Mirrors make such beautiful design statements…now take this one for example….the top is just breathtaking.
And the finish is wonderful because its a champagne metallic….a little gold…a little silver.. and just the tiniest bit of black.
You can put it almost anywhere (that it will fit – it is tall at 63″) and it will blend into almost any color scheme. It will add an architectural element to your room. Of course the “old world elegance” makes it look like you carried it back from les puces de saint-ouen. Mmmm let’s go back!
Beautiful Iron Scrollwork makes this mirror extra special 63″h x 43″ w
There little ovals are perfect for powder rooms….at 31″ L x 25″ w but they will make for a pretty collage too mixed in with some great artwork.
Pretty Oval – simple clean lines with just the right touch of embossed decorationOval Mirror in black with a little gold accent
This last mirror is one I have blogged about before. It is so elegant and versatile. You can lean this 73″high mirror or hang it. You can hang it vertical or horizontal – design your room around it! Simple.Beautiful.Elegant. Perfect!
We have a nice collection of LoLLia products at The Whistling Elk.
LoLLia is beautifully packaged so it adds an elegant touch to the décor of your dressing room or bathroom.
My favorite is the Wander…its a soft fragrance and I just love rubbing a little of the hand crème on the back of my hand and sniffing it! So nice!
The Whistling Elk stocks Lollia personal products
I also love the Wander Perfumed Bath Oil…it is amazing. It leaves your skin soft and fragrant and no small matter it leaves your tub clean! That’s a wonderful bonus!
Of course our best seller is still the Relax…
Lollia Relax fragrance is a combination of Lavendar and Honey
You may remember that I wrote a post on November 12, 2013 called “Mantel Madness with Paint Couture”. I had a lot of fun painting that mantel and it was beautiful…but I always knew that it would take on a new personality yet again some day…well that day has arrived! Here it is after I finished it the first time…
Mantel Painted with Abundance Paint Couture!™, Brilliant White and Verde Glaze Couture!™
I watered down some Paint Couture!™ Italian Ivory and brushed a thin coat all over the mantel…effectively whitewashing it. After it dried I got out my hand sander and beat the whole thing up! Gotta love that little hand sander.
Mantel after whitewashing with Paint Couture!™ Italian Ivory and distressing with my hand sander.
So now I have a “new” mantel…again! The Paris Boudoir is looking verrrrry nice!
Mantel refinished again with Paint Couture Products!
Good Lighting makes a huge contribution to the beauty and functionality of a home. And the addition of beautiful fixtures – chandeliers and lamps – creates delightful design elements in any room. Whenever someone tells me they have recessed lighting and don’t need any lamps the designer in me just cringes at their lost opportunity.
Having just received some new lamps in the shop got me to contemplating lighting and thinking about my own home so I thought I would share some lighting information with you.
Beautiful Lamps at The Whistling Elk (The red damask shade is opaque and you can see that the light shines down)
10 Lighting Tips
A truly beautiful room will tend to have soft pools of light that come from a variety of sources – Use lighting with different wattages and and place light sources at various heights.
Picture found on Geisen Designs website – shows well balance lighting all around the room and at various heights.
Position lighting all around a room to dispel dark corners.
Table Lamps are excellent decorating tools…use them even if they do nothing! They are not actually doing “nothing” because they are creating great verticals which enhance the beauty of any room filled with horizontal lines.
In a lamp that has double bulb sockets use two different wattage bulbs and you will create a medium and low setting!
Lamp shades that are opaque will create a more dramatic atmosphere as they throw light up and down and emit little side light.
Fabric shades will create the warmest most glamorous light.
Picture from Homedit.com shows the warmth of light emited by fabric shades
Paint your outlets to match the walls to minimize the distraction of cords and outlets. Have lamps wired with clear or fabric cords.
When placing a reading lamp the height is lower than seems intuitive: it should be below eye level so it lights your page, not your head.
Albert Hadley said “I personally try to avoid all ceiling lights because i think that overhead light is a tragedy.” Well I agree with that in reference to recessed lighting…but as to chandeliers – What could be more beautiful? A general rule of thumb for a dining room chandelier is 30″ above the tabletop. Bulbs should not be bright…lower wattage is better for creating ambience around table gatherings.
