Introductions: A beautiful gilded girl name "Eudora"
Eudora has to be one of my favorite pieces that I did for the book.....and probably one of the first pieces that I sketched out when I knew I would be doing a gilded piece. Of course, I had to use gold leaf in a way that I believe in and visualize...thus the stripe on the top!I am so excited that I can show these pieces online now {more coming to the shop today!} and begin to give all of my friends far and near the chance to own a piece from the book. Up until now, book pieces sold only locally since I could not show pictures online until the book was released. All of that has changed now....and they are making their online debut! Woot!Eudora is in the online shop and she is completely ready to jazz up any room in your home!xo,Barb
One week ago today......
photos by Carlton Riffel Photography
....we were frantically running around the shop getting everything set up for the big party! We were anxiously glancing at the clouds and the wind wondering if they were going to bless us or cause us great grief. I did have a few tears and a moment of sadness around 2:00 in the afternoon as it looked like we may not be able to set everything up outside, and I so wanted to see the tables, flowers and lights!As was meant to be.....the sun came out and shone for about an hour and a half and we were able to set up all of the beautiful tables and flowers, serve cake, enjoy the outdoors, and most importantly take lots of photographs before the rain started and plan B took effect.It was a wonderful night...and I am still smiling about it. I put up an album of photos on the Knack Facebook page if you would like to see more!Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!xo,Barb
Will I see you?
I am so excited to hit the road and do some traveling! I wanted to let you all know what the book schedule looks like for the next few weeks....and I sure hope I get to see some of you and hug your necks at one of these fantastic locations!First off...... Jon, Brynn {my daughter} and I will be headed to Frederick, MD to do a signing at the Stylish Patina Barn sale on May 17, from 10 am-12 pm. The address is 4051 Stanford Ct, Frederick, MD. Books will be available for purchase, or you can bring your own book!Next up is New York City! I will be signing at Pink Olive in East Village {pinch me!} on Saturday May 18th from 1 - 5 pm. Pink Olive is located at 439 East 9th Street, New York, NY. There is an Eventbrite link here for you to sign up....and the first 25 people to sign up get a super sweet goodie bag! If you already have your book, feel free to bring it with you for signing, but if you are planning on purchasing a book be sure to sign up through Eventbrite!Last, but certainly not least....I will be selling and signing books at the Maiedae Mixer in Rome, GA. The event will be held from 6:30 pm - 10 pm at the 7-Hills Fellowship Hall 538 Broad St, Rome, GA. There is a wonderful informational page about the Maiedae Mixer here, and only 50 tickets are being sold.....so if you want to come to this fantastic event don't wait to sign up! I need to start looking for my dress! It's going to be beautiful!I will keep you all informed as to where I will be throughout the Summer....but for now I hope to see your beautiful faces at one of these upcoming events!Yay....and Wahoo!xo,Barb
We celebrated....times a million
I can't yet put into words how wonderful Friday night was......and I can't wait to show you all photos and video later this week! It was a super beautiful evening and I enjoyed every single minute of it!Thank you so much to all of you who came....it was so great to celebrate with friends both old and new.....and I am definitely humbled by the love that was shown to me and to my family!So very thankful for all of those who helped make the party such a fun event, and for how hard all of my friends worked to make the night extra special for me. I will be doing a full post on all of the people who helped and provided goodies....when the photos are ready....so stay tuned!Have a great Monday!xo,Barb
The wait is over and we are partying tonight!
I honestly cannot believe this very fun day is here.....I {as well as my family} have been working towards and waiting for this day for a couple of years! I cannot contain my excitement any longer....it's just bubbling and bursting out....and I am ready to spend hours celebrating with my people!I am having the entire event videoed and photographed....so I will be sure to share the goods as soon as I have them! I can't wait for you all to see all of the decorations....the flowers, the cakes, the confetti wall, the paper lanterns, poufs, tissue fans, the paper straws in stripes and florals, the wooden "woo hoo" cake banner.....and the balloons! I literally feel like a giddy little kid.....I can't wait to see it all come together today......and I just want to drink in the pretty.....Let's get this party started! In case you are unaware, the Furniture Makeovers book launch party is tonight May 3, from 5-9pm at Knack 11 Lois Ave. Greenville, SC 29611! I would love to see you there!I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.....and I will be back on Monday with some tidbits.....xo,Barb
Found Goodness: Jon Blair is the best thing that ever "found" me
Building up to the book launch....which is TOMORROW NIGHT!..... I have thought a lot about a lot of things. The time, the challenges,the people, the stretching and learning, the greatness of the opportunity, and how much I loved every minute of it.I wrote about friends the other day....friends who came alongside and made things happen even when I didn't know how to tell them how to make things happen.....and today I want to write about my husband....who was and is my rock.My husband has always been the driving force behind Knack. He not only created the Knack brand through his skill in logo identity and knowing the marketing and print industry....but he has always been my biggest fan and supporter. Jon is my partner, my best friend. There have been times where I doubted myself {the book was one of those times believe it or not} and he never wavered....cheering me on and telling me "You are crazy if you do not do this!" He is one of my biggest champions and always has been. There are times when we have not always seen eye to eye on decisions, but we always come to a mutual agreement of how things should be done.I don't think many people realize that Knack would not be here without the support and sacrifice of my husband and family. I have definitely not built this business on my own and am not autonomous in my decisions and actions. I realize that I have much to be thankful for and too many blessings to count.The picture above of Jon washing dishes sums up what I am trying to say in this post....I shot this during the book process,and the image is burned into my memory. Day after day...night after night....this amazing man took everything he could off my shoulders so that I could rest when tired, focus, and get everything done. I'm talking all of the laundry, cleaning, dishes, extra running around, being available for photo shoots, next to me in bed as I wrote, and wrote and wrote, providing constant encouragement and laughter all along the way. I could not love this man any more.....he is so special....and I thank God every day that he found such an amazing human being for me to spend my life with, to raise children with, and to grow old with.Those of you who have had the privilege to meet Jon in person know that I am not exaggerating any of this....he is truly one of a kind....and an absolute gem.As I left the house this morning he kissed me and said " You are my favorite girl".......and I laughed back..."no, YOU are my favorite!"You are my "favoritest" Jon Blair....and I love you with my whole heart.xo,Barb
