Spring is here! I actually feel like humming the holiday song “It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year….” as soon as I wake up. Trees are growing leaves again, flowers are blooming, bees are visiting our garden, birds are singing and the sky is a sunny blue. (I understand it may not be this way everywhere, but it is the current experience in Florida. I don’t have the pleasure of seeing snow during the Winter and so I guess it all evens out, no?)  I thought I would share a few images with Spring in mind…

We kick off with a colorful and fanciful canvas by New Orleans artist Gretchen Weller Howard.  This particular image was feature in the book Big, Easy Style by Bryan Batt. Her earliest works included graphic design and decorative painting.

This striking mural in polystyrene is in an attic apartment and mimics the exterior foliage.  Just so amazing and I love it in black & white. Do you? It was was featured in Livingetc.

Wall & Deco is one of my favorite wallcovering lines. They have such inspiring and creative works! This one is called Poppy.

The shadow mural of the bird on the branches is just so sweet! I think this dresser is adorable — and perfect for a spring-inspired guest room!  It was finished by the studio of Gypsy Barn. They didn’t do a reverse technique while masking the design. Instead, they chipped the finish off to showcase the mahogany underneath. Very cool.

Aren’t these gorgeous? LOVE them! They gigantic graphic flower mural is the work of Metro Finishes in Orlando’s Suite B Lounge. Below is a closer look.

I spied the picture below a few years ago in House & Garden magazine and have always enjoyed it…

I love how elegant and simple this sgraffito finish is — especially when paired with its inspiration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our welcome to Spring with birds, trees and flowers!  I look forward to sharing more ideas, inspiration, artists and information with you as well.  Have a beautiful day!

Photographed by Janis Nicolay for House & Home

Wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful holiday filled with laughter and love!

I have quite a few decorative painting pics to show you from some of my mini-vacations! This one is from a quick jaunt to Sarasota, FL, where a visit to the Ringling Museum was a must on the list.  We’ve previously seen their gardens and a bit of the Ringling family home, Ca’ d’Zan (Part 1 and Part 2).  This is actually a very special ceiling in the Ca’ d’Zan foyer.

To give you an idea of its space in the home, here is an image from the living room (an interior court). The foyer itself has glazed walls and Moroccan-inspired arched windows.

Here are a few close-ups.  According to archive records, the “ceiling beams enclose areas of canvas painted with conventionalized foliated motifs in red and gray. That decoration…[was] created by Robert Webb“. Mr. Webb was an artist who studied under John Singer Sargent and he mastered gold leafing and mural work while assisting him.  After a few years and solo projects on his own, he moved his family to Florida. It is said that while Mr. Webb was working on the grape leaf design on the foyer ceiling, his client John Ringling said, “Webb, hurry up! I’m running out of time and money!” to which Mr. Webb immediately put down his brush and said “I’m finished!”. The panel to this day remains uncompleted.  Here’s a few close-ups.

Grape tree close-up (above) and within the panel (below)

Do click here to see a visual tour — walk straight ahead and you’ll run right into the foyer. It is interesting to note that the artist, Robert Webb, had a daughter named Thelma who wrote his biography and filled it with his life story, experiences and anecdotes about his peers and projects. She called it Tramp Artist. I’ll be needing to purchase that.

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Meeting Robyn Story of Robyn Story Designs is meeting a dynamo — plus, you feel like you can do anything after you’ve spent a few hours with her!  Her eponymous shop is 5,000 square feet packed with great design and beautiful finds. She is one of our beloved sponsors and we always love to catch up and see what is new and fabulous!  Shall we dig in?

NEW PRODUCTS

Robyn has quite a few delicious new offerings in her shop. Not only is she one of the top stockists of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, she is also carrying Annie’s new Workbook and fabric line!  The wire-bound Workbook is an interactive notebook for home design enthusiasts featuring hand-drawn illustrations, ruled and plain pages, expandable inner pockets and an elasticated tie-closure — it’s a personal book to keep your decor ideas, colors and inspirations right at hand.

The Annie Sloan fabric line (some featured below left) has eight different patterns in toiles and tickings that come direct from factories in Belgium and France and have been selected to complement the colors of Chalk Paint. Brilliant!

Bella Notte Linens (above right) is also a new collection series! They are the world’s first easy care, garment-dyed luxury linens. Irresistibly soft and gloriously colored, every order is custom dyed using low-impact, non-toxic dyes. Don’t they sound sumptuous?

Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint is a new paint product that is also available at Robyn’s boutique!  Milk Paint is an ancient all-natural paint containing basic ingredients including milk protein (casein), limestone, clay and natural pigments. It is interior and exterior rated for many surfaces and is naturally mold resistant. Very pretty!

