Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Sea Life

Pottery Barn Kids is most mothers' decorating wonderland.  Some of my mom pals know most of their furniture and bedding by name, and almost all the moms I know will cruise the online sale section regularly looking for a steal.  The store has become a staple in kid room decorating.  I actually saw a website the other day that named "pottery barn-like" as a type of furniture, along with 'cottage' and 'contemporary'.  So, well done, PBK, for being a branding champion!  

Thank you for the things you sell....and for the things you don't.  Here's what I mean:
See the cute shower curtain and towel set shown above?  Awesome right?  Those can be yours for X amount.  The adorable artwork on the wall, however, cannot.  

Until...you ask me to paint it for you:)  

That's right.  PBK doesn't even sell it.  I don't know where it came from.  But it was fun to recreate and add some, ahem, POLKADOTS to the borders for some flair:)


These were done for my friend and neighbor, Buffy.  She's due to have her 2nd son this summer and has made the boys' bathroom super cute with the above shower curtain, towels (and surfboard rug that is not shown).  And she wanted these canvases done to complete the look.  
Part of the fun in painting is the painting and design itself.  The other big part of the fun is seeing what you do with your rooms and how you decorate them!  Thanks for including me in the fun, all you Peanut Paintshop purchasers!!! :)


Invitation Inspiration


My friends are picking out the coolest invitations to their kids' parties! Recently I got an invite for a brother/sister birthday party with the tagline "One fish, two fish, pink fish blue fish". How cute is that? (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture for you to see exactly how cute it was.) And then...another friend received the invitation pictured above to a baby shower for a mama-to-be who's having boy/girl twins! That friend put her creative cap on after seeing both invites and wanted a painting done with some ideas from both of them. Here's what she came up with:

The saying is from one invite and the fish are from the other! The twins are sharing an ocean themed room that has a lot of teal in it. From what I hear, their parents are big water people, so this fish themed canvas will hopefully fit right in.

The font was made to be a little Dr. Suess-ish (Can you say that 5 times?) since the one fish, two fish idea originally came from his books, I would assume.

My friend, Katie, who also loves to paint (and does it quite well I might add), made this awesome painting for the boy/girl birthday party. This painting is inspired by the other fish themed inivitation, and I. LOVE. IT. Doesn't hurt that it's propped up next to that 1 year old cutie, either:)



It's a fish invitation paintin' world, and I am a fish invitation paintin' girl.

Anniversary



This was a first for me. I was asked to paint for an anniversary gift. And let me tell you....I was so nervous about it. I mean, yes, I work really hard at my paintings, and I won't release them out of my paint stained hands unless they look good. But this was different. Idunno...maybe more....serious? My directions were to make it more pretty than whimsical, so I gave it my best.

And in the end, it looked really cool. Stay tuned for pictures of this in it's dwelling place:) And Happy Anniversary, Walters!!!:) 2003 was the best year to get married:)

Monday, June 15, 2009

More Laundry

Isn't that always the case? Isn't there always MORE LAUNDRY?!?!?! Well, this time, I meant it in a fun way. I did one more laundry painting. And I hope it will be cute enough to make the ugliest of chores just a little more fun. Check it out:

This was done for my friend, Joanna. The trees, the saying, and the colors were all her ideas, so thank you, Joanna! I hope you enjoy this in your brand new home! It was fun to paint this for her because she is a girly girl. I knew I couldn't use too much pink or make it to0 bright and colorful. And of course she didn't mind my dots...

The font turned out really well on this one. It's kinda funky, kinda girly.


These make great housewarming gifts! Sometimes it's hard to buy for someone's home. You're not always sure if something goes with their colors or style. But you can usually be safe in a laundry room. Rarely is there a theme or color at all! Give me a shout if you know of a laundry room that could use a face lift!

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Door's Open



The "Come On In" is the answer for all of the awkward, "Should we knock or just go on in" dilemmas that we encounter when invited to a dinner party or other gathering in someone's home. It lays it all out there for you. Just come on in.

This canvas is an 8x10" and it's perfect for those annoyed by door knocking, bell ringing and people peering in their windows. Just make sure you really trust your neighbors:)

Keep checking in. I've got some fun ones to throw at you soon!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Baby Blocks



Here's a "baby block" for my friend Ann's little boy. These are great for putting on a shelf or on the perfect little spot on a wall. (And great for a mama's brain when she tries to recall how much her little weighed when he was born!) This one is a 6" square, but they can come in any size.

Welcome to the world, little Brady!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The "Sutton"

I love unique names, bright colors, and of course, polka dots. So, you can see why this is one of my all time favorites. Introducing....(drum roll).....The Sutton!


This painting was purchased by a friend for her friend's soon-to-be-arriving baby girl. Sutton will be sleeping in her big sister's old room. While the bedding may be the same, this painting will add a new and personal touch to welcome her into the world. The bedding is the "Sophie" collection from Pottery Barn Kids. At first glance, I thought it was your usual pastel polka dotted baby bedding, but when I looked more closely, I realized those dots are pretty bright. The orange and darker green added a little funk to the traditional baby colors. Way to go Pottery Barn Kids for being awesome. Again.


My favorite thing about this painting is how the green polka dots match the lettering. The stripes are cool, too!

Thanks for placing orders, friends. It's been a blast getting creative. You all have given me such great stuff to work with...wedding invites, baby bedding and color schemes. Thank you!!!!