Vintage Paint by Numbers Love

The only good thing about my evening commute from the accursed day job is that I drive through the famed Georgetown business district in downtown DC. For those of you old enough to remember "St. Elmos' Fire", that's where the Brat Pack boozed. For those of you even older, I pass by the creepy stairs from "The Exorcist" each evening as well. Georgetown is a major shopping district jam-packed with all the coolest big-name and hippest stores, and I've become jaded after all this time. Until a few weeks ago.

 

Brooks Brothers (of all places) unveiled their holiday window. Thank GOD I was crawling along at 2 mph! I audibly GASPED when I saw this gigantic paint-by-numbers backdrop in the window. My photo doesn't do it justice, because it's GORGEOUS. It's understated. It's nostalgic. It's paint-by-numbers, by god!

 

Both this and the photo below cribbed from Country Living magazine.
Photo by Kate Sears.

THEN I remembered about the awesomest article in Country Living a few months ago. When I saw the spread, I kept thinking "I need to find a cheesy jumbo paint-by-numbers painting", but it never happened. I would gladly pay MORE for a jumbo painting than the table itself. Alas, all I've got is an unfinished deer painting, a horse painting, and even TWO Monkees paintings, but none are large enough for a project like this.

I'd purt-near settle for any one large enough for this project. But I don't want The Monkees smack-dab next to my face when I wake up every morning.

Even though I actually went to a BBQ at Mike Nesmith's fabulous Hollywood Hills home in 1987(?). I bet he doesn't even remember that I like my cheeseburger medium-rare. 

Comments

[julie thompson]

I love paint-by-numbers too but have never found a really good one. My one-mile commute isn't nearly as good as yours but I do take my kids by the creepy exorcist house here in St. Louis.

[barbara]

A mural sized paint-by-number? That's genius. I think I have the actual version of that painting or one very like it (mine is only about eight inches wide ... why do I not have it out?)

[Liz]

I have 47 PBN paintings--I would KILL to have that store display!

You should go in and see if you can buy it after the holidays are over.

I am going to see if the BB by me has the same window!

[Robin]

That store display is amazing!!!!

[kristi day]

I have a friend in Houston who is an artist. I have a friend in Dallas who collects PBNs. I'm trying to hook them up so he can do a long PBN in their hallway, partially filled in and partially just the shapes with the number. I think that would be so swell. And if they don't do it soon, I'm so going to have him do it somewhere in my house! I'm going to forward your blog post to him... xo

[Melissa]

Oh Georgetown...so pretentious. We went when we were visiting family in NOVA this past October. The only thing that I really liked was CB2 and all of the fabulous window displays. That paint by number set up is freakin awesome and I love love love the night stand! Also, bummer that you have such a wicked commute! That place is nuts!