☀😎 Make Your Home Beautiful This Spring 😎☀

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Spring has Sprung

After so many months of cold and dust, it's time to refresh our homes.  What are some ways to make our home more beautiful?

Many changes are simple: Add color to a room with a new pillow, flowers, or a lampshade.  Updating your art is another way to add joy to your space.  It could be as easy as switching out a few darker pieces with more energetic colorful pieces.  And, if you're very ambitious, create a gallery wall of works that reflect who you are.

Sometimes, we need help making our house a real home.  And an interior designer can help.  How do you find one?  Love your friend's living room; ask who designed it.  Or scroll the social media portfolios of local firms to find what you like.  Consult with a few to ask about budget, special requirements, your process participation, and schedule.  How well do they communicate?  Good communication can relieve a lot of stress during renovation.

How our home looks directly impacts how we feel.  And we deserve to live somewhere that is safe, comfortable, and happy.

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

PS - The Bring Spring Art Festival Starts Today!

It's the place to find and buy amazing art for your home. Browse unique, hand-crafted items in ceramics, jewelry, glass, mixed media, photography, wood, leather, fiber, metal, fashion, digital, paintings, prints and so much more!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1934458910278595

Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikekrausart

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

☀😎🌳 How Are You Preparing For Spring? 🌳😎☀

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Imagine your beautiful home

Spring is almost here!  The perfect time to plan sprucing up your home.  Do you have lots of small projects or does a room need to be completely refreshed?  Maybe you've moved into a new place and need to make it your own.  Or you've grown and changed over the years and it's time for your walls to reflect who you are.  Whatever the reason, it is exciting.

What puts you in a good mood?  Is it something you're grateful for?  Maybe a memory of someone you're close to?  Is there a place that is special to you?  What are your values and how are they reflected in your space?  Let's find a way to truly make it your home.

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

PS - Looking for tips to make your space more charming Visit: 

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/how-to-use-original-artwork-in-your.html

Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikekrausart

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

The Immortals Are Laughing At You. (Pics)

I've been spending most of my weekend thinking. Thinking pretty much about everything. I've been studying. Been working on my art. Working on my finances. Where in the world I would like to travel to complete my final yearly goal. So, I've been listening to music and reading books. Doing quite a bit of soul searching by being a hermit. A recluse.

Tonight, I will head over to Cleo's for Monday Knight Klub-Chicago Chapter for some wings. Alice said she wanted to go and I'll give Nummerdor a call after he's done with work. That's really it. I've paid the rent today and all my other chores are done. Monday is really the best day of my weekend. It's like a Sunday where everything is open and nothing is too busy...

Here are some pics. Nothing much. Just thought many of you haven't seen my place and all yet. Soon to be featured in Better Homes & Gardens...

This is the livingroom. Notice the decor. I call it "Broke." The TV stand and coffee table are homemade. The couch, rug, wine holder, and table in the bottom right corner are found. The "Chouch," (half-chair, half-couch) is a mystery to me. Comfy as hell though. Legend has it that is was sold as a "Nintendo Chair" in the late 1980's. Proof one man's garbage is another man's treasure.

This is the kitchen. Nothing too remarkable about it.

Here's my room. My old computer on it's fancy computer desk. A painting. A couple of pictures of kids I found in a dumpster behind a store while walking home drinking and the Brown Line was closed. The little German flag above the closet is from the German-American Parade in Lincoln Square when I first moved back to Chicago.

My room again.

This is the OPEN exhibit at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It's really cool. There's all sorts of TV's and information and diagrams and blueprints and stuff all over. Makes me kind of wish I went into architecture.

A ground level view of the OPEN exhibit.

A elevation view of the OPEN exhibit.

Since I have a master's degree in Nonprofit Management, they decided that part of my job should be to handle giving donations to local schools and charities for fundraisers. I'll get a request, sign a couple of forms, and ship them out a package for a silent auction or whatever. One request was for a school band and this was their logo, a lion playing the big ass drum. To me, this is the best kind of art there is.

That's all from the "Paris on the Prairie." I hope everyone is doing alright. Hopefully, I will more interesting pictures next time. Unfortunately, the last time I went out I didn't have my camera because I had to recharge the batteries. Tis pity.

xoxo,

Mike

He's Leaving Here Tonight...

Quick blog tonight. I have to pack up some stuff. I declined the job in Chicago because it was a bunch of swindlers that are going to end up in Federal prison because of tax fraud and misrepresentation. Long story that will be told at a later date. But, I am still moving to Chicago. Sorry to some of you and congrats to others on the news... Here we go...

This is the livingroom to my new apartment. I live in the matrix and the rent is cheap because of the pixalization. It also has a couple of nice sized bedrooms, a decent kitchen, and patio. Rock!

This is State St. Four years of my life was based on a few blocks on this road. I lived in two apartments here, was filmed in Rocky & Bullwinkle the Movie, Graduated at the Chicago Theatre, and many other milestones here. Lots of memories...

Art show at the bean. Fucking rad.

Millenium Park fountain.

fountain again.

View from Tribune Building killing time. It is dead now.

Trying to photograph the coolest ice cream truck ever. You will never know it's radness.

Still trying to capture the essence of the ice cream truck and failing. It is your loss.

Mike Nummerdor's Mom. She is the best and you already know that. She made us brownies and then forced Dale to buy us hot dogs and gyros. So damn cool.

Kedzie stop on the Green Line photographed from roof of apartment building.

Not sure what to tell everyone. Had a good week in Chicago and hope it will be wonderful living there again. I'm going to miss everyone in Muskegon and hope you can all visit me real soon. Here is my address:

Mike Kraus

1836 Lawrence Apt 1A

Chicago, IL 60640

Hopefully, I will have a cell phone by Tuesday. If I have access to the internet I will post it. Otherwise, I will call a few people and ask you spread it around like an unwanted STD. I don't know when I will be posting on here next. But, know that I love and miss you all and that I want to rock out with you in the Windy City ASAP.

<3 Mike