What a great week

Last week was such a wonderful week. I was so happy to paint murals, with fellow Cincinnati artists, in the Ingle's new home.





The Ingle's are a family with 14 children, 11 adopted and 3 biological. Several of the children have disabilities. They were living, all 16 of them, in a 4 bedroom house with one bathroom.

Their house was beautiful, but just not large enough for their family. At least that is what a very big hearted Julie Cantor thought.

When Julie met Heather Ingle and found out about their loving home she wanted to help in a way she thought she could. She started the process of getting donations and volunteers to build the Ingle family a home they could really use, she started project Home Sweet New Home.





Two years into the project, the house is now complete and was dedicated to the family last week. You can read about them and see how the house turned out here Home Sweet New Home.

This is the crew of artists that worked in the playroom with me.




Heather (aka mom of 14) had this phrase from Psalm painted in her original play room. The original mural had the children's hand prints in various bright colors surrounding the words. It was so cute she wanted to have this phrase in the new house with hand prints again. After they move into their new house she will add their hand prints to this mural.

It was nice to get some direction from Heather and the decorator as to what general ideas they wanted with the decorative painting. (This picture is me painting poppies. What's with the hair?!!)



Heather said she was up for almost anything... definitely wanted whimsical... and loves checks! So that's what we gave her.

Adding cute little checks around the adorable play loft that Heather designed.


Isn't this little mouse so sweet?

The mouse was painted by Carolyn Wenstrup (shown here painting in the Therapy room).



Donna Troendle, also in the playroom crew, but she was painting in the Therapy room here.



These adorable window colors and polka dots, vines and flowers were




painted by Jane Menke. Jane was off to the Flying Pig race the next day to volunteer her nursing skills (some people are just too great!!).


Evelyn Lamontange painted enough checks for a lifetime!


Carol Hirst designed and painted this whimsical and beautiful floral design that looked oh so pretty with the fabrics in the Therapy room. She also organized and rounded up all of the artists. She's amazing.




Jeanine Dostal bling-ed out an adorable tween room for three girls with glitter and bejeweled butterflies.



Sherry Master's used her Master's Touch to add some fun to this cement window well with faux stones and gecko's.


Seriously, cute or what?! What teen boy wouldn't love looking out this window?


Sherry also painted this:



and this:


Laine Discolopoli of Misselaneous Studios painted this cute checkered mural


across from this. These are the mudroom lockers for 14 kids!!! I bet your mud room does not look like this! It really puts things into perspective as to what raising 14 kids must be like.


and she also painted this... Storm is the nickname for one of the teen boys. This photo doesn't do it justice, the sheen on the paint is a translucent metallic with embedded little beads in the letters. So stormy.


Diana Marra painted this phrase above the kitchen counter. It has a very simple elegance.



Isn't this kitchen beautiful?


Gary Lord and crew painted this slick linear mural.


Many of the decorative artists shown here are talented painters that provide the incredible designs you see every year at Homarama.


100% of the materials, services, products, talent, time, skill and hard work was donated to make this home. It was amazing to see all the volunteers working together. It was amazing to see all the donated products! There wasn't one main organization that headed up this project. It was put together solely by volunteer individuals that live in this city of Cincinnati.

It was so much fun. So much fun in fact that we are turning around an doing it again this weekend. Painting again as volunteers. This weekend is Go Cincinnati. Where people around the city pitch in and fix up, paint, plant, ... and make the city a better place. Our group, Queen City Artisans, will be painting a children's mural at the Salvation Army Learning Center. I will post pics of this fun and sure to be rewarding service project!!

Oh, and one more thing, do you remember this window project?


It hangs in the Ingle's dining room with a mirror mounted behind it. That was interior designer Becky Schnell's grand plan for this old window. And, after I fixed it up and painted it red, I think it turned out beautifully!