillows

HOWEVER,

I had a BIT of trouble setting it up alone!

So for now, it's staged just like you see it in the above photo...propped against the wall!

This gorgeous tallboy seemed like an ideal companion for the bed

It's just a "little" fancy...so it doesn't compete 

with the Baroque fabulousness of the bed

I wanted the hardware to look like antique, tarnished silver...

I'm really quite pleased with how it all came together...

proof that sometimes, 

less really is more 

Thanks for stopping by!

Michele

Weathered Grey French Desk

I saw this gorgeous vanity/desk on Facebook

a picker we buy from was selling it, and I was literally a minute too late...

Someone else beat me to it!

I was thrilled when that person offered it to me, 

because it was just too much of a project! 

Yep, it was a HOT mess!

Just look at her now...

We used One Step Paint from Amy Howard at Home in Selznick Grey

followed by an application of white dust over the damp wax

The top is "pulled and cracked" to reveal bits of the creamy white beneath

(Bauhaus Buff)

The white dust gives a really beautiful weathered look to the grey paint

We wanted to age the Buff trim, too

so we applied Dust of Ages (a greyish dust)

 mixed with a more brown colored dust

 We wanted the original hardware to look weathered, as well

so we applied white dust followed by Dust of Ages

The shape of this desk is amazing...

we've only had one other Kidney shaped desk before! 

Love this?  

You can find it in our Etsy shop