Dimmer switches go where you want to be able to create ambience.
The bottom line is that lighting needs to be functional but it can take a room to another level if you think in terms of ambience and beauty. It’s an essential design detail!
I have been posting a lot about painting lately! I guess I am pretty fascinated with Paint Couture™ products so I am really enjoying using them and teaching about them….but don’t be deceived there are always other things going on at The Whistling Elk. It’s the usual juggling act!
Freight coming in, new merchandise being unpacked and lots of garbage….grrr not my favorite activity. Lots of beautiful art though!
Art at The Whistling Elk
While I was painting the vanity … pictures to follow … I was also working on hanging new art that showed up…and my first hit of Christmas items…yes! Christmas…So anyway I’ve been working on this little vanity in between unpacking new goodies for the shop.
Of course the Christmas is “blingey” as usual!Ch
OK… Here is the little vanity…it is actually laying on its back on the floor….when I first looked at this picture I was thinking why can I see my feet….haha ! as usual I almost forgot to take the before picture and was starting work on it….
Paint Couture!™ at The Whistling Elk
I wanted the vanity to say “pink’ and I wanted to use Paint Couture “LOVELY” but I was afraid it would be to faint….so I decided to undercoat it with French Polynesian Pink…hmmm that really did the trick.
Paint Couture French Polynesian Pink with some embossing started
I did a lot of embossing on this piece and in addition added just some plain stenciling later to fill in some of the designs. I wanted a lot of embellishment on this piece.
Vanity with the Lovely over the French Poly then embossed and gilded with pale gold
I did distress this piece somewhat to show just a faint hint of the French poly pink. I also lined the piece wherever I could with Angelic Paint Couture to make the pink stand out even more.
Close up of the side detailVanity Finished in Light Brown Sugar Glaze Couture and Matte Lacquer
Inspiration is a wonderful thing…Good design is always based on inspiration… Sometimes you are on a design path and you take a right or left turn…in that case I know that something along the way changed my inspiration…
Painting is like design in that you start with an inspiration and then work in that direction…adjusting as the piece you are working on speaks to you…
The trio of pictures following was my inspiration for a dresser that I am just finishing up painting with products from the PaintCouture – The Collection™.
Ok, here is the dresser….BEFORE…it was a nice old dresser painted blue and the drawers were whitewashed. It was dirty from sitting around so I cleaned it with TSP really well.
Paint Couture™ is sold at the Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
Before I started painting the dresser I painted up a sample using the paints and glazes that I decided were going to achieve the look I wanted based on my inspiration…I chose the below Paint Couture™ products: Vintage Moss, Brilliant White, Lite Brown Sugar Glaze, and Pale Gold Metallic Paint and here is how they looked on the sample I painted.
painted frame using Paint Couture products based on my inspiration
So loving the way this frame turned out! I love finishes that have depth and look “vintage” – with a little of the dirt of age on them…ha! I couldn’t wait to start work on the dresser. It’s funny but this is one case where I never deviated from my inspiration…it was soooo clear where it was going!
First I painted everything with the Vintage Moss. After 24 hours I dry brushed the piece with Brilliant White. I then used the Paint Couture Embossing Medium and stenciled on some designs. This always takes some time because you have to plan your stencil layout. I used parts of two different stencils. After drying the PC Embossing Medium I laid my stencil back over it and applied PALE GOLD – Paint Couture’s beautiful metallic paint! (one of their many metallics)
Paint Couture Embossing Medium is Amazing.Dresser embossed and embellished with PALE GOLD Metallic. Paint Couture has great metallics!
The combination of the BRILLIANT WHITE and the PALE GOLD gives this dresser a metallic gleam…it sparkles!
Next I glazed everything with Paint Couture’s Lite Brown Sugar. It’s such a pleasure to work with – very creamy. I happen to be a light glazer…I would rather put it on and take it off and then glaze it again. I feel very much in control when I work this way. You can always go darker!
Paint Couture Lite Brown Sugar Glaze over Vintage Moss, Brilliant White and Pale Gold
You can see the French Polynesian Pink PC peaking out on the sides of the drawers…I love the pink with the Vintage Moss…I decided not to the glaze the pink – it is less subtle and I love the contrast it creates of the Bright against the Aged!
