furniture refinishing with barb blair (me!) :: creativebug classes

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfUrAw5AzJo[/embed]Well friends....Part 1 of my online class series is up and running at Creativebug! (if you click on the creativebug link it will take you directly to my class page!)I hope you will enjoy this promo video, and that you will join me for some furniture refinishing fun!Lets get creative, and design cool things together!xo,Barb

earth day :: the new "gem" bulb by nanoleaf

So....you know how most LED light bulbs are just not that design friendly? At least that is how I have always felt. While there is a part of me that wants to save money and energy, the designer in me cringes at the options available.......until now.Introducing the brand new "gem" LED bulb by nanoleaf ! How awesome is this option!? The "gem" launches today...in honor of earth day....because:  "it's time the world had the option to choose a beautiful decor bulb that is also good for the planet" - nanoleafSince this is an LED bulb it has a very long life expectancy, so the value is clear to see....AND this light puts off beautiful warm light! No weird blue light special here!Check these guys out on facebook and instagram !xo,Barb(full disclosure: I was sent a complimentary gem light bulb from nanoleaf, but I would not have promoted it if I did not think it was absolutely brilliant. Pun intended. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.)

geometric dresser :: frogtape® tutorial

The full tutorial for this brand new beauty is up on the FrogTape® blog today! Check it out, and create a beauty for yourself!xo,Barb

furniture makeover:: meet "titania"

My book deadline was this past Nov 1. and for the 8 months or so  prior to that date it was "full steam ahead" zero to one hundred kind of action. We hit the deadline and hit it hard, producing gorgeous work that I am super proud of...and it felt really, really rewarding.But.....I was also really, really tired. Tired in a blissful sort of way, but still in a way where I wanted to give my body and hands time to just chill.So, for the past few weeks I rested, and then I produced little miss Titania. Everything about her is sweet and soft and gracious......and exactly what my soul needed. Pink herringbone detail, jade green paint, flower knob, and glittering liner all came together perfectly just as my mind designed.All is well. If miss Titania speaks to you, she is available for purchase ( in shop only) at Knack. Knack is located at 11 Lois Ave. in Greenville, SC. Stop by and shop with us Tuesday - Saturday from 10-3!

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}

living with :: Althea

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5Althea is, in a word, sweet.  Her floral papered drawer fronts and simple curved edges come with a pleasing grace.  She belongs next to a big fluffy bed, adorned with objects both useful and ornamental.A gold-spotted pink ceramic dish to hold rings; a lovely stationary set and a sturdy lamp for late night letter-writing; and this cosmic kitty print, just to make you smile. 

wall art :: geometrics

Well folks....Angie and I have decided that painting and creating wall art panels is a lot of fun! I saved these two square panels from a previous shelf project a couple of years ago. I knew that I wanted to use them as panels for wall art...but the idea for what I wanted to put on them did not come to fruition until a couple of weeks ago when discussing our monthly FrogTape® project! Angie and I looked over several inspiration pictures and decided on our own design. We had so much fun creating these that we decided to do more in the very near future!We chose a geometric design for this first installation but as you well know...the possibilities are endless as far as what designs you can create. These panels are simple squares cut from a 4x8 pine sheet of plywood, and we used paints and stains that we had around the studio....so the cost was very minimal. The full tutorial will be up on the FrogTape® blog later on today so if you would like to see the full process check it out!These beauties are available for sale, so if you fancy them let us know!