Your Toy Portrait - Custom Toy Portraits by Jennifer Maher » blanket

Lily-Mae

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:17:31 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all in the way of the blanket-head, that clever amalgam of stuffed animal and flatness… but this froggy blanket is new to me. I love her polka-dots, her bow, and the sweet expression on her face. Stephanie ordered this little painting as a Christmas gift for her daughter Lily, whose Nana purchased this frog because she couldn’t resist its name: “Lily-Mae.” It did turn out to be a fateful match, because Lily adored it from the age of about 4 months. There are several back-up Lily-Maes, but SO FAR Lily is not interested in them (we’ll see how long that lasts!). For Lily’s first birthday, Stephanie created a Lily-Mae the Frog themed party. As a little baby, Lily insisted on falling asleep with the frog’s blanket over her face, much to the terror of her mother. Even now at 20 months, Lilly sleeps with it tucked firmly under her arm all night. Lily-Mae is no longer allowed out of the house, after a couple of scary times when she was lost. Stephanie tells me that, upon seeing this portrait on Christmas morning, Lily kissed it and said “Awww!” This was one of a handful of local holiday orders that I had this year… There was a wonderful afternoon just before Christmas in which Stephanie and several others all came to pick up their portraits, and their excitement made me feel a bit like Santa Claus!

Giraffey

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:44:29 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Like her brother Zachary, three-year-old Summer favors the companionship of both a blanket and a stuffed toy at naptime and at night. Here are Giraffey and the pink blanket, perhaps bonding over their shared spotted condition. Lee Ann will give portraits of the children’s favorite toys to Summer and Zachary as Christmas gifts.

Snoopy and Lila

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:33:19 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. It’s pretty fabulous when a child’s beloved toy was orignally his mother’s own favorite! This Snoopy belonged to Lee Ann when she was small, and now he is her seven-year-old son Zachary’s constant companion. Snoopy is seated upon a small blue blanket which Zachary calls “Lila.” Zachary sleeps with Snoopy and Lila every night. Lee Ann commissioned portraits of both her children’s best-loved toys and will give them as Christmas presents to the kids.

Blue Dog and Lamb

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:37:12 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. As I head into the final stretch of my busy holiday season, I am listening to lots of stand-up comedy on Youtube to stay sane while painting. And so this little portrait of a stuffed dog and lamb will forever conjure Margaret Cho for me, as she happened to be keeping me company while I made it! This is one of two portraits commissioned by Michelle for her grandchildren. Interestingly, the two kids each have the same sort of floppy blue dog, but Sophia, who is five, also has this fabulous lamb blanket-head. I adore the mixed patterns of the flowered blanket and checked scarf on the lamb!

Tito and Tito The Other One

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:13:54 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. When five-year-old Elsie was born, she was given an Angel Dear giraffe blanket-head by her grandmother. At least it started as only one giraffe, and he was named “Milton” by Elsie’s father. Elsie is now five, and of course she has discovered and claimed Milton’s “back-up.” Also, Elsie has rejected the “Milton” moniker in favor of the fantastic “Tito” and “Tito The Other One.” Check out Elsie’s little sister Kit’s monkey blankets called “Fritters” and “Fritters The Other One” here, and another portrait of an Angel Dear giraffe here.

Fritters and Fritters The Other One

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:58:13 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2011. Kit, who is almost three, started with just one monkey. It was given to her at birth by her grandmother, and naturally the “back-up” monkey was discovered and absorbed into everyday use. The monkey blanket-heads are known as “Fritters” and “Fritters The Other One,” a fantastic variation on the “Lovey” and “Other Lovey” template for naming twin toys that I often see! The spotted green blanket behind the monkeys is also a beloved favorite. This portrait is one of two commissioned by Kit’s mother Beth for her daughters, so check back soon to see five-year-old Elsie’s giraffes “Tito” and “Tito The Other One!”

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