French Polynesian Pinks Drawers…I painted the outsides of the drawers because I thought this would show more than the insides…
After thoroughly letting my piece dry I applied a 2nd coat of Lite Brown Sugar Glaze. This really deepened the finish on the dresser. It’s very rich!
After the 2nd coat of Paint Couture Lite Brown SugarPale Gold Embellished EmbossingEmbossed Stenciling embellished with Pale Gold Metallic Paint
The Brilliant White reminds me of fairy dust and the Embossing Medium painted with Pale Gold makes this very ordinary dresser a piece of art.
Painted Dresser with the Hardware back onHardware reapplied over the embossed design
Because I am impatient…I didn’t want to wait for new hardware. I didn’t really love the hardware that was on the piece originally but I decided to play with it to see it I could get to like it. So I planned my embossed stencil to enhance the hardware. I painted the hardware with Brilliant White, then Pale Gold, then glazed it and applied little crystals. I then hung it upside down to change the look of the design. I love it! It’s so not typical!
Paint Couture will enable you to create a masterpiece.At The Whistling Elk we will teach you to paint your own masterpiece.
When I have paint on my brush I often look around for something else to paint since I have a paint can open and a dirty brush. The PALE GOLD was open and I had a little pedestal. It almost became my problem child. I knew the pedestal had wax on it so I had cleaned it earlier with mineral spirits and then TSP’d it. Woe is me. It wasn’t enough!
After I painted it with the Pale Gold it just didn’t feel right – I knew it was going to peel. So I sanded it down and of course there was still wax on it…sigh…curse…
I had some Mylands Sanding Sealer so on Mike’s advice (The Father of Paint Couture) I brushed on the Mylands. WOW. It.Worked.Great. I put it on over the remnants of the Pale Gold and after it dried you could just feel that the paint was going to be o.k.
I actually liked the way the pedestal looked all chippy and messy and now that it felt right too…it almost had me making one of those left design turns…humph…should I leave it that way???? But in my heart I knew that the really messed up look would not appeal to most customers. Here it is in all its chippy glory…
My Problem Child – This pedestal almost made me make a left design turn
I ended up having to clean that brush and put away the paint while the Mylands dried and I considered what to do. This must be my week for not deviating from plan…I ended up brushing on more Pale Gold, Embossed a stencil on top, Brilliant White went on the stencil only….then finished with BLACK WALNUT GLAZE all over…(my favorite Paint Couture™ glaze). Pale Gold with Black Walnut gives a very beautiful, deep and rich metallic finish.
Painted Pedestal – Paint Couture Pale Gold Metallic
I made the right decision. Its very beautiful and elegant and all it needs is a glass of wine sitting on it next to a comfy chair.
Come learn to create your own masterpieces at one of our Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk. You will learn all the techniques described in this post and you will have fun!
Heres a nice frame with a shabby worn finish…it’s O.K.
But that is just it – for me its just o.k.
Frame before Paint Couture Black Walnut Glaze and Pale Gold Accent
I know I can change it and make it better than just o.k.
What has happened to my humility????
Pale Gold / Black Walnut Glaze – Paint Couture!™ products used on this frame
I really love this about the Paint Couture Collection. Not only can you paint something that needs to be refinished but you can also transform ordinary objects into something more lovely, something that works better in your current décor environment.
Paint Couture!™ is like having a Toolbox Stuffed with Tools to Create Lovely!
I have always advised my clients: “If you run into the right object but its the wrong color and you can paint it….buy it – you could spend 10 years looking for the right object in the right color and never find it.”
Come and participate in one of our Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ and learn how to Paint, Glaze, finish, stencil, gild and more. It’s fun and I guarantee you will put the knowledge to good use!
I always had so much fun Finger Painting when I was a kid and now I get to do it again…
with The Couture Collection – they have a great selection of Gilding Waxes which I love to use to accent a painted finish – any painted finish…even one I didn’t paint! (heehee)
This cute frame was pretty before I started but now I like it even better. It had an all over copper look and now it has touches of green moire and the gold lame that I finger-painted on which gave the original finish a lot more depth.
