a visit to Peinture Studios

This sweet little vintage table was a hand-me-down from my in-laws. I had spray painted it a few years ago, but now I felt it needed some love. With the help of owner, designer Deborah Waltz of Peinture Studios, I was able to transform this little table into a lovely heirloom piece that feels right at home in my living room. 

Deborah suggested a combination of chalk paint, 2 kinds of soft wax, gorgeous gilding wax and new Annie Sloan stencils, and gave me great pointers to on how to complete my project.    
     

I love a little paint project, but I especially love the instant gratification you get by updating a piece of furniture with paint.  No paint is easier to use than Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  It requires no sanding so you can skip all that prep work and just get right into painting.  

We chose to start with Old White as the base.  Deborah has a fabulous display wall in her studio that features every color of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, each on a unique vintage chair.  The chairs are hung up on the wall by rope in a really creative display.  It’s a great visual to actually see what the color looks like on a piece of furniture.
       

We stepped into the workshop of Peinture Studios to assess my table and what fun techniques I could use on it to enhance pretty shape of the table.  Deborah teaches beginner and advanced classes here in her workshop several times a month.    

To start, Deborah suggested I place the piece upside down. That way all the surfaces would be covered, and I could finish off painting it right-side up to get a nice clean look on the top of my table, which is the most visible. 

Here‘s the table back at home, with its first coat of Old White. (It took two coats to evenly paint the piece. The paint dries quickly, so I was able to work fast.)   

Next, I applied the Annie Sloan clear soft wax on the entire table.  I then went in and accentuated all the grooves of the table with the dark wax. All I needed was just a little in the cracks and then it was rubbed off immediately with a soft cloth. 

A little of the colored wax goes a long way.  If too much is applied, it can be removed with clear wax. This tip from Deborah was really important, because it’s really fun to play with the different depths of color, and too much can be easily removed with this method. Using painters tape, I positioned the first stencil in place, the nymph. 

With a really soft touch of my finger and a small stencil brush, I applied the beautiful brass colored gilding wax within the stencil, being careful not to glop too much on near the edges. I did the same with the branches stencil.  (I immediately washed my hands after applying the wax.)

The branches stencil was pretty intricate, so I found that using a Q-tip dipped in clear wax easily removed any excess gilding wax that was not within the design of the stencil.  

The Annie Sloan stencils are an exciting and new addition to the Annie Sloan product line. Peinture Studios has an exclusive collection of them at the moment.

I love how the curvatures of my table are accented with these paint techniques.  I even applied the gilding wax to the little metal claw feet of the table for an extra, but subtle little added shine.

This is how the table turned out, and I couldn’t be happier!  It’s found a great spot next to a comfy cane-backed chair in my living room, and it's now the perfect place to enjoy a little tea or coffee. 

Visit Peinture Studios at SoCo in Costa Mesa for more inspiration, supplies and great creative workshops.  The workshops are so fun!  You get to bring in a piece of furniture and you leave with a custom painted creation made by you!  

I'd love to hear about your projects. 

ciao! fabiana

moroccan style with chalk paint

If you live in Orange County and have even a little bit of a crafty bone in your body, then you’re probably familiar with Peinture Studios in Costa Mesa at the SoCo Collection. They offer Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, beautiful stencils, and other unique items. They also hold workshops where they'll instruct you on transforming your own piece of furniture with chalk paint, wax and other finishes. 

Peinture owner and designer Deborah Waltz has opened up her Orange home to Orange Coast Magazine this month and shares the secret to her own personal inspiration.

After a trip to Morocco, Deborah was so inspired that she arrived home with a new mission, to bring some of that old world charm into her home. Here’s a little glimpse of how Deborah transformed her brand new tract home with vintage pieces, architectural salvage, chalk paint and distinct stenciling. 

Salvaged Victorian porch columns anchor this space and give it symmetry. New light fixtures are replaced throughout the home with a variety of vintage ones. Annie Sloan Primer Red is used on the back wall. 

I love that the stencil work on the fireplace is reminiscent of patterned cement tile that's so popular right now. Notice all the different patterns used here. 

Two lovely vignettes of favorite gathered treasures. 

I just so happen to have been at Peinture earlier this week picking up a couple of new colors for a chair and a bench that I’m working on. I hope a little of Deborah’s magic rubs off on me and my projects! 

Here’s a shot from inside Peinture Studios. If you’re in the area, stop by and get inspired! 

ciao! fabiana

via Orange Coast Magazine

a little vintage federal mirror, updated

Here’s a little weekend chalk paint makeover. 

I painted this small vintage flea market mirror with 

"Old White" Annie Sloan chalk paint and then just simply

added gold leaf accents on all the raised areas.

