Bilingual Animal Painting for Escuela Montessori
Let's go Red Sox! {clap clap} {CLAPCLAPCLAP}
Tonight is the first game of the 2013 World Series featuring some of my close personal friends...
From Left to Right: Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley, Mike Napoli & David Ross
They stopped by Beth Israel (aka my real job) after the marathon bombings to say thanks, be awesome & check out my window. Job well done.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!
{clap clap} {CLAPCLAPCLAP!}
Owls for a Fish
A trio of owls for baby Fish's* nursery in Cambridge.
*Fish is short for baby's last name: Fischer.
Contact me if you'd like some of your own.
You've Been Framed: Personalized Frames for Kids
Picture frames have proven to be hands-down my biggest seller on Etsy and in real life. They're a quick, inexpensive, personalized gift that is perfect for kid's birthdays, Christmas and -as in the 4th picture- as party favors. Contact me to have your own painted or order one on my Etsy page.
New Name Frame: Maximus Monkey
New name frame painted for monkey-loving Maximus in Malden, MA.
Safari Painting for Baby Ryan
This huge 36" x 24" painting was done for Ryan whose Mom wanted a bright, colorful, happy Safari scene. Ryan's walls are painted a neutral color so the sides of this painting were done in alternating dark and light green stripes to really make it stand off the wall. The happy characters are intentionally kept very simple to keep the painting from being overwhelming to baby. 
Ryan's date-of-birth was snuck into the painting on a leaf in the zebra's mouth and Ryan's loving Mother is represented by the giraffe who's giving her son's name a good snuggle.
From rough sketch to final product:
This painting was designed to grow with Baby Ryan- being young enough to be appropriate for a nursery and also bright enough to be able to transition easily into a toddler's room. Email me if you'd like a painting made for your little one or if you have questions about price, sizing or anything else. All questions are welcome.
Before & After: the Painting Process
Makeover shows, be them human or residential, are a major weakness of mine. Mostly because I love a good before-and-after picture. I love seeing a neglected little kitchen in Iowa that hasn't been updated since Reagan was in office be turned into a gormet cookery fit for the White House. It's so satisfying to see the design come to life and the before-and-after shot at the end is what makes it all come together.
From an idea in a notebook to a wall-sized triptych that is now the highlight of Lil' Dillon's room.
From a basic scribble to a full-blown stadium.
And feel free to email me if you have an idea for a painting...or if you just want to talk about muffins.
The same is true for paintings. Whenever I'm asked to do a custom painting I always start with a sketch to make sure the customer and I are on the same page. Once the drawing is approved, I get 'er painted up and no many how many times I go through the process I still love seeing the before and after shot at the end.
For instance, you can go from hand-colored sketch to nice looking piece of art (if I do say so myself):
From an idea in a notebook to a wall-sized triptych that is now the highlight of Lil' Dillon's room.
From a basic scribble to a full-blown stadium.
From outline to outstanding....ya, I just said that.
Click HERE to see more before-and-afters.
And feel free to email me if you have an idea for a painting...or if you just want to talk about muffins.
Aden's Pet Dinosaur
Just listed this custom picture frame for Aden on my Etsy page.
***I will only accepting Christmas orders until Dec. 5th this year because of holiday travel mid month so please get your order in soon if you'd like to commission a custom piece of artwork.***
Christmas is only 45 days away!!
The USS Harlan Richardson Moore
I just finished this painting for a little boy named Harlan to hang in his nursery. Harlan has a big brother named Lucian, you may remember his monkey pirate ship painting from last year.
Here are some more pictures of the painting or go check out the slideshow.
The Cuddle Distrobution gauge is set to Mom.
While the Father Figure dial is clearly reading Dad.
(In real life Harlan's dad has a much larger anchor tattooed on his chest.)
A tender little crab.
Harlan's name is the ship's namesake.
And his date and time of birth are represented in the gauges below:
This worm obviously hasn't been informed about why he's at the end of a fishing line wrapped around a hook. Ah, sweet ignorance.
Contact me if you'd like to order a custom painting or for pricing.
Thanks for looking!
NEW STUFF on Etsy
Being a Good Hostess: Hurricane Edition
In preparation for our upcoming Category 3 (already downgraded to 2 and on her way to plain ol' "Tropical Storm" status) visitor this weekend I thought I'd gather some tips on how to be a good hurricane hostess.
When entertaining out-of-town visitors it's always nice to label items and make directional signs to avoid confusion. Above is a piece of drift wood I painted to show Irene how to get to the beach to help her find her way.
It's important when hosting natural disasters to have plenty of activities for your guests. Below is a pail I've set out that Irene can throw through my window and some treasure she might also want to roll around in while she's there.
As anyone who's ever been to a gathering knows, refreshments are key! Here I've made our guest a margarita to enjoy while on her rampage, a girl does get thirsty! And I've laid out guest towels and an umbrella to hurl across our great state.