Gilding Wax adds depth to a finish
That is the beauty of the Paint Couture line…you can paint something one color, OR paint and glaze, OR paint, glaze and gild for a finish that has deep, layered and elegant dimension!
We will be happy to teach you all of these techniques at our Paint Workshops!
Call for the date of the next scheduled Class and make a reservation to attend. You will have so much fun! I guarantee you will leave class contemplating all the objects around the house that you will be painting or glazing or gilding or maybe all three!
Paint Couture Gilding Wax
To enhance a painted finish you simply apply the gilding wax with your finger or with a small artist brush! and voila the perfect way to accent your finished paint project! If you decide to finger paint – a little coconut oil will clean up your talented fingers.
At The Whistling Elk we can provide you with beautiful custom window treatments BUT if you just don’t want to make what is sometimes a huge investment…Ready-Made Drapes can be a real life saver
Linen Drapes on Sale at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
Currently two different styles of 100% Linen Ready-Made Drapes are on Sale so take 20% off the below listed prices!
Style No. 1 is an unlined 100% linen drape which presents as a gauzy/sheer texture…like air. They drape beautifully and will frame out a window nicely at minimum expense:
$75 per each 96″ panel
$99 per each 108″ panel
The Whistling Elk has beautiful draperies!
The colors are soft and earthy: Ivory, Natural, Light Brown, Wheat, Antique Gold
Style No. 2 is a lined 100% linen drape which drapes beautifully and is a heavier linen drape that offers more privacy.
$135 per each 96″ panel
$149 per 108″ panel
100% Linen Drapes at The Whistling Elk
The colors are Ivory, Natural, Wheat, Brick, Blue (light/icey), Antique Gold, Light Brown, Chocolate, Almond
All drapes have 4″ rod pocket, 2″ header and back tabs.
We have color swatches at the shop so come in and shop for the colors that work in your room! Drapes do make an incredible design statement in a room and you will love the look you can achieve for very little investment!
Especially the art deco earrings in the lower left box…oooh la la!
La Vie Parisienne Jewelry at The Whistling Elk, Chester NJ
The Collection designs are rendered from the original molds that were created by artists of the celebrated jewelry period from 1900 through the 1930’s combining classic European findings and a selection of historical American pieces which are handset with brilliant Swarovski crystals.
O.K. that is the company’s description of their work….I just say “It’s beautiful!” “It’s my favorite”…”it looks amazing when you layer it”… “you just plain can’t have too much of it!” So there!!!!
Oh, and it’s not too soon to be thinking about Mother’s Day! Yup…Mothers Day and Jewelry are synonymous.
and we are ready for Mom’s at The Whistling Elk with our usual complement of great home accessories and lots of intriguing little gifts & spring flowers.
I used the Van Dyke Brown Glaze today over Imagine and I’m diggin it!
Paint Couture!™
While I was painting the pedestal the other day with IMAGINE I painted up some paint sample sticks too.
Paint Couture!™ Paint and Glaze on sample sticks
Today I glazed/painted them 10 different ways – I used a new philosophy when glazing these sticks…all the other ones I have done were glazed/removed pretty evenly. This time I decided show different degrees of removing the glaze…all my paint students have different ideas of how much/little glaze they would remove…so these samples look uneven but I did it with purpose to show variety!
Paint Couture!™ paints and glazes in Chester NJ
I also used 3 of the gilding waxes on some of my Paint Couture!™ samples.
So all the samples were painted with 2 coats of Imagine and part of the stick was finished with Matte Lacquer Couture!™. (The glaze does not bite in as much over the lacquer and gives you more flexibility to work with the glaze.)
So from the left here is how I finished each stick:
2. Brilliant White Paint/Green Moire and Silver Taffeta Gilding Wax
3. Verde Glaze
4. Black Chiffon Glaze
5. Zinc Glaze
and in the 2nd group photo:
6. Black Walnut Glaze
7. Champagne Glaze
8. Amber Honey Glaze
9. Lite Brown Sugar Glaze
10. Van Dyke Brown Glaze
So after making all the samples I decided to glaze the pedestal with the Black Chiffon. The pedestal was an older piece and had a lot of marks and texture (which I kept because I liked the character) and I love the way the black chiffon kinda highlighted the “age” of the piece….so here is the finished pedestal with Imagine, Brilliant White, Rich Gold and Black Chiffon Glaze Couture!™. (Also in the photo collage is a before the glaze photo).
