4/23/15 4/23/15

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

4/23/15 4/23/15

magnets, coasters, and stripes :: frogtape® fun

For my latest project with FrogTape® I had a lot of fun with little wooden discs! I created magnets and coasters that will make any household happy! Check out the full tutorial on the FrogTape® blog here!xo,Barb

4/22/15 4/22/15

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.)

4/20/15 4/20/15

creativebug :: online painting classes with knack

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that I have been a little bit silent around here the last couple of weeks!I had a really big and unexpected opportunity come up and I dove in with everything that I had. It went really, really well and I will be able to tell you about it at the end of the week! Yay! You don't have to wait long!AND....to tide you over....my online classes are launching THIS THURSDAY! I am so excited to share these classes with you all!I filmed these classes with a company called Creativebug and I absolutely cannot say enough about them! The team from Creativebug was an absolute joy and they were so skilled and professional. The week we spent together was long and tiring, but in the end new friendships were forged, great work was accomplished, and I totally cried when we all had to hug goodbye. I love you Brian, Devlin and Courtney! Thanks for being amazing at what you do!I'll be back Wednesday with more info on where to go and how to sign up!Get Ready!xo,Barb

4/8/15 4/8/15

FrogTape® earn your stripes contest :: enter to win $5,000

I think most of you know about my love story with FrogTape®, but if you do not, I would like to give you a little refresher and then tell you about an awesome contest!When I first started painting furniture I used painters tape. It said painters tape on the label and so I bought it and used it, but I always had bleed issues and was never really satisfied with the results I got. So, I didn't use it a lot except to mask off drawer sides and runners. In other words...I did not use it creatively in my work.Then one day, I was in Home Depot and I saw this new tape that promised no bleed marks and clean edges. I was intrigued, and so I bought a roll....and the rest is history. I was so impressed with this tape, that it became the only tape I used. I was never paid to endorse it or talk about it ( even during my book Furniture Makeovers) ....I just used it and talked about it because it is truly superior to other products out there.Fast forward to last year around Christmas. FrogTape® contacted me and asked me to become part of their blog squad. This collaboration made sense to me because it is a product I use weekly in my work and it would not be hard to use it, promote it, and love it since that was already happening. So, even though I am now a blog squad member and I do receive compensation for my work with FrogTape® nothing has changed on my end. I still create when I want, what I want, and FrogTape® is an extremely wonderful and generous group of people to work with. I'm thankful to be part of the team!Now for the good stuff! FrogTape® is running their annual Earn Your Stripes contest! (please visit the website foe all of the entry details!) All you have to do is create something amazing with FrogTape® and send it in by the July 1 deadline! Seriously guys.......a $5,000 grand prize! Transform a room in your home, take beautiful images, and win yourself some dollahs!In honor of this awesome contest, I am having a little giveaway on my Facebook page which includes 4 rolls of FrogTape® to get you started! So head over to the Knack Facebook pg to enter! xo,Barb( images via earn your stripes pg)

3/27/15 3/27/15

this week :: beauty

This week flew by in the blurriest of blurs.My thoughts went all over the place.Projects were accomplished and checked off.The weather was warm and signs of Spring are everywhere.Fake tattoos made my day, and put an extra zip in my step.A sweet text from my daughter to her daddy and I literally made my life.Thankful for this week and all that it held for me.xo,Barb