I love to paint furniture!

I love to bring new life to old furniture yet don't get the chance to do so often enough. Or maybe its the time to do so. I have a cool side table that I got over 2 years ago that is still waiting for its paint makeover! But when a customer requests that I paint a piece of furniture for a little one, I'm all in!

A couple years ago, I was commissioned to custom paint a kid's table for a little boy and was recently asked to paint one for his little sister! It was fun to come up with both designs and hope think that they will compliment each other well. 

Please enjoy a couple shots of the tables, first up is HIS:

And now more recently HERS:

 If you are local (GTA) and would like to have a kid`s table or chair painted, please shoot me an email. I can paint existing furniture or new pieces such as the above tables from Ikea. Thanks!

playing catch up with sharing custom paintings!

Hello! Its February 2014 & a major update is required in my blog and in my flickr gallery! I'll start sharing a bit more here on the blog my recent (or over the past 6 months!) custom orders. That is why I started this blog in the first place!!  Please enjoy!


The 1st two paintings are special ones that I did for a brother & sister, very cute & lovely kids! 

This painting was for a 6 year old little girl who loves ballet and wanted her initial to be prominent. This large painting suited her current cute pink bedroom scheme but I think would also translate well when her décor changes as she grows, I could see it filling it nicely in a chic pink, black & white scheme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second large painting for her 8 year old hockey player brother was inspired by his interest in surfing and the Disney movie Teen Beach Movie. I thought the surfboard and ocean imagery was fun enough for him now yet cool enough for him to grow into! His room is currently navy with a green accent which I thought was a great match for this type of scene. I thought it would be nice to also include his initial "T" but in a more subtle way.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for checking out some of my recent custom orders - they really are one of my favourite things that I do through Tiny Brushstrokes. Stay tuned for more (somewhat) recent work to be shared!

 

3 tiny brushstrokes gift ideas under $50!

Ok, Halloween was fun, but its now November so let the Christmas/Holiday shopping begin!

I am trying to avoid malls again this year - it is not the most relaxing or fun shopping experience, busy, crowded, frantic etc! I would much rather be shopping locally, in smaller boutiques, craft markets or even better, buy my gifts online while enjoying a yummy hot chocolate (or glass of wine) in the comfort of my home!

For some, shopping online isn't a go-to idea, but it really has its perks! See above hot chocolate/wine in your home, no lines, no crowds - need I say more?! The only downfall can be the shipping costs, yet some retailers offer free shipping over a certain amount which is great! But if shipping is associated with your online purchase, you could always contrast it with the cost of gas/transit + food and coffee purchases to sustain you while shopping! There is such a wide variety of cool items to be found online, especially through online marketplaces such as Etsy.

Because I operate an online shop, I really appreciate my online sales as much as my direct customers & love to offer incentives alongside personal customer service to all my customers who purchase from me! I so wish I could offer free shipping this upcoming holiday season - but instead I am including as part of my complimentary holiday gift wrap service, a hand painted gift tag of your choice with each order and perhaps another little surprise something!

Check out the Christmas 2013 Gift Tags!

Choose from Reindeer, Penguin or Bear

 

Although Tiny Brushstrokes mostly focuses on the little ones in our lives, I also have items for those older yet still young at heart! Here are 3 gift ideas from Tiny Brushstrokes to consider this holiday season that are all under $50!!

 

#1

These fun magnet sets of 4 feature original paintings from my 100 tiny brushstrokes childhood memory project are super strong & so cool! Shown below are the 1st two sets and there will be 2 more sets to debut in November...

Set #1 - Paper Airplane, Red White & Blue Striped Ball,
Rocket Popsicle & Red Tricycle


Purchase the magnets here

 

Set #2 - Cassette Tape, Atari Controller, 45 Insert & Viewfinder Disc

 

Purchase the magnets here

 

#2

 

 

I thought it would be fun to offer a custom option this holiday season for the 5" x 7" paintings which feature objects of childhood memories from the 100 tiny brushstrokes project. Your custom order will become a part of the collection of 100 paintings and you will be giving an original gift as well!

 

These paintings are easy to pop into a frame and add to anyone's little art collection. Custom ideas could range from a childhood toy, food, game, book, article of clothing, any object that is visually appealing and creates a sense of nostalgia works best! (and that I haven't painted yet!)

 

 

 

Order your custom childhood memory painting here

 

#3

 

 

And of course, something for the special little ones in our lives! If you are looking for a gift that is a little bit different (& also not a toy) consider some custom artwork to add to their room or playroom. 

 

Perfect for baby's 1st Christmas or even something unique for that hard to shop for teen (that is not a gift card!) - I can help you come up with a OOAK design based on their favourite things, places, colours, etc. 

 

My 8" x 10" canvas board paintings are great for DIY framing and are a very affordable custom painting option which makes a memorable gift on Christmas morning. Not just for little ones either - I love to paint custom and look forward to hearing your ideas, so please get in touch! I can do most things except for portraits.

 

Purchase a custom 8" x 10" painting here.

 

So there are my 3 gift ideas under $50! I hope I have inspired you to add some ART to your Christmas shopping list this year!

