I DO CUSTOM

Awesome Lego Ledge

2012-01-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

My son has something like 3 billion legos, many of which are minifigures. I came up with this attractive and awesome simple ledge to hold them (or, at least, some of them)

I used the longest wall in his room, since he has shelves with lego models on the other walls. It is approximately 12 feet, so i had to use an 8' molding, plus cut down another to fit.

(almost forgot, I should see where else I can fit the left-over section. i'd better make a note of that)

then I glued on a lot of lego "plates" 1 stud by whatever length I could find in my old stash of legos, and ordered some more used off of ebay.

This one goes to Eleven!!!!

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen "Spinal Tap" I'm not gonna try to describe Nigel's delivery in this scene. Someone requested me to make this shirt for their son. You can order in almost any size and style at

http://www.zazzle.com/this_one_goes_to_eleven_tshirt-235939938387707351

Reverend Redskin

2011-10-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

A great guy and huge Redskins fan. He can be seen on the bmitchlive.com and heard all over the radio in the D/M/V. Check his twitter @revredskin

Marketing project for private home-seller

2011-07-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Client originally asked for a double-sided flyer to distribute to potential buyers. I suggested an accompanying website with vanity URL, and a Craigslist ad that would link to the site. Please click on the images above for links to PDF flyer, website, or Craigslist ad.

Custom Painted Sign

2011-03-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

Restored weather-worn sign for a private vacation home. You can see the same image on both sides, so it can be seen from either direction. I applied several coats of varnish over the acrylic paint.

Adams Morgan Night-club Murals

2011-03-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Restored vintage murals at popular D.C. club, scheduled to re-open soon! Approximately 12' x 8' design behind an antique fueling station sign. I neglected to remove the masking tape on the sign before taking the picture. Also, I didn't bring the fancy SLR camera so these are just from a cellphone camera.

The other two involved a great deal more detail, straight lines and color matching. They are each approximately 4' x 12' and all sit side-by-side.

Legacy All-Stars 20' x 20'

2011-02-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

A response to any student who ever asks

"when will I use math in real life?"

I started by measuring out my center line, then

connected all of the other points using a protractor,

tape measure and level.

One of the most fun parts of this job was using

the scissor lift:

Go up, do some tape or paint, go back down, move

side-to-side 10 feet and go back up again. They had

motion sensor light in the ceiling that did not detect

when I was more than 15 feet off the ground ...so if i

was up there for more than a few minutes it would get dark!

On the opposite wall they wanted this quote.

The tallest letter is about 11" and the entire width is 12'.

Mardi Gras Jester Character

2011-02-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Our local preschool/ community center throws this big annual event for Mardi Gras. It is crazy fun for all ages.

I came up with this character to liven up their website and flyers.
The uncolored version is free to download if you want to color it your own way!

The Block T-Shirt Quilt

2011-01-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

Made this T-shirt quilt for my best friend. We attended the same high school, both played lacrosse, and then attended the same college and joined the same fraternity.

I have a lot of the same t-shirts, in fact I designed several of the shirts used on this quilt. Some of the others are souvenirs of the old college days.

This one fits very nicely on a twin-size bed, or as a wall-hanging, or just for curling up on the couch.

Inspiration Inc. Logo

2010-10-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Created for a health and fitness trainer who truly believes in whole body and mind well-being to perform and live to each individual's full potential.

This version with the background is used for online purposes and I also provided black-and-white digital artwork for ease in printing t-shirts or other formats where multiple colors can be cost-prohibitive.

Capes for Kids!

2009-12-21T00:04:00.000-08:00

Decided to make these simple capes for my nieces and nephew! Royal blue for the boy and the lavender and Capezio pink for the girls!

Felt is very easy to use for applique because of its heartiness. They are double-layered so that you don't see the stitching on the inside.

I used a strong 1/2" ribbon in a matching color for the ties, and velcro to make it easier for a kid to put on!

Integrity Retail Information Systems Logo

2009-09-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

I was asked to create something for a small business' branding and identity.

This company offers solutions for monitoring and maintaining its clients' computers. They wanted their logo to be as strong as the name "Integrity" implies, and to include an unblinking eye, the universal symbol for power, and a UPC-code because they specialize in retail systems.

