I'm dreaming of a pink, aqua, silver, glass glittered Christmas!!

 

I don't think me and Aaron have had a regular Memorial Day weekend in years. We always get tied up in some work project or we have a deadline we have to meet and somehow end up locked indoors for 48 hours. We get calls from friends and family and hear about barbeques, but we just put our blinders on and finish our tasks within our hermitically sealed apartment. We watch the weather reports leading up to the big weekend and we get bummed for the normal people out there when thunderstorms are forecasted...(we're not jealous types and only wish for the BEST weather for those able to get out and have fun.) Well, I'm not complaining about our self imposed quarantine, because, after all...it's self imposed. And this time around the deadline and the projects were well worth it. We were locked inside putting the finishing touches on our SilverBella class projects! And being that one of our classes is loaded with Christmas cheer we actually worked to a soundtrack of White Christmas and Jingle Bell Rock. When Aaron went outside in the 85 degree haze to walk the dog and then came back in to Christmas carols and our table laden with German glass glitter, the experience was nothing short of surreal. We're psyched about our classes and made sure to put in plenty of original artwork and our own patterned papers. The sneak peek photos from every instructor will be up on the Silver Bella site within the next 24 hours or so and sign ups start around June 1st! I keep saying "I can't wait!" for the Silver Bella weekend but in truth I CAN wait...because when you cross over the threshold of 30 you should want your year to go as slowly as possible! Anyway, I can't show pics of our Silver Bella projects so instead here's a smattering of some essential supplies and inspiration that went into them!

 

 

 

Well, just when I needed to put Christmas back on the back burner a package arrives on my doorstep that not only transports me back to summer...it sends me waaaaayy back to summertime past. Check out this bag!! Made from vintage "summer sheets"! I swear I've seen these same patterns dressing the beds at my Nana's summer house. Even the way the fabric smells...fresh laundered but stored away for the winter...not really the scent of age, more like memories. The bag is handmade by the sweet and talented Analise and she's got a blog and an Etsy shop! She goes by Sugar*Sugar  by Leesiebella! And when I posted pics on Flickr  my pal Mary asked right away if Sugar Sugar was inspired by the fabulous song by The Archies...so Analise, if you're reading this...let us know! In the package with the bag came this added bonus that I really flipped for and still am flipping for, for that matter. This little antique plate full of ribbons and trims all fastened to hand painted clothespins! So Great! I pulled it out of the box just as you see it. Thanks Analise! And everybody...if there happens to be a massive buying frenzy going down at her Etsy shop, be sure to save me something in pink and aqua!..Ohh..and tell her Jenny sent ya!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's some stuff I won!! Did I mention that I LOVE blog giveaways?! (I'm gonna do one soon, I promise.) Well here's one I won and it was more than generous in quality and quantity! Colleen over at freshvintage asked her blog readers to leave a comment about their favorite vintage find. Well the prizes she sent are some total faves! The rose die cuts and the little red labels are gorgeous...and the tiny jar full of vintage buttons is drop dead! I love the deep turquoise of the bon bon box...it's a color that only exists in the vintage realm...and check out that banner graphic on it that reads "bon bons & chocolates". The cake book, the tea towels, the "learn about" flowers book...so cool. Note to all, when you see a blog giveaway...throw your hat in the ring! (even if it's an aol blog and there might be some technical hoops you gotta jump through in order to leave a comment...wink wink.) Thanks to Colleen and her super cool Freshvintage site!

 

Oh and one more thing, I got some great news yesterday! Very late in coming news but excitedly accepted all the same. The May Basket I shipped to my swap partner in Germany has finally arrived at her door! I feared it was lost in some customs purgatory! Sure it was a whole month late but I'm just happy she has it now. I felt terribly and was holding out hope for it's eventual delivery...within days I was to start my "make up" package to her because I couldn't stand that she received zilch. I forgot to ask Ramona if the package was opened, rifled through etc...that sometimes happens in customs. I heard once of small little viles of perfume being confiscated because they were deemed hazardous...and the package was then sent along to the recipient  full of only the bubble wrap and tissue paper! And this was in jolly old Canada eh! But anyway...thank you German mail for pulling through in the end.