I really love how it turned out!

ciao! fabiana


Shop here for a similar look:

chalk paint projects for the garden

We just finished having the whole outside of our house painted.

After years of living in a beigy tan house,

we decided to choose soft white for most of the house,

with “pigeon grey”  and black as accent colors.

I LOVE how it turned out!

The look of a classic white house with

black shutters and trim has always been a style I love.

With such a clean slate, I'm motivated to add accessories

and furnishings that reflect a bit of California style,

incorprated with a  little European vibe.

Today, I updated some of my clay pots 
that I have displayed
in two different wrought iron pot holders.
The one above holds three small  clay pots 
with succulents planted in them.

Annie Sloan "Provence" chalk paint 
livens up these plain clay succulent pots.

I planted Echeveria agaoides ‘Lipstick’ in a couple of the pots.

Here's how it looks from the house.

The wall above is the side of our garden shed

with a pergola and vintage swing next to it.

We definitely needed some color on this wall!

These hot pink geraniums are amazing and so cheerful!

My favorite color "Florence" is perfect for the 

geranium pots in my wire window baskets.

I have two of these wire window baskets on my kitchen 
windows that now hold six pretty vibrant turquoise clay pots.
So easy to update and so fun to look at. 

ciao! fabiana

painted furniture

This fun pic from BHG has inspired me to work 

on a couple of painted furniture projects this weekend. 

The first is my hall tree that's similar 

to this one shown above. 

I have had one in my entry forever 

that was painted dark green. 

It belonged to my husband's Nana, 

and we really treasure it and 

use it everyday to hang our hats, 

jackets and dog leashes.  

Our first project for the weekend, 

transforming the hall tree into 

something really fun! 

So, I headed to Peinture Studios to get some 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. 

I've decided on a mixture of 

Florence and Provence.

It was the perfect color combo, 

and the small sample sizes were just right. 

Here's some of the inspiration 

from pinterest that got me going... 

This perfectly gorgeous turqouise, teal dresser 

featured on Mary Ann's blog 

Classic Casual Home. 

An assortment of fun chairs from Cup of Te.

A sweet little gray desk with 

pop of coral from Miss Mustard Seed.

Minty fresh green chairs from the Glitter Guide.

The perfect green accent via Coco Cozy.

Everything Turquoise featured this traditional style bed.

Tobi Fairley does black and white.   

This faux bamboo mirror 

is updated in my favorite color.

I love how the chartreuse stools 

tie in with the artwork 

in this kitchen by 

Lisa Sherry Interieurs. 

 Ombre done right by Gus and Lula.

This bar set up comes alive on 

top of this painted antique piece. 

Pretty antique white finish by Ethan Allen.

I really love the amazing color samples at Peinture.  

The chairs on the wall are such a fun idea!

ciao! fabiana

p.s. Here’s our other project.

The kitchen table is in the middle of being

 painted in Old White. 

Mr. Ciao is helping me with this one!

an alfresco Thanksgiving gathering

Dining outdoors in the garden is so delightful, and setting up an alfresco Thanksgiving table is easier than you may think.

I used my favorite table accessories and elegant fall elements to create this unique look last year. The weather was perfect and the timing was just right!  

Our table was moved to the back yard and set up for a small gathering of six, which is the perfect number of guests for dining outdoors.

You may recognize this table from Romantic Homes, and you can read all about the design and inspiration behind the design here.

Today I’m sharing with you where I found all the elements featured at this table…   

The table is one that I’ve had for a long time, and I repainted it a few years ago with “Old White” Annie Sloan chalk paint. It's a great size and has two leaves, which when removed convert this to the perfect round table.  

I also painted these vintage Windsor chairs white, which I found for $10 each at a thrift store in Laguna Beach. We use them everyday, and they're actually quite comfortable.

This table that usually sits in my dining nook, but I moved it outdoors with the chairs, just for fun!

Here are the elements on the table:

Macramé Runner found here

Amber Water Glasses found here

Vintage Wedgwood China from my mother-in-law

Wood Baroque Charger found here

Wood Handle Flatware found here

Thankful Napkins found here (get them in two days!)

Glitter Gold Pumpkin Votives found here

Brass Candlestick Coolection here (get them in two days!)  

Small White Pitchers found here

White and Yellow Roses from Trader Joe’s

Wheat Bouquet found here

This year I’m hosting everyone in our dining room, since we have a larger group coming next Thursday. Here's a little peek at what's happening on the table at the moment...

I’m still playing around with the look, but I’ll share the final reveal soon! 

ciao! fabiana

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