You guys know we’re suckers for a good house portrait, so we’re happy to be serving one up this week thanks to watercolor wizard Michelle Schneider of The Art of Michelle. She creates all sorts of good stuff, but we’re drawn the most to her charming renderings of people’s homes and gardens. It’s always fun to see the different twists that artists put on painting their most structural of subjects. You might find someone’s pet popping up in the yard of some of Michelle’s work – or some sheet music adding some texture to a tree or a roof. This week she’s giving one of you a custom 11 x 14″ house portrait, which is valued at $300!
Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (it might take a second to load, but it should eventually pop up below this paragraph). This giveaways is available worldwide! Plus, Michelle is offering free shipping on orders using the code YOUNGHOUSE through October 7th! And FYI, she’s currently taking holiday orders (but is almost booked up). And for anyone who misses the freebie bonus question, we started one over here in Forums so you can sound off and see what everyone else thinks on the subject.
Jamie says
Does participating in the “freebie” over in Forums gain us an additional entry?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, that’s just a bonus for-fun thing since some people said they missed chiming in on questions in the comments (we moved to a Rafflecopter system to save time and also to allow us to accept more than 10,000 entries so we didn’t have to end contests prematurely).
xo
s
Brittany M says
I think I need to sit in the corner with a “Dunce” cap on because I have no idea what “freebie bonus question” is and if I don’t answer in the forum does that mean my entry is voided? I feel a little lost when I enter into the givaways. It’s a conundrum.
By the way I love this idea. Very cute idea to hang a nice portrait of your home.
-Brittany
YoungHouseLove says
Oh that’s just a for-fun thing for the folks who told us they missed chatting about a weekly question (we used to have entries through comments, but now that we use Rafflecopter we set up the Forum question as a place for those folks to continue to chat).
xo
s
Gayla says
This would be perfect! We are getting ready to put our beloved home on the market. We have gotten orders to Hawaii (seriously, half way around the world) and we know that selling is best for us right now… but it does hurt our hearts a little to do so!
Julianne says
Enjoy Hawaii, Gayla! It’s my favourite spot on earth. I’m assuming you’re a military family, so just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for all you do & best wishes! :0)
Amy says
I have become obsessed with your blog ever since my husband and I started house hunting back in February and bought our first home in July. Although we’ve done a ton of painting, paintings and pictures have not reached the top of our priority list just yet. Having a painting of our first home would be the perfect start with photos of both of our childhood homes above and below!
Twilla says
I have ordered from The Art of Michelle before! She is so creative and a joy to work with. My friends and family are always commenting on my house portrait!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet!
xo
s
Pamela says
Sherry, if you and John are looking for a new home renovation project that might have special (hint, hint) meaning, I have found it for you. Marshall Mathers’ boyhood home is going up for auction this week. Minimum bid is $1! Of course, you would have to travel back and forth to Detroit, but the property is only 776 square feet so you could probably knock it off over a long weekend.
YoungHouseLove says
Someone else told me that! So cool! Someone better save that house and make it befitting of a rap superstar!
xo
s
Susan Connolly says
Oh…. for a second I thought it was “Jerry Mathers” as in, “The Beaver” ! Haha – and I wonder how many of you won’t know who I’m talking about.
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
Such a great idea! Love this!
Brianna says
These are so cool!! I just bought my first house 2 months ago and would love to get one of these.
Bryanna says
It would be so amazing if I won this! My husband and I got married at our house & I gave birth to our son at our house too!
Whitney Dupuis says
I love her work and I have been eyeing it for a while. Unfortunately, I can’t get one right now but I definitely intend to have her do a painting of our current house one day! This house is our first together and where our son has grown up so far, so it definitely holds that sentimental value!
Kate F. says
“You might find someone’s pet popping up in the yard.”
I swear I read this sentence three times before I realized you didn’t say, “you might find someone’s pet POOPING in the yard.”
I was like, “why would anyone want their dog pooping incorporated into a print of their home?” #longday.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahahahhahaha!
xo
s
cassie says
I did the same thing!!
Brie says
me too!
Jamie says
Same here!
julie says
LOVE it, Kate! I’m still laughing…
Tasha says
I would love to win this and get a custom painting of my grandmother’s house. My grandfather designed it and helped build it. I don’t get to visit nearly as often as I’d like anymore. I’d love to have that bit of family history with me in my own home.