Paint Workshops at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
Still having fun! Call and join one of our Paint Workshops!
This adorable little pedestal/table got a make-over
this week at The Whistling Elk.
Paint Couture!™ Painted Table at The Whistling Elk
In our Paint Workshops you will learn how easy it is to create beauty where there was none (or little) before! Not kidding here!
This little pedestal table was painted white and in a very chipped condition…it was cute…I mean looking at it I knew that it had POSSIBILITIES…and that is the key!
So with really very little effort on my part and my Paint Couture!™ products it’s lovely! It looks rich and expensive! (I want to take it home ;))
You don’t have to be a Do-It-Yourselfer to use this paint or to create a great piece.
Come to one of our Paint Workshops and see for yourself how easy it is!
Call and register for one of our next scheduled workshops:
Thursday, April 10th – 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Sunday, April 19th – 9 am – 12 pm
You will learn to paint, glaze, gild, stencil and emboss…also to distress so that you can create masterpieces with an aged European style finish!
Learn to paint furniture at The Whistling Elk Workshops
At The Whistling Elk you will find everything to make your house a home. From furniture to home accents to personal items…everything with design and quality in mind.
I had a fabulous day today…I really love what I do and now I can even say I am a bit of a contortionist!
My client had an armoire that was a nonedescript green and she wanted to jazz it up but she did not want to (couldn’t) move it. So I gilded and glazed it in place…talk about getting into tough positions in tight spaces…hahaha…I am smiling just thinking about those back legs… Glad no one was there with a video camera…
Here’s the before picture…although as usual I started gilding before I took it!
Armoire Before Glazing with Glaze Couture!™ Amber Honey
and here is the finished product!
Amber Honey Glaze Couture!™ was perfect for the job.
Several new mirrors have arrived at The Whistling Elk – The mirror pictured is one of my favorites and I set it up behind a little cabinet I was planning on painting. Sitting at my desk I can look out and appreciate the mirror – the chandelier reflected in it and now the little cabinet that I just finished painting. Love this little vignette!
Paint Couture Paint and Glaze at The Whistling Elk
The cabinet started out just a mousy brown and it is actually a new piece (not old) – I bought the piece with the specific intention to paint it. I painted a faded blue on the inside glazed it with champagne and stenciled some small Fleur de Lis randomly on the back panel. (sorry didn’t photograph that)
I embossed the stencil so it stands out nicely and the zinc and brilliant white that I used on the piece make the stencil design shimmer.
Silver Star is dabbed on the hinges and on the teardrop door handles. I took almost all the glaze off the top as I wanted it to look slightly different than the body of the piece.
It’s a lovely little French cabinet now!
The Whistling Elk Paint Workshops – Learn to transform your furniture!
Our next paint workshop will be March 20th…that is also the first day of Spring!
I can hardly wait. Sign up now and learn how to paint your own Masterpiece.
New merchandise arrivals always make me happy! La Vie est Belle! At The Whistling Elk it seems that all the new shipments include a lot of bling. I confess I am always into beautiful, sparkly bling! Just a little bit in a room adds a little something…We just received a lot of pretty crystal…there are candlesticks, vases, pitchers, salt & pepper shakers and salt cellars with little tiny (very cute) spoons! Even the new artwork has bling! There are tiny crystals embedded in the prints which add just the right element of ooh la la!
Crystal Cream & Sugar and Salt Cellars
There are four of these chic lamp prints all with embedded crystals. Love the carved gold frames…and the bath print below is the most gorgeous shade of green…there are three prints in this collection.
Great Gifts at The Whistling Elk in Chester NJ
The “red” vase I just finished painting this morning even expresses some bling. It has a certain richness – it was a nondescript cement color before I gave it a coat of red paint and followed up with some gold stenciling and a bit of Black Walnut Glaze Couture!™. Now it is quite elegant! Ahh, La Vie est belle at The Whistling Elk!!!
The Whistling Elk 
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