EMBELLISHMENTS DECORATIVE PAINTING

Erica was referred to us by our interior decorator. She met with her to discuss what I wanted done in the room. Basically something with trucks/cars for my sons room and something with flowers for my daughters room (remember these are children's rooms). I was emailed 2 sets of drawings to review for my daughters room, I picked the one I preferred and told her to go ahead. I MADE A BIG COSTLY MISTAKE NOT TO ASK FOR HER PRICES UP FRONT. A few weeks later she brought the 3 canvases for my daughters room along with 3 butterflies and one canvas for my sons room. I was initially very pleased b/c it was adorable kids art. She and my decorator thought it would be fun to paint a street on one of my sons wall incorporating the mural and a streetlight and put some trucks and cars on the street. I thought that sounded like a good idea. When she first came to paint my sons room I was at home and I had to ask her to stop b/c the work was so sloppy. I had to have her paint over what she had done and I asked her if she had done any wall painting before. I told her I wanted straight lines for the rectangle of the street lamp and a road that looked more professionally done. She said she would come back on another day to finish. I called my decorator to make sure that she spoke to Erica about my concerns and to be sure that she would be able to do this. She came back to complete the work and I it was only average - but not bad enough to have her repaint. What came as a complete shock to me was the invoice she left - it stated exactly "10 canvases, decorative painting - $1300". My husband and I thought she made a mistake or she was trying to overcharge us because we lived in a nice home. When I called her to ask how she came up with the bill she could not tell me. She said that she did 10 canvases for us - she was trying to call the red, yellow and green circles that she used for the streetlight and the ladybugs "canvases". When I corrected her, and told her she really only painted 4 canvases, she tried to say the canvases are expensive because she uses "glitter" and paint. I asked her for an itemization of the bill and some previous invoices so that we could compare her costs. This is exactly what she sent us: Initial consultation - $60, Two (2) sets of drawings for Alexandra's room @ $75 ea. = $150, drawing for Jim's room - $75.00, three (3) 2x2' embellished canvases @ $225/ea. = $725 (remember, "embellished" means she uses glitter), one (1) 2x3' embellished canvas @ $250, three (3) 10" round canvas ladybugs @ $45 ea. = $135, three (3) 10" solid-color canvases @ $10 ea. = $30, decorative painting: streetlight $40, **Black roadway & vehicles $150. Total Cost: $1,615.00. Total Charge: 1,350.00. She said she was actually charging us LESS because she did 2 rooms. The 5 other receipts she sent us were as undescriptive as our original one (no itemization) so we had nothing to this compare to.

MS. DIPAOLO IS VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL WITH SUGGESTIONS THAT REALLY ADDED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PIECE.

IT WAS DONE FLAWLESSLY. SHE IS VERY TALENTED AND I WAS AMAZED HOW QUICKLY SHE COMPLETED THE JOB. MS. DIPAOLO WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND PATIENT WITH MY HOVERING. A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE.

FABULOUS ARTIST! THE QUALITY OF HER WORK IS UNBELIEVABLE.