 

Ok friends, I gotta go sweep a bit so I can spare my little Carlos from getting German glass glitter in his little paws! xoxo Jenny

For the love of paper

Here are the tags I made for my super duper cool pal Melfie. I love doing one on one swaps with like minded, crafty handed friends. And it's a toss up as to what's more fun about it...the giving or the getting...the similarities or the differences. First off, what's great about making something for a friend is that you'll always make it better than if you were making it for yourself. You'll put in a little more care...kinda like when you set the table for dinner company, but if you're eating home alone your dinner plate may share table space with a stack or two of magazines and coupons that you probably won't ever use. When I make something for me I might leave the back unfinished or something...I mean, it really doesn't matter if the back is finished but it's the extra step you'll take when you're sending it out to a friend. And that's the good part about being on the receiving end...you just know that you're getting something special and cared for. I love my tags from Melfie and although we've got tons of obvious similarities it's cool to see how different our tags are. Melfie's have a more farmhouse/grandmas attic/ vintagey/ ephemeral/ story book/Anthropologie feel...whereas mine are varnished over and therefore sorta candy coated and bright. Anyway, all this talk about paper craft just made me think of the inaugural  issue of  Somerset Life...if you don't have it, go get it. It is chock full of stunning, make ya melt, paper wizardry from the magical hands of people like Connie Govea Stuart, Pam Garrison, Anna Corba and more. Also, a fab cover feature about the fascinating world of creative blogging. What a great publication...Jenny Doh and company rule!! I buy my Somerset Studio mags and stuff at AC Moore because Barnes and Noble always sell out. And speaking of AC Moore...they are kicking up their paper game big time...lots more premium brands and way better displays! I'm sure it's in response to Michaels hooking up with Martha Stewart and her line of scrap booking stuff. Fierce competition in the retail world is great because we consumers are the winners...we get better buying options and more sale events. And a girl at Michaels told Aaron something funny...well Michaels always has those great coupons...40% off 30% off etc... but get this...you can use the coupons on anything in the store except the Martha stuff!

Well,  Holly Doodle was sooooo sweet to send me these incredible gifts as a thank you for hosting the vintage kitchen swap. I mean, wow! This is some of the bestvintage wallpaper ever!! I think if the walls of my soul were papered they'd be papered in these exact patterns and colors! And the cupcake toppers made of spun cotton/ chenille...how did she know how much I covet these...they fit right into my growing collection...we even used some as reference when we painted our Easter cupcakes! Thank you so much Holly!

Well, right now me and Aaron are hard at work on some Everyday is a Holiday hand painted patterned papers. We have a handful so far and each new one that we do inspires the next so I think they're getting progressively better. I can't wait to make paper packs of them! When we've got a rounded out collection I'll post them right away...I'm big into the whole picture and the way each pattern and color compliments the next so I just couldn't possibly show it in bits and pieces. Ok, I hope everyone has a very relaxing three day weekend. I'm focused on not sweating.

xoxo Jenny

Thinking Pink gives me the Blues!!

 

 

 

When I stroll into the world of Flickr I'm always thinking pink...it's the color I associate with creativity, fun, fashion, style. Pink is always my starting point. The pink object in the room or on the page is always where my eyes fall first. So my Flickr faves are mostly drenched in shades of cotton candy, bubblegum, cherry blossoms, and classic pink buttercream. But I'm starting to think that I'm only persuading myself into a pink state of mind because no matter how many times I walk into Flickr thinking pink...I always leave with the blues...(all puns, coincidences, innuendo, and semantics fully intended.) Turquoise, robin's egg, whatever you call it...what a delicious color. Put it side by side with some chocolaty browns and look out! I won't go as far as to say that blue is the new pink but wow! it's a close second and a very necessary destination on the road of color.

Anyway, my blogging absence has been eating me up. I just wanted to pop in to let you guys know that I'm still here and still obsessed with the same stuff. It's been a busy week of wholesale, some local work, and the task of getting together our exact SilverBella  class projects. We're so so psyched about the projects we'll be teaching and the kits we'll put together for the big event! I promise to post real soon with some new pics of stuff I got in the mail and the accompanying tales. And oh yeah, now that Melfie has received her mail from me I'd like to show the pics of the tags I sent her in our swap. Well, I have to go so I can watch the 2 hour season finale of Lost. We taped it and have not watched ityet...I can't wait to see how this season wraps up! So take care, brush your hair, I'll be back tomorrow with all the goods I've got.

xoxo Jenny. 

