You may not know Lacey Haltenhof, but if you’ve shopped downtowns in the Illinois Valley this holiday season, you’ve seen her work.

Since mid-November, she’s painted 22 storefront windows in a Christmas motif. The first window she painted for free and interest grew from there. She’s painted downtown windows in La Salle, Peru, Ottawa, Streator, Earlville, and Morris.

“I’m incredibly fortunate to be part of a community where small businesses truly support other small businesses, and many local business owners have been willing to take a chance on me and cheer me on,” Haltenhof, of Ottawa, said. “The encouragement, word-of-mouth, and genuine support I’ve received has meant everything to me.”

She started painting windows as a means to get out of the house and into the community.

“I love being out and about and seeing the smile my art puts on people’s faces,” she said.

Growing up, her response to what she wanted to be when she grew up was always the same: artist.

“I originally started painting as a way to express myself creatively again. When I was younger, all I did was paint and I was looking to reconnect with that passion, but I also wanted to share it,” she said.

She also offers kids coloring sheets to give kids the opportunity to feel the boost of serotonin after creating something, like she felt then and still does now.

She started her business, The Laced Brush, in July, painting custom banners for various occasions, gift bags, and table runners.

For more information, find The Laced Brush on social media.

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