Who is ready for Christmas besides us?! We most definitely are after we had such a great time making our Christmas boards at Board & Brush Creative Studio. It is just such a fun and relaxing time to hang out and get creative, while getting into the Christmas Spirit. We were at the Board & Brush Creative Studio at 816 W Main St, Tipp City, OH 45371. It was established in May 2017 and is owned by Ernestine Carmack and Colleen Gilardi.
Tipp City, OH
The owners, Colleen and Ernestine, were great friends and had always talked about how much fun it would be to start a business together. They each had heard of Board & Brush Creative Studio from different sources and after learning more about the franchise opportunity decided that this was the business for them. With help from their family and friends, Board & Brush Creative Studio in Tipp City, OH was born!
The Tipp City location employees 12-15 high school and college students on average. They both agree that the employees make their business awesome. They also believe a big part of the businesses success is also the corporate support, corporate employees and the company’s philosophy.
Board & Brush Top Three Designs
We asked Ernestine and Colleen what the top three design picks are with their customers. During holiday times it is usually a holiday design. Off season design picks are the Monogram Script, Porch Welcome and The Herb Box (all three are pictured below).
Here are a few other designs that we thought were really cute! It is amazing how many choices there are!
Need an Event Idea?
There are so many ways to have an awesome time at Board & Brush. There are a variety of workshops to choose from. You can also have a private party, birthday party, corporate event, bridal shower or fundraiser here. If you can turn it into an event you can have it at Board & Brush. Everyone is assured to have a really good time and go home with a beautiful piece to put on their wall!
Sign Up For A Workshop
The first thing you do is sign up for a workshop and pick out your design. You can sign up and pick out your design online. There are so many to choose from. It is really hard to decide. We knew with the Christmas season approaching that we wanted to do a Christmas design. So we both chose from the large Christmas selection of designs. We love being able to look at all the designs online. This way we can take our time and don’t feel rushed as we would have if we had to choose when we arrived for the workshop. Love this!
Once you have signed up for the workshop and selected your design, the Board & Brush team selects and cuts the wood you will need for your project. It is ready and waiting for you when you arrive at the workshop.
Our workshop was on a Saturday morning. We were able to enjoy a Mimosa upon arriving at the studio. It was so yummy and the perfect start to our fun morning. 🙂
Choose Your Stain
When you arrive and find your wood and design (that is set up and waiting for you) you then need to select the stain for your wood. Keep in mind which paint colors you are going to use for your design so that you can select the best stain to compliment them.
Sand and Distress Your Wood
After you have chosen your stain you then get to start sanding your raw boards. Don’t want any splinters in your wood! Then you add some distressing to give your wood the worn look.
Stain Comes Next!
Now you start staining your smooth and worn looking wood. It already looks like it is coming together!
Attach Your Boards Together
After you have finished staining, it is time to attach the boards all together.
Stencil Time
The next step is to remove the paper backing and adhere the stencil to the front of your board. This process takes a little time and a lot of patience! Just go slow and don’t rush it. 🙂 Tip: It really helps if you have a partner!
Add Some Color…
Now you are ready to select your paint colors and start painting. So many to choose from!
Reveal Your Board!
After you are finished painting, and they highly suggest giving it two coats of paint, it is time to remove the stencil and see your beautiful handiwork. After the stencil is removed, you take a knife and remove all the tiny little stencil pieces still attached in some of the letters.
They offer a wide array of tools from knives to screw guns to help with all your needs. They truly have thought of everything!
While your paint is drying it gives you a chance to go around and look at everyone else’s creations. Since it was October when we were here there were many fall and Christmas boards that people had made. This would be a fun place to have your work or girlfriends Christmas party! Board & Brush Creative Studio would be so much fun for a Christmas party of any kind!
Once your paint has dried it is time to attach the hardware for hanging on the back of your boards.
After attaching the hardware you have one last step before your picture is complete. You take a cloth and rub a little wax was over your picture. This helps keep the paint color from fading.
The Finished Product!
Ta-Da! Here are our finished Christmas boards. Now we just need the Christmas season to hurry and get here so we can hang them up!
If you love the Christmas season like we do and also love Christmas decor, this is a must do for you and your family and friends. You will have a great time and also have a beautiful piece to hang on your wall this Christmas season.
Gift Cards
Another great thing that Board & Brush Creative Studio offers is gift cards. Do you know someone who would love a workshop like this? A gift card is the perfect Christmas gift for the upcoming holiday season!
Check out Board & Brush Creative Studio at a location near you and tell them Stephanie & Sydney sent you from Small Town Living USA.
Want some other neat places in the Miami Valley to visit? Check this article out on some places we have stumbled across!
Have the Merriest Christmas ever!
This is great! I love the step by step process you share with your readers! Thanks again for coming in!