Fat Friday!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my first Fat Book experience and I'm having even more fun than I expected! I mentioned the Fat Book thing a few posts back and since then I've stolen time here and there to make some of my pages. Now I'm hooked!! Here's a handful of my completed pages...The theme given was Polka Dots and for me, what could be a better intro to the world of Fat Books aka Chunky Books?!...I mean, I think my soul is polka dotted!! We're all using the 7 Gypsies round book and we're all contributing 20 pages. When we each finish our 20 we then send them off and later we'll receive a Fat Book with pages from every single participant. Such a cool concept...I love how open the crafting community is! It's the one artist community wherein full disclosure is a prerequisite. We're founded on the act of sharing, showing, and telling. That's why I think it must've been a crafter that first came up with the idea of blogs. Well not really, because we're mostly technologically challenged...but what I do know is that us crafters know a good thing when we see it...(probably from all the practice at flea markets)...and we saw blogs and made them OURS! :) Anyway, I can't wait to see the Fat Book pages from everyone else and their interpretations on the theme.

 

 

Since my tags to Melfie still haven't arrived at her door (tomorrow I hope) I'm not able yet to post pics of them. So for now, here's a tiny sneak peek. It's a little card I made using  vintage sheet music and some homemade "Everyday is a Holiday" papers! I've been asked about our floral patterns a lot lately and we're working on putting together our own paper packs made from prints of our hand painted patterns. We've always painted our own patterns, mimicking vintage wall paper and fabric. We did our own just so we could get the colors exactly how we want them. We're gonna put the packs together soon...we just have some more patterns we'd like to complete. We'll totally let you know when we have them done so you all can use them in your projects. 

 

 

A box from Heidi arrived quite unexpectedly (that's the best way! ;) ). Just so sweet and thoughtful! A scented cupcake journal...how cool is that?! And a super cute Chocolatier theme dish towel! Here it is next to one of my favorite faux cakes! I have a ton of fake cakes...I'm a proud big time collector of fake sweets! I'll post some of my collection soon. Even though I try to bake as much as I can...I need some cakes hangin around on the off days. I love these gifts... Thank you soooo much Heidi! What a truly super duper sweet gesture! So happy to have "met" you too!! :)

 

 

Today a box of goodies came straight from the gifted hands of  Heather Bluhm!! Oh my goodness! The ballerina dangly is a glimmering treasure...complete with a chandelier crystal and luminous gold glitter! Really, it's soooooooo my thing!  And the porcelain doll ATC is just the sweetest! Today was a gray, clammy, semi-cold day...I feel ashamed to admit it, but I put heat on for about a half hour! In late May! Well, this package of great stuff swept the clouds away! I've been lovin' her post cards for some time! Thanks so so much Heather...I love everything to bits!

 

 

One more thing...I asked for feedback on some Everyday is a Holiday birdhouses and I was thrilled to hear the response! We're at work on some designs now and in the tradition of crafter full disclosure I have to divulge that one of 'em will be a sort of mini bakery birdhouse! Of course I'll post pics when they're done. I wish you all a happy, sunny, lazy, yard sale filled weekend! I think in Jersey we'll at least be happy...but the rain might cancel out the sun and the yard sales. Until next time, xoxo Jenny

Good stuff abound and all around!

 

 

 

I hope everyone had a very very happy Mother's Day! Our's, despite some early hiccups in the plans, turned out very well. The hiccups involved our brunch reservation at a little buffet style place right on the ocean. When we arrived the place was overflowing with families in the waiting area and every table in the place was super full. The restaurant apparently took countless reservations and decided to ignore those and fill the place with walk-in patrons. All of us were probably too hungry to be really angry. We had pretty much three generations of moms in our little party (Aaron's mom, mom-mom, and Aar's sister in law Ann for her first mother's day) and these moms deserved some duty free feasting . Barb (Aar's mom) is always quick with a plan B...so right out in front of the over flowing restaurant we all circled what we wanted from a nearby Italian restaurant's menu, called in the order, and rendezvoused at Barb's for maybe the most garlic and marinara filled brunch ever. After that, me and Aaron headed over to my parents and capped off our visit there with a trip to a park to release one of Walt's snapper turtles in a pond. I believe reptiles and the like are involved in every holiday at my parent's house. Anyway, we made our moms handpainted and collage birdhouses with all sorts of vintage and new papers mixed with our own painted pattern papers and handpainted birds and decorative floral details. They're a bit outside of our normal feel because we designed them specifically for our moms but we're thinking about doing some a lil' more "Everyday is a Holiday style".  The feedback on Flickr for these has been very sweet, and if any of you guys would be into some birdhouses from us, your feedback would be much appreciated!

