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.