The Faces of Knack
I have been meaning to introduce you to all of these sweet girls for a while now.....and finally got all of them together for picture time this past weekend! But first...a little history of why........In January 2013, since my new location was set up perfectly for both a working studio and a retail shop, I decided to set up shop and pursue "regular hours". I am at the shop working on furniture every day of the week....so I figured "why not be open while I am there working anyway?". My studio and retail shop are located in the Village of West Greenville.... which also houses our arts district. I have friends with shops and studios located right next door, up on the corner, + down the block. West Greenville is a fantastic community of artists, creative business owners, and entrepreneurs. Our community is an up and coming shopping, event venue, music + eating destination, that over the past 6 months has gotten TONS of press and exposure....not to mention a new name and brand. Like most arts districts, some shops and studios are open by appointment only, some are open only for gallery events, and then some do have regular posted hours. Those of us who are geared more toward retail decided that we wanted to come together, in order to grow our area, increase foot traffic, and keep regular hours . So, with that said....I decided to not only have set hours during the week, but to also keep Saturday hours at the shop as well. I have always treasured the weekends with my family, and knew that the decision to keep Saturday hours would require a step of faith on my part...and a step of growth as well. In order to have the shop open on Saturdays...I would need to hire help.I began to think about who I would like to work at the shop....and what this next step for Knack looked like. It was a scary step to fill out those W-4 forms, come up with an employee handbook, + give someone keys to open up and run the shop.......but it was also very exciting and has been very rewarding. I can't even begin to tell you how the pieces of this puzzle fell into place so beautifully...again. It is absolutely the work of my Creator, and I am so thankful for the beautiful and sweet girls that I have the privilege to work alongside.So, without further ado.....here are the special gals I am privileged to partner with every week. Angie, and Jeanne run the shop on Saturdays, and Kirsten and Sarah are the Knack "Funterns" this semester. {we don't like the word intern around here!}
Stop in the shop, introduce yourself, and get to know these fantastic gals who make up the Knack team!xo,Barb
Multi color writing desk- "Fionnuala"
This lovely little writing desk, is one that I purchased from a friend who was selling off a few pieces after moving into her new house. I almost didn't purchase this piece....even though I absolutely loved it....because of all of those little cubbies inside and the slide out writing surface. I am getting lazy in my old age {wink!}....and it seems like the painting never ends sometimes.....those little hidden parts sneak up on me every time I look at the piece......but eventually the light at the end of the tunnel appears and I am always glad I put in the work.I had a client come into the studio looking for a desk, and when I took her in the back... where all the goodies are waiting to be painted......she spotted this piece and decided it was the perfect desk for her. So, we set about coming up with a design plan and off I went!The salmon and black milk paints work perfectly together, and the floral Rifle paper in the drawers almost seems like it was made for the anemone knobs that I had purchased at Anthro over 6 months ago. I knew these knobs would be perfect for something....and this was definitely their purpose, and piece.I named her "Fionnuala"......well, because....that's what I do....and that's who she is.xo,Barb
Do you ever find yourself here?
image via pinterest
Sometimes....the need to explain or promote is actually accomplishing the opposite purpose.xo,Barb
Save the date + come paint with me!
I am really excited to announce that I am partnering with Indie Craft Parade and teaching my very first hands on painting class! I have had lots of requests and questions about classes....so I am thrilled to finally be able to answer with a "YES....as a matter of fact we have one coming up!"This class is open to locals and out of towners....so, save the date for October 19th and make plans to come play and paint with me in my studio! We WILL be painting a piece of furniture, and you will go home with your new piece + all of your new tools and supplies! All details and sign up info are available on the ICP website here.Hope to see you !xo,Barb
Bahamas Collection #3 - Althea
I am still working on my Bahamas collection....and this is piece number three out of six! I have a few more to go...but am so excited about this collection and the playful color involved in it all!I discovered this paint color while I was in New York a few weeks ago...and it is a color I have been searching for, for a long time. I very much love any shade of peacock green, and this color nailed it on the head. It is hard to capture it in the photographs....it looks too blue here....and there is so much more green involved....but you'll just have to take my word for it I guess! {wink!}The paper on the drawers is by Rifle Paper Co., and I picked up this roll of paper at my favorite shop, Pink Olive. {also while in NYC} The little orange glass knobs are from long ago and always remind me of pulled taffy candies.The gold and pink paper lining the drawers is vintage....that I picked up at my local thrift.I named this wonderful girl...Althea.....after the sweet and beautiful librarian at the little library on the island of Eleuthera. This library now owns a copy of my book, Furniture Makeovers! How cool is that?!Hope you all enjoy, and if you would like to purchase Althea....pop in the shop, visit the online shop, or get her on etsy here!xo,Barb
Words like honeycomb that heal
This is an every day battle for me............some days I win....some days I do not......xo,Barb
Really Pretty Shoes
I saw these shoes up close and personal at the Brooklyn Flea Last weekend. I got to feel the super soft leather, and see with my own eyes the craftsmanship of each shoe available, which was superb. I also got to chat with one of the craftsmen, and he was super kind and knowledgeable. When you purchase a pair of these shoes, you pick the style you want.... and then your foot is measured, and the shoes are then made specifically for your foot.The shoes are priced accordingly, and are not for everyone's budget....but, their story, quality, and beauty are priceless. There is just something special about hand made, and a connection with the maker.Visit good bye folk at the Brooklyn flea, or through their Etsy shop.xo,Barb
3 Dressers + HGTV magazine
I am really excited to introduce you all to three pieces that I did for the current October issue of HGTV magazine! I worked on this project a few months back, but could not show any pictures until the issue went live....so here we go!I had mucho grande fun creating three different looks that could be accomplished in either a few hours, a day, or a weekend. I was given ample creative liberties and enjoyed coming up with design ideas for these furniture gems.Unlike most of my work...these three pieces of furniture were all new, identical, unfinished wood dressers that were purchased from Wood You furniture of Anderson. I can't say enough about the owners of Wood You Furniture. These guys know good customer service and I highly recommend doing business with them. I will most certainly be headed back! {wink}It was both challenging and invigorating for me to push myself outside my comfort zone and actually design pieces from the ground up.....and yes, the decoupage project is a piece ENTIRELY covered in paper! It is because of these projects, that I have all kinds of new things in the works..... and as they come to fruition I will be sharing more with you.I want to highlight one product that I especially loved. For the decal project {on pg 113}, I used one of Frida Barlow's decal designs from Spoonflower....{I am a huge Spoonflower fan}...and you guys.... you will not believe how cool this product is! Think of contact paper but so much better! It is fabric like, comes in a zillion designs....or better yet, you can create your own designs! How cool is that!? It is user friendly and very easy to apply. The kicker? You can remove it whenever you wish and it leaves no residue or "craziness" behind. I highly, highly recommend you try some.....the possibilities are endless, and this product will allow you to create some really beautiful and unique designs.All of the project details, including step by step tutorials for each one, are located online here.Hope you all enjoy, and be sure to pick up a copy of HGTV magazine today!Special thanks to Aaron Greene of J Aaron Greene Photography for the beautiful images that he captured for this project.xo,BarbP.S. My little kitty....Bleeker Olive....really wanted to be included in this post, and was so curious about the camera! I figured you all would not mind a little kitty love.