 

 

Kari the Artsy Mama is at it again!!! My goodness! look what arrived at my door! I love this! Just toooo adorable for words. Pop over to her blog for some views of all the crafty splendor  she's been gifting the world with. And while I'm on the subject of Artsy Mama...she's the gal who hosted the awesome May basket swap! You've probably been over to Flickr and have already oohed and aahed at all the photos of baskets given and received. I posted some sneak peeks of mine a while back and I had so much fun putting it together and designing specifically for my partner Ramona  in Germany. I received her basket to me and all the goodies were so thoughtful and perfect...but on my end I'm a little bit crushed because my basket to her has not yet arrived and it's been so long that I fear it never will. I ship so so much without a problem but even if something bad happens one time, its much too often. I'm still hoping that it's held up in customs for some strange reason : ( And if not, and it never gets there I have to do something new, because no swap experience should end on a down note. Ramona's gotta get some good stuff.

 

 

 

Sweeeeeetheart Julie  sent me these...some darling Granny Chic crochet potholders in the happiest hues of bright pink and white! And the handmade tag is incredible...just look at her handwriting...so small, gentle, and downright fontworthy! Jeeez I love them so much, thank you for thinking of me Julie! Toooo sweet! I'll think of you every time I pull a fresh batch of cupcakes from my oven...and that's a good moment of thought to occupy in ones mind...that mental real estate is worth a lot!! And I love love the ribbon/ trim that was tied around the package! Could you just melt?! I did!

 

 

I've got a friend named Anna out in Cali. You could call her a specialist in flea market search and rescue. You can also call her a laugh riot! She hits up flea markets more frequently than you or I hit up the fridge! And she possesses a hawkeye for all that's good and great in the worn world of vintage goods...especially greeting cards. She won't pass stuff up and if it's "fiddy cent" its hers! You may remember a while back I posted some pics of a whole set of fabulous white with turquoise rim dinnerware...well, that was one of Anna's finds and all she wanted for it was the shipping cost! Like I said, she's in search and rescue...a not for profit antique adoption service! Well she's at it again and this time we adopted these paper dolls! Anna knows us well...me and Aaron love these, especially this era! The beach gals are gorgeous and we are gonna hijack the look and feel of 'em for an upcoming project! Anna is so darn cool and I receive her mail (which seems to come almost weekly!) with great enthusiasm!

 

 

Ok, Ok, I'm tooo excited about these incredible and oh-so-Jenny-holiday tags handmade for me by my sugar sweet friend Melfie!! We did a one on one swap since I was too late for the incredible swap  hosted by Heather over at Speckled Egg. (next time...I promise!) When I opened these up I can only say I felt Spoiled! Really, too much good stuff for me! I just love handiwork like this...all of the elements play off of each other so perfectly. The balance, color, content, mood...just all so evocative of sweet things, good things, cute things, etc... Melfie, your tags are on their way! ( I didn't want to spoil the fun by posting a pic just yet) If you love them only half as much as I love mine then I've succeeded!....Oh Oh Oh...how on earth could I forget...Melfie just opened an Etsy shop!! Get over there!! :)

 

 

If you do not know of Papier Valise   then your life has not yet begun!! Here is just a smidge of a sample of what you can get over there. The package landed on my doorstep and I just wanted to drop everything I was doing and just work with this fantastic stuff. At Papier Valise you'll find an ever changing array of dazzling crafting goodies...from vintage ledger paper cut into perfect scallop edged ovals, to the infinitely coveted tiny lil' paper millinery flower bundles and satin seam binding in all the right colors! It's one of those candy land situations and you just gotta get over there, load up on some fantastic stuff, and getcha craft on!!

