Children's Handpainted Furniture

Figure A--Mary Craven shows how to paint a chair like this one for her daughter, who is less than two weeks old. She focuses on bright, vibrant spring colors, with pastels and whites as the dominant ones, making it a chair that can go inside or outside.

Figure B--Although she has no formal training, Craven's handpainted furniture has caught on as a business for her. By picking up books and looking at the work of others, she felt like she could replicate the work she saw. As her pieces took shape, she painted them as gifts for friends and relatives, but soon word-of-mouth took over.

Figure C--She has found that children like things that are created specifically for them. Her own marketing team (her three children) provide her with advice, and she listens. Her continued work has enabled her to craft more advanced pieces such as faux stucco and shadowed images.