New Book: Sweet Paper Crafts + a Giveaway
I am THRILLED to introduce you all to my amazing friend Mollie Greene's new book: Sweet Paper Crafts published by Chronicle Books! It is brand spanking new, and chock full of super fun paper projects that include woodland animals, party hats, chandeliers, wreaths, mobiles and so much more!Mollie has a true gift with words, and such skillful hands. I am privileged to live in the same town and to call Mollie a friend. Another interesting and fun tidbit is that Mollie's husband J Aaron Greene is the very talented photographer who photographed Sweet Paper Crafts as well as my book Furniture Makeovers. I know.... it is not fair to have two such talented people married to each other!Here is one of my favorite projects from the book:
WOODLAND CREATURESfrom Sweet Paper Crafts by Mollie GreeneA parade of friendly creatures out for a party, these puppets can be used to tell a story, clustered together in a bouquet, or arranged to peek out from a houseplant. These happy puppets are for children who can play responsibly with a wired object. For backing the record jacket, choose decorative papers that are sturdy but not too thick, such as those from magazines or children’s books.Supplies Glue stickPaper for backingRecord jacket front or backWoodland Party Puppets templatesPencilScissors for cardboardContrasting paper for accessoriesScissors for paperWire cuttersRuler20-gauge straight stick floral wire1-in/2.5-cm circle punchLiquid glueInstructions1. Using the glue stick, adhere your chosen backing paper to the wrong side of the record jacket. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes.2. Download the Woodland Party Puppets templates at www.chroniclebooks.com/ sweetpaper. Using the pencil, trace the deer, bear, squirrel, fox, and rabbit tem-plates on the paper-covered jacket. Cut out the shapes with cardboard scissors. Be careful to cut inside the pencil lines so that you don’t have to erase them later.3. Trace the two crown templates, two party hat templates, and two bow tie templates on contrasting paper. Cut out with the paper scissors. Decide which creatures will wear which accessories and glue them in place with the glue stick. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes.4. To provide added support for the puppets, cut a small rectangular piece of record jacket to fit the back of each creature. It should be as large as possible without being seen from the front. Glue in place with the glue stick.5. Using the wire cutters, cut five 9-in/23-cm pieces of floral wire. With the circle punch, punch five paper circles, one for each pup-pet. Dot a small amount of liquid glue on the small rectangle on the back of each creature. Place one end of a piece of wire in the glue. Using the glue stick, apply glue to a paper circle and place it on top of the liquid glue and the end of the wire. Press to secure. Allow to dry for about an hour before handling the puppets.
Are you convinced you need a copy of this book yet? Well, today is your lucky day! I am giving away a copy of Sweet Paper Crafts! Leave a comment here, and a winner will be chosen and announced on Monday! Good Luck!Have a great weekend!xo,Barb
Stylish Kitty Collars
I am on the hunt for cute collars for our two little kitties! If you follow me on Instagram.....well, then you have probably seen my little Bleeker Olive and Newsie Mae. These two little fluff balls have been the funnest and best things we could have ever imagined and we truly enjoy them every day! I don't think I have laughed harder or been more intrigued by the personalities and interesting habits of cats.These two have so much energy and personality....they must have a cute collar to match!I have never ever been a cat person..and we were always that family that said "we don't do cats".....until now. I am so thankful that my sweet daughter has such a love for animals and that she talked us into getting a couple kittens.We are in love. The end. {although I secretly wish they stayed cutie babies forever!}xo,Barb
Right + Truth = Peace
I experienced this in a very real way this week. Let's just say that I did not make any new friends in doing so, but I can lay my head down on my pillow at night in peace knowing that I stood my ground. Never be afraid to speak the truth.xo,Barb
It's Prime Time
Ok, it's time to get down to the "nitty gritty" about primer. I have made no bones about the fact that I have a love hate relationship with primer, but over the years we have learned to tolerate each other and respect our differences.95 percent of the time I do not use primer in my work due to the fact that it is not needed for the finish I am creating. However, there are times when a primer is absolutely necessary and here is what that looks like.1. Raw unfinished wood. The reason I prime raw wood before painting is because most of the time {but not always} the wood releases tannins that will come through your paint finish....especially when using lighter paint colors. Some wood types do not release as many tannins, so educate yourself on the type of wood you're painting over. Let me reiterate that this is not always the case and sometimes tannins will not happen.....but I have found that tannins usually do rear their ugly heads and so I just nip it from the get go. One of my favorite stain blocking primers is Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Sealer.2. Shiny wood. On occasion a client brings me a mahogany type piece and the existing finish is slicky slick, so I like to give a light sanding and a coat of bonding primer to ensure that the paint finish I put on will stay nice and firm. My favorite bonding primer is Stix Waterborne Bonding Primer. It is super thin, easy to apply with a brush and or foam roller, and soap and water clean up! I have been able to have this primer tinted to a couple grays, but it is limited in "tintable" colors.This brings me to the very important conversation about another priming must for me. If I am not distressing a piece of furniture that I am priming, I am not picky about what color the primer is tinted. However, if I am distressing a piece that I am priming, the primer must always match the paint color. There is nothing I dislike more, {well that may not be entirely accurate.