 

Well that's it for now. I apologize for my infrequency in posting...holiday weekends and catch up work seem to make me a dead beat blogger. I hope I slightly made up for my absence with all the eye candy above, though credit is due to the makers and senders of all that fine stuff! Aaron was pushing me to get blogging just so his 7 weird things would no longer occupy the top position on the page. Ok, all friends, fanatics, and fabulous fabricators of fun finery...take care!

xoxo Jenny 

 

Two weirdos together for 14 years!

 

 

 

 

So you all agree that my weird things really are weird...but I think we're all on the same page with the medical fears. Maybe it's because we're creative thinkers and we get real creative about what can get us when we least expect it!! :) But one thing that I have to clarify about me not driving is this: I have a Driver! Me and Aaron are together 24/7 and whatever random, out of the way place I want to drive to, he is in complete compliance. It's a real deal Driving Miss Jenny situation, except I ride up front. When I said that driving is his hobby I meant it. He is the only person I know of that loves the highways and byways of New Jersey, which I guess is a good segue into Aaron's list of 7 weird things...

 

Hi everyone! Aaron here, a bit begrudgingly so, because as you can see by that little photo up in the top left corner, I like to stay a bit in the background... but I was tagged and I must submit my 7.

 

1. I like to drive in New Jersey and don't mind traffic really. If you aren't from Jersey you might not know about a little highway feature known as "the jug handle". People from out of state come here and immediately hate the words "jug handle". You see, instead of being able to make a left turn at a traffic light you'll have to go around this little loop that's sorta in the shape of a jug handle. It drives people crazy, especially when traffic gets backed up and you're stuck in a jug handle for three red light cycles. But I don't really care, because I'm out in the car andthat's where I like to be. The congested gray parts of the state, the shore, the pinelands, farmlands, I don't care where just far. I also like driving in NYC and the unruly roads of  Staten Island.

 

2. I carry lots and lots of books with me everywhere I go. Seriously, even if I'm taking a 60 second drive to the corner store for a gallon of Poland Spring, I'll still grab a notebook and a stack of 4 to 6 novels. I never read them on these little trips but I still bring them. I don't know if it's that I fear a mechanical breakdown and I'll need some good literature while I wait for a tow truck or if I'm slightly obsessive. More the latter than the former I guess.

 

 3. I love the look of smokestacks and massive industrial complexes. This sounds terrible and I have no good explanation. Don't get me wrong, I love the trees and the birds and everything else. In fact, if I had my way we'd be hiking trails twice a day. But I'm just so visually stunned by monstrous industrial wastelands. If I was a gallery artist all I'd paint would be smokestacks and the like. Maybe it's my way of making a horror film, because I really do love nature, but with all that driving I like to do I guess I'm being counterproductive with all my carbon emissions. Forgive me Al.

 

4. I was a jock ( captain of the football and wrestling teams etc...) but was never ever interested in professional sports on TV...still not. This is a lame weird thing about me because I know a lot of jocks that don't care about sports. But I'm grasping for ideas...not because I'm not weird...more because I have trouble looking inward.

 

5. One of my favorite gifts to get is cheese. Books come first, but good cheese is next on the list. My family is great and they know my tastes well. Gimme good cheese and spicy mustard and I'm a happy man. Jenny's sis Missy consistently buys me cheese on holidays. I hope getting cheese as a gift is weird because I'm running out of ideas.

 

6. This one isn't really weird, it's just makes Jenny crazy. When we go on drives and take toll roads I keep my loose change in my lap, right in the little valley that happens in the crease of the jeans. This isn't the bad part...what's bad is that no matter how many times I do it, I will still forget the change that remains in my lap and when we get to our destination I stand up out of the car and the sound of quarters, nickels, and dimes crashing to the pavement can be heard for miles. As I'm on my hands and knees picking up my coins I can hear Jenny going "tut-tut" as she walks away.

 

7. I think the weirdest thing about me is Jenny! All of her quirks and eccentricities don't phase me. I don't mind the little things like buying cosmetics and other girl products. If she has social anxiety and can't bear the thought of entering a store, what do I care? She doesn't drive...so what, I like to drive. She talks about imaginary birds with our dog...who cares?! We'll get the bird (actually it must be bird 's because budgies need companions) when we're ready for the bird 's ...the moment will present itself.  And I'm fine with surprises in my sandwiches...and like she said, I never expect them. I'm usually so hungry that my first few bites are free of thought and then bingo! a grape, or a raisin, or whatever else she can sneak in!

