Upload a photo, play around with the effects you want, and they’ll send you a kit with a 12″ x 16″ canvas, the paints you need, brushes and a large image of the finished project for reference. The cost is $40.00.  Campers rejoice!

Their gallery shows lots of paintings of people and a few animal (no wolves). I’d suggest some landscapes – but not autumn with a brook running through the trees. Flowers would be cool. I think they’d look better than people. Check out their site and let me know what you think.

The only dark side of Paintapic is that, after you upload your photo, you have to pay before you get to play with the design. I couldn’t find any information about a refund if you don’t like the results. At any rate, this looks like a lot of fun. All aspiring artists will love this. Hmmm… I think I’m loving this idea.

Stencils are a terrific way to decorate a wall without having to buy and hang wallpaper. Personally, I hate hanging wallpaper. I love stenciling. It’s really easy, as long as you’re careful with things like straight lines. All you do is stick the stencil to the wall and paint, or dab, or spray. It all depends on what medium you’re using.

Here is a gallery of ideas and some resources at the end. Enjoy!

The best place in the world to buy stencils is The Stencil Library. Most of these photos are from their blog (a great how-to resource). They have everything from this Rococo design to car tires and barbed wire.

The floral motif is a stencil. Here you can see it with just black and with the flowers in color – all stencilled. Which is your favorite?

I love this one. Use images from a book, enlarge them, and place them inside the stenciled swag. Instant gentrification! Your friends will buy you much better Christmas gifts when they see this in your hallway.

This is really pretty, too. Instead of inserting portraits into the “holes” they’ve used a flower stencil. Love it!

Looking for something Colonial? Some trees and a peacock made a nice frame for a fireplace. It softens the look and creates a beautiful focal point.

Yowza! You can stencil over wallpaper, too. Give it new life with some eye-popping motifs like these hearts. They’re made with the heart stencil and a lace stencil on top. This would look great in a teen room.

You can use your stencils over and over again. Make matching fabric and “wallpaper”. Do up the furniture while you’re at it.

Oh, I forgot. You can stencil the floor, too. You can stencil anything. Better stay away from the cat.

Stencils can also make a nice replacement for artwork. A few flowers and birds in a corner are so lovely. That’s all you need.

Finally, you don’t have to go all out. A few light birds in flight on a white ground makes a beautiful design statement.

RESOURCES

The Stencil Library – Best place ever. You can buy a CD of their designs.

Stencil 1 – Another creative choice.

Stencil Planet – I’ve never used their stencils. They have some nice damasks. Just wish they had larger gallery photos

Designer Stencils – Good for standards

Wall To Wall Stencils – Specializes in creating custom phrases, etc…

Their Alice In Wonderland desk and storage unit could be just the thing in a contemporary space.

And I especially like this Louis Louis cabinet. Join them together, or separate them with a beautiful painting.

As I said, the point in using whimsical furnishings is to use only one piece in a room. Too much whimsy begins to look like a joke and creates a jumble of ideas. You can purchase directly from Art Syndicate and they can arrange shipping world-wide.

Jennifer Art In A Grouping Tips

• Mix frame styles and colors

• Mix paintings, prints and photography to create visual interest

• Add a corbel with a bust or object d’art

• The giant letter is sort of tired, but think of other non-art things you could add to the mix.

• Lay your grouping on the floor and move things around until they look right. Think of a large rectangle or square and work within that outline.

• Take photos of your different layouts so you don’t forget which one you like best

Have a tip of your own? Share it with the rest of us. And don’t forget to check out my previous posts on hanging art.

Marc’s work is very painterly – a unique mixture of photos with styling that add a sense of age, painted looks and beautiful edges. Let’s take a peek at more of his beautiful and affordable work.Marc divides his work into subjects, such as seaside. As you can see (no pun intended), his photos are made unique by his ability to create works that don’t look like your average vacation shot.

When you blend a mixture of subjects in one frame, it adds depth and texture. It doesn’t look too theme-like. There are places for themed art, but that’s not always appropriate. And I think photography is often overlooked when decorating a home.

I adore these donkeys! And the books are beautiful. He has but a few of the books. Note to Marc: add more, s’il te plait.

Marc’s specialty is botanicals. They are lovely and make for a beautiful tryptic (that’s 3 together).

You can purchase Marc’s work from 2 places. He has an Etsy shop and he sells from his portfolio site.  You can order his photos in a variety of sizes from the portfolio site. Shipping is inexpensive, so are his photos. For example, an 8″ x 8″ sells for $20.00. Look for specials, too. He’s currently running a 20% off deal on Etsy. If you’re interested in a certain size you can contact Marc via Etsy. He’s very friendly and happy to oblige.

Do you have any questions about working with photographs as decoration? How to frame, how to mix things together? Ask away and I’ll answer in the comments.

Marco lives and works in France where he pursues his two passions: photography and nature. Many of his photos are of the natural world. He sells his work at his Etsy shop. Standard size prints are 6″ x 6″ and sell for $9.00. You can order larger prints as well.

I suggest buying several and grouping them. Buy three – one in a larger size and two in the same. Mat and frame them and you’ve got a lovely wall.

When Marc isn’t taking photos, he’s creating his own illustrations on vintage books.

You can find these at his other Etsy shop. Most prints sell for about $10.50.

Artist, Luisa Vidal makes bookmarks and magnets which she sells at her Etsy Shop, Fashion Fuschia. Cute!

She also makes note cards and buttons featuring her very appealing illustrations. I thought you’d enjoy this little peek at her work.

He recently updated his blog with more images, like this plate, from a recent show at R??rstrand, entitled Cumbrian Blues.

I love those cut-outs. I need that platter! And I’m tapping my toes with impatience. When will someone sign him up to create an entire set of china? Christmas is just around the corner, after all.

I love the way that Paul puts a modern twist with these traditional forms. And I like the way he’s moved beyond the expected china to create his cut-outs. Having said that, I still think he needs his own line of china. Don’t you?

Perhaps Paul is more interested in tempting us with single designs. I’ll have to ask him and let you know. In the meantime, scoot on over to his blog and enjoy the eye candy. Sigh.

This just in! Paul says R??rstrand has expressed interest in a line of limited edition pieces. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this moves froward. Aren’t you?