} than sanding through paint.... only to unleash the wrath of glaring white primer. I personally like to see only the paint color I am using and the wood....that is all. So, either use a paint and primer in one, or tint your primer to match your paint. Not all paint and primer in ones are created equal though and I find that several of them are quite thick when applied. My number one rule when applying paint is thin....thin...thin! Applying three thin coats of paint is way better than one or two thick ones. Don't believe me? Try it...and you'll never go back to thick again. Instead of mentioning the paint and primers in one that I do not like...how bout I just mention the one that I use every single day in the studio.....Benjamin Moore Aura paint. It is always the right color, and always the right consistency.....hands down.3. Dining tables. Dining tables will get so much wear and tear...not to mention temperature inconsistencies due to food dishes and drinks. Always use coasters, trivets, and hot pads to protect your painted dining surfaces. {I know we are not talking about polyurethane in this post but when I seal a dining room table I use Arm-R-Seal oil and urethane top coat by General finishes.} It is the best.There you have it. All of my favorite priming agents....the when, the why, the where. I hope I have answered your questions, but if you have more feel free to ask!{**Disclaimer- I am not being compensated by any of these brands for promoting their product. {although that would be really cool!} I am simply sharing the products I love based on my continuous use of them and their consistent results that I have come to expect and respect.}xo,Barb
A little blue chest named "Carlonia"
This little chest of drawers is so sweet and wonderful with her curvy drawers and fancy details. I got her from my parents, who graciously offered her up for a special project I was working on. This very special project was my book promo video that we shot the day after the book launch party. I have been sitting on it, because I am waiting on the blog tour of my book to start which is very soon now. I can't wait for you all to see this video, and for you to literally watch as this piece comes to life!Carlonia is painted in a custom {by yours truly!} milk paint color and finished with three coats of water based polyurethane. The knobs were purchased a while back at Anthropologie and the drawer liners are from a roll of vintage wallpaper that I found in my journeys. The lovely little paper mache' bunny has sold since I shot these photos on Friday.....but I will have more animals in the next few weeks!I will get Carlonia listed in the online shop very soon....but for now she is available on the floor at Knack.Happy Monday!xo,Barb
A little walk around the shop.....
I realized the other day, that I have not posted a lot of pictures of the shop. Part of this is due to the fact that before the book came out I had to be careful not to give away any secrets....but the other part is that I just did not realize it.I know you got a few glimpses of the shop, both inside and outside, when viewing the video from the book launch party.....but I wanted to capture some of the beautiful sunlight coming into the space this morning. So.... here is the shop {the workshop in the back is a whole 'nother story!}......I hope you enjoy.I feel so blessed to be in this space every week, and never take for granted that this is what I get to do with my time. This place of light, color, and happy is so good.....and I am thankful.Have a wonderful weekend!xo,Barb
Shelving that I love
One of the first things that I did when I moved into my new location last July {I can't believe it has been one year already!} was to put up some shelving. I knew that I wanted natural wood, and a very simple design, to go with the white walls and clean aesthetic I envisioned for the shop layout. So, I started searching for the perfect shelving.I could not find ready made shelving that fit my ideal, and so I decided to create my own. I headed to IKEA and picked up about 26 of the Ekby Valter birch brackets in both the 11" and the 7 1/8" sizes and then headed to my local Home Depot for a couple sheets of nice red oak plywood. I splurged on the really nice smooth plywood because it is so great for natural looking shelving.My dad helped me measure out each piece of wood to create two large long shelves and six smaller shelves. It is a good thing dad is really good at math because these things boggle my little mind and create instant sweaty pits for me! Once we measured and cut the shelves we began the super arduous task of installing them on a brick wall. Just be sure you have a mason bit, hammer drill, level, and cement or mason screws on hand to make your job a bit smoother and easier.I did put 3-4 coats of water based poly on both sides {and edges} of my wood shelving to protect it and make it easy to keep clean and dust free. In the end, I am so happy with these shelves and would love to incorporate a set of them in my own dining room or living room.Still working on that goal of incorporating more of the studio design into my home.....but we are making progress!xo,Barb
Sometimes it's all you can do......
image via pinterest
Not every week is "peachy".....and this week has definitely had its challenges.I think spending hours with a little paint on my brush and some sweet tunes is just what the doctor ordered for today.Sometimes you just have to....xo,Barb