 

Ok, that was only mildly painful and as I look back on my list I can see why I'm not the blogger in the family. I'm a guy who likes smokestacks and cheese! But please don't judge me on that...I paint pink cupcakes and stuff for a living. I can't be THAT bad.  Now I'll hand the reigns back over to Jenny's able hands. Take care, Aaron.

 

Ok, It's me Jenny. I know Aaron is much weirder than that but I'm not gonna point out things before he does!! And while on that subject, today is our 14th anniversary. It's really crazy how fast time goes. I mean, we've been through a lifetime's worth of stuff but it feels like we were teens at the prom just yesterday. This day of the year I always think back to the time of  our first meeting. I moved down to Jersey from New York and it was total culture shock. I felt like all the trends and style and music were hitting Jersey a year late. Me and my sister dressed like how Jersey girls were gonna dress next year, if you know what I mean. We listened to the music that the Jersey kids would listen to a year later. Everyone thought I had an accent and I thought everyone else had an accent. Just one state away, but the dialect was different. Example: when my dad says "Dork" it sound like "Dawk". Well, I did my best to assimilate in a town wherein all the residents seemed to know each other since birth. Aaron was there since birth and was the captain of the football and wrestling teams, and the singer of the local "it" band. I didn't like my new town and what's funny is that I felt that Aaron was the embodiment of the town and therefore, I had a distant and quiet distaste for him! This lasted six months...I'd see him in the hallway and I'd go "grrrrrrrr" to myself. Then one day he makes it a point to meet me one on one and I discover that for all my life I apparently had a male version of myself living down in New Jersey. The rest is history...upon graduation we both took a semester of community college and decided that the student life wasn't for us. We then started painting and we haven't stopped. Wednesday isn't a great day for celebrating so we're putting off the dinner date and stuff til Saturday when we go into NYC.

 

Now check out this fab new creation up top! I'm certainly not one to rave about my own stuff but I LOVE this piece! I've been dying to do a faux menu board. I love infusing black into a sweet pastel color palette. It grounds everything, brings a bit of seriousness and evokes a vintage appeal. Very Paris patisserie! It's trimmed with a scallop of vintage recipe clippings and it's on black but it's not an actual chalkboard...we were just going for the look of slate with sweet chalk script. And it's a larger piece. We live in a small place so we're guilty of designing artwork that fits our meager proportions. This is a two foot square and can totally MAKE a room! This idea has been on the back burner for sooooo long. I'm thrilled to launch it! If you're interested, it's listed now. 

 

Tomorrow is Walt's 17th birthday. He's my littlest bro/center of my universe! Upon request, I'm baking him his favorite Magnolia cupcakes...some for school, some for the family. Aaron will be driving the cupcakes over to Walt's school tomorrow at some point during the school day. Aaron finds this humorous because it's such a parent like act and Aaron still feels like a kid. He's done it before and when he checks in at the front office with the cupcakes he feels like he's pulling some sort of joke! Tomorrow night we're having cupcakes with the fam and on Saturday we're combining our anniversary with Walt's b-day for an all day NYC extravaganza! We'll end up at a little restaurant called Dragonfly for what Walt calls "the best fake chicken in the world!" after that we'll hit Beard Papa for dessert. If cream puffs were rock bands...the ones at Beard Papa would be The Rolling Stones.

 

Ok, one more thing. Yesterday, the uber talented ArtsyMama, who moonlights as a blog journalist, interviewed me for the monthly Tuesday artist interview on the Create a Connection blog. I was honored that she chose me as an interview subject and the blog is just sooooo fab that it was a thrill to do it. Last month featured an interview with my near and dear Jennifer Paganelli . Check out my interview here and then scroll down a couple entries to see Jennifer's. Big thanks to the sweet Artsy Mama.

 

Well, I have to go whip up some buttercream frosting. Til next time, xoxo Jenny

Who me? weird?

 

I've been tagged!

