Getting ready for a magazine shoot

I am excited to tell you that Designer Matthew Mead will be 

coming to my humble abode this month to do a photo shoot

for his new Matthew Mead magazine series coming out this spring!

There will be 4 issues, and me and my home will be in his second one:

STYLING TIPS AND TRICKS

SHORTCUTS ON MAKING YOUR HOME STELLAR

Its so awesome to be considered to be in one 

of Matthew Mead's beautiful publications.

Under the umbrella of designer, Matthew is known

for his fantastic photography and styling.

So he will be putting the touches on my home

and then shooting it~how cool is that?

Just like you can imagine, if all of a sudden you knew your home 

was going to be photographed, you would freak out, 

and then look around and get some of those projects you

have wanted to do, but never gotten around to starting.

Since I opened my store(s) almost three years ago, my

home has suffered from lack of attention.

So this was the perfect opportunity to spring into

action and have a little fun. 

I asked my design assistant from my shop, Gina Dechant,

to come over last week to help me.  A  new floor plan 

for the living room was first on the list.

Flipping a couch and carpet around to see if you like

it is not something I can do by myself....and if I ask

hubby I fear he may say he likes it just the way it is.

I wasn't sure the sofa would fit the way I thought it might.

It has always been in front of the windows.  After I started 

painting the piano, I wondered if maybe I could flip the sofa so

its back was to the piano, and center the seating on the fireplace.

So that is what we did, and I have to tell you...

we all LOVE it!

The windows are now opened up and exposed their full length

and the couch and chairs are

nestled in front of the fireplace ~ its so cozy!

I painted the backs of the bookcases with Duck Egg Chalk Paint

and its very pretty.  The chairs are vintage velvet in a celery green

and the toss pillows  are from HomeGoods.  Lots of white

with green and duck egg blue is in this room.  Wishing I could 

take better photos, and not be in such a hurry.  But my sister Ellen

informed me I have taken too long to put up my next post,

so these iPhone pics will just have to do.

Deciding on lampshades for the candlesticks lamps.

Neither of those I think will be the final choice.

Things have come from my shop into my home,

its fun getting it all freshened up.

Not only do I have the house to get ready,

the store is still calling my name.

We are having lots of winter workshops at Maison Decor.

Yesterday we had an Artisan Enhancements workshop

which has more decorative products like metallics

and crackle mediums that we use with Annie Sloan 

Chalk Paint to create special effects.

Here Gina Dechant shows how to apply an aggregate style

plaster through a stencil for a raised design on an artist canvas.

At the end of it all we had this~pretty neat, eh?

Of course we have bigger groups that take the Chalk Paint Intro class

I teach that is really my "everything class" for Annie Sloan paint.

Its a sellout every month and we have people who already use the paint

are telling us they have many lightbulb moments during the workshop.

So if you paint but want to learn much more, take out Intro workshop

as it really covers every base with the painting and the waxing.  

 I am coming and going and my furry pals 

watch me with great interest.

I just adore these two!

Sylvia and Dillon gave me the look as I got ready to leave for

work the other day. I had to take their forlorn faces, as if they 

were saying to me  "oh please tell us you are not leaving us".

Nothing I would rather do lately than stay home with them

working on things in my home. 

Painting, wallpapering, stapling ( as in the beautiful linen sheers
 I put inside the china cabinet) sewing,

creating, rearranging...I just love that this opportunity 
to be in the magazine has brought all of those pleasures back to me. 
 So thank you Matthew!

Please don't tell me you are coming any day soon as I still 

have a few more projects to complete.

And one is to finish off this piano.

And paint the kitchen backsplash.

And do something with my bedroom...

I will get it all done!

In the meantime~

For more on Matthew Mead,

check him out on his Facebook page.

He is everywhere these days!

And soon will be right in my own home.

Stay tuned peeps.