French Flair
“Where do you get all of your furniture?” Hands down, the most frequently asked question in the store! Garage sales, back alleys, roadside, thrift stores, occasionally a craigslist pick, customer donations…and once in awhile I will get an e-mail...The Knot Too Shabby Workshop
I love my workshop! It’s about 200 square feet of awesome work space…it is messy more often than it is neat. When I host painting classes, I always have someone ask me what we use everything for. So, I thought I would share about my “workshop...A New Year
Happy New Year!I don’t know about you, but my New Year has had a bit of a bumpy start. I start every new year with this grand feeling of a clean slate…a fresh start…amazing goals and aspirations…I feel like anything is possible. That feeling is...Special Event
Featured Artist Event!Friday, January 4th6:00-8:00 pmMichelle E. Black will be celebrating the release of her magazine publication in the January issue of Somerset Studio Magazine! She will be at knot too shabby autographing her article and pieces of work being sold...The Most Popular Posts of 2012
This has been an amazing year of growth! A year ago, I was struggling to find my niche. Which, ironically is not as simple as refinishing furniture and selling it! Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE to fix up old furniture and breathe new life into it. But, I am...Christmas in the Retail World
Last year, I expected the “retail Christmas season” to be huge! We ramped up the store; stuffed it full of furniture (keeping in mind that last year we only had 1,000 square feet to stuff as opposed to our 1,800 square feet this year). We decorated like...Moving On
It’s been over a week since I posted anything. I had a couple of blog posts sketched out for this week, but after the awful Connecticut news last week, my general feeling was “who cares about furniture?” Who cares about how to make a wax...The Store
It’s been such a long time since I’ve taken complete store pictures, so I thought I would share a snapshot of how things are looking these days. In total, there are ten new pieces that have shown up in the last 48 hours. We’ve been very...The Dollar Desk
I didn’t bother to take a before picture of this desk because I didn’t have any intention of fixing it up so I have to paint a picture in your mind. It was awful. A black spray paint finish with a horrible amount of warped areas on the top and wonky...Sweet Redemption
I told you I could paint fabric!!!Let me back track…The Epic Fail: This couch was a disastrous paint project which I have deemed my Epic Fail. You can read more about it, but I have since wanted to redeem myself from the result of the sofa! Meet the vintage...Simple Changes
I can’t buy into gold frames. Gold framed mirrors, picture frames, chalkboards…etc. It’s a very iconic French Country design look…but I just don’t love gold. However, I do love the detailing in most gold frames. The...How to Strip Paint and Re-stain Wood
Back in the day, I was completely intimidated by the thought of stripping layers of paint and re-staining the wood. To my surprise, it’s much easier than I ever thought possible. With the right chemicals and tools, you can easily strip layers of old paint,...Christmas Decorations from Scraps
What you will need:An ugly canvas painting in a rad frameVintage Sheet MusicModge PodgeMusical Instrument of sortsChristmas “fluff”Hot Glue GunAbout 18 months ago, I was given a pile of awful canvas paintings. With my luck they were probably “worth...Ordering Paint, Trimming Trees and A New Camera
It’s hard to believe, but I have been carrying Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the store for almost a year. Technically, the first part of February will be a year…but close enough. I’ve prided myself on keeping the paint in-stock. I’ve had buyers as...Milk Paint-Tone on Tone
I don’t like to waste paint. That’s one of the hardest things about working with milk paint. It’s hard to know just how much to mix for a given project, and since leftover paint doesn’t last very long, it more often than not gets dumped....The Epic Fail
I’ve painted fabric before.I painted the stripe pattern and French stencil on the upholstery of this settee.I stenciled the script on this seat.And, last summer I full on painted a chair. It looked awesome! So, I thought I’d give a couch a try. If I could...Holiday Stroll 2012
What a fabulous night we had at the Holiday Stroll! My husband sat on one of the benches outside and, consequently got to listen to the things people had to say when coming in and out of the store. These were some of the funniest…(referring to knot too...Vintage Sewing Machine Made Table
When two perfect things come together, magic happens!Ok…cheeeeeesy!But, seriously…At least six months ago, I traded a (dilapidated and wonky) table for an antique Singer Sewing Machine. I’ve wanted a an old Singer for two reasons; the first, to paint...The Crazy Weekend and Seasonal Items
This weekend was crazy! Or…maybe abnormal is a better term…and very full! I spent Friday afternoon on a “picking” spree (not wedgies or bogies as my husband likes to joke), but antiques. Best of all, I got to do it with my favorite Virginia...
Painting Workshops
If you are hesitant to take a paintbrush to your much-loved furniture, we can help! Sign-up for one of our many in-store workshops or host one of your own!
"Open-Paint" Days
If you love to paint as much as us, then you will love our "open-paint" days!