  I think in blogland tagging must happen in cycles because this is my second time in a few months and I wonder if this is the same tag going around. I've always wondered about stuff like this. Like when I was little and vacationing with my family in Wildwood, NJ, my sister and I had come down with chicken pox. At the beginning stages we thought they were mosquito bites and just went on swimming in the hotel pool with all the other kids. All of these kids could have been exposed and went back to their respective towns and spread our little red bumps to their friends. The chain reaction could go forever and last for years...there could be a kid today with a derivative of my chicken pox! I'm so sorry kid! And I'm sorry to you bloggers for relating this grotesque story to the fun act of tagging! I could've used a wholesome metaphor like a "pay it forward" type thing or a "breeze blows a dandelion in Indiana, causing a child to sneeze, causing a man to say bless you, causing a girl to meet the man of her dreams, etc. etc..." But no, I settled on a rash. Anyway, what I'm saying is this: a few months back I was tagged with the 7 weird things about me tag and as I was required I then tagged a few other bloggers. What if this is the same tag...circulating for months? Well, I was tagged by Mary, Andrea, Heather , Wendy, and a few other dolls, to list 7 weird things about me. I have way more than 7 so I should be able to avoid repeats from last time.

 

7 weird things about me:

 

1. I do not, will not, cannot, eat mushrooms...yuck! Especially the type that come in Chinese food that resemble slimy little Darth Vader helmets....ewwwww.

 

2. I do not, will not, cannot, drive...no! I need control and don't trust the roadways. Of course I'm a passenger all the time, but that's about all I can handle. I've got my mind on all the other minds out on the road. I know how careless people can be and downright crazy behind the wheel and if my mind is on that then I can't wholeheartedly focus on my own driving...no driving for me. Thank goodness Aaron loves to drive...it's his hobby.

 

3. I draw on my eyebrows. Yup, I remove the pair I was given and draw on a pair that better suits my aesthetic. Sometimes this is a bit problematic...for instance, some days, depending on my drawing hand I can accidentally render my expression "angry" or "surprised" or "concerned"...and no matter how many times its happened in the past 14 years Aaron still gets me when he says "why are you so surprised today?". It takes me a minute and then I realize that I drew the brows on with a higher arch, which in the world of real brows signifies surprise. ps. the drawn on brows are faint and sometimes don't show up in black and white photos, so if anybody out there has studied that pic of me up top and on the Silver Bella site and thought I was eyebrow free...trust me they're there...in pencil form anyway.

 

4. I have been begging Aaron for a budgie for almost a year. I talk about budgies all day long, talk to my imaginary budgie, and even have conversations with Carlos (the chihuahua) about the budgie. Which reminds me...for an entire year before Aaron said yes to Carlos I carried a chihuahua bobble head in my purse everywhere I went.

 

5. My wardrobe does not contain anything but pink, black, camouflage, leopard and denim. Not a tiny speck of another color and it's been this way for over 10 years. (though I am softening to the idea of adding aqua in bits.)

 

6. A lot of times when I make Aaron a sandwich I will sneak in a surprise. It started years ago and to this day, when he bites in and makes the discovery he's still shocked and from the other room I'll hear him say " oh great...a grape...in the middle of my tuna sandwich." I love surprise grapes. They're harmless and keep you on your toes...it's just a taste, texture, and shape you weren't expecting between your leaves of lettuce. "What's the big deal?" Is what I always say back.

 

7. I cannot watch, or hear any tv or radio shows about medical mysteries. In the back of my mind I'll start cataloging the symptoms and after a while they'll build up and I'll diagnose myself with some freakish disease that in reality only happens to male Eskimos over the age of fifty. And Aaron knows this well. He always has on talk radio and if the guest is a disease expert he'll turn off the radio and put on a cd just so I don't hear.

 

Ok, enough about my weirdness. Now on to yours...I tag Cerri, Laurie , Jennifer, Heidi , Missy , Alicia, and Aaron ( who does not have his own blog...so I guess he will have to post right here on mine!) if any of you guys have been tagged with this same tag a while back then you can just copy and paste your 7 weird things from your archives because I'm sure you guys have no more than 7 weird things...wink, wink ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for these new designs from our forthcoming new collection. We're incorporating a much more layered look. A lot of blending of ephemera with hand painting and vibrant color...all of it sepia washed and aged. These were the first two on the drawing board. The "Cupcakes all the time" piece is 8" x 10" and is about 50-50 collage and hand painting. It's directly inspired by the color palette of my current Flickr favorites mosaic. We are so thrilled about the recipe card box. We wanted a lot of detail and color and I think it fits the bill. Again, it's about half collage, half hand painting. We've got lots more stuff like this coming...specifically, new versions of our classic cupcake trio. Both pieces above are now listed in our eBay store!

