WOMEN OF OUR COMMUNITY
Know Your
Neighbor:
Local woman
expands her
creativity into
custom décor
NAME: Brooke Stone
NEIGHBORHOOD: Texarkana, Texas
FAMILY: I love being an Aunt B to so many amazing nieces and adopted nieces! I also have an Australian Shepherd named Kali.
OCCUPATION: Social media manager at HealthCARE Express
FAVORITE FOOD: Italian
FAVORITE COLOR: Black/Neutrals
TEA OR COFFEE? Coffee
FAVORITE BOOK OR AUTHOR: Just finished reading "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides and it was great!
FAVORITE HOBBY: Trying out new mediums and I love creating mood/style boards for friends and families' spaces they are looking to spruce up!
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Big Little Lies
FAVORITE MOVIE: You've Got Mail
FAVORITE HOLIDAY: Christmas
DECORATING TIP: Make your space a home. No matter what your style is, if it feels like home then you are doing it right!
COLLECTIONS: I have way too many fluffy blankets!
FAVORITE QUOTE: "I'm going to make everything around me beautiful -- that will be my life." Elsie de Wolfe
By Katie Stone, contributing writer
Brooke Stone has spread her creative, small-town roots from De Kalb to Texarkana and with the help of her family, she has started an adventure that has blossomed into a work of heART.
She thinks inherited a natural gift for the arts from both of her parents.
"My dad really has a great artistic eye for what looks good, and he painted when he was younger. And my mom has beautiful penmanship," she said.
Her creativity blossomed in high school where she learned the basics in art class. She was able to attend Visual Artistic Scholastic Event, or VASE, and was the first in DeKalb High School history to reach this achievement.
According to VASE's website, 'Students create artworks, write about their creative processes and understanding of visual art, and articulate information about their artwork during an interview with a VASE juror, who evaluates their work using a standards-based rubric."
Brooke traveled to Houston to attend the event where she won a gold medal for her work, which was a portrait drawing of a friend.
She continued her art education through college, ultimately receiving a degree in sociology, with a minor in psychology. "Sometimes I wish I would have completed a degree in art. I feel like I would have really enjoyed it," Brooke said.
During college she worked at Painting with a Twist where she learned how to paint better with acrylics.
"I didn't have very much experience with acrylic when I interviewed for them, but I really loved working there," she said. "I enjoyed teaching others and listening to the music. It was just fun."
When Brooke's brother got married, his fiancé found a sign on Pinterest that she wanted in her wedding. She asked Brooke if she could make it for her. Brooke was unsure at first but decided to give it a try.
"I went to my mom for help, because I go to my mom for everything," Brooke said. "So, we just kind of winged it and it worked."
With her first successful project complete, more requests started to come her way. She and her mom, Rhonda, found themselves making more and more custom pieces.
They made their first signs from repurposed pallets.
"We didn't know what we were doing at first, but got through it with probably unsafe ways," she said.
Brooke is always trying different mediums and materials to learn all that she can about creating art. She has watched numerous tutorials on technique, painting styles, and even lettering.
"I hand paint all the lettering. I watched so many videos about it, and just practiced and practiced," she said. "I just think that trial and error is the best way to learn."
She also works alongside her mom in her parents' workshop.
"Sometimes we just stand in there and think of new ideas," Brooke laughed. "She is more of a 'puzzle' person. She helps make my ideas come to life."
Brooke is currently stocked at Full House Furniture on West Seventh Street where she has one of her textured pieces on display.
With experience and time comes a more diverse inventory of tools and mediums.
"We have upgraded our tool inventory to have so many different things now. We have learned so much since we started so we have been able to buy better tools and paint brushes to bring a better art piece," Brooke said.
Since most of the décor that Brooke and her mom make are custom pieces, she hasn't had a chance to put out as many original pieces as she would like.
"I like to make things that are natural, wood, and textured. I love so many different styles. I like to stick to a clean, neutral, simple look that is still fun and fun to look at!" she said.
Once the art piece has been through the cutting and staining stage at her mom's house, Brooke takes the piece home for lettering or final touches.
"Sometimes I have several things in my house that I am working on, whether its final touches or finishing lettering," she said. "When I am done, I put the Stone House Decor tag on it and out it goes."
Brooke also flexes her creative muscle at HealthCARE Express in Texarkana.
"I started out in marketing and now I am the social media manager which is awesome because I get to be more creative," she said. "We have several entities within the company. I manage all the social media pages for those except the community pages on Facebook for the urgent care."
She enjoys being a part of the creative process that comes with her position.
Every new project for the Stone House family brings togetherness and a personal touch. Brooke enjoys the time spent with her mom on every project.
"I am so glad that we get a chance to bond more and have something special," she said. "When I was little, I would sit in my mom's lap at church, and she would doodle pictures for me. She still does that now with my niece."
Brooke is decorating life with every stroke of her paintbrush.
(For more information about Stone House Décor, find them on Facebook.)