 

My cut off date for custom orders (for Canadian & US) is November 30th - to ensure it can be made & shipped in time for the holiday. Shipping is on top of prices listed and everything can be purchased through my Etsy shop. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or ideas & feel free to share this post with anyone you think would also be interested in shopping with me (Tiny Brushstrokes) for the holidays.

 

Here's to stress-free, on-line, chocolate & wine accompanied Christmas shopping!!

 

just add art! 4 tips for adding custom artwork to your little ones space

As an artist who specializes in custom paintings for nurseries and children's spaces, of course I believe that including custom artwork is important in making a room one of a kind! Whether the nursery décor is inspired by a piece of artwork or artwork acts as the finishing touch; adding a painting will make the room feel special and be unique - just like the little one who will sleep and play and grow in that space.

When discussing custom options with my customers, I find that similar questions are often asked when choosing what to include in a custom painting for their child. So I decided to put together my top 4 tips for adding custom artwork to your child's nursery.

#1 THINK AHEAD

When thinking about the nursery design, there may be temptation to put together the room including design elements that speak directly to 'baby' for obvious reasons. But that tiny newborn will soon become a playful toddler with budding interests and favourites before your eyes!

So when planning to order a custom piece of artwork to complete the nursery walls - you may want to consider how the art will live in the space you are creating for your child to sleep, play and most importantly, grow in! So think ahead (just a little bit) to the future when choosing a design, something that will stimulate a young babies vision yet still spark the imagination of an active toddler.

#2 HAVE FUN!

Getting the opportunity to choose or collaborate on a one of a kind art piece created especially for your child is a fun experience! Think playful, think colourful and enjoy the process! I like to give my customers the option to see sketches of ideas prior to the paintings creation, so that the mystery of a custom order is a little bit easier to visualize.

Because you can go so many ways when going custom it can definitely be overwhelming unless you have a specific vision already in mind. Otherwise, you will likely want something that is playful, cute, colourful, fun, interesting and personalized.

To help narrow down your choices, you may want to be inspired by one of the following 5 design concepts:

Playful Inspiration - conjure up childhood memories by including the image of a vintage toy such as a tricycle or a game such as hopscotch 

Nature Scenes - a perfect combo is the simplicity and beauty of nature paired with cute animals

Learning Concepts - add a graphic alphabet, pictorial alphabet, numbers to count, a map design and so on

Favorite Things - share mom/dads favourite things that you hope will be baby`s as well such as a travel destination, sport, activity, music group and so on

Expressive Patterns - bold, brushstrokes of abstract colour and texture or a bold, graphic pattern can be fun and unexpected

Another thing to consider is if you want their name or any other text included in the painting. Other text options such as birth date, quote, lyric, word etc. can add to the personalization of the design. This is a personal choice as text can easily be added into the painting as a feature or in a more subtle way.

#3 INJECT COLOUR

I am always inspired by the variety and sophistication of current nursery colour schemes! By viewing spaces on Apartment Therapy and Project Nursery you can see all the awesome colour combos happening right alongside beautiful neutral rooms. 

I find that the easiest way to develop a colour scheme is to choose your main colour, combine with a neutral and add in an accent colour. Some of my favourite current colour combos (yes, I really like charcoal grey right now!) are:

Charcoal Grey with White + a Sunny Yellow

 

Or Charcoal Grey with White + a Pop of Pink

 

 

Chocolate Brown with Parchment + a Grey Blue

 

Or Chocolate Brown with Parchment + an Apple Green

 

 

Navy with Yellow + a Charcoal Grey 

 

 

Or Navy with Parchment + a Pop of Pink

 

 

If you are working with a set colour scheme for your nursery, then that will lead into the artwork. But if you have a more open colour palette, I would encourage you to be bold and inject colour! Think back to your colour wheel - to see what works well together if you are stuck.

Take visual inspiration from these sites, magazines, or fashion even through the colours in that favourite newborn sleeper. With my customers I mostly select the colours to be part of the design yet am always open to suggestions from my customers too. 

 

#4 JUST ADD ART!

I can relate that with a new (or 2nd etc.) baby comes a budget for all the upcoming expenses; car seats, cribs, bedding, etc. so sometimes art to decorate the walls comes last on the list. Yet after putting all the time and effort into making an inviting space to welcome baby, art can be a personal touch and stimulating accent to the nursery. 

I believe that everyone should have the chance to add art to their little ones rooms - I strive to maintain an accessible price point and size options to suit through my readymade and custom order paintings.

A smaller framed painting in a gallery wall display with a family photo, baby`s footprints and a wooden initial can have a similar impact to a large canvas or a series of smaller paintings as the rooms focal point. I believe that the imagery and colours of the painting are what will add to the special feeling of the space more so than the size sometimes.

So add art to your budget - or better yet, considering registering for the gift of a custom painting for your baby shower, it will last longer than a cute onesie and will receive the same number of "oohs and aahs" from the baby shower guests! Contact me to find out details on how to register for a custom painting for your little one.

I hope that my tips have been helpful if you are putting together a nursery space or toddler space or even a big boy or girls room and looking to add custom art. For me it is so fun to put together design concepts and I would love to hear about your nursery spaces if you would like to share.

Need more inspiration? Check out my Nursery Décor Concept posts where I put together décor schemes based on my original paintings for little ones!

Interested in placing a order for a custom painting? I'd love to hear from you - email me at any time and check out my site & shop!