Little Fairy Sisters

Once upon a time, there were two adorable fairy sisters in Shanghai...
...who won the Coco & Co. gift certificate at the Annual Shanghai Mama's Picnic!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE my job?
Not only do I get to paint dreamy art for wee ones all over the world, I often have the privilege of sharing tea parties & show-and-tell times when I go to meet their folks for portfolio meetings. I assure you, these two tiny fairies did not disappoint! After a tour of their royal pink quarters, I was introduced to loads of their treasured toys and was treated to a tea party!
(Lovely spread, Angelina Darling;)
The eldest of the two fairies was even so kind to share a baby book with my growing bump;) How sweet!

To match the decor, we decided on a palette of primarily pink with pops of purple and blue. Each scroll is unique (sisters need to be seen as individuals) but fit together side-by side (..and sisters want to be treated equally!) Their names on the banners are curly, girly font by specific request. These tiny girls have a real flair for style!
Cotton candy diamonds fill the backdrop and satin ribbons are tied at the top to complete the whimsical pieces.

I truly love how kids treat newcomers like old friends;)
Thanks I & A for a smashing time!

Little L (a lotta cute in a little package!)

Little L is about to be a Big Sis!
To commemorate such a cool job, mom has ordered a little something for L's own nest, here in Shanghai. To be honest, her room is already a blast of pink perfection with gorgeous white furniture that gives L's sleep space a crisp, clean edge. So creating this Big Sister Scroll was a piece of cupcake!

In order to compliment the white furnishings, the finial ends and wall brackets tie in with a solid, smooth white finish. The canvas scroll hangs 2.5 feet long by 1.5 feet wide, adorned with a creamy name banner & curly central "L" in fuchsia-coloured font. Each end of the banner is 'bunched' with wildflowers; watermelon & white Stargazer Lilies, alongside tangerine poppies. A dainty fairy with purple petaled dress stands beside the large "L" while turquoise, fuchsia and purple dragonflies swirl around the banner tails. Large white and bubblegum pink diamonds dot the background and finish the piece off with a royal trim.

Sending lots of warm wishes to the Big Sis-to-be as she preps for the family's latest addition!
What a lucky little newborn on the way!

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!

Glorious Gloria!

A big welcome to a little cupcake, Gloria Virginia Beth.
Although she resides in France with her parents and big brother Matthieu, we send our love and best wishes via Sweet Pea scroll.

Her mommy happens to be one of my dearest friends and Gloria has yet to discover what she has in store; daily lullabies from an incredibly gifted songstress!
While I could break glass with my pitch (a talent passed down from my own mother;), I will stick to painting and use her carousel pony scroll as a tribute to her mothers lullaby.

Adorned with pink rosebuds and ribbons, the white pony stands tall against a baby blue sky. High on a hill, the last few lines of the lullaby are written in turquoise script; "the blue and the bay, dapple and grey, all the pretty little horses." The bottom edge of the scroll is scalloped to break up the solid colour scheme of baby blue and sage green while curled satin ribbons of pink and lilac hang down from the finial ends.
Miles and oceans definitely make it difficult to be there to share some of these early moments of someones life, but the further you go, the more you realize how small the world really is. We are certainly there in heart.
Sending love, health and happiness to a dear friend and her growing family.

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....

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice...

...that is what Princess' are made of;)

Tonight I finally get to meet little Z when I deliver her Royal Scroll to their castle in Milton. This is one of the greatest parts of my job; meeting the new mini owners of the illustrations.

Her scroll measures 2x3 feet and is topped off with fine, cream finial endings and a lilac satin ribbon for hanging. The rolling sage hills make way for the sandy-coloured castle with tall turrets and flags waving in the breeze. Butterflies swirl in the sky, chased by a stream of sequins. Rows of trees line the hills and rose bushes surround the drawstring bridge door. A patch of sunshiney daisies and fuschia flowers bid you welcome to the royal palace and all of the treasures that lie within.

Wishing little Z a lifetime of Princess dreams.
All hail the Princess!

Honey Pot Pooh

Little princess J is turning one this May and what better way to celebrate than with her favourite characters from Winnie the Pooh. Adapted from Honey Pot Pooh, this 3x3 foot scroll depicts the chubby, old bear and his wee friend Piglet preparing for the party. Pooh reaches for his last pot of honey while Piglet looks on holding a cotton candy-coloured balloon. An old-fashioned top and baby blocks spelling G.I.R.L are spread out on the floor of Pooh's treehouse. Hanging on the wall, a day calendar shows the date of Baby J's birth.

The scroll will be finished off with cherrywood ball finials and a satin pink ribbon for hanging.

Very best first birthday wishes to the beautiful baby girl!

May this be the first of many wonderful celebrations ahead!

Spring Baby!

A warm congratulations to my dear friend Jurga and the love of her life, Segal. This Spring they will welcome their first child! In celebration, we are sending this Bunny My Honey nursery scroll to Ireland in hopes that it will arrive in time for baby's big welcome to the world.

The shy baby Bunny, acrobatic Miss Mouse and hopping Duckling are inspired by Anita Jerams, All Together Now; a gorgeously illustrated storybook about three animals who come together as a family despite their apparent differences.

With a robins egg blue background, tall ferns, plump mushrooms, rosy wild strawberries, four-leaf clovers and playful baby animals, it entails all that is Spring. It is painted on loose primed canvas and measures 28x23" (and is waiting to be wound round rod and finial and topped off with a blue satin ribbon before it makes its long journey across the ocean.) A perfect accent to a nursery for baby boy or girl (we are not sure yet, but we hear that baby is quite the kicker!)

We send our love to this family of two, soon-to-be three and wait patiently for the warm weather and a little angel.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

...and grow up too fast!

Lovely Little Miss Colleen's parents will have a chance to chart just how quickly their little bean sprouts with their personalized Mr. Men & Little Miss height scroll.

Carefully parent-selected characters have been painted on this primed canvas with fringed bottom. The scroll stretches to slightly over 6 feet tall and boasts a rainbow of silly storybook characters performing a balancing act. Combining colours, shapes, numbers & expressions, this becomes a fantastic early learning tool and keepsake for years to come. To top off the piece? The lovely Little Miss perched on Mr. Funny's top hat with a butterfly landing on her bow. Though I am afraid that Little Miss Tiny simply cannot do this baby justice! Just look at the Sweetie Pea!

Sending best wishes to this friendly family of three as they celebrate baby's first Christmas!

It's Not Easy Being Green-Zee Frog Blog

"Time's fun when you're having flies!"

So says Kermit the Frog.

Without a doubt, this has been one of my all-time favourite projects. This week, a friendly family in Kitchener ordered a scroll painting for their baby boys blueberry-lavendar nursery. Fantastic. A fresh challenge. It looks as if I will be producing a lot more of this media; not only is it fun, the results are not too shabby;)

The canvas is bought from a roll and rather then stretching it over a wooden frame, it is primed so I can paint directly on the fabric without it puckering when dry. A wooden, bronze or iron rod with finials and satin hanging ribbon are added as the finishing touch (I wouldn't hesitate to add sequins, ribbon roses or jewels except this particular scroll will be within baby's reach).

Voila! A regal Prince wall hanging with Kermie quote.

Next weekend at the art show in Toronto, I plan on taking a few more sheets of canvas for these scrolls and doing on-site demos made-to-order. Dragons, pirates, name initials with accents, princesses and Big Top circus themes.....cannot wait to get started!

Sending best wishes and big thanks to the L family and their little Princes (and Prince-to-be!)