Unique Baby Gear & Ideas featuring me!

I am featured on the Unique Baby Gear and Ideas Website! 

For those of you that would like info on my monograms, visit www.jamiegivens.org or email jamiemgivens@gmail.com
Thanks Jan for sharing my creations with your fans!!  I can't tell you how touched I am!  Their website is full of great ideas for nurseries and baby showers.  You should check it out!  Here is a link directly to the spot on Murals & Things by Jamie "Large Wooden Letters for the Nursery Walls."

http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/large-wooden-letters-for-the-nursery-wall.html

I am not sure where some of the photos came from and how she found the basketball from my 3rd mural ever, I have no idea!  I think it is buried deep in my website!  I painted that over 12 years ago in Landon's Baseball Room.  I think I have come a long, long way since then (I hope!!)  

I have graduated from 2-D to 3-D and now exploring 4-D.  Hey, gotta keep up with the times!

 

     Jan found a photo of Baby Brax Snyder's Georgia Football Themed Nursery from somewhere on my facebook page.  His Letters are actually painted black and not stained.  The font was sent to me by his Mom, Shannon.  She came up with everything in the room, and directed me on the letters and the artwork.  It was so much fun to do!!  Jan also found a photo of Aubrey's beautifully bright monogram!

For more information on my murals and monograms visit www.jamiegivens.org

Click here for the Unique Baby Gear Ideas Website

To view the article from their site on my work monograms click here!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jamiemgivens@gmail.com

Where the Wild Things shop for Halloween

How cute are these halloween costumes from Pottery Barn Kids!!

I will miss you Tamara!!

Tamara is leaving Murals & Things by Jamie after almost 7 months.  I am sad to see her go but thrilled she will be moving on to bigger and better (paying) things.  I will miss her so much!  She did a really great job, but I will mis her company most of all.  I have enjoyed every minute we have gotten to spend together and chat.  I will miss her homemade snacks too!  She would make sure that I eat well, and pack me great lunches when I had to work on location.

I will try not to make a mess of things in the office but I can't make any promises.  So hang in there for me friends, I am going to be working in the studio and on location.

The Tale of the Beaufort Bonnet

THE BEAUFORT BONNET COMPANY 

http://www.facebook.com/TheBeaufortBonnetCompany

Once upon a time…

…Generations ago in the graceful South Carolina Lowcountry, a simple yet elegant baby bonnet pattern was cut carefully from plain brown paper.

In the little town of Beaufort, South Carolina, a young mother with her first baby was being showered; she received the most darling gift, wrapped with a big pink bow.  After you heard several women ‘awww’ in unison,   one southern lady exclaimed, ‘Goodness gracious, that’s the sweetest bonnet I ever did see!’ It is the kind of gift guaranteed to make a room full of grown women gasp and squeal.  This pink and white gingham goody was charmingly called a Sweet Pea Bonnet.  The generous friend also shared her heirloom bonnet pattern.  With the tattered pattern the new mother became a chief designer and co- founder of a little bonnet business called Susu & John. 

 

Although we live in the 21st century, traditional baby items never go out of style.  Baby girls will always be synonymous with bows, bloomers, and bonnets.   Not only is The Beaufort Bonnet timeless and sweet in design, but it’s washable and practical.  It is unarguably the most stylish way to shade precious baby skin.  In short order, we realized we needed a counterpart hat for boys (and sporty girls too), and our version of the classic bucket hat was born. 

Years later in Lexington, KY., a mother who had just been blessed with her second child, a baby girl named Betsey Keene, received a package in the mail from an old friend.   Inside was a nice note and a pink and white gingham baby bonnet from a boutique in Beaufort, SC.  It was love at first site. After several friends and countless passerby’s inquired about Betsey’s bonnet, the mother of two felt inspired.   She wanted in on this bonnet business; after all, she was already ‘selling’ them by telling everyone where to get one.

And so, a girl who grew up in a Beaufort home on Lexington soil began dealing bonnets.  You ask, ‘a Beaufort home on Lexington soil’?  Yes, in the mid 80’s her family took a road trip to South Carolina on a mission to find their dream home; not to purchase, but to replicate.  They fell in love with a two story home with double wrap around porches in Beaufort, S.C.  That Beaufort house was built to overlook a 19 acre lake on the Greenbrier Golf and Country Club golf course in Lexington.   Her tie to Beaufort is coincidence but perhaps Einstein was right, could coincidence be God's way of remaining anonymous?  She likes to think so.  

Although other items have been added to the product line, to honor the adorable bonnet and its small southern town home, the business name has appropriately become The Beaufort Bonnet Company.   

To be continued…

For any other information on Bonnets, Bucket Hats, Diaper Covers, and Pinafore/ Bloomer Sets contact Markey@TheBeaufortBonnetCompany.com  [ Markey is one of my best friends! ]
Several photos were taken by Ashby Green Photography http://www.alwaysashby.com

"Where the Wild Things Are" Mural with Grandkids

Cole

We added their names on the wall with wooden letters using colors and patterns from the mural.

The windows looked so square, so I used foam and made some cute valances!

An Extremely Large GREEN Wooden Monogram for Maggie's Wall

Extremely Large Custom Handmade Wooden Monograms & Wall Initials

For information on my wood monograms, visit my website for more information: www.jamiegivens.org

Today I installed a beautiful handmade wooden monogram for a sweet little girl named Maggie.  Maggie's mom is a wonderful family friend who I adore greatly, Amy of Amy Watts Designs.  After having two boys, Amy is enjoying all things pretty and pink (or green in this case).  Amy's mother (Maggie's grandmother) ordered the monogram from me as a gift for Amy.  I thought it was such a sweet thing to do.  They are sweet (patient) people, and it was a pleasure doing business with them.  

