If you’re in a hurry, here is the short version of the story.  I met Wendy when she became a Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint line retailer in her shop in Canada.  She became our Canadian trainer and my friend and we traveled all around Europe together.  She sold her shop and I sold the milk paint line.  I started painting.  Her husband, John, takes pictures and I asked to paint one of those pictures.  That picture, taken from their front porch, was licensed and made into a pillow.  That pillow made from one of my paintings made from one of her husband’s photos ended up in the shop Wendy sold.  Wendy bought the pillow.  My mom bought the pillow.  And here we are.

If you want the longer story behind the pillow, here it is.

Wendy and I met years ago when she signed up to carry the newly created Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint line in her shop, Front Porch Mercantile, in Canada.  (You can follow Wendy HERE.)  I think we actually met earlier than that at a blog conference, but those are always a blur!  Our paths crossed a few times as the line was taking off, but we really became friends when we had the chance to meet in person and she became a part of my staff and the Canadian retailer trainer for the MMSMP line.  She even stayed with my parents when she came for a retailer workshop at my studio in PA.

We went to Europe together for milk paint workshops twice and Wendy and her husband, John, stayed with me and my mom in our swanky Paris Perfect apartment both times.  During the second trip, they even joined us on a couple of tours.  Here’s me, my mom, and John waiting for our Marais Walking Tour with Localers to start.  You can read about that tour HERE.

And Wendy, who speaks French, helped me navigate the purchase of an antique fountain pen at a small pen shop.

The four of us also did a private day trip to Champagne & Reims together.

And, on top of that, we paled around in Florence, Barga, and Lucca, Italy, so we got to know John and Wendy well.  The thing you notice about John on one of these trips is that he always has his camera at the ready.  He takes amazing photos around Nova Scotia and wherever he travels.  You can see his photography on his Instagram – @eastcoastphotoguy.  I love all of his photos (and he does sell calendars and prints), but I especially love the photos of a restored Canadian sailboat, the Bluenose II.  It’s the sort of ship that begs to be photographed and painted.

He generously permitted me to paint a few of his pictures, including this one of the Bluenose II…

Here is my original painting from his photo…

It’s still one of my favorites to this day.

This painting was picked up by one of the companies I license my paintings with and they made a canvas wall print as well as a fringed lumbar pillow.  You can find the print at a few small shops online and it’s carried by Antique Farm House HERE.  I didn’t know about the pillow until Wendy shared it on Instagram a few weeks ago.  A few years ago, she sold her retail stores so she could focus her creative energy on coaching entrepreneurs.  (I’ve benefitted from her wise counsel and extensive business experience, so I knew it was a good move for her and many people would benefit from her services.)  But, a few weeks ago, she walked into the store she sold and recognized the artwork on a pillow.  She sent me a message with a photo of the pillow.  Isn’t this your painting from John’s photo?  Yes!!

Well, I went online to see if I could find it and I did find one available in a small online shop.  Sadly, it was sold out everywhere else and it’s now sold out there, so I don’t have a link to share.  I did ask my licensing agent to inquire about its future availability from the manufacturer.  My mom wanted the pillow for her bedroom, which has a coastal vibe, so she bought it and I was able to see it in person the last week.

They really did a great job with it and I love how the painting looks on the pillow.

As I’ve shared before with licensing, you just never know where something is going to end up.  That was definitely the case with this pillow that seemed to come full circle.

You can see the pillow in Wendy’s home as well as her side of the story here…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wendy Batten (@frontporchlifestyle)