We are a small decorative painting studio operated in the carriage house (left) of Spruce Acres Mansion, Camden, Delaware. (shown above.)  Our goal is to provide supplies and lessons that cannot be found easily.  

I started learning decorative painting after a lady came to a wives’ club meeting to demonstrate.  I’ve been taking lessons ever since.  There was a while when my job got in the way and I did not paint much, but never dropped my SDP (formerly known as NSTDP) membership.   

My husband was in the Air Force, so we moved a lot in the early years.  When we moved to northern Maine, I started teaching because other gals wanted to learn what I knew.  This launched my teaching career.  I also learned to cut out and rout boards at the base hobby shop.  My husband also learned and has become my woodman.

Moving from Bitburg, Germany to Dover, Delaware provided me with the opportunity of opening the first Tole Patch.  We were open for about three years and then I went to teaching elementary school. 

A group of friends talked me into teaching them a while ago.  We’ve been painting together ever since.  Now I have retired from teaching school and I am back to painting full time.  We found a new home for The Tole Patch, LLC and reopened this winter.  Right now we only have a gift shop, but by summer we should have a classroom and supplies.  Web page orders are being filled from home.  Our goal is to make supplies readily available to painters. 

Myles and I have been married for almost 40 years.  We have two married children, three grandsons, and one granddaughter.  My family has always supported my painting.