Italy-Bound Safari

Two little cuties living in Shanghai are soon set to return to Italy with their parents. Before their big move back home, they have ordered some personal pieces for their shared bedroom. Mom has chosen a unique colour scheme; lavender, camel, white, cream, chocolate, periwinkle and cinnamon heart red, to flow throughout the three piece set.
Each of the two name canvases measures 12x24" and sports the childrens names in Gigi font, with stripes or polka-dot backgrounds. Chocolate-coloured Coco swings in with an apple to greet the birdie perched on the 's', while a not-so-ferocious lion takes cues from the red birdie for her hair accessories.
The large focal canvas measures 3x4 feet; safari friends include a monkey, giraffe, zebra and several tiny birds atop the tree of crispy white Asian blossoms. Once framed and ready for shipment to Europe, these pieces will offer a whimsical atmosphere for quiet nights and play dates alike.
Wishing the beautiful family a safe journey home & happy trails always!

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

Safari Bebe

Animals are the most popular pick for gender-neutral nurseries. Safari animals have also become a favourite for baby boys rooms specifically.

This name canvas, on it's way to Italy, serves as the perfect personalized birthday gift, guaranteed you will not be getting doubles of. Little Federico will celebrate the big three in style with his new friends; monkey, giraffe and zebra, not to mention some little birdies waiting to share the news of his party.

Wishing him and his family the very best as they mark another milestone; three is such a good number to be!

Coco Meets Ladybug

CONGRATULATIONS to the newest mommy and daddy-to-be, our friends Jane & Tony. Their little bundle is due around Chinese New Year (very lucky!), so mommy's belly is still in the wee stages of being turned into a pumpkin.

To celebrate, Sweet Pea designed for them their very own monkey mural. Jane is just as much a fan of cutesy, fun children's art, so I hope this will be a nice addition to the early stages of the nursery. There have been a few opportunities for me to add a wee little ladybird in my work, but this one is complete with blue eye shadow, luscious lashes and tiny toes atop the head of Coco's Mama (or Dada;) The fringed edge along the bottom adds to the playfulness and the calming yellow background brings the chocolate-coloured characters to the forefront.

We look forward to the months ahead as Jane & Tony prepare for their wintertime bundle!

(P.S. I promise that the next project in progress is not monkey-related;) Stay tuned....

Going Bananas!

I cannot tell a lie; I am bananas for monkeys.

For the first time, my better half and I visited the Shanghai Zoo last month and he had to drag me away from the Gorilla family with their newborn (who was the perfect model for the retro Mon Chi Chi doll) as well as a lonely Chimp on the other side of the park who had me when we touched fingers through the glass. Even the baboon who kept blowing kisses at me before turning around to show me his bare butt, kept me amused for much longer than the other visitors. I am obsessed.
This zoo excursion was purely artistic research;)
Now, I am lying.

They say you can learn a lot about an artist by analyzing their work, but mine pretty much spells it out for you; monkeys. They possess amazingly human-like qualities , are hilariously funny and make me feel closer to my sister when I get homesick! (It's ok, she never reads this blog!) When I have a freebie project that is headed to a baby shop showroom, or want to plan a gift for friends...the monkeys win every time. Soon I may have to change my name from Sweet Pea to Mon Chi Chi.

Our future children will have their rooms covered in baby monkeys to fulfill their mothers obsession and ducklings to appease their dad. Lucky chocolate and yellow is a smashing combination.

Here in Shanghai I am preparing a few projects for a baby clothing store (My Second Hand), but those are projects underway so I must keep details under wraps until official unveiling. These chocolate monkeys pictured on lime background are for a friend from China who I had the pleasure of working with in 2005. Now I will have the pleasure of meeting little Howie (and promise to publish his picture if I get granted permission;)

Wishing Naomi and her family all the love, kindness and talent she has shared with us.

Monkey Graduation

One of my favourite, little preschoolers is preparing for his summer holiday before he begins primary school. To commemorate his accomplishments, his International school, in Shanghai held a fantastic graduation ceremony, complete with English and Chinese speeches by the 5 & 6 year old scholars, as well as singing and dancing performances. It was a proud parents dream; to see their child waving frantically from the stage, stepping on each others toes and scratching their little butts with cut-out star props;) Honestly, there was not one child who happened to forget their lines, miss their cue or produce a good chuckle from the crowd.

