Owl Themed Nursery Decor

As you may have noticed owl themed decorations are a big trend these past few years. When I first noticed this theme I found myself questioning it, "Really?? Owls??? Why owls??" I saw them all over Etsy and I just didn't get it.

I recall from my childhood that owls were a big theme, too, and I noticed that many artists and crafters were recreating that 70's style owl theme. I wasn't crazy about that retro style so I assume that's what caused me to scratch my head in confusion as to why this theme was so popular. But finally the day came when I had to face the fact that I didn't have a choice and I had to work with this theme. You see, I was presented with a request from a customer to create a growth chart with an owl theme. My customer requested that the growth chart have girly pastel colors which set my mind at ease. Using the browns and the oranges from the retro style just wasn't for me. It was then that I realized that if I put my own spin on the theme I could make it more fun, whimsical and child-like.

After I began painting this theme grew on me. And grew. And soon after I became hooked!

Here's a photo of the growth chart...

Then as fate would have it I got another order for an owl themed baby name sign and nursery decoration. This one was a little different. My customer requested that the setting have a night sky and she requested that I paint snow owls in the trees. "Oh how fun!" I thought to myself. Here's how that one turned out...

Then as expected shortly after that order was completed and shipped I got another custom size owl themed sign. this one was made for a teacher named Mrs. Hooten. With a name like that an owl theme was necessary! This customer requested that her sign be painted in bright tropical colors. Woohoo! Again I was so excited! I love, love, love to paint in bright colors! I shared this sign in a blog post last year but here it is again...I just love this one!

So as you can see I've developed a love for owl themed décor and while I can create this theme for a baby's nursery I will gladly find a fun way to adapt it to something for any age.

Okay, peeps (pun intended)! I better run now. Lots on my 'to do' list for today. I'll be back soon with more fun! Until then,

Transportation Themed Nursery Room Decor for Boys

Transportation themed nursery room décor for boys is one of the biggest selling designs offered on my website. While a few other themes are popular as well--i.e. sports, trains and animals--cars and trucks are definitely a top choice. I don't know why but the name signs I have displayed below always stick out in my mind...I think maybe I like the color scheme on each of them...

I offer several items with this theme, not just name signs. Take a look...

Here's a 6"x6" door plaque with cars and trucks:

This is my transportation themed growth chart:

And here's a wall clock with the same theme:

Lastly, I want to share this cute step stool with you:

I've created so many more items with this similar theme, but I think these will give you a good idea as to what I can do for you. So if you find yourself searching for something for that special little guy in your life feel free to check out my website, Creative Name Signs. And please feel free to ask questions...since everything I create is hand painted I can always make small changes if you'd prefer something a little different!

I better run now...lots of things happening today and it's time to go! I'll be sharing more fun soon...until then,

Sock Monkey Nursery Room Decor

Over the years I've seen a variety of nursery room décor themes and trends come and go. One of the more recent trends that I really enjoy is the Sock Monkey theme.

I love the retro feel of this nursery room theme and I'm sure this fondness stems from the fact that I actually had a sock monkey that was a part of my stuffed animal collection. I can't recall how it ever came into my possession, but I know it was one of my favorites. Once I went off to college my mom probably stuck it in a bag with all of my other stuffed 'toys' and put it in the attic and it was never seen again. Oh well...we all must grow up at some point, right?

Regardless, I'm sure the reason I have such an attachment to the sock monkey theme is because of my personal history.

A few years ago I had a customer request a few room décor items with sock monkeys on them. I was somewhat surprised to learn of the trend coming up on the horizon, but I was more than happy to figure out what I could create for her new baby's nursery. One of my favorite items that I created for her was this stretched canvas wall art...

Since that first sock monkey order I've had quite a few customers request the same theme. Here are a few more of my sock monkey creations...

A sock monkey growth chart for a little boy...

And here's a sock monkey growth chart for a little girl...

And, as can be expected, I've created sock monkey themed name signs, too...

So room décor trends come and go. I'm sure someday soon there will be another theme that will take hold and sock monkeys will not be nearly as popular. But I will always hold sock monkeys near and dear to my heart!

Okay, I better get a move on...lots of work in front of me today! More fun to come very soon. Until then,

Chevron Print Decor - A Popular Pattern

As you might suspect I spend quite a bit of time online working with social networking sites that are heavy on images such as Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and more. Over the past several months I noticed a design pattern that was trending--the Chevron print. I loved it right away but wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to reproduce it in my work since everything I create is hand painted. There are so many lines--and straight lines at that! I never thought it could be reproduced by my hand so I decided I would simply enjoy this print pattern and let go of any idea of ever painting it.

Then, as we all know, the universe unfolds in it's own mysterious way. A few weeks ago I had a customer place an order requesting I use this Chevron print on a name sign for a baby girl's nursery. I was excited at the idea, but then immediately I became nervous because I couldn't imagine how I'd be able to recreate the pattern and keep my lines straight and keep the final sign looking clean and neat.

