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| Wall of Benjamin Moore paint samples. |
My husband and I visit family in Denver every now and then, and during a recent stay I explored a wonderful artist's resource, Guiry's. I used to source 2 oz. Benjamin Moore paint samples from my local store, Johnson Paint, but this program stopped a while back. Boston-area homeowners trying to "audition" paint colors now had to order a full pint to test on the walls, resulting in much wasted paint. However, Guiry's continues to package 2 oz. samples, and these small samples are available by mail order. Yes, this means a shipping charge, but Guiry's rates are very reasonable, and I'd rather pay for shipping than have to dispose of a lot of unused latex paint, which should never be poured down the drain, by the way - let it dry out and put the can in the trash. Amphibians will thank you.
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| Mail order paint samples. |
I find interior house paint good for all sorts of things and more durable than craft paint. Paint is basically made of three components - pigment, binder and vehicle. Pigments and colorants give the paint its opacity and color, and these are the expensive components of paint. The vehicle is the liquid medium in which the pigment is suspended, and the binder is what forms a film as the paint dries.
Better quality paint has more pigment and is hence more costly. Better paint won't faint over time, and I've had good luck with Benjamin Moore paint. (And no, no one in my family is affiliated with that company, or any company mentioned in this blog post.)
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| Fancy papers. |
Guiry's has tons of art supplies and art-related items, including fancy papers. Use for gift wrap, scrap booking, collages, hand-made books, etc. Or frame them. Many years ago I hand-carried several sheets of hand-printed paper, carefully rolled up, from Japan. I used small pieces of gummed linen tape to hinge each individual paper to acid-free foamcore board and framed my bargain artwork using frames and UV-resistant acrylic from American Frame. Papersource also had lovely papers which can be used as wall art.
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| Hand-printed Japanese paper framed. Much prettier in person. |
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| More fancy papers. |
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| Artists' paints. |
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| Easels, drafting set-ups, paint brushes, etc., etc. |
Guiry's has everything from acrylic paints to Zentangle books to color. Lots of supplies for children - according to author Mo Willems, everyone should draw.
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| Rack of Dover books for kids. |
I love these Dover books for children - dot-to-dot books, stickers, coloring books, etc. Fun to browse and handle them, and you can't do that on Amazon. More kid stuff below.
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| Kits and pattern books can be a good gateway to new materials and ideas. |
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| Rubber stamps are easy to use. |
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| DH excited about all the samples. |
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| Pastels make a wall of color. |