On an assortment of bright greens this chocolate peek-a-boo style monkey, with curly 'q' and quirky smile is painted on an 8x8" square linen canvas. It sums up in an instant the playfulness of this age group, who are full of wonder, mischief and oftentimes teach us more than we could ever teach them.

This canvas is dedicated with lots of love to Domi Monkey; a little English genius with a memory like I have never known before. May you always be learning at the speed you do now, full of as many questions about life & able to make others laugh as much as you do for me.

Little Monkey on Safari!

Little Stefan will have loads to look at from his crib!
It will feel just like he and his jungle pals are going on Safari.

This giant 2.5 x 5 foot horizontal canvas, with the baby boy's name and birthdate is based on a soft sage background. Chocolate and lime dominate the painting in the palm tree, monkey, giraffe and script while little bursts of colour in the form of chubby birds perch on the numbers & alphabet. Sweet Pea's signature Cheeky Monkey with outstretched arm presents his friends...or waits for a falling banana! Peek-a-boo style Spotty and Stripey tuck around the corner to see what is going on in the wild!

Sending happy trails to baby & family as they depart for a little real-life adventure!
Your new jungle friends will watch over your nursery until your safe return.

Double Double!

And Baby makes...FOUR!

What a lucky family that is doubly blessed to receive twins! This mommy and daddy-to-be are counting down the days until their little Pumpkin and Monkey arrive.

In honour of their nicknames, two 2x2 foot canvas' have been designed to compliment their already gorgeous nursery. This baby boy and girl will be sleeping in style! Two celery-coloured cribs against saffron walls, playful safari and butterfly bedding and already mountains of gifts, everything two-by-two!

On the lemon chiffon baby girls piece...an orange pumpkin is seated in a bed of dewy daisies & wild strawberries. A slow snail makes his way to the edge of the canvas while a frog peeks out from the other side. A turquoise dragonfly baby with sparkly wings nuzzles into her mother and butterflies dance and swirl in the air.

Their little monkey has a more masculine piece; rich with earthy colours and strong outlines. A cheeky monkey baby drops his bunch of golden bananas while peek-a-boo giraffe and lion look on. Tropical wild & ocean green palm leaves overlap and tickle the edges of the canvas.

Sweet Pea sends out very warm wishes as this family of two prepares to welcome two more.
You are truly doubly blessed!
I hope your wee ones enjoy these pieces as much as I enjoyed painting them;)

Monkeying Around!

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

This 3x3 foot canvas for a baby-to-be's nursery leaves a playful story up to your imagination. A banana yellow background displays chocolate-coloured monkeys with swirly tails, curls and bellybuttons. Lime green palm leaves lend to the playfulness of this painting and suggest that there are bananas to be stolen nearby. A peek-a-boo monkey is all eyes and ears in the bottom corner. Definitely a fun piece for over baby's crib, a child's bed or the family playroom.
The canvas is a slight variation from the oft-requested Sweet Pea piece hanging at the Baby Depot (http://www.thebabydepot.ca/) in Kitchener. The dark, bold images on the fair hued background make this art especially easy for little eyes to focus on.

Sending best wishes out to the parents-to-be and first-time auntie too;)
May these mischief makers bring hours of fun to your family!

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;)

Baby Bubbles

Monkey see,

Monkey do,

Baby Monkey...i love you.

This 3x3 foot chocolate monkey canvas has been designed for

A Kids Corner in Oakville; a gorgeous decor store for babies and wee ones (http://www.akidscorner.com/).

The Baby Bubbles canvas is made to match a beautiful striped, spotted & bowed baby bedding set, but would certainly suit any funky nursery around town. With spiraled tail and tufts of fur, bouncing baby monkey and peek-a-boo Mommy (or Daddy) monkey play amidst a sea of bubbles.

Baby Face!

Somehow a painting just isn't complete without the kids that inspire them. Patti Miller has mastered the art of making someones character shine through with a click of the camera (she makes it look so easy!).
Pairing up the murals with the kids who belong to them resulted in some fantastic images and many a good giggle. It really brings the personal part of my job into the light; meeting and working with families of all kinds for a little window in time.
Great big thanks to Patti Miller Photography & the families that helped make the photo shoot possible!