testing 123....hello?

15 projects, full page bleeds, real people's homes, lots and lots of gorgeous photographs by Paige French, and writings about home and what shaped and influenced my design ideas.I am so very excited about my new book "Furniture Makes the Room" which comes out this Spring!Are you ready?xo,Barb 

a magical day :: creating with the best

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of collaborating with some really amazing people! Rachel Faucett of Handmade Charlotte contacted me about a new paint line making its debut and wanted to know if I would paint and create with her! Would I EVER! Rachel is one of the most creative, energetic, hilarious, and generous people that I am privileged to know....and any chance I can get to spend time with her is A ok with me!You can read all about our day together here, and if you want the full scoop on the new paint line visit here for the tutorial and the deets!Head to your local Walmart to pick up some paint, and know that I painted this entire dresser with ONE bottle....which will cost you all of eight bucks! The clear wax is amazing too.....probably on of my favorite new products. It pours out and applies very much like a polyurethane! How cool is that!?Thank you Waverly, Plaid, Walmart, and Rachel Faucett for a super fun time.....and thank you Paige French for the amazing photography! (as always!)Have a great weekend!xo,Barb 

shop snippets :: weekend happenings

I thought I would share a few glimpses that were captured around the shop this week, and share a little bit about the activities of the weekend!First of all, I am very excited to both speak at, and attend my third Makers Summit right here in my home town of Greenville, SC ! This event always proves to be a wonderful time of creative learning and refreshment....not to mention....the PEOPLE! I always walk away with new friends and mentors and that is a wonderful thing! I have heard from several of you that are coming from all over the country...and I am excited to meet you for the first time, and hug the necks of those of you I have met previously on my travels!Also, First Fridays is tomorrow night from 6-9 pm here in the Village of West Greenville! Knack will be open as well as our other friends in the village: Lily Pottery, Art and Light, The Village Grind, Joseph Bradley Studios, Matthew Campbell Studios, Charlie Mae, The Station...and more! Art and Light is having a special show called "12 Friends Bit by Bit" and it is an event that should not be missed!The weather will be gorgeous and warm, so come on down to the Village and immerse yourself in the creative hub of the city!I hope you all have a great weekend!xo,Barb

a walk down memory lane

I somehow got on my own Flikr account {from Pinterest} and got lost down a rabbit hole of memories and experiences.I did a lot of smiling.....remembering.....pondering.....celebrating.I hope you can humor me in my nostalgia, and maybe even leave here inspired to create beauty with your hands that is fueled by the passion in your heart.

gettin buggy :: meet tympana

There is one thing that I love about Southern summers, and it is the cicada's singing in the trees as I drift off to sleep each night. Growing up on the West Coast I had never experienced this, and will never forget the very first time I ever heard it.The Cicada song is an unmistakeable sound, and when combined with the sparks of the firefly in flight it makes for a magical evening.I have wanted to do a bug piece for a very long time.....and I finally found the person to collaborate with on this piece! Angie Thompson { shop manager; mover and shaker at Knack} did an amazing job capturing the detail of the cicada with her beautiful charcoal strokes....and we couldn't be more proud of how this piece turned out!We were going to list miss Tympana in the online shop....but she sold before we could do that! We are already planning another one though...so never fear...more bugs are in our future!

furniture love :: meet little miss siolella

This This lovely little gal is my newest beauty.....that I can share with you that is :} I cannot even tell you how exhilarating it is {and completely exhausting too!} to be creating new furniture designs for Knack book two. Designing furniture is my passion, and still gets my blood pumping even after all of these years. I cannot wait until the day that I can show you these new designs I have come up with. I am creatively full, and completely challenged....and I love being in that place. So, whenever I actually have time to create pieces outside the work for the book it is an extra special day for me......and I hope for you as well.I think most of you know that I am a huge fan of FrogTape®. It is the only tape that I recommend in my first book Furniture Makeovers, because I truly find it to be superior to any other tape on the market, and it has been my only tape of choice for years now. I promoted this tape way before I received anything monetarily from FrogTape®......{ I was accused of working for them the moment I stated it was the only tape I used.....because everybody assumes in the blog world that if you promote something specifically....you must be getting paid to do so, right?} Not so with me folks. I am a small fish in a big pond and I only promote something if I can get behind it 100 percent. I have turned down so many promotional opportunities due to the fact that I could not honestly get behind a product or event. FrogTape® is a product I can get behind, and since I believe in this product and use it in my work on a daily basis, it felt very natural to say "yes to the tape people" when they came calling about 6 months ago.For this project I chose to use the new Shape Tape in the scallop design. Have you all tried any of the Shape Tapes? If not....you should! They are so great!I wanted to create something pretty, but not cutesy, and knew that this would be a challenge with scallops. So, as I am known to do...I chose rich colors and kept it simple. You can never go wrong with charcoal gray and gold can you? I don't think so! I finished off the piece by lining the drawer with pretty Rifle Paper wrapping paper, and attaching a brass floral knob that my dad brought back from his latest trip to India.I think Siolella is gorgeous, and I am so happy with her and her pretty scallops. I want to celebrate and give away a little happy......So, I will give a roll of scallop Shape Tape to the first two people who comment here on the blog! {United States only please}Here are a couple tips to remember when using FrogTape®:> don't stretch it too tight or you will distort the shape> use a squeegee after applying the tape to make sure that it is adhered properly> water activates the tape bond in order to keep paint out, and lines sharp. So, use a damp rag {not soaking wet} to wipe along the edges of your tape to activate the seal before painting. {do not do this with milk paint..... ever.}Let me know how you all like using shape tape in your work!{* gorgeous florals by Julie Dodds of Willow Florals}

