Meet the Experts: Create a DIY gift for someone you love with Brittney Swicionis, owner of Board & Brush Creative Studio

Brittney Swicionis, owner of Board and Brush Creative Studio in Cape Girardeau, believes in giving back to the community through her business. She has done so through initiatives such as donating DIY projects to the Red Cross to incentivize people to give blood during last year’s blood shortage, teaching about entrepreneurship to young people, and utilizing Board and Brush’s social media accounts to help animals waiting to be adopted find families. She hopes the community is intentional in where they choose to spend their money and time and chooses to support the community by patronizing local businesses, too.

Swicionis began working at Board and Brush in June 2019 and bought the business in September 2020. She says Board and Brush is a place for people to relax, unwind, have fun, meet new people and build a sense of community.

“This is a place for people to gather,” Swicionis says. “If Board and Brush can bring joy in that moment or allow a connection to happen, where you’re able to connect with a colleague or a realtor is able to purchase a closing gift, I want this business to be [that, to be] so community-focused.”

The business offers a variety of wooden DIY projects customers create while in-studio, including options like porch signs, clocks, trays, coathangers and planters. Swicionis says a DIY project makes a perfect gift because they can be personalized with a last name, year, and child’s or pet’s name, which shows intentionality and thoughtfulness.

Swicionis says groups are always welcome to come and DIY together; people can also come to make a project by themselves, to connect with someone new at the studio or enjoy time alone.

Here, Swicionis shares three tips for creating a thoughtful gift for a loved one’s home:

__1. Be forward-thinking about upcoming holidays and events.__

Quality handmade projects make beautiful gifts for Mother’s Day, a wedding, a baby shower or any other special holiday or event. Swicionis says to give yourself at least two months to schedule a workshop with a local studio if you plan to create something yourself; that way, you have enough time to complete the project without feeling rushed.

__2. Always keep a neutral color palette in mind.__

Even though you might love bright colors, those don’t always work well in other people’s homes. When gift giving, Swicionis says it’s important to keep the color palette and design simple, so the gift receiver can see it fitting well in any part of their house.

“Some people say, ‘I’m not creative.’ Don’t worry, you don’t have to be,” Swicionis says. “There’s a lot of self-doubt in one’s sense of creativity, and we eliminate that.”

__3. Trust the process.__

It’s OK if you make a mistake or your project isn’t perfect; it’s about making something yourself and choosing the project, paint and stain colors that express your unique creativity. Throughout the workshop, you use a stencil for the designs, and staff members teach you how to sand properly, distress boards, and create different looks such as washes, dry brush, and block painting. Afterwards, they help clean up any imperfections on your project.

“Nothing’s ever going to be perfect; life’s not perfect. But at Board and Brush, we’re going to make it seem like you’re an artist,” Swicionis says. “You can do hard things, and at the end of the day, it’s the memories.”