Katie Rose says
Funny, I JUST purchased a home portrait via Etsy this past Friday from another young lady! My dad sold my childhood home at the end of July so I felt like I needed something professional to remember it by. It would be SO cool if I amassed a mini collection of different artists’ take on my old home :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s such a sweet way to remember it!
xo
s
Stephanie S. says
OH MAN! I would LOVE to win this. I’ve been thinking about how much I would love a portrait of our home lately. It’s such a sweet and personal touch. Great giveaway! Her portraits are beautiful.
Sarah says
Oh! This would be the perfect gift for my mom. My dad passed away last year and she’s having a hard time keeping the place up by herself. It’s the house they lived in their entire marriage, so it’s sad for her (and the rest of us) to have to sell come spring. Fingers crossed that I win but if not it’s still a wonderful gift idea to remember all the memories from our home.
caterina says
TO ALL THE LADIES: if you miss the raffle, well, I do house portraits as well and I will happily watercolor all the houses for the ladies who couldn’t make in the talented Michelle clients list! :-)
PLUS I design and realize custom portraits in the shape of paper dolls! I am a young architect but I am curating and growing my “secret” illustrator business :-) I love my dolls and I am pretty sure you will love them too!
Please stop by on my website or facebook page to say hello and peek at my “Happy families” series: you won’t be disappointed, I promise! :-)
Find me on
http://www.lacatrina.it and LaCatrina.it on Facebook!
Liza says
I have to get one one of these for my farmhouse! LOVE IT!
Michelle Schneider says
Oh! I LOVE farmhouses so much! Would love to move out to the country someday…
Kelly McGrath says
I purchased this for a friend as a housewarming gift and she just loves it. She even included their pug on the front steps! These are absolutely beautiful in person and such a special accent to a home!
Zuzanna says
The link doesn’t work for me :( It just takes me to the blog article again :O Evil internet robots messing up the YHL universe :O
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry! All fixed!
xo
s
Joelle says
Just a totally random question – do we have to check back here to see if we won, or we will be emailed directly? I’ve always wondered that….
YoungHouseLove says
We email the winner but sometimes it goes to spam, so we post a reminder on Thurs or Friday to check the original giveaway post in case our email doesn’t pop up in your inbox for some reason!
xo
s
Laurie says
I have to say, I am selling my first ever home (you know, that I personally own) and this gift would be so meaningful to me for so many reasons. My mum lived here with me and she also passed away here with me at her side. I would love to have a picture to take with me to all my new homes. Thanks for the chance!
erin says
the link for the forums doesn’t work =(
YoungHouseLove says
All fixed! So sorry about that Erin!
xo
s
Tammy says
What a lovely gift to giveaway, thank you!
Laura says
This would be awesome!
Kim Shelton says
One of the greatest giveaways so far! This is so personal! Thanks for sharing!
caterina says
It wasn’t meant to be spam :-(
YoungHouseLove says
No to worry Caterina, our comments are just held in moderation so we don’t miss any questions that come in, so yours didn’t pop up right away since I was away from the computer. It’s up now!
xo
s
Erin Rose says
This is such a sweet giveaway. I can’t remember, but didn’t your (Sherry’s) dad draw one of your old houses before? This reminds me a lot of it. :)
YoungHouseLove says
He drew an owl that I love! Gotta find the perfect spot for it in the new house!
xo
s
Theresa says
These are great!! Off to check out more…
Meika says
This would be so neat! My husband and I are finally purchasing the house we’ve been renting for the past three years, which just happens to be my childhood home! I’d love to have it for posterity as it is our dream that one day our children will take it over. In fact, my parents bought it from my mom’s sister, who was only the second owner to ever live in this home. Lots of family history, which is just the way we like it! :)
Suz McA says
NO WAY. I was JUST looking at her shop on Etsy over the weekend – thinking about ordering a print for my in-laws (who just moved out of my hubby’s childhood home into a city condo)! This would be an amazing giveaway to win! Fingers crossed!
Dani says
Ohhhhh awesome :)
I’d love to have a picture of my parents teeny little house done :) They’ve owned it for over fourty years.
Samantha Liz says
Oh my goodness! I was just thinking of this as we just moved into our forever home after renting and townhome living throughout our 13 year marriage and three kids. <3
Anika says
You guys post the most interesting giveaways – I love hearing about different artists and shops to explore. Thank you so much for taking the time to find things that will be meaningful and unique to share with us!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, you’re welcome Anika! We’re so grateful to have such a fun mix of folks who are happy to dish out cool stuff to you guys.
xo
s
Liz says
Oh, I want to win this one so much! This is my first house, and it’s a wee little one that won’t last me too much longer, but I worked very hard to get and have it, and I’m proud of it. It’s far from perfect, but I DID IT. :)
KC Saling says
This is a wonderful giveaway! I would love to order one of these of our first house and I’d frame our first house key with it!
