The CraftStar: Community Collection - Paint It Pretty

The CraftStar: Community Collection

Featured Artist:  Laura Reynolds

The CraftStar: https://www.thecraftstar.com/shopDetails/99/paintitpretty/

Hi!  My name is Laura. I've always loved to paint unusual items. Over the years I've painted pretty much anything paint can adhere to. Everything from flip flops to shovels. When my sons were younger they would ask me what I was doing. I would answer "I'm painting to make it pretty".

Over time that was shortened to "paint it pretty". My sons have since grown up but the phrase stayed. When I was trying to think up a name for my shop my daughter-in-law, who was the one who encouraged me to sell my art, said stay with what you've always called it. So here we are at Paint It Pretty. I have an Associates degree in Fine Arts. I draw, paint, sculpt and print. I've always loved working with fabric so my painted bags give me a chance to combine two mediums that I love. Everything in my shop is drawn by me, painted by me and embellished by me. I do the varnishing and heat setting and hand sew anything with beads.

This is my work area. A corner of the house that I've made my own!

Some of my more ambitious projects are included. I painted all the tiles in my kitchen. It was a painstaking process but I love how it turned out.

I painted a mural around the windows in my laundry room which give the room such as bright look that I almost don't mind doing laundry!

The CraftStar:  What are three of your favorite items listed on The CraftStar?

This trivet was initially a little challenging. I knew I needed some vibrant colors to make the painting really pop out against the black background. As with everything I paint I fell in love with the colors. They added a sense of depth and layers to the piece. I'm very pleased with how this turned out.

http://thecraftstar.com/viewitem/12784.html

This is the first tote bag I painted. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out because I had little experience painting this type of fabric. As it came together I got very excited. I added the seed beads and as a last minute inspiration the ladybug charm.

http://thecraftstar.com/viewitem/9811.html

I love this tote bag. I wanted something light and whimsical for summer. As I started painting the flip flops I got the idea to use ribbon for a three dimensional effect. I had a lot of fun making this and plan on painting a few more totes with flip flops.

http://thecraftstar.com/accessories/tote-with-three-painted-flip-flops.html

The CraftStar:  We’ve asked you to put together a CraftStar Collection, can’t wait to see what you came up with!:

http://thecraftstar.com/collection/ebony-and-ivory.html