With any social gathering it is important to keep in mind who you're inviting to ensure an easy going atmosphere and great conversation. My guest list for this party will include the Crab Brothers, for their shared interested in rolling around in treasure,
and some mermaids from down the shore who are reminding me of another tip: if you are an invited guest it is always a good idea to bring a gift to your host. Sandra has decided to bring a giant clam, always a hit!, and Kendra brought a Starfish. What's nice about these gifts is that they're local, unassuming and they fit the theme. Great job ladies!
Welcome Irene, may your trip be short and sweet and I really hope you don't throw a pail through my window. Happy Hurricane-ing, stay safe!
The Ol' Switch-er-oo.
These are some light switch covers I painted for a brother and sister combo.
His name is Dylan, he likes baseball.
Her's is Madi, she is quite convinced that she is a princess.
These are painted with acrylic paint and sealed with acrylic sealant. Able to withstand years of abuse from little sticky fingers.
ONE HUNDRED SALES!!!
Cue the confetti...I made my hundredth sale on Etsy today!
**allow time for confetti to settle**
I am pleased as punch with myself...not unlike my 100th sale himself, below:
It's fitting that it was my giraffe character to hit this mile
marker with me as he was the first character I ever
got paid to paint on a wall in 2008.
Starting in 2008...
And ending in 2011!
Thank you to everybody who's ever helped me, critiqued me, taught me or bought from me.
You like me...you really like me!
Dylan's Fenway Park
This is the Fenway mural I did in Dylan's room in Marshfield this weekend.
The scoreboard is painted with chalkboard paint and was left mostly blank (per Dylan's request) so that he can fill in whatever game he wants or just write a loving note to his little sister to politely remind her to scram. The ads on the jumotron were also personalized and include Spiderman and Darth Vader as a Lego character, two of Dylan's favorite things and a little stick-figure-Dylan with his name under it is up there too.
GO SOX!!
Lex's Robot Paintings
These robots were painted for Little Alexander (who will be called Lex in preparation for his eventual conquer of the free world) in Denver. He's not born yet but when he is I'm sure he's going to be stoked.
Paintings done in acrylic paint on wood and distressed by hand to give them an aged impression. Each piece comes with a sawtooth hanger on the back, ready to be hung in Little Lex, our future leader's nursery.
Paintings done in acrylic paint on wood and distressed by hand to give them an aged impression. Each piece comes with a sawtooth hanger on the back, ready to be hung in Little Lex, our future leader's nursery.
More images after the jump...
Little Travelers
In case their name plates haven't already given it away,
Good luck you guys. I love you so so so so so much! I miss you already!!
this is Rylie (5) and Nolan (3) of Watertown, MA. 
This Saturday Rylie & Nolan, along with their parents (& name plates), are packing up the car and moving to Colorado; which is terribly sad as I love them all to pieces. It is nice, however, to know they're taking a little piece of me with them on their trip to hang in their new home in 'Rado.
Custom Name Letters
I believe the most important word in any person's vocabulary is their own name. That's why these custom letters are always such a hit. What kid wouldn't want to see their name 8" tall on their wall?
Jacen (above): painted to match a tranportation themed room in New Mexico. More pictures.
Haley & Hana (above): painted to match the bedding in these twin girl's room in Denver. More pictures here & here.
For your own custom Name Letters email me and we'll talk fonts. Have a great Friday!!
Jacen (above): painted to match a tranportation themed room in New Mexico. More pictures.
Haley & Hana (above): painted to match the bedding in these twin girl's room in Denver. More pictures here & here.
For your own custom Name Letters email me and we'll talk fonts. Have a great Friday!!
New stuff in my Etsy shop!
Ok, the wedding's over and I'm back from the honeymoon. Time to get back to work...after I catch up on horribly addicting reality TV shows of course. I mean, have you even seen Ice Loves Coco? Amazing.
But I digress...
These little guys were just added to my Etsy shop. Go check 'em out!
Let me know if you want something special painted. I love custom orders!
But I digress...
These little guys were just added to my Etsy shop. Go check 'em out!
Let me know if you want something special painted. I love custom orders!
Love That Dirty Water!
This month's window painting was done in honor of my Big Sister and my BFF who are coming to visit me this weekend from Colorado! Even though I'm probably not going to drag them to the Emergency Room to see it I was just too excited about them coming to paint anything else.
The painting is hosted by a big red lobster and includes the 3 major sports teams currently in season. (Sorry Pat's fans...maybe you'll get some love in November.)
(UPDATE: The Celtics are out of the playoffs...daaaaangit!!)
Here's a home-run from Fenway park...
A shot of the garden, home to the Celtics and Bruins, with the newly built Zakim Bridge going over Boston's infamous "dirty water" the Charles River. There's a little duck boat in there too. If you've never been on a duck boat it's just one of those things you have to do when you're in Boston...I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
And a card carrying member of Red Sox Nation high up in the seats atop the Green Monster.
Welcome back to Boston Missy & Gina!! I love you!!!
The Name Game
Custom name plaques are always a big hit at baby shower's and birthday parties and these two were no exception. This double canvas set was painted for a little girl who's named but not yet born. I left some space under her name for the birth date, weight and height.
The inspiration for this painting can be seen here.
Let me know if you need your own name plaque painted for someone special coming into your life!!