Tag: blanket

Grey Kitten

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I love to paint toys that resemble our family’s own favorites, and this grey kitten is so similar to Sonja’s beloved Kitty that I could practically feel her floppy, fuzzy weight in my hands as I worked. This custom portrait was won by Mandana at an auction benefiting a pre-school. She chose her niece Lola’s best-loved stuffed cat as the subject, nestled into Lola’s favorite blanket. I was invited to donate a painting to this auction by Lisa, who cleverly displayed my portrait of her own daughter’s toy at the event as incentive!

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Snoopy Blanket

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I must say that I’m stunned by this rather “antique” specimen of a blanket-head! I had thought the the blanket-with-a-head phenomenon was fairly recent, but this Snoopy was the childhood companion of a man who is now 30 years old! It’s just barely three-dimensional, its head and hands lying rather flatly against the blanket, so it’s not quite the literal hybrid of fully-formed stuffed animal and blanket that you find today. Susan commissioned this portrait for her son in honor of the upcoming birth of his first child!

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Bear and Dog

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Six-month-old Thomas sleeps through the night only when tucked in with his bear blanket, and during the day this blue Gund dog rattle is his favorite. Thomas’ father Bob vividly describes the circumstances: “Lord knows my wife and mother-in-law have buried this child under toys, yet he always seems to dig through them to find this dog rattle to shove in his mouth!” Bob thoughtfully envisioned this painting as a Mother’s Day gift for his very loved and lucky wife!

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Lily’s Bunny

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. The many well-intended gifts we recieve for our newborn babies can be overwhelming… this bunny blanket was stashed in a closet when Lily was a few weeks old, but would later prove to be very important. After battling a tongue-thrust issue as a baby, it was recommended that Lily be given a substitute for her binky in order to aid her developing speech. The bunny was swapped for the binky, and has been her companion ever since. Lily’s mother Emma points out that the left ear, Lily’s favorite, is dirtier than the right, and that the nose is a bit unraveled. After many near-losses of the bunny, it was decided that it would “live” in Lily’s bed only! This portrait will be a gift for Lily’s upcoming third birthday, immortalizing Pink Bunny… just in case.

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Kathryn’s Doggy

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. It’s fascinating to hear about the differing reactions of children to the existence of multiples of their favorite toys — sometimes the “back-up” is simply brought into the fold so that there are two constant companions. I haven’t yet heard about parents successfully rotating identical toys without the child catching on! In this case, “spare” Doggy blankets were simple not accepted by baby Kathryn at all — she immediately knew the difference, of course. Last year, Virginia ordered a portrait of her daughter Jane’s ducky blanket, and now Jane’s older sister Kathryn, now five, will have one of her one and only Doggy.

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Anna’s Doll, Pillow, and Blanket

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Anna is just about to turn sixteen, but these three objects have surrounded and supported her since babyhood. Anna’s Grandma put Dolly in her crib before she was born, and the pillow was made for her from a quilt by Anna’s aunt. The blanket was also a gift and is embroidered with Anna’s name and birthdate. The deep-blue, gold-starred wallpaper which adorns the walls of Ann’s room can be seen in the background. The now-tattered Dolly has been lost and found several times, and the family carefully considered how to preserve her. Anna’s Grandma suggested framing her, but Anna wanted to be able to touch Dolly even though she has (very recently!) stopped sleeping with her. This portrait is certainly a solution which immortalizes Dolly while leaving her available for even more love! It will be a birthday gift for Anna from her mother, Karen.

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Dooced

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Oh my goodness… I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be able to completely change someone’s world by typing a few words! I’m so grateful to Heather Armstrong for posting about this painting. This blanket belongs to her younger daughter Marlo, and when I saw this terrific photo of it I knew I had to paint it. I don’t know how long it will last, but I just love the steady stream of loyal Dooce readers who are contacting me with their wonderful stories and photos!

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Liam’s Lambie

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Recently, New York Family Magazine featured my portraits and also ran a giveaway. Here is the painting of the winner, a lamb blanket belonging to 20-month-old Liam. Liam’s father Stephen entered the giveaway perhaps hoping to preserve Lambie in as many ways as possible after it had recently gotten lost. Liam was fairly despondent without it, and when he had finally managed to fall asleep with a substitute toy, his parents ordered a backup “Lambie II.” The next morning they were relieved to find that Lambie had just been left behind at daycare!

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Winnie-the-Pooh Blanket

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acryic, 2011. Of all the variations on what I think of as “blanket-heads” (combination stuffed animal and baby blanket,) this is the sort that makes the most sense to me. It is a complete stuffed animal which is holding the blanket in its own arms. (Click here for another example.) Very clever! I was thrilled to paint this bear, as it is my first Winnie-the-Pooh portrait, and a classic (vs. Disney) Pooh at that! It was will be a gift from Deanna to her two-year-old daughter.

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Sophia’s Bunny

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. I just recieved an adorable photo of 4-year-old Sophia holding this painting. Her mom, Dawn, tells me that Sophia looked at it and, after a slow moment of recognition, smiled and said “LOVEY!!” Dawn ordered this portrait after Lovey the bunny blanket had been lost and found for the millionth time, the better to preserve it — just in case. To see more of the many blanket/animals I’ve been painting lately, click here, and for more bunnies, here!

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More info about prints here.