annie sloan chalk paint

…state of the union

April 24, 2013 By christen 10 Comments

Before taking my first job at The Reston Times, I lived in London for a bit. I must admit that I was a tad disappointed that I was not stepping into a Jane Austen novel, but recovered quickly after discovery the city for my own. I’ve had an affinity for England since I was a little girl and now that I’m thirty-something it still continues. How can you not love a country that has a real Queen, castles, cozy pubs, Guiness & those Beefeaters!

I painted my first Union Jack for my son’s room.

I love doing a twist on the classic colors with my favorite blues.

Since then, I’ve done about 7 custom blue Union Jack dressers for clients.

I don’t like the idea of being exacting in my chalk painting, but I don’t feel that way when I make these. It’s actually a very rewarding process when i get to peal the blue tape back and see the pattern. I also aim to make the flag look worn & weathered. I don’t want to see a new design, rather an old, storied one.

I had a sweet little console that I wanted to try doing a Union on the top of. I’m planning on bringing it to Luckett’s. I brought one last year and I felt like it was kinda my signature piece. Luckett’s has since graciously used it in many of their marketing posts for the Spring Market this May (18,19).

Here is a peek at the taping process. Yes, a tad complicated.

I always tell myself I’m going to try new colors, but seem to come back over and over to the blues.

Come say hi at The Luckett’s Spring Market, May 18th & 19th 10-5!

xoxo

…Building a Business: Vision

April 23, 2013 By christen 4 Comments

As in life, authenticiy is the greatest gift you can give yourself. I have more respect for people if they are who they are without shame or trying to cover up their person. I may not like every style I see out there, but I can respect it if it’s genuine. This is true of your business. I have said it before, it will show if you are not being true to your vision & style. You will be unhappy working extra hard to create a look that is not your own and people will notice that you are full of hot air if you can’t back up the look you are displaying or discussing.

At a very young age I had dreams of living in a cottage somewhere in England filled with textiles, old books, lanterns and other interesting objects. (Of course I also thought I wanted to be one of the Bronte sisters as well.) My dad and I used to shop at antique shops in New Hampshire during the summertime and I loved finding objects that were old and had a story behind them. He also showed me the love of design & creating things by hand as I used to watch him make hand-made jewelry as his dad did before him.

(This is actually my oldest daughter designing with Papa)

I hadn’t really developed my style or had the money to really develop it, but I knew what I liked.When I started Blue Egg Brown Nest, I loved that cozy, European feel, the vintage style like I was seeing in certain magazines, homes & shops. There were colors that I loved and as I started down the path of decorating my own home, I honed in on what I loved & wanted to create.

(This demi was my first piece of inspiration.)

If you are going to have a creative business, you need to spend every day working on it and thinking about it. If you are going to spend all that time & energy you need to know your vision and almost make a mental mission statement. Don’t divert from it. Be consistent. Start as you plan to go because as you get traction, clients will associate you with a certain style and aesthetic. They will recommend you to friends looking for that look. They will think of you when they want a particular item that suits their needs. If you are all over the place, it will seem confusing and people will not hold the same type of loyality to your shop & work.

Ask yourself these question:

What is my style?

What do I know?

What do I appreciate?

What do I gravitate towards?

What is my history?

What am I good at?

These will be very easy questions if you are attune to yourself and possibly difficult questions if you are still developing who you are. A creative business is so personal. It has to just fit together. Kind of like Fiona in a vintage dough bowl.

Your vision and your style need to be integrated into who you are and what you yourself love. If I went out and sold, say, contemporary ceramics I would not be any good at it. I don’t really gravitate towards that look; I don’t have it in my home & frankly it just doesn’t excite me. Now, if you put me in an old bookstore and told me I could pick anything I wanted I think I would have to take a few deep breaths out of excitment. That is me and I know what I like.

Your vision will come through your business. I you haven’t developed your style yet, keep experimenting until you find what suites you. You will know when you find it because you will be good at it, you will study it and educate yourself. The adventure of your own creative business will endure as long as you so stay true & consistent.

Filed Under: building a business Tagged With: annie sloan chalk paint, blue egg brown nest, Building a Creative Business, diy

…building a business: when bad things happen to good people

April 16, 2013 By christen 3 Comments

When owning your own business often times it is ONLY YOU! Can I hear an amen? It’s alot of work and alot of responsibility. So when we do our very best and give our heart, it can be crushing when bad things just happen. This blue door was one of those moments in my Blue Egg Brown Nest life.

A super lovely & charming client, Rosemary, brought me those amazing doors to refinish for her. She was planning on putting them in her kitchen for her pantry doors. I love a creative lady! She picked Napoleonic Blue, a bold & beautiful choice.

As you can imagine, working on two doors about 10 ft tall was a bit of an effort for this gal at 4’11″. It involved a step stool and my DH flipping them over between coats.

I. Was. So. Careful.

I only worked on them when DH was there to help me. They were finally completed one bright, sunny Sunday and I had them propted against the garage to do a few touch ups. I went inside for a coffee and between sips, DH came up to me, laid a hand on my back and said “Whatever you do, don’t go outside.” I threw my hands up to my face, covering my eyes and hanging my head. Deep breath. Okay, fine, shallow breath and then ran to see what happend. And there she was, like a crime sceen she had fallen hard onto the driveway, glass shattered and scattered everywhere. I sat on the ground & cried. And once I was done, I went in and emailed Rosemary.

It happens. There are always going to be accidents & missteps. All that matters at the end of the day is how you deal with it. It can either become a funny anticdote years later or it can become a bruise on your business. Make sure it’s the former by communicating immediately. Then do everything you can to remedy the situation.

DH called about 5 glass places and finally found one that could find the exact, vintage glass. They picked up a sample from his office and within 2 days delivered an exact piece, cut to fit the door.

It had to have the right thickness and that greenish-blue color on the sides.

Oh DH! What would I do without you?!

And this…

After a few more touch ups, the doors headed to their home and are awaiting hanging.

If you are open, honest & communicate with your client they will be much more trusting of you and you will gain integrity & credibility. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever try to hide anything. Ever. If you’ve promised something and it just can’t be delivered, communicate it as soon as you are able. If you break something, communicate & then remedy. If you are super late on finishing up a project, update your client. If you are a creative business, everything you do is special & custom and doesn’t always come to completion on time. That fine. What is not fine is if you stay silent. Keep the client in the know. You will all breathe a bit easier.