Knack Stories :: Artemis

" Barb says "live with what you love", and I happen to think that she is pretty spot-on about that. I am very particular, to a fault, and carefully choose each piece that goes into my home, whether it's a kitchen utensil or a piece of furniture. This piece was originally chosen because I loved its lines, and the rich color of the wood. About 6 years ago, we built a new home, and through that process, my style evolved a bit.; some old pieces had to go, and some new pieces were brought in. This chest made the cut, but it wasn't quite the perfect fit anymore. So of course I turned to my friend, who I knew was a master at giving new life to old loves. Being an artist myself, I arrived at this project with some of my own ideas, but Barb knows furniture like no one I know, and I let her lead me through the process of this makeover. Seamlessly, both of our ideas married themselves together, and I couldn't be more happy with the end result.

I felt like this chest, with its clean lines and flat drawer fronts, was perfectly suited for her color blocking technique, and I chose a favorite throw pillow from which to build the palette. I was also dead set on changing out the drawer pulls, and had already decided which ones to use. That's usually a big part of Barb's furniture makeovers, but this piece spoke differently to her, and I'm so happy with her suggestion to leave the originals. She also suggested we leave one of the drawer fronts in its original, warm wood finish that I was so drawn to when I purchased the chest. It's unexpected and so perfect. The last part of the makeover was the casters. We both love casters on furniture, and knew replacing the original curvy feet would put the finishing touch on giving this piece a personality more aligned with my aesthetic.

I'm so proud of this piece of furniture, now a work of art. It sits in one of my favorite spots in the house, where I can see it all the time. Mostly, I'm proud that it was transformed by my friend, because I know that its makeover was more than a job to her; she puts her heart in every single brush stroke. "Artemis" is my fist Knack masterpiece, but I know for sure it's not the last." - Jennifer B

This was such a fun project to work on with Jennifer, and we absolutely love the way Artemis looks in her gorgeous home! You all may {or may not} remember Artemis from the book? This is how he looks there:

....so you can see , that even though Knack pieces have much personality and color, they are still so versatile and easily incorporated into multiple types of home environments. This thought process is really going to get lots of attention in Knack book 2! We are so excited to show you more of the "how" to live with what you love, and how to incorporate color and personality into every room in your home!

Inroductions- How 'bout a little gray with that coffee table

This sweet coffee table is the product of another collaboration between Knack and Lindsay Carmody Interiors! I think you all will remember the previous table and chairs project here.......but regardless, it was great to work with Lindsay again and get to paint with more luscious gray paint!I thought this piece was going to be a stinker to paint with all of the caning and the double layer shelf, but indeed the actual painting was not the issue.....rather the paint I was given {no names brands in order to protect the innocent....but if you follow Knack on Facebook you may be able to figure it out! hah!} that caused me some rather sweaty moments! I was determined to figure this "sitch" out, and so I pushed up my sleeves and put on my thinking cap! You know what?.....just like with everything hard in life and work... the end result was even more rewarding because of the problem solving, blood, sweat and tears that went into it. Persevere my friends! Never give up! I am so thrilled with the finish on this piece.Also, with this specific client there was a bit of concern about the extra wear and tear that this table had already experienced before painting, and would continue to experience in the future due to some very attentive and loving little ones in the home {sigh......I remember those days!} and so, I completed the painting and the staining in the studio and then, as an added precaution I subcontracted out a high intensity spray finish for the entire piece. I's dotted, T's crossed.It is smooth like butter, baby.Happy Monday folks! Welcome to a new week! xo,Barb