HOME PORTRAITS with MATCHING NOTE CARDS

Home Portraits and Note Cards

Order a home portrait in January 2017, and your order will include ten professionally printed and personalized notecards/envelopes.   These notecards are great for regular correspondence 

but also make nice "We've moved!" announcements.

Click the photo below to order your own personalized home portrait and note cards.

30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS . . . AGAIN!

The new year looks to be full of new and interesting opportunities.  I have lots of exciting plans in the works - from trips to warm places, a watercolor/sketching workshop in a place I've never visited, garden plans for my own new home, and so much more!  Of course, all these things bring new opportunities to create art.  And an appropriate way to kick it all off is with Leslie Saeta's 30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS CHALLENGE.

Leslie always suggests choosing a theme for your 30 in 30 participation.  So I'm combining my love of flowers with my love of doing home portraits.

For the month of January, 
I'll be doing daily blog posts in a series entitled:

*** B L O O M S  &  B U I L D I N G S ***

All artwork for the 30 in 30 will be for sale in my Etsy shop the same day it is posted on the blog. 

So, sign up for daily blog updates with your email address right under my profile at the top of the sidebar.   ----------->

-Nan

BELLA GOES TO CALIFORNIA and 26 UNDER $50

BELLA

12 x 12 oil on canvas  

 There's something about a new year that makes me want to have more spare surroundings.  So, I've been spending some time getting my art room all sorted out.  Pitching, paring down etc.   In doing this, I came across "Bella", a painting I did a couple years ago and had almost forgotten about.  Then I woke up this morning to the news that she's getting a new home in California!

This has inspired me to clean out the shop! Start fresh! 

Buy some fresh paints and brushes and get those new ideas on canvas!

So, starting today there are 26 items in my shop listed at 

under $50.00!  

Check them out HERE.

Look for the ***** after a listing name to 

find the new priced items and start fresh yourself 

with a new piece of art for your tired 2016 walls!

-Nan

LAST DAY FOR HOME PORTRAIT SALE

Thank you - it's been a busy season for drawing!

  

Today is the last day to order your 8 x 10 inch 

HOME PORTRAIT 

at 40% off the regular rate.  

To ensure a wrapped portrait for Christmas, the shipping rate applied at checkout 

will mean hand delivery of your portrait in the Milwaukee area 

on Thursday, December 22.  

All out-of-town customers will be sent a beautiful gift card to put 

UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE 

for the recipient, announcing the portrait to come!

Click HERE to order!

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IS BELOW:

Your home is special to you. Fond family memories of holidays, special events, and growing a family are made here. Treat yourself to a lasting memory of your home or lake cottage with the commissioning of an original, hand-drawn pen and ink home portrait. Home portraits make great house warming gifts too!  

You supply the photos and email them to me in a digital file - iPhone or similar photos are fine - you don't need a fancy camera. Please send several views. Photos taken low to the ground (looking UP at the house) from the front corners of your lot or beyond, are usually the best and show off your house's greatest angles. Just make sure you are far enough away to catch every corner of your house and landscaping. Also, to catch those great line defining shadows on the house and lawn/snow, take your photo on a bright, sunny day. If you would like certain trees/landscaping added or left out, we can arrange for that too. This is for a house portrait only (no people or pets, no exceptions please). Do you want to add just a spot of color to your portrait? I'd be happy to paint your front door. Just mention that in the order notes. Please let me know if you need the drawing by a specific date. Otherwise, allow 10 days from the date when all photos/information have been submitted, for shipping of your portrait.  

This listing is for an 8 x 10 inch home portrait with a surrounding area of white measuring 11" x 14" (to fit a standard size 11" x 14" frame). It will be tucked into a clear cellophane protective sleeve so you can wrap a ribbon around it and give it as is, or frame it yourself.  

FINISHING TOUCH IS THE FRAMING OF YOUR HOME PORTRAIT. I suggest using a narrow black frame which looks clean and classic with a home portrait. The surrounding white area I leave around the portrait sets it off nicely.

A commissioned home portrait allows you to give a personalized gift for a favorite hostess, house warming, Christmas, lake cottage, or childhood home for a reasonable price. And you won't have to worry about giving a duplicate gift!

Wondering how to get your home photo to me??? Just stand outside your home, directly in front, and snap a photo with your smart phone or digital camera. When placing the order for your Tiny Home Portrait, there will be a space providing for sending me a message and including a photo. That's it!!

8 x 10 portrait is ON SALE for $72.00, from now until December 15th!

Note: frame not included 

I accept PayPal, credit cards, and Etsy Gift Cards.

8 x 10 HOME PORTRAITS on SALE!!!

HOME PORTRAITS

for

CHRISTMAS!!

My 8 x 10 pen and ink home portraits are on sale until Dec. 15.  

Only $72.00 (that's 40% off) for your 8 x 10 matted home portrait.

That gives you time to receive your order in time for wrapping and gifting this Christmas.

Go here to order!

ORDER A HOME PORTRAIT FOR CYBER MONDAY

"Oh, there's no place like HOME for the holidays,
'cause no matter how far away you roam,
when you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!"

It's CYBER MONDAY!!!

That means Christmas is right around the 

corner and it's time to order your personalized

*** T I N Y   H O M E   P O R T R A I T S ***

in time for Christmas giving!

For a housewarming or hostess gift, 

a tiny home portrait is personal!

Orders are coming in and I'd love to add yours to my list!

Place your order here and your portrait will be drawn, 

matted, and on it's way to your door in no time!

