Wow for Wood!

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself! I went today to pick up my first order from my woodworker that I just partnered with! I am so happy with the products!

I got two toy boxes, two waste baskets and a tissue box cover. Let me just say that I have been searching EVERYWHERE for a loooong time trying to find high QUALITY wood items to add to my shop. Do you know how hard that is? There is so much crap out there it's not even funny! Most wholesalers I found have cookie cutter items that are cheaply made from cheap materials and don't sit level; are cracked, broken, not sanded properly...you name it! I just could not in good conscience put out a product that is painted nice (if I do say so myself!) but not of the highest quality! The best part? It's all completely customizable! This man can build ANYTHING!!

Want your toybox to also be a bench seat? Want it to have molding or trim to fancy it up? He can do it! So far everything I've had him make has been pine, but he can even build from a wood of your choice! Just contact me with your ideas and I can get an estimate for you!

I will be sure to share pictures of these particular items when I'm finished painting them. In the mean time, it would be selfish of me to keep my woodworker to myself! If you live in the Calgary area and you need ANY home renovations or custom woodwork done - please give Serguei a call! He has been doing wood working and wood carving for the better half of his life and studied in Russia and across Europe. He comes very highly skilled and knowlegeable. Please give his site a peak - you won't be disappointed!

Custom Woodworking

New Wall Panels Coming To Bouncing Off The Walls

These fantastic wooden art panels are just a sneak peak at the newest additions coming to Bouncing Off The Walls. Hand cut on 12" square panels they're a very unique way to add a great focal point to any room! I can't decide which is the coolest thing about them! The fact that they're 100% customizable to ANYTHING you wish to see - design and colors, or the fact that because they're painted on both sides they can be hung in any order, any direction on either side!

Because we wanted to give you the option to hang them any way you see fit, we decided to not put hangers on the backs and instead include two-sided sticky tape which will also allow for a flush fit against the wall. Hang them horizontal, hang them vertical! Staggered or diagonal! The choice is yours!

Watch for many more designs in the near future. The panels will sell as a set of three and retail for $150 CAD.

Spring Time at Etsy!

With the remnants of last night's APRIL snow storm still all around me I thought I'd take a proactive approach and bring some spring to me! I've recently entered into the wonderful world of Etsy. No, it's not a foreign word! Etsy is an online market place for beautiful hand made goods! I strongly urge you to check it out if you haven't already! There are some unbelievably talented artisans out there with gorgeous items waiting to be discovered!

These items are perfect to brighten any child's room on a gloomy, winter day!

This beautiful Custom Chelsea Blue Lampshade with spring flowers is made by Fat Cat Designs!

This Garden Party Pillow is hand crafted by Alberta's own Two Stray Cats!

LOVE this Owl Pegboard by Maple Shade Kids!

And what would spring be without ladybugs? This beautiful hand painted picture frame is by Precious Designs Boutique.


This is just a very small sampling of the wonderful work that is available on Etsy! Check it out!

We All Had To Start Somewhere!

One question I get asked quite often is if I have always been an artist or did I go to school to learn it. The truth is that I have always had a talent for putting what is inside my head down on paper but I have, in fact gone to art school as well. Art school was fine. I'm not knocking anyone who has chosen that path because I went myself; but really I'm sure I could have saved my parents the money! Although I walked away with some new, valuable art and design techniques the basics were something that I already knew. I was just born with it. What can I say? Some are good with numbers and some of us just relate well to this world in a visual way.

I distinctly remember three things that drove me nuts in kindergarten. One was that they would only let us paint with one color each week so that we could learn our colors! This was soooo aggravating for me! ONE COLOR?!?!? I already knew my colors! Let's get on with it people! Two was that one of my teachers tried to "help" me with a Christmas picture once by holding my hand and helping guide it while I painted! Can you imagine? I still feel a little bubble of anger rise up thinking about that. Let go, woman! How can I learn if you do it for me?! Talk about caging up artistic freedom! And the third one seems totally unfair of me now, but in a five-year-old mind made perfect sense. WHY IS EVERYONE DRAWING PEOPLE AS STICKS?? I couldn't figure this one out for the life of me! I never drew stick people! Ever!

Recently I pulled out an old box I have that contains stuff from my childhood. I'm sure every girl has one! A memory box or hope chest. A place to store all our little trinkets and diaries that were oh, so secretive! Well, I stored a lot of old artwork and crafts in mine! Arts and crafts were a regular activity in my house growing up. My mom kept a craft box full of all sorts of nifty things that we could apply to our latest project. Raining outside? No need to turn on the TV! Pull out the craft box and see what we can make today! Although they're too young still for a craft box this is one tradition that I will definitely be passing down to my kids!

It's still a little early to know if I've passed on the creative gene to either of my children. Only time will tell! I do believe though that it is something that you are, indeed born with. I don't know. Here's some of my earliest artwork. You be the judge!

Kindergarten picture (I won't tell you the year!)

Pages from my grade one journal. Note the banana seat bike!

This one is especially funny since I live in Canada. Must have been a cold weather parrot!

One of my favorite rainy day crafts. Two-Sided girl. Flat Stanley's sister?
A collection of various projects from elementary school. Nice mustache there!

"Nice Day, Mommy!"

When you hear your son say that what can you do? Work? No way! It was a nice day today! Finally some sunshine and warmer temperatures. After what feels like the longest winter ever it's so nice to be able to get the kids outside again! So instead of working today I loaded them up and we went for a nice long walk to the park and had a picnic, or nicnic as my son would say!

Work can wait! One day in the sun with my children is far more healing then cutting letters!

11 month old Devyn watching her brother Reid play on the playground

Trendy Peas Wall Art

People are leaning towards more modern, contemporary designs for children's rooms lately in the hopes to give their children rooms with endurance. Decor that will last past the toddler years and hopefully into the tween years and beyond.

At Bouncing Off The Walls we've recently added some collections of beautiful, modern wall canvases by Trendy Peas that are sure to go the distance in any child's room.

Trendy Peas was founded in an effort to bring unique contemporary style at an affordable price. The founders of Trendy Peas started their journey when looking for contemporary pieces to decorate their own baby's nurseries. They found that it was hard to find contemporary items at an affordable price. After a lot of searching, the moms to be decided to do it themselves. Trendy Peas offers collections of paintings that are designed to please both the parents and the little ones!

With five collections to choose from there is something for everyone!

The Olivia Collection

The Shapes Collection

Come visit us to see the rest of these wonderful collections!
Bouncing Off The Walls - Trendy Peas

Our New Look

Many of you may be wondering why Bouncing Off The Walls looks so different then the last time you visited! Well, two weeks ago I went to update some things on the site and couldn't. I couldn't do anything! When I tried to go to my web host's site to see what was going on I got an error message that they didn't exist! So, in a mad scramble and through many sleepless days and nights I got busy signing up with a fantastic new host (Shoppe Pro) and rebuilt my site from the ground up!

I won't be able to get my money back that I'd paid until October with my old host. (That's a whole other story!) but the good in this definitely outweighs the bad! The new Bouncing Off The Walls is much more user-friendly, more eye appealing and has some added features that the old site did not!

With the new site there's is just one easy step to ordering your letters, drawer knobs, growth chart or other item! No more confusion as to the prices and no more hopping around trying to add extras like the rush order option!

Please, check it out and see what you think! Let me know if you find any errors and while you're there sign up for our monthly email newsletter!

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