Paint by Mum-bers

Painting is such a romantic pursuit. Capturing beauty. Creating masterpieces. Also very time-consuming.

Sadly, the next Monet most of us are not, and we’re not talking about the kind of painting they do in nursery school anyway.

Recently, we came across a few ‘painted’ goods we love and they’re made by moms which we think is even more impressive.

Mom entrepreneur import (she’s from Oz), Karren Harris started Art2Zed when she was unable to find suitable paintings for children, and now, lucky us, she’s brought them to Toronto (thanks to her husband’s job transfer). A great alternative to the children’s room wall mural (cheaper, comes off the wall so you can take it with you if you move), the canvases are playfully sophisicated and completely customizable. From cows to skateboards and about 250 more designs, anything can be done. Even better—the prices are reasonable, ranging from $25 to $95 depending on the size of the canvas.

Available through www.art2zed.com.au —Christmas orders can be placed up until December 2

Another mom artist we discovered recently is Sarah Rosensweet who makes amazing handmade children’s cardigans. (We’ll get to the painting part in a sec!) Sweet Thing Designs are truly a work of art. Created from vintage recycled 100% wool knitwear, each sweater is decorated with a time-consuming but fascinating technique called needle-felting, sometimes referred to as ‘painting with wool’. This mom of two started off by making her first sweater as a gift for a friend’s daughter. The many accolades she received spurred her on to develop Sweet Thing Designs. Ranging in price from $125–150, the designs are all one-of-a-kind and make a very special gift for a little one in your life.

Available from sweetthingdesigns.com (custom orders available)

We know that in your wildest dreams (and with all your spare time) you’d like to knit sweaters and paint art for your kids’ rooms (or maybe not). We say stick to your knitting. Let the experts do what they are expert at. 

That way you’re sure to have a work of art.