BG Loves: Ella Loves Personalised Pictures

Natalie writes…Back in November, Aoife, the creator of Ella Loves , a service where she creates bespoke, handmade pictures of your child called ‘My Loves’, got in touch and offered to commission one for the bambino.

Composed of a photo and three words or phrases (their ‘loves’), which are printed onto cotton and then embroidered onto a dot or star patterned fabric background, it’s then embellished with little details such as fair trade ceramic buttons, and sterling silver beads and charms that represent what your child love

You take a photo (we took ours in the bath which makes it easier to get the white background) and then the tricky part kicks in where you have to make a decision about which words or phrases to use. Aside from being printed onto the cotton, they also spark the inspiration for the embellishments.

Looking at the picture, we realise we have a pretty musical child – a Mariah Carey maybe sans the dodgy outfits and too old husband to a toy boy husband – as singing is a huge part of her personality. She knows a hell of a lot of songs for a now 19 month old, plus she dances like a shape shifting breakdancer…

It takes about six weeks from commissioning to the finished work which allows for people like the boyf and I to fanny around over getting the right photo and debate on which words/phrases to use. You get the opportunity to proof it and both the picture and the service are personalised, with Aoife spending time understanding the bambino to ensure that she was captured in the right way and keeping in regular contact. This is much better than using a generic service where you fill out a form with some brief details and they throw something together.

Every picture is, as a result, intrinsically different, because even though there are elements that every composition shares, Aoife’s time spent researching and the personal approach, give every picture a unique, personal charm.

They’re housed in chunky, whitewashed box frames with a white mount, and all we need to do now is stop debating over where to hang it!

The dimensions of the embroidery are 21 X 29.5 cm and with the mount and frame, 40 X 48 cm

The wonderful thing about Ella Loves is that we have been able to captivate the essence of our little diva, ‘the bambino’, and all that’s quirky and wonderful about her at 18 months.

We’re bowled over and it’s utterly delightful! Even when she’s pulling her diva bambino moments at 19 months and beyond, we’ve got this picture to look at and become the embarrassing parents who’ll no doubt proudly show it to her future boyfriends…

If you’re looking for unique, nostalgic art with a vintage feel to capture your child, I can’t recommend Ella Loves enough!

They’re £195 and can be commissioned over at Not On the High Street.
Also check out our recent feature on where to buy artwork for children’s rooms.

Tagged artwork, children, for, personalised, Reviews