PETITE HOME PORTRAITS for CHRISTMAS

Now is the time to order your 

Tiny Home Portraits for Christmas 

gift-giving. 

 These petite pen and inks are similar to the one I did for the juried exhibition,

THE DOORS OF CEDARBURG.

History on Washington Avenue

"The Doors of Cedarburg"

Another example of one of my Cedarburg doors.

Now you can have one done of your own house or as a gift for someone this Christmas.  Choose a color to highlight the front door or other detail that you love, or leave them as a black and white pen and ink.  Due to the small size of these home portraits, they are a nice way to give a personalized gift for a great price.  You won't be decorating someone's house for them, but you will be giving a thoughtful and personalized gift that can hang in a nook or on a small easel.  These portraits arrive matted and in a protective cellophane sleeve, ready for the 5" x 7" frame of your choice.  Mat opening is approximately 3" x 4 1/2".  

My Tiny Home Portraits are available 

in my Etsy shop found here!

$30 KITCHEN ISLAND - REVISITED

Maybe you saw this post from several weeks ago?  

My $30 kitchen island is now finished and in use.  So shop those used furniture stores for repurposing ideas.  Thirty dollars sure beats the lowest price kitchen islands that start at around $500 and are often veneered particle board and flimsy.  I did remove the veneered top on this piece, and the rest is solid wood with a dovetailed drawer and solid wood decorative trim.  So it's very heavy and stays in place perfectly.

My girl, Iris, wanted to be in the photo to show her approval.  
She suggests a bowl of doggie treats on the bottom shelf.  

Also pictured are some 123 year old corbels manufactured by George Poppert.  They were originally blue and white - you can see the matching ceiling to the pavilion he designed for the Chicago 1893 World's Fair here.  Thanks to my brother, Doug, for getting those heavy things in place for me!

Here's the previously posted process . . . 

 This dresser was at Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE for only $15.  This one is already perfect counter height and about 45 inches wide which will work well for 2 stools once the extension is added.  I've already pulled out the drawers in this picture - not sure if I'm going to use them or not.    

Next, I started to take off the veneer.  It took some doing to get down to the bottom of the veneer layer.  

 

I found that going over a wet towel with a hot, steamy iron, loosened up the glue nicely.  Then I could use a scraper to get under the veneer and little by little, pull it up.

The beautiful wood under the veneer is exposed.

The back and the shelves that the drawers rested on were old and musty smelling, so I pried off the old backing and slid the shelves out.

 

  

Now to put on some new backing, shelving, and an extension to the top using wood corbels. 

Then I'll decide if I want to use the original drawers, some wire and wicker baskets, or a combination of both, for storage.

NEW HOUSE - NEW DINING TABLE

Everything is falling into place - just like it was made to be!  Today I'm sharing my latest project - a new dining table.  The base and apron are from a kit I ordered from tablelegs.com and the top was made from 5 pine planks.  You can save a lot of money by putting the top together yourself.
(Table top from tablelegs.com - $890   Your table top of pine - $30)

After heavily sanding each plank to soft edges, I dry-brushed on 

some turqouise  . . .

. . . and a little olive green in a very random, patchy manner.

After the paint was dry, walnut stain went over the whole table top.  Then paste wax.

The top is secured to some perpendicular 4" boards to prevent 

warping and keep them level with one another, then secured to the base with 

wood screws.  Last of all, the base was painted off-white and paste wax 

applied over all parts of the table for sheen and protection.

Now, for a dinner party!

-Nan

FRAMED PRINT FOR A BABY'S NURSERY

My small watercolor, "Mother's Day", was ordered as an enlargement for a baby's nursery and today I received a photo of the framed enlargement.  The original is 5" x 6", but the print is a large 16" x 20".  I love my buyer's choice of barn board for the frame - how appropriate!  

The original and prints of "Mother's Day" can be purchased here.  Most originals in my shop can also be purchased as prints.

Thank you, Jessica, for sending the photo of the framed print!  

I'm thrilled that it's on your little one's nursery wall!

MAKE A KITCHEN ISLAND FOR $30

New house, new kitchen!  

I was looking through Pinterest lately in preparation for my upcoming move and a new kitchen to work in.  Since I'll finally have a nice square kitchen instead of a galley, I knew I could also have an island for extra storage, seating, and work space.  And of course, you could make your own kitchen island rather than paying the hefty prices for even a so-so standard island.  Even the least expensive and flimsy islands start at about $400.  So why not find a great old dresser or buffet with character and go from there?  Then your island will be custom made for YOU!  Some ideas from Pinterest:

Now on to what I found to work with.  This dresser was at Habitat for Humanity's RESTORE for only $15.  This one is already perfect counter height and about 45 inches wide which will work well for 2 stools once the extension is added.  I've already pulled out the drawers in this picture - not sure if I'm going to use them or not.    

Next, I started to take off the veneer.  It took some doing to get down to the bottom of the veneer layer.  

 

I found that going over a wet towel with a hot, steamy iron, loosened up the glue nicely.  Then I could use a scraper to get under the veneer and little by little, pull it up.

The beautiful wood under the veneer is exposed.

The back and the shelves that the drawers rested on were old and musty smelling, so I pried off the old backing and slid the shelves out.

 

  

Now to put on some new backing, shelving, and an extension to the top using wood corbels. 

Then I'll decide if I want to use the original drawers, some wire and wicker baskets, or a combination of both, for storage.

I'll post the updates as I move along on this project.  Thanks for looking!

-Nan