Bill's Tattoo

2007-10-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends requested a tattoo design in honor of his mom. She collected elephants and loved roses so I incorporated both in the design.

Amazon Rain Forest Mural

2005-10-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

After the painful process of having the princess mural (see post) painted over, I decided to paint this on large canvas so that it can be removed intact before redesigning the boy's room as he gets older.

The size is approximately 4 feet high by 10 feet long, and it fits perfectly above a long dresser that complements the color in the background.

There is a family of playful Capuchin monkeys with friendly and inquisitive faces. Predators like the caiman and boa constrictor were painted to be non-threatening. Other animals pictured include the tucan, macaw, tree frog, iguana, sloth (and baby sloth!) that are indigenous to the Amazon rain forest.

I may eventually frame it in some bamboo that grows nearby, but I want to make sure there aren't any insects or funny things living inside it.

Sparkly painting of the Virgin Mary on canvas

2005-01-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

A Catholic school asked for a painting of the Virgin Mary on canvas to use in a play. Painted with acrylic on canvas, approximately 30" x 48"

Wally Pillow!

2004-12-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the coolest mascot there is, this applique green monster pillow is about 16" x 16".

I used various colors and textures to make the different shapes, and the nose is velvety.

The back is a green stripe and there is a zipper at bottom to remove the insert in case it needs to be washed.

DOC Band for Carter!

2004-10-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Being treated for plagiocephaly is not very fun, the "DOC band" is only supposed to be removed a short time each day, or in the bath.

But we are allowed to decorate the band, as long as you don't damage the foam inside or the velcro.

I used silver acrylic paint and found some glittery additive at Michael's to make it look more like a football helmet. Since the parents are New England fans they wanted the "flying Elvis" on it, and #12 on the back for Tom Brady.

I styled Carter's name on the front in the letter style of the Patriots name logo.

Wedding Quilt

2004-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

I know, the Cowboys don't look quite right with the rest of the icons, but that's his team for some reason.

This took a long time and was a very educational experience. The celtic H's and other lettering was embroidered by hand, as well as the detail of the big icons. If I had to do it over again I would find shirts and quilt through to make it look like this. It would not have quite the same feel, but I don't know if anyone else would be patient enough for the level of detail of this one.

Trapunto "P" for Princess Pillow!

2004-10-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

I ended up with a nice applique princess quilt for our little girl (not Disney or any other licensed characters) and thought some accessorizing pillows would be nice.
It has some pink satiny material in it so I made three different shapes of pillows to match. This was the biggest. I have never tried trapunto technique before but it was pretty easy. I have seen quilts where the area around the raised part is densely quilted, which really makes more contrast to whatever is raised, but since this is a pillow I thought it would be better flat and simple.

Political Race T-shirt

2004-04-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Since I was The t-shirt guy in college, it sort of carried over into my pursuits after graduating. I was asked to design a shirt for this event in '04 (even though I had moved from Boston a couple of years earlier)

A nice dark blue line-drawing front and 2-color back fit their budget nicely.

The Princess Mural

2003-06-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Created for a VERY special 4 year-old girl!

The border shown above is about 40" from the floor and ran around the entire room, featuring characters from favorite books, sports mascots, national emblems and cartoon versions of favorite stuffed animals.

The big princess wall is approximately 10 feet wide by 8 feet high. Each princess has her own castle in the background, and Sleeping Beauty's three fairy guardians are included with birds and butterflies, and trailing dogwood blossoms. Not visible in the photo is a round cafe-style table with Belle's friends Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth and Lumiere, and Cinderella's mouse friends, Jaq and Gus Gus.

I am not sure how many actual hours I spent on this project, but it worked out well because the clients were out-of-town, so I was able to work very flexible (and late) hours! I also took care of the dog, so I could include that in my list of job experience!

I DO CUSTOM

2002-09-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is my blog dedicated to showcase a variety of unique projects I have completed.

The key word is custom because everything I make is hand-made with one client in mind. Whether it is a birth announcement, online slideshow with music, cozy quilt, pillow or blanket, or giant wall mural, it is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind, and sure to be treasured for years to come.