Maggie's large wood monogram is painted SW6712 Luau Green.  It is 37" tall by 47" wide and 3/4" thick and sits 1/2" off the wall.  It is hung 12" from the bottom of the crown moulding and 9" from the top of the crib.  It is the second largest wooden monogram I have made so far, and my first green one.  Every wooden monogram I create is delicate, but the ones with a W in the center are extremely fragile, and because this one is so large, I had to be oh so careful.  

Photos above show a wooden monogram (wall initials) for Maggie.

My Daughter, a Picasso with crayons

 I would like to take this time to thank Norm Larsen, 

for developing a magical water-displacing spray in 1953 called WD-40.

Annabelle has been quite the artist ever since I put a crayon in her hand.  She has drawn over 100 original drawings to date, and I have yet to discard a single one.  She has seen me sand, prime and repaint furniture and immediately decided that she would follow in my footsteps and attempt to restyle her precious pink Pottery Barn Fabric chair.  She also saw where I had traced some designs onto a large piece of MDF board and pointed to it and said "drawing" which was absolutely correct.  The next day she was extremely quite while playing which always means she is up to no good.  She came into the den where I was working on my laptop and said "ugh-oh, no-no," basically telling on herself.  I said, "What have you done?!?"  She came and took my hand and lead me to her fabric chair which she had attempted to refinish with blue and black crayon and said "no. no." and then lead me to her first official mural on the homemade MDF baby gate I had created for the stairs, and again said "no.no."  

It was beautiful!  But I had to keep the sternest face I could, so that she could be put in timeout in order to prevent beautiful masterpieces from appearing all over the house.  I know my mother never stifled my creativity, so am I stifling Annabelle's?  Even in high school when I took an exacto-blade to the wallpaper in my bedroom and cut and peeled designs on the wall, she just said I was creative!  

No punishment, and look at me now, 14 years of Murals & Things by Jamie.   

She smuggles crayons into her playroom like a prisoner sneaks a shiv into jail.  When I come to check on her, she bursts into tears before I even discover the proof of her self-expression.  Ever since the day she was born, people have told Buddy and I how much she looks like him and I have been waiting and waiting for signs of me in there.  I smile knowing she is being creative like her mommy, and pushes the boundaries.  Buddy cringes thinking he has another messy and creative lady in the house.  She does put her crayons back when she is finished with them, and you know she doesn't get that from me.  So what am I supposed to do?  How do you mould and shape them without un-moulding and un-shaping them? 

Thanks to WD-40, the crayon always comes up and out of everything.

Large Custom Wooden Monogram

I create THE most beautiful custom large wooden monograms for walls!  

Practically perfect in every way.

Welcome to Murals & Things by Jamie in Lexington, Kentucky! Thank you for your interest in my handmade wooden monograms!! 

This is a wonderful investment that you and/or your child can enjoy my wooden monogram for a lifetime!!  It is a beautiful timeless piece that is as close to perfect as handmade can get!  There is absolutely nothing else like them out there.


These custom wooden monograms are in a league of their own and well worth the price.  I think you get more for your money if you hang a product in your home because you can take it with you if you move, move it room to room, repaint it down the road.... and so on.  Wooden monograms are a classic and timeless design that can grow with a child's room decor from the nursery through adulthood.  My wooden monograms are much ticker, larger, and finished like no other monogram product out there. 100% handmade, and they also make great wedding gifts as well as gifts from a group of friends for a baby shower or from Grandparents!! 

SIZE: The wooden monogram typically weighs 7.6 lbs. The average script monogram size is 30" x 40" x 3/4" and may be up to 48". Each monogram is custom made to fit your space. You can email me photos and dimensions of the room. Any information you can give me really helps with the size determination. The circle monogram average 35 inches and go up to 48 inches!!!

COLOR: The wooden monogram may be painted or stained any color. You can mail me a swatch of paint or fabric or give me a paint color name and number from a paint store or hardware store, and I will match it. If you need help deciding, let me know the wall and furniture colors and I can help you out or create some examples.

OTHER: I add all the hardware, and plastic wall bumpers on the back of the wooden monogram.  I send hanging hardware, directions and a stencil to make hanging and placement easy!!

TIME: It usually takes 2-4 weeks to complete each wooden monogram once I am able to start creating it.  Estimated start and shipping date will be given once ordered based on availability and current workload.  You can order a custom wooden monogram whenever you would like.  If you have a specific date in mind, let me know, I will see what I can do.  Keep in mind, I am one person, with a family.  I am not a factory.

DETAILS: These beautiful wooden monograms take very careful cutting with my saw, and lots of sanding, lots of priming, then 2 to 4 coats of the final color with sanding in between each coat.  I seal the the large wooden monogram with a gloss unless the client specifies otherwise.  I usually use an acrylic paint and sealer so they can be easily painted again down the road if the room decor calls for a different color. I will use oil or stain when specified. Once ordered we can decide the size and details! 

If you have any more questions please contact me.  Email us at  jamie@jamiegivens.org 


Find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/muralsandthingsbyjamie 

Thanks for stopping by!



Jamie
Visit www.jamiegivens.org for more information and to view my other products.

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Weclome to Murals & Things by Jamie.  My name is Jamie Givens Schneider.  I am an artist in Lexington, Kentucky.  I am a wife and mother and I LOVE creating custom one-of-a-kind products for you!!!  This is a blog about me.  My best friend Markey Hart Hutchinson keeps telling me I need a reality show.... maybe this is as close as we get.  She thinks my life is quite entertaining.  You be the judge..... and try not to judge.