JoeyfromSC says
Thank you for the chance! Such a neat prize! lol
Just curious(promise, not complaining lol) why you don’t offer more than the one entry per person..like adding “email subscribe” or “follow us on twitter” or “tweet”..just wondering..thanks!
Joey
YoungHouseLove says
We just like to keep it simple and make it an even playing field for everyone. We do giveaways to thank you guys for reading (not to try to get more followers on social media or anything) so it seems nice to give everyone the same chance and not complicate the entry process too much.
xo,
s
Melissa says
This is great! I would love a portrait of our home.
Becky Horst says
I’m curious if any of your readers have won twice? I watch Live with Kelly & Michael and people win several times all the time!
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t think we’ve had a single winner who has ever won twice. That’s funny that people do on Live With K&M!
xo
s
Krista C says
I would absolutely love to win this. My dad passed away earlier this year, and my mom is having to sell the house because of it. This would be such a nice gift for her to remember it by! My fingers are definitely crossed for this one!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Krista, I’m so sorry for your loss.
xo
s
Isabel says
I recently came across one of your old posts where you got a print of your old house as a gift and was thinking of how nice it would be to commission that for our new house since we absolutely adore it. Then I thought how nice it would be to have a print of my parent’s house in Puerto Rico where we would go on weekends and vacations and although we stopped going when I was still very young, I loved it. Soooo, long story short, so glad you’re doing this freebie!
Michelle Schneider says
Oooo I’ve never painted a Puerto Rican house before! How cool would that be? Sounds like you have a lot of amazing memories!
Lindsay says
I consistently have trouble trying to use Rafflecopter by email login on my iPhone. What’s am I missing? It just goes opens a new page and times out, saying “loading.” Did this last time too.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe try on a laptop/desktop? Sounds like it could be a phone glitch. So sorry for the trouble!
xo
s
Lindsay says
Thanks. I figured out the problem is just when I go to the site through Feedly.
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry about that Lindsay! So strange!
xo
s
Marissa C says
Haha, our home is just too ugly for us to enter this. 70s architecture for the win?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, I love 70’s houses!
xo
s
Melissa says
We have just sold our house but have technically not closed. Prayers! But I purchased that home by myself at 30 and I know I will bawl when we close as it was a big accomplishment for me to buy alone. It was my son’s first house, tear! I would love to win this to always remember our first place!!!
Angela says
I’m in love with our little old cottage and would love to have a picture of it! Awesome giveaway!
Jessup's Major Appliance Center says
These paintings are good! Thanks for sharing.
Ashley Herendeen says
Hi John and Sherry,
I have a quick question about the giveaways. When someone wins the raffle, do they receive an email informing them that they won the prize, or do participants need to continue to check back after the drawing closes?
Thanks so much!
Ashley H.
P.S. You’re style has really inspired me to step outside my comfort zone and select colors/styles/patterns that I have not traditionally chosen. It’s been really fun! Thanks! :0)
YoungHouseLove says
We always send an email but sometimes they go to spam, so it helps to check back if you can, just because some folks have learned they won that way since the email got bounced to spam.
xo
s
Ashley Herendeen says
I figured an email went out, but I just wanted to double-check. Does the email from directly from you all, or from Rafflecopter?
Thanks again!
Ashley H.
YoungHouseLove says
It comes from us! It should be from John at YoungHouseLove.com
xo
s
Amy E. says
out of curiosity (and i’m sure John would get all giddy with the prospect of playing with more numbers) how many of your fab freebies have NOT gone over your former 10k entry limit since you eliminated it with the RaffleCopter widget?
YoungHouseLove says
I think probably 70-80% have gone over 10,00 since the change, which is pretty exciting for us! We always felt bad closing contests down prematurely, so it’s nice to know they can run the full time now.
xo
s
Jamie says
Bummer. At first I saw the 77 comments and thought that was all that entered for the giveaway. Boo…I really want this. Both our babies were born in this house that we rent so I would love to have a keepsake of it since I know we won’t be here much longer.
Michelle Schneider says
That’s so sweet!
Marianna says
Just bought our first house, so this would be really neat!
Molly says
Hi there! I have a memory of you all also getting a custom wooden block type thing of a house done. Do you have the link to that post or that artist’s site by any chance? I’ve been googling around and I can’t find it!