Welcome to the Southern Pickens Blog!

Hey y’all, and welcome! 

If you’ve landed here, chances are you love a good before-and-after, enjoy making your home feel a little more you, appreciate something handmade, or maybe you just get excited about a really good paint color. If so, I think you’re going to feel right at home here.

I’m Kristi, the artist and owner behind Southern Pickens, and after more than a decade of painting, creating, learning, experimenting, and building this little business, I decided it was time to create a place where I could share more than what fits into a social media post.

That’s what this blog is all about.

Southern Pickens has grown quite a bit since I first picked up a paintbrush and opened that little booth in 2015. Today, you'll find everything from my hand-painted creations to Dixie Belle Paint, Sweet Pickins Milk Paint, creative supplies, gifts, coffee, and other things I've intentionally chosen for the shop.

But one thing hasn't changed: I still genuinely love helping people feel inspired to create.

So, What Will You Find Here?

🎨 Painting Tips, Tutorials & DIYs
I’ll share techniques I've learned through years of painting, favorite products, step-by-step projects, furniture transformations, and those little tips that can make a BIG difference in your finished project.

🖌️ Let's Talk Paint!
Chalk Mineral Paint or Milk Paint? Do you really need to prep? Which finish should you use? What's the difference between all those products?! We'll talk Dixie Belle, Sweet Pickins and more! I'll help make choosing the right product a whole lot less intimidating.

🏡 Projects & Creative Inspiration
Door hangers, seasonal projects, home decor and whatever else happens to make its way onto my paint table. Around here, you never quite know what's coming next!

👀 Behind the Scenes
There is a whole lot that happens between an idea and the finished product. I'll take you behind the scenes of Southern Pickens, from new designs and products to running a creative small business.

📍 Local Favorites & Southern Finds
Southern Pickens was born and raised right here in North Louisiana, and supporting local has always mattered to me. From businesses and makers I love to places worth visiting, I'll occasionally take you beyond the studio and share some of my favorite finds.

🤍 A Little Faith & Life Along the Way
Faith and family are woven into who I am and how I run Southern Pickens. You may occasionally find encouragement, reflections from everyday life, or simply reminders to create and live with purpose.

Creativity Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this space, it’s that you don't have to be a professional artist to create something beautiful.

Try the paint color. Pick up the brush. Rescue the old piece of furniture. Make the thing you've had saved on Pinterest for six months.

You might mess it up.

That's okay.

Some of my favorite lessons have started with, “Well...that didn't work.” 😂

Southern Pickens has always been rooted in Colossians 3:23 and the reminder to work wholeheartedly and with purpose. My hope is that this blog becomes another extension of that. Somewhere I can share what I've learned, encourage someone else to try something new, and celebrate the beauty of creating with your own two hands.

I'm Glad You're Here

Whether you've been following Southern Pickens since those early booth days or somehow stumbled across this page five minutes ago, welcome.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, browse around, save an idea for later, ask questions, and come back often. There’s plenty more to come, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Here’s to making something beautiful. 🎨

Kristi
Owner + Artist, Southern Pickens

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…” — Colossians 3:23