I’ve never viewed myself as a particularly “crafty” person, but after my sister-in-law visited Board & Brush a while back, I was intrigued. I love the piece she made and she seemed to have a great time making it. It looked so amazing, but could it really be that easy? Well, the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!”
I recently joined some of my fellow mom bloggers at Board & Brush in Norwalk, CT. Since I’m so new to the team, it was a great opportunity to meet a few of the mamas and learn more about them. When we arrived, food and wine in hand, the staff had everything ready to go. We sat together at a gigantic table, our boards and stencils laid out at our stools, along with everything we would need to make these blank, unstained boards our own.
Everyone was excited to get started, and it was fun to find out who had been there before and who the first-timers were! The staff was energetic as they gave us detailed, yet simple, step-by-step instructions throughout the entire process. We were given a variety of tools we could use to distress our boards, including meat tenderizers, chains, screws, hammers, and even chicken wire. Each tool made unique marks on our boards, and it was evident all of us had a great time getting out tension as we started distressing them.
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Next up was choosing our stains. The staff went over each stain with us and showed us what each would look like. As a person who has difficulty making decisions, I found this process incredibly straightforward and easy. I chose dark walnut. Then, we could choose a “wash” or “dry brush” technique to apply on top of the stain. This isn’t mandatory, but does give a totally different feel to your board than using the stain alone. I chose “whitewash.”
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After a quick dry under the fans, I was ready to place and paint my stencil. The staff showed us exactly how to apply the paint so it wouldn’t bleed under the stencil.
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Another quick dry and then it was time to “wax on, wax off.” The wax shined up the stain, as well as sealed the paint. Once our pieces were waxed, we were finished! There were so many designs to choose; from coat racks to wall hangings to trays to Welcome signs, and even a succulent box. We had such a blast!
Whenever any of us had questions, the staff was attentive and knowledgeable (and didn’t make us feel bad for asking so many questions!). Simple? Definitely. Straight forward? Absolutely. Quick? Not really. Plan to spend about three hours there. Fun? 100% Yes! Creating a piece of art completely from start to finish was so incredibly satisfying. Every single one of us have already recommended it to our friends and we can’t wait to go back!
Here’s what our friends at Board & Brush had to say:
Our mission at Board & Brush is to emphasize that you don’t need to be an expert or have any type of artistic experience to make a beautiful piece of art. We blend fun, paint, and little bit of alcohol with a structured instructor-led class and the end result is a unique personalized piece of art that you will be proud to hang on your walls. We are a small business, locally owned by Lisa and Scott Selby. They live in Trumbull with their family and saw potential in the Board & Brush brand and decided to bring it to their community. Our brand in three words is simple: handmade, personalized, and pride. Customers love leaving with something they create from start to finish with their or their loved ones names and are proud show it off.
That last part is especially true. I immediately posted my creation on social media and as soon as my babysitter arrived the next morning to look after my twins, I showed it off to her, as well!
Ready to get started?
- Go on the Board and Brush website and choose what you want to make,
- Pay online and let them know who you want to sit with,
- Show up (with your choice of food and drinks…it’s BYOB!), and they have everything ready for you to create your very own unique piece of art!
For our friends in Northern Fairfield County, check out Board & Brush, Monroe, CT, also owned by Lisa and Scott Selby. To get started and book your fun night out, sign up online and be sure to tell them your friends at Fairfield County Mom’s Blog sent you!
