Grove Alley Paint Nite! Come and Join Us!

I am so excited to announce that I will be a part of Grove Alley Paint Nite on Friday September 12th from 5pm to 11pm, which is produced by Gowanus Nite Market (GNM) and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP)!

I found out about the event via performer F.Stokes’ instagram feed, who will be preforming at the event along with music bands Napoleon and Legs. I have a lot of respect for F.Stokes as a performer and an artist because of his inspiring yet humble life story. Check him out at: http://instagram.com/fdotstokes

At the same time I couldn’t express how proud I am to be a part of this Brooklyn creative event, and beyond excited to give instructions while create an interactive stencil graffiti wall! People who join me at this event will get the chance to be a part of creating a giant graffiti mural installation while enjoying gourmet food tracks like Kimchi Taco, drinking beer, and watching performance by the artists that I listed above!

Again, please mark your calendar for Friday September 12th from 5pm to 11pm at Grove Place Brooklyn, NY 11217. See you there!

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AFROPUNK

I use the term DIY constantly, Do It Yourself. This term is also used in the punk scene describing the way in which bands recorded, distributed and also to describe the nonconformist expression of one’s self through your appearance.   Cut to AFROPUNK FEST, a music festival here in Brooklyn that celebrates individuality. Described by the New York Times as “the most multicultural festival in the US,” the word AFROPUNK itself has become synonymous with open-minded, non-conforming and unconventional, placing the institution at the epicenter of urban culture inspired by alternative music.

I had a sensory overload at this festival – Live music, African textiles, awesome people watching – it was a blast. So many creative people, putting together their own unique style, mixing things up. I took a few pics to share, mostly focused on men’s fashion but check it out below.  Beautiful people having a great day in Brooklyn!

 

Skull Decoupage Art

Birch rounds can be used for all wood projects like pedestal to hold candles, vases, and other home décor accents. This one was purchased at Michaels and is their ArtMinds brand. We decoupaged a stenciled skull image on a birch cut using our Stencil1 skull stencil from the Skull 4pack set and ModPodge. Hang it on a wall  or incorporate it into a dark, romantic table setting – it will surely create some fun dinner conversation.

To make this skull decoupage piece, we used Stencil1 skull stencil, a piece of thin paper, paint, a brush, a birch round that we purchased from Michael’s, and modpodge.

Simply place the skull stencil on the piece of thin paper and hold it with your hand. Pour paint onto a plate and use a stencil brush with very little paint to stencil the skull. Allow the paint to dry then cut the image out from the paper using a pair of scissors in the shape of the skull silhouette . Make sure the cutout is smooth on the edges. The next step is to modpodge the back of the cutout skull image. Make sure to coat the image completely all the way to the edges. Place the image in the center of the birch round, then use a dry brush to smooth down the thin paper. Allow the modpodge to dry for two hours. Once it is dry, use the modpodge brush to add one more coat of modpodge on top of the stenciled skull image and then the whole birch cut. This will seal the image perfectly on the wood birch and make it more glossy and polished.

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Voilà! There you have it – a minimal yet interesting piece of art for your home!

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Baked in Brooklyn

Recently, I visited Baked in Brooklyn and brought our new Stencil1 Plaid stencils with us! I grew up painting ceramics but never actually stenciled them. I chose a plate and some tiles to paint. The studio has many ceramic surfaces to choose from and great colors to choose from including some speckled paints which I thought added some nice texture to the pieces.

Ashley, the owner of Baked in Brooklyn showed me the ropes and I loved the process. Then there is the waiting part, after you paint, you have to wait a few days for the pieces to get fired. In a day of instantaneous results, I rather enjoyed this.

We decided to have a stencil night on August 20th from 7-10pm. If you’d like to learn to stencil, please sign up at baked-in-brooklyn.com  

Check out some of the pictures we took and definitely stop by if you are in the area.

 

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My New Obsession – Devine Color Paint

I have a crush on a new company, it’s called Devine Color. The creative behind the brand is Gretchen Schauffler and her story of creating the line is an inspiring one ( find out more about Gretchen on her blog). Her twitter username is WhatUpG  – I’m a little obsessed with her down to earth style and humor. With her years of being a color consultant and doing work for thousands, she wanted to simplify the process and make it easier to find the perfect color for your surroundings. Devine Color was born.

Devine Color’s uniquely designed color cards have a cutout window in them with several color swatches around the frame. This allows you to compare and contrast different shades in the room with the colors on the card. As you look through the window, the shade that works the best almost pops out from the color card! It’s almost as if the colors chooses you. You have to see it to actually believe it – in the picture below, we were trying to find a color that compliments the wall behind the sofa the most, and Devine Cocoa immediately stood out from the color card! Personally I think Devine Café and Devine Bavarian would also accommodate the sofa.

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The colors that Devine Color offers are fool-proof. I want to utilize the system to come up with colors for stencil installations. I often paint with a tone on tone look so choosing two colors from the card to coordinate in your space, now we’re talking. And not only it’s low odor and zero VOC, but it also has an exclusive illuminating formula that allows true, rich, and radiant color to shine through.

 

Checkout Divine Color paint at Target. The line also offers modern, removable wallpaper and is also expanding into new offerings.