Mommy, Miki & Mini

Max the Monkey has made his arrival, June 16th, 2010!
We were very excited to return to Canada a few days following to meet the Miniest addition of one of my all-time greatest friends family. MAN! Is that little wormie cute!

For Max's Safari themed nursery, Coco & Co. created a three-piece gallery canvas set; painting safari babies with mom & dad. Two gray trunks sweep into the long 1.5x3 foot canvas with mommy & baby birds perched atop for a free ride. At mom's request, Coco & Co.'s monkey mama & baby swing on the 1.5x1.5 foot canvas. Lion-loving dad's request was fulfilled with the final canvas; dad and lion cub cuddling in the corner. By offering a 3-piece set, parents have the option of arranging the paintings in several patterns or placing them throughout several 'key' spots in the nursery; crib, change table and read/relax nook, for example. Animal themes, especially those with bold colours, have the advantage of working well beyond the nursery years, as baby advances into a bigger bedroom, or needs a little sparkle in the playroom. Some parents have begun with one, and each birthday add another canvas with the same theme and colour scheme.

Gallery canvas differs from standard stretched canvas due to it's depth; it reaches 1.5 inches out from the wall, whereas standard canvas generally is 0.5 inches deep. Because the images wrap around the sides of the canvas, the gallery option gives the art more of a 3-D effect (as seen in the photo.)


As Max spends his summer cozying in with his family, we send our love & best wishes!
We cannot wait to snuggle you again!
xox

And Baby Makes FOUR!

Portfolio meetings are one of the perks of my job. It gives me the chance to meet the family, see the nursery-in-progress and basically just be able to witness the amazing time before baby arrives, when there's a lot of love and emotions on overdrive!

I have been especially fortunate when a family invites me to return for baby number two...or three! Then I get to see the family at several stages from bumps to babes and beyond. This is the case with the "C" family of three, about to be four! Months ago they announced that Baby Number Two is on the way and they are ready for a new set of Pottery Barn inspired canvas.

A beautiful choice of baby bedding titled, Cottontail Friends led to this set of five canvases; complete with Daddy Lamb, Mommy Bunny, sibling ducks and chicks. A banner scroll at the top and bottom of the center canvas makes room for baby's name and birthdate information.

The little bundle's grand arrival is expected this month!
Looking very much forward to returning for a delivery visit (in our favourite Canadian town!) and congratulating the growing family of four!

April Showers bring Spring Babies!

With Spring just around the corner, we can look forward to all the wee ones that will be welcomed into their families, as the flowers bloom and the winds warm up.

There is a mom with a little bump in the USA who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first-born. Without knowing whether they will welcome a baby girl or boy, they have designed a gender-neutral nursery with a Dr. Seuss theme; Seuss-classic reds, greens, blues and yellows in the baby bedding & a three part scroll mural by Coco & Co. Currently the mural is complete, minus the wee ones name, with both outer scrolls slightly shorter than the centerpiece scroll and hand-trimmed with a gentle scallop. All three paintings side-by-side match up to form a hilly background; Kangaroo and Joey (or Joette;) tucked happily in her pouch. A bold white & red kite soaring, further implies the arrival of Springtime. In the far scroll, Seuss-signage points NEAR in the direction of mother and baby, while FAR points away in the distance.

NEWS UPDATE...

IT'S A GIRL!! To welcome baby Elise Joy is proud mom dad and big sister V!

Congrats to the growing family!

Bounce! Messy & Tickle

Mr.Men are back.
Last year I completed a nursery for friends in the Mr. Men & Little Miss characters. Following that I had a customer request for a height chart scroll and now this three 18x18"canvas set is on its way to Whitby.
The background mimics that found in the classic books; solid greens, blues and whites with colourful, bold characters in the forefront. Mr. Bounce is doing just that while the little worm at his feet laughs. Mr. Messy has a bird perched on his head (with a look of disgust) and Mr. Tickle is tipping his hat as his hands reach and squirm behind his back. The horizon line & images in the background meet so that side-by-side this set looks like one long piece of whimsical art.

Two-by-Funny-Two

This whimsical march of mixed up animal pairs is a continuation of last summers project at a nursery school hallway in Guelph. Sweet Pea was commisioned to paint the beginning (and now the opposite end) of the hallway as a warm welcome to the wee ones. With a twist on the Noah's Ark theme, I paired odd animals in a parade leading to each of the classrooms. Mary's little lamb holds the Lamb's Court sign, a leaping frog & fly hang on to Hoppers Lane and the lagging turtle directs little ones to Turtles Creek Blvd. Then at each nursery room door, the coinciding animals await, as a pictoral reminder of which room the varying-aged children belong. Though I think most of the children get stuck in the hallway doting on over 30 animals & insects.
Monkeys swing on vines, birds, toucans, ladybug & butterflies perch themselves on top of animals heads, a mouse swings from a cats tail while another carries an elephant who taunts him with cheese dangling from a string, Hopper plays leapfrog with a seahorse blowing shiny bubbles and all the animals from their habitats join together in a colourful parade.

