Marble Topped Goodness

Sadly, I did NOT get a "before photo of this little lovely...

I purchased it from our neighbors at the shop

(oh, I bet they have a photo!)

Anyway, we decided this would make a lovely addition to our home

a cute little mobile kitchen island!

(the white marble top had me at "bonjour"

Our style at home is quiet, with lots of details you only notice upon closer inspection

We wanted this piece to look really old, a little dirty, and overall sort of soft and relaxed

Our dining area is a pale blue, 

and our kitchen is Luxe Grey and White 

(Amy Howard Home One Step...as are all the other colors used on this piece)

We first painted this piece with Nottoway

(two coats)

then one coat of Cracked Patina

The Cracked Patina was left to dry for about 30 minutes

(instructions say an hour or more but you know how that goes around here!)

On top, Luxe Grey, dragged and cracked for an aged appearance 

followed by Clear Wax

The finishing touch, of course, is Dust of Ages!

We really concentrated around the key holes, 

as they would have received lots of wear

We used wax and Dust of Ages to "age" the knobs...

we wanted them to have that powdery appearance old metal sometimes gets

(of course, I photographed the ONE handle that was missing a brad...figures)

We love, love, love this piece!

Unfortunately, it only fits in the spot I had selected for it IN MY HEAD

In reality, it doesn't fit AT ALL

Now what?  Not sure.

Maybe I'll find another spot for it in my house, maybe it will end up for sale

at 607 Vintage Marketplace next month...who knows! 

Michele~

What's Happenin' Hot Stuff?

We wanted to offer you an update!
(and YES, I did quote Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles...what of it?)

We've been knee-deep (actually, more like chest-high!)

in Amy Howard at Home all week

Speaking with potential new retailers,

getting new retailers established,

and working to help our existing retailers grow their businesses

Throw some painting into the mix, and yeah...we've been busy!

But it is AWESOME

These products...they just make me HAPPY

Sharing what we love is what we like to do most

Sharing, teaching, seeing that 'A HA" moment 

when someone realizes they CAN DO IT

it's so gratifying

We feel very fortunate to be aligned with such an amazing company

But enough gushing...on to the nitty gritty

Our retail doors will be closing on Friday, June 27th

What does that mean if you need product?

We have a new retailer in the area who will have all your favorites

as well as continuing to offer classes and fun events

There will be a week or so "lull" between their receiving product

and us being out on the road, so if you need paint, 

please email us and we will be happy to meet you!

Our location will stay the same, but it's converted to our office up front,

and our training/workshop area in the back

We have several new retailers coming on board,

 and we can not WAIT to share w you who they are...

you'll be as excited as we are about it!

More on that once the ink is dry, as they say

We're crazy excited about moving in to 607 Vintage Marketplace next month...

we hope you'll attend the grand opening and come visit!

You'll be able to find our refinished pieces at 607, in our FaceBook Store, 

and via our website

( I am updating our online shops today, I promise!)

We are so fortunate to be able to share this journey with you...thanks for following along!

M~

Glancing Around...

Thought we'd share some random images 

from around the shop today...

Soon, we'll be reworking the front into our offices,

the back into our warehouse,

and taking most of our goodies

(and some yet-to-be-seen new ones!)

over to 607 Vintage Marketplace

This guy is on my window or my door nearly EVERY day...

and he's HUGE!

This is my favorite corner of the shop right now...

we re-vamped the front so everything is so soft and serene

Shades of grey, soft white, cream...lots of wood and metal

(and everywhere you look, signs of our love of paint!)

Hardware, both new and antique

 Antique folding rulers, a Victorian door-knocker, and a sweet old box

 Victorian piano shawl...vibrant color against pale silk...so lovely

 Blanc de Chine porcelain figurine, antique Italian mirror, 

and another rustic box

 Toscana Powder Paint creates such an authentic, 

old-world finish

(Toscana Powder Paint WILL be available at 607!)

"Overcast" milk paint in all its chippy glory

 We go through a LOT of One Step Paint...

and are always looking for clever ways to reuse our empty containers!

We hope you'll swing by and say "HELLO"

before we're no longer in the shop every day!

Kenny and Michele

Opportunity knocked...and we answered

Wow...life sure has been CRAZY around here!

Are we moving, aren't we moving?

Is the store staying open? Closing?

Ken likens the chaos to feeling like you are jumping off a diving board...

those few seconds when you are still up in the air, anticipating hitting the water

Yeah, that sounds about right!

There has been lots of upheaval and indecision...

Have you ever felt this way?  

Have you ever had the answer simply arrive? 

We've jumped off the diving board, taken the proverbial "plunge"

and guess what? The water is calm, refreshing, and lovely...

Kenny and I, aka Stiltskin Studios

are now the Business Development team for 

Amy Howard at Home in Florida!

I know, super exciting, right?

It's NO secret we LOVE this brand and all that it represents

We are honored to be involved at this level

In the coming months,
we will be transitioning to the role of  Distributor
for the entire state of Florida

What does this mean, exactly?

We will be closing our shop in Tarpon Springs
(in July)
We are working with another shop in Tarpon to carry
Amy Howard at Home products
(so no worries, locals!)
and we will be placing our pieces
in the soon-to-be-opened
607 Vintage Marketplace

607 Vintage Market is an AMAZING concept
we're so excited to be involved!

We'll be keeping our Tarpon location, however, and
it will be converted to our offices and warehouse for now

Ideally, our studio and operations/distribution center will be consolidated into one location
We're on the hunt as we speak!

We will still be painting pieces, but they will primarily be for sale
on our website
or via our Chairish shop

Additionally, we'll be doing lots of blog posts and FaceBook features
showcasing cool products, techniques,
and of course, pretty finished pieces!

We will be working hand-in-hand with the Florida Amy Howard Home family
We'll be teaching classes, attending special events, oh gosh, all kinds of cool stuff!

More updates as things progress!

In the meanwhile, if you need paint,
come see us in Tarpon in the next few weeks!

Kenny and Michele

Walkin' in Memphis

Back in early March, Kenny and I had the opportunity to travel to Memphis

to train with Amy and Gene Howard of Amy Howard Home

Inspiration was EVERYWHERE!

Imagine every product, every color, right there...just waiting for it's turn!

We are so proud to be retailers for this amazing line..

 Amy and Gene's passion for their business, and love of the process, is infectious...

they represent what Kenny and I hope to one day achieve

 I'm loving Cracked Patina lately...such an authentic "groddy" finish...

 Gene has an abundance of calm and patience...as Amy says "you want him in your fox hole!" 

 Just look at all that PAINT! 

It darn near killed me not to pop open the Orchid...

We didn't have too much spare time, but we did fit in a trip to GRACELAND

I'm not the hugest Elvis fan...but you can't go to Memphis and NOT go to Graceland, right?

Why no interior shots, you ask?  That's because we went to Graceland at 8am!

We had to be at class by 9am,
 but the guard was nice enough to let us wander the grounds for a bit!

Amy and Gene took everyone downtown one evening for a fabulous meal and live music...

the singer was AMAZING, as was the food.  So good. 

Downtown Memphis is also home to the Lorraine Motel,

where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated

To stand where he stood, to imagine that day in 1968...

it was humbling and inspiring

We visited another Memphis legend...Beale Street

We learned a lot, saw a lot, and of course, ate a LOT (BBQ anyone?)

and we're looking forward to doing it all again real soon!