However, after some thought I figured out how I could do it. I found a pattern online...there are so many from which to choose...

I resized it so the pattern would work well on the size sign I have. (I didn't want to make a pattern that was really small on a larger piece of wood--that would be very tedious and hard to paint.) Then I cut along the lines, traced the edge of the print onto the piece of wood...

Next I painted it...

And voila! Here's the finished Chevron Print Room Decor Sign!

I am very please with how it turned out and it wasn't hard at all!

OMG!! I love what I do!!

Okay...I have lots to do so I best be going! More fun coming soon. Until then,

It's That Time Again...Back to School!

Yes, it's that time of year for getting the kids ready to go back to school. I have to admit it can be bittersweet for me. On one hand I'm ready to get them back in some sort of a normal routine. I look forward to those beautiful autumn days where you can go for a walk and not end up being a big sweat ball. I enjoy going to the high school football games and feeling cozy in my hoodie and jeans. But on the other hand I get sad because I know this means cold weather will be upon us very soon. The days are much shorter and our daily schedules are overwhelmingly full. And my least favorite thing about the Back to School season is the fact that I have to set my alarm lock again for 5:30 a.m. Ugh!

Another signal that it's back to school season is my stack of orders through my Creative Name Signs website tend to be chock full of teacher name signs and door plaques. Many of these orders tend to be placed by a new teacher who wants a sign for his or her door. On other occasions the mothers of the students choose to give their children's teachers a 'Welcome Back to School gift'. I also had a principal of a small private school order a sign for one of her co-workers at a different school within her district. Whatever the reason this is the only time of year--aside from the holiday season-where my teacher name and door signs seem to a most popular seller.

Here is the teacher name sign design that is most likely the biggest selling design I offer:

Then this door plaque is the next most popular design:

This design is one of my favorites...I call it Crayon Theme Room Decor simply because it doesn't have to be a design solely for a teacher...it would look good in a child's room, a playroom, a day care center or whatever you can think of:

And I'm sharing these final few photos just to show you that any design you choose will work...take a look:

So if you're in the market for a teacher gift at any time of year feel free to contact me at Creative Name Signs. As you can see we a nice variety of designs from which to choose.

As for now my daughter begins band camp today, my youngest son begins golf practice tomorrow and my oldest son has to begin getting ready to head back to college in less than two weeks. Yes the "Back to School season" is definitely upon us!

More fun to come soon...until then,

Hand Painted Step Stools for Kids

While the name of my website is Creative Name Signs and the bulk of my sales come from my personalized signs I also sell a variety of personalized room decor items.

One popular selling room decor item of mine is the hand painted step stools for kids. I've painted a large number of step stools over the years in a variety of designs and styles. Of all the styles I've painted I would have to say the most popular design is the flower step stool for girls:

And I would say that the best selling step stool design for boys is the airplane step stool:

Beyond those two designs for sure the next most popular step stool is the animal step stool:

I think the animal step stool is a good seller because it's very versatile. I can use different colors and add (or take away) a variety of different details depending on if it's for a girl or boy.

Overall I really enjoy painting my step stools for kids and from the feedback I've received over the years I think it's safe to say my customers enjoy them as well.

Well, time to go paint, paint, paint! More interesting stuff to come...until then,

Name Signs and More with a Turtle Theme

Today's post relates to a post from a few weeks ago -- http://creativenamesignsblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/im-in-mood-for-some-stripes.html. If you recall I shared that I was planning to set up posts that feature photos of my hand painted products according to their themes.

So here we go...my latest product themed post shares photos of items that have TURTLES as the theme.

I love, love, love to paint turtles! I honestly can't explain why...I just love them! Maybe it's because a turtle's shell spots are sort of like a finger print...or a snowflake...no two are exactly alike. Perhaps acknowledging this fact gives my sometimes rusty imagination a chance to flow a bit?? Who knows! I just like painting turtles.

These first two photos are name signs...one has a sweet little turtle family walking along the beach. The other has a cute turtle by a pond along with a frog. The second one also has a ribbon hanger which can be attached to any name sign, door sign or wall plaque at no extra charge.

This is a large custom size sign measuring about 12" x 30" and features a bunch of cute turtles hanging out by a little lake or pond...

This one is a 7"x9" custom wall plaque that was made for a turtle named Ruby. And, yes, Ruby had her own room!

And this last photo shows (2) turtle themed growth charts...one for a girl and one for a boy! You can easily see how this theme can easily be tweaked just by changing a few colors around and adding some little flowers.

So there you have it...a nice variety of turtle themed items I've painted and sold over the years through my Creative Name Signs website.

I'll be sharing more soon so stay tuned! Until then,