Kiss 'N Tell

A little baby girl is about to be welcomed to a very special nursery.

Two (not including the family pets!) are about to become three in Guelph. They have gone Pottery Barn on the baby bedroom and it is looking fabulous. Currently it boasts gorgeous dark shades of cherry wood, sage green and ruby and now the bedding, custom canvas as well as other choice accents are bringing out the soft palettes of yellow, creamy white, baby blue and tangerine orange.

Animals on Parade baby bedding by the popular Pottery Barn inspired mom and dad-to-be to have custom canvas created to match. Using a slightly lighter shade of green than baby's quilt as a backdrop, elephants, leopards, birds and alligators come to life. Baby elephant and daddy touch trunks, mommy leopard and her little one nuzzle under the sun, Al(ligator) daddy carries around 'cargo' while he gives mommy a clover and tangerine birds are caught kissing on treetops. The centre canvas serves as a focal point, where banners wave in a birds beak, waiting to be adorned with baby's name and birth date.

Now all the room needs is the baby.

All the best to this little family as they await her arrival;)

Mini Fan ROCKS

Let me introduce you to a mini Oilers/Cowboys fan. He doesn't know it yet, but these are his all-time favourite NHL/NFL teams. As you'll notice, he has already started the art of the one-handed wave!
A year ago (this month actually) I was up at his 'crib' painting the helmet and hockey puck you see flying overhead. Above his closet, another swirl of Cowboys stars and Oilers jargon, "YOU'RE IN OIL COUNTRY."
To start this year, and serve as the main attraction for his sports-themed room, his parents (who happen to also be fans of these teams;) have requested this double jersey canvas. They have included their lucky numbers and name of their favourite little fan, making this a keepsake for years to come.
Though I predict a strong wave of jersey-themed rooms, based on the number of requests that pour in, it is always nice to see that every family caters their custom work on the individual canvas' and in this case, by complimenting wall accents to make the room complete.
I also predict that this little guy will be a heart-breaker by the age of two;)
The kid ROCKS!

Here Comes the Spiderman!

Not all of my customers turn out to be superheroes (or offer to don their capes when I come over to deliver orders!)

This tough guy is the exception;) More than happy to show his enthusiasm for his new Justice League canvas reproductions, I couldn't help but snap a few extra shots. Unlike most SuperGuys, he didn't shy away from the flash (no pun intended).

Last summer I delivered his first two installments of his now growing collection of 18x18" canvas. He strongly requested Batman & Flash. Recently Santa got a hold of me and suggested a third hero would be nice. So the Supe (a.k.a Clark Kent) is on his way today in time for Santa's December 24th rounds.

These images, duplicated from classics, are reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein's 60's pop art that brought the comic strip to forefront. The bold colours, strong black outlines and in-your-face icons are easy for the eye to navigate. Although these replicas of the classic heroes are exaggerated in their features, they are not meant to represent the stereotypes that Lichtenstein worked so hard to achieve. Batman, Flash and now Supe are basically just fun to look at and add a little extra flare to an already trendy playroom.

Spidey, as you see him in full form above, is one of my favourite wee customers to deliver to. So I was sorry to hear that Peter Parker will be playing hockey when I deliver this morning.

Gotta stay in shape as you never know when evil will strike;)

Once Upon a Time...

...in a castle on a hill, lived two little Princess sisters; Keira & Brookie!

These scrolls were designed exclusively for the Savelli sisters of Ancaster; two tiny fairy tots with big eyes and pretty smiles. Inspiration for these scrolls was certainly not a difficult task considering the highest quality of cuteness that resides in their home.

The backgrounds of the girls initial scrolls are painted pink diamonds adorned with sparkly sequins at all of the points. Keira's initial is lavender with pansies and a pixie in a petal dress. Brookies art is pink, white and yellow all over; daisies, roses and a fairy tot sliding down the letter B. Each of their names are written in script on a banner; bunched at the corners with ribbons and flowers. The bottom edges are cut in diamond scallops.
The Castle is the centerpiece scroll with two S banners (Savelli Sisters) hanging outside the drawbridge door. Candy-coloured flags wave in the breeze along with a whirl of butterflies and sparkles. To frame the corner, a patch of daisies and roses lie in the foreground.

These were fun to create and I am sorry that I have to give them away now.
Thanks to the Sweetie Pea Savelli sisters for letting me take part in the decor of their playroom;)