The Source and Direct Colors
Introducing the Treehouse sourcebook and its first entry
The little self-identifying phrase that follows feels like a fortune cookie no matter how I try to write it, so here it goes: Friends seek me out to… know where to buy certain things. More often than not I do seem to know the answer.
I think it has something to do with the fact that I aggressively save resources and organize them semi-meticulously, squirreling them away despite not knowing exactly when (or if) they will be ever become useful.
I’m starting something similar up on the navigation bar here on Treehouse. Now, today, next to “Home” and “About” you’ll also find “Source,” which is where we’ll start to organize (squirrel away, hoard) all the incredible and useful and “I don’t know when, but someday” things we talk about on here.
The first resource I’m introducing to the Source section: Direct Colors1. For the record: this isn’t sponsored, just a full throated love declaration here today.
I found Direct Colors while researching for the zine and happily skipping through the concrete and cement DIY/craft universe, which turns out to be vast. (There really is something for everyone out there, huh?) Simply put, Direct Colors sells pigment and stain that you can add to cement or concrete project in order change the color, and sometimes also the look or texture. It can be yellow! It can also look like slate! It can look like well-polished turquoise agate! Many of the options are things I’d say, I’m glad to know exist, but don’t feel a strong desire to add to my own life.
A note: Quikrete does also sell a line of concrete dyes as do many Etsy sellers, but Direct Colors spectrum is just SO vast.
To wit: I used a color called “Peanut” to tint the concrete I used to make a simple pedestal table—the one which is running in the April edition of Treehouse. Despite its name, Peanut gave the gray cement base an overall olive color, which worked really well. It was easy enough to mix in and overall, can’t recommend it enough.
And that, my buds, is the beginning of the Source section. Add your favorite and lesser known resource in the comments? Should the Source section be open source, as it were? Let me know! I live to both blather on about cement and know where to find things.
Listings
My friend made a beautiful book! (LINK)
Just LOOK at all this copper outside of Sacramento. (LINK)
FYI (LINK)
Someone get one of these baby donkeys before my heart explodes? (LINK)
Super fair price on a castle in Wisconsin. (LINK)
Have something you’d like to announce or bring attention to in this space? Feel free to hit REPLY and we’ll draft a listing for you.
Notes
The time has finally arrived and April zines are FLUTTERING out the door.
By now, paid subscribers should have received communication from me asking for their mailing address AND sharing a secret (shh) link to this month’s playlist curated by our cover artist Ty Williams. If you have NOT received such an email, please get in touch by hitting reply and we will figure it out together. 🤝
Suffice to say, it feels pretty fantastic to put these into the world. But, by nature of this project and the pace I’ve committed to, we can’t just sit around feeling good about April. It’s already time to print May! Onward, already!
A word of caution, their retargeting marketing is pretty aggressive and WILL follow you around the internet. Fair warning before visiting the link!