SUPER SALE

Robyn Story Designs is having a store-wide Pre-Christmas sale — so they are the perfect stop to visit while doing your last minute shopping!  Here’s more information to have on hand while heading to the shop.

HOLIDAY DESIGN SERVICES

Robyn’s team is so well-known for their fabulous interior design services, that even Tampa’s International Airport had them do all their holiday decorations!  At this time of year, the design team is super-busy helping everyone prepare for the holidays and their decor is always fresh, inspired and oh-so-gorgeous.  It’s truly a joy to see the warm and festive results!

Holiday Works in Progress at Tampa International Airport

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I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about Robyn Story Designs — a visit to Tampa, FL means a must visit to her beautiful shop to see every charming nook and cranny. You’re sure to take home something perfect for your space, trust.  Do check in with their lively Facebook page and blog as they always have something new and wonderful to share!  Thank you so much, Robyn, for all your support of Fauxology!

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Royal Design Studio has been a long-time supporter of Fauxology — and goodness knows I love their stencils, techniques and products! Their president, Melanie Royals, continues to dream up ever-so-wonderful ways to make decorative painting and finishing easier, not to mention the application of beautiful patterns to a myriad of surfaces.  They have so many good things to share and I thought I’d pay it forward!

VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Imagine learning amazing finishes and techniques in the comfort of your own home, wearing your favorite pajamas with a nice cup of hot chocolate at your side — all at your own pace, without travel and lodging costs. That’s the beauty of Virtual Workshops.  There are four classes available: SkimStone & Modello® Stencils, Antique Mirror & Glass, Metallic Foils and Stencil Impressions. Each class comes with video lessons and a complete, illustrated manual. If you see each of the class descriptions, they come with informative videos and module lessons.  As the classes are ongoing, you can start a class as soon as you register!

Special Pricing on Virtual Workshops through December 31st!

NEW STENCIL CREME COLORS & STENCILS

Stencil Cremes are a fantastic stencil paint with opaque coverage and creamy, dreamy application. Eight new colors were introduced just last week and they have special pricing through the end of the year!  In addition, a few new stencil patterns were added to the Royal Design Studio collection — you can always see the latest additions in the New Stencil Designs area of their website.

 COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

For ten days until Christmas Eve, Royal Design Studio will feature one selected stencil per day at 50% off!  They are on Day 6 and have a few stencils to go — will your favorite be among them?  Be sure to use the code given for your half off savings!

The daily selected stencils will be showcase on their Facebook page, Twitter account and Pinterest boards.  Do be sure to follow and “like” them for plenty of inspiration, too!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more the latest and greatest with Royal Design Studio!  They also have the Design Amour and Stencil Ideas blog with creative artists and fab projects showcased regularly — great reads!  A nice, big lush Thank You! goes out to Royal Design for the Fauxology support!

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We love, love, love our Sponsors and I just want to extend a HUGE thank you to them for helping make Fauxology possible!  I’m always super happy to learn of the of the new things they have going on and share them with you — and Sheri Zeman of Chicago’s Faux Design Studio has PLENTY!  Sheri is one of my fave teachers and I’ve learned some of my favorite — and most popular — finishes from her directly.  She has an incredible knack at producing contemporary finishes that are so in tune with design today.

NEW CLASSES & STENCILS

Looking ahead to 2013, Sheri will continue to teach finishes that look very complex and multi-layered but actually use minimal product and are done in 2-3 layers.  Gotta love that!  Her studio’s goal is that you produce incredible finishes for your clients, whether residential or commercial, all while ensuring your profitability and time.

The above are some of the samples from the Signature Series workshop and below is a peek at her stencil line and studio.  She’ll be adding new designs to the Loft stencil collection soon.  You can check out their full class schedule on their site.

NEW PRODUCT OFFERINGS

Do note that the studio also sells the formula along with a sample piece and instruction sheet for some of their most popular Signature Series finishes for the low price of $85.

Sheri will also be introducing a fabulous new cabinet finishing product as well as two new glass colors.  Glass is an ideal embellishment for stencils and custom decorative finishes. Below is a sneak peek of new cabinet finishing samples.  Her Chicago studio will also have a few “free” product update classes in the new year for artists to learn more first-hand.

We’ll be sharing more very soon from Faux Design Studio!  In the meantime, do keep up with them on their Facebook fan page where they share their news, fab samples, amazing projects and even a free recipe or two!  Many thanks to Sheri and Faux Design Studio for their support!

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Today, many fellow lifestyle bloggers are joining in a day of silence for Newtown. This is a tragedy, I believe, that we all feel personally.  Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones, the first responders and those who are, still now, sifting through the aftermath.  Most of us have felt this so deeply and hugged our own loved ones tighter, appreciated the moments more and wanted to send comfort, love and support to all those affected.  Our hearts, love, thoughts and prayers are with the Newtown families — today and every day.