 

 

I got my circle book in the mail today! Heather is hosting a polka dot fat book project wherein everyone involved will contribute their hand done pages that will be incorporated into amulti artist book that we'll each get back with our page along with all the other participant's pages. The circular book we're all using is by 7 gypsies and from Shosh at HannahGrey...what a fabulous site!! Go there Now if you haven't already...you'll love it! I can't wait to start my pages! I love that it's a circle. Fatbooks are often 4 x 4 squares. Also, polka dots are an essential part of my daily existence! When we're all done with our pages, Heather will combine, bind and send them back...and most likely the books will be FAT!

 

I'm also working out some new ideas for a swap. I had so much fun hosting the Vintage Kitchen Swap and from the photos and emails I can tell that a lot of you gals did as well!! I'll have more info on that soon. In the meantime, browse the blogs and see who else is a weirdo...and I mean that in the nicest sense. 

 

Enjoy the weekend!!!xoxo Jenny

Flickr makes me happy on a daily basis!

If the geography of blogland was complete with mountains.....from the tops of them, I'd shout:

 

"I LOVE Flickr!"

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day! well, 2nd of May Day. Yesterday was much too busy a day to post. First there was lots of prep work to do and the funny thing about our work is that even though it is so tied in to this computer it's actually the kind of work that should be done no where near the computer. All the sanding, priming, painting, gluing, sealing...these are very messy acts and since we don't have one of those Toughbook laptops we stay far from the PC on massive prep days. Also, in the evening we hit an outdoor roller hockey game of Walt's (littlest bro and verified center of my universe). So Happy May Day one day late and with that I bring pics of the May Day basket I received from my swap partner  Ramona all the way from Germany! (this is my second wonderful package via Germany in the past two weeks.) She really put together some sweet goodies...a handmade plush cupcake with beaded sprinkles, a little hand sewn birdie (I love birdies!!), lovely floral tissues, an antique silver spoon with the perfect amount of tarnish and I'll be using this spoon everyday in my sugar bowl full of clear crystal glitter! Some pale pink and white chocolate candy mints and a sweet floral candle ring and May Day tag! I really love it when a swap comes together (paraphrasing Hannibal from the A-Team!) Cool to have a new friend across the seas. And a big thanks to Kari for hosting a super fab swap!! Hurry over to the Flickr group for lots and lots of May Day eye candy!!

 

 

 

 

In keeping with the basket theme I thought I'd share a glimpse into a lil' obsession of mine...Vintage plastic bead and safety pin baskets!!! One of my fave collectibles not only for their perfect colors, sweet shapes and all around adorability...but also for the way they're constructed from such everyday materials. I'm into juxtaposing my holiday and seasonal decorations with their polar opposites, so I pair my springy baskets with Christmas balls, bead garlands and bead picks, bottle brush trees, and I bring 'em full circle by staging them side by side with the everpresent paper mache rabbits. Love these things!! If anybody out there has pink or blue ones, we should do a lil  swap! ; ) wink wink! 

 

 

 

The lovely Jen...a new friend and collector of our work, has sent some new pics of her lil' cupcake's room. Here's a tiny peek into the sweet and sunny bedroom she put together! I've been nudging Jen to join us all in blogland and I think she's probably gonna take the bait and wow us with southern style chronicles of her own! She emailed today to say she'll be flying in to Omaha for  Silver Bella! How Cool! I cannot wait to meet her! I've also gotten emails from  Wendy and Jeanie saying they'll be there too. So so fun! It's gonna be an amazing time!

 

Ok, now it's time to shed my white collar for a blue one...meaning, get off the computer and do the daily dirty work involving myriad mediums of craft. We're working on new stuff that digs a bit deeper into our creative souls and we hope the results are a success. Also I want to mention a couple fabulous shops that are newly carrying our work: "Just a Bed of Roses "  in Farmington Utah and Chocolate Soup  Amelia Island, Florida. We'll be posting pics and details soon and if your in their area you can go check them out in person (I know, getting out from behind the computer can be a sort of alien concept!). We'll post the details and pics as soon as we get 'em. Til next time...xoxo Jenny