Painted Garden

Aaron told me earlier this summer that his oldest brother (Bell and Cup) had designed a website for his middle brother and middle's brother wife's business. Their business is called The Painted Garden and they design hand-painted slates and also do hand-painted murals.

I cruised over to their new website to check it out. The design is very cool! I think the site does a good job of capturing the feeling of an inviting garden where you find slate markers welcoming you, without smacking you over the head with country rabbits and weathered wooden signs in red, white and blue. I like the dark blue/light blue background, which is understated without being boring or distracting. I also like how all the tabs are laid out in an orderly fashion and how clearly and aesthetically pleasing everything appears. Navigating from page to page feels seamless and intuitive.

The slates themselves are beautiful! I like that there are many different choices (from flowers to dog breeds), but that you can also personalize your own sign. If I were going to personalize one, I would have it say "Slug Crossing" with a painting of a banana slug. (My Mom painted one like that on a piece of drift wood when I was little and posted it on the way to the outhouse at my grandparent's cabin on Whidbey Island.) Aaron also tried to personalize a, shall we say, "colorful" slogan on his slate, thinking that it might show up on the slate right then on the computer, but his plan was thwarted. Perhaps Santa will bring him a sign that says, "Get out of my f-ing garden. You suck."

Aside from a personalized marker, I also especially like this slate,

which is both creative and utilitarian.

The website also touches on the Painted Garden's murals, which I have seen in person. They did a really cool mural in my niece's bedroom with ladybugs and flowers on the walls. It was so cute! I would have loved something like that when I was a kid.

So, I gotta say, Aaron's whole family is pretty artistic! I'm impressed!