September 25 is nearly December 25. Really! Before we know it the next three months will fly by and it will be the holiday season.
Here are some gift suggestions for the decorator. It would be great to give these, or ask Santa for one for yourself.
I've selected three very talented artists known to many on the decor blog circuit:
- Patricia van Essche (known as PVE)
- Anne Harwell (known as Annechovie)
- Fifi (known as Fifi Flowers)
Getting a piece of art as a gift is pretty special, and every designer and decorator I know would love to receive something from one or all of these ladies.
Patricia van Essche started
pve design to offer a wide range of design services, be it illustration, decorative or pattern design. She counts among her clients individuals as well as businesses.
Patricia told me this about her work:
As far as pricing, everything is custom, and I hate to put a price and offend anyone. Most clients come with a budget or a price in mind and I try to work with everyone. Most work begins at $350 - $550 and up. Long gone are the days of doing something for $25 - but I do know that people love my work, and in spite of the dismal economy - I still have a following. Perhaps the nostalgia of my work or that I feel inside the illustration, like a dancer feeling the moves. I am so fortunate to have so many wonderful clients, and most become close friends and repeat customers. I have been blessed with a wonderful family and a great husband and 3 kids that keep me hopping! Life is good.
You might want to commission a "portrait" of the house of someone special, or maybe a Christmas scene from the past.
Or treat yourself and have Patricia do a painting of your own home.
Everyone would love to have a portrait of their dog. And there is a long standing tradition of dog paintings used in home decor.
But let's not forget the kitty cats! Wouldn't a cat lover just adore having a painting of their precious baby?!
Patricia really captures the personality, doesn't she? And I love her use of color.
Anne Harwell is a creative and self-taught 30-something who enjoys painting and creating unique pieces of art based on whatever strikes her fancy at the time. She incorporates the colors and materials she loves with a sense of humor and a passion to create and bring to life her ideas, while having fun. She is inspired by everything around her, nature, books, travel, different cultures, interior magazines, design blogs, fashion and especially COLOR!
What design gal or guy wouldn't love to have painting of one of their rooms?
I asked Anne how she works:
I work from a photo(s), normally in gouache and ink on paper, but can also work in acrylics on canvas as well. I am flexible as to size, depending on a client's needs. I typically work fairly small with average paper size at 9x12 (Arches cold press 300 lb. archival watercolor paper). Here are a few sample options (includes shipping):9x12 gouache/ink on paper- $250
10x14 gouache/ink on paper- $325
12x12 acrylic on aquabord (has a 2 inch deep cradled profile - painted or bare wood edges, no need for framing) - $465
All I need is a clear photo of exactly the scene a client wants painted (they can easily email it to me). Then I invoice via Paypal (check is also acceptable) and work starts. Lead time is normally 4-6 weeks.
Anne is very well known for her images of chairs. You can even get them on postage stamps from her for around $20. She also sells note cards. I think a gift of the cards and the stamps would be so cute. You can personalize the stamps too. I'm going to give my designer friends the chair stamps with the name of their firm on it.
You can see how how nice her work looks framed
insitu. You might want to give someone a print of one of her charming vignettes. Prints are very reasonably priced from $20. t0 $75.
Anne also does great pet paintings, and she has this print available in her Esty store. You could also have her do a custom painting of your pet.
Fifi Flowers is based in Los Angeles. She has a full line of note cards, prints, and framed originals (framed work as shown here for $110.). She also has a unique on line decorating service, where she takes your information and then designs your space presenting her ideas with her drawings.
You could also commission her to do a custom job. She does wonderful images of travel destinations, so send her a photo of some destination special to the person you are gifting, and she'll make a custom painting for you.
Fifi offers this about her work:
Commissions vary from job to job... paper to canvas... size to size...my starting price is:For a 7"x 7" acrylic on archival paper is $150. and I send it in a complimentary frame with mat.Time frame is approximately two weeks depending on how many jobs I have going at the time. I am asking everyone to get their Christmas orders in by the end October... I would like to have all work finished by Thanksgiving. 
Fifi has a series based on movies, and I love this one from Breakfast At Tiffany's.
How perfect is this set of the three prints for the Holly Golightly in your life...
...or for anyone who loves the movies.
Contact all of these fantastic artists via their blogs, where they have contact information and/or links to their Esty stores:
