What's been on the blog back burner

I always forget how busy summertime can be for us. Days of dawn til midnight work pile up and the keyboard and computer get further and further away. I've got so much to blog and I can never find a spare moment to get it all together. Well now it's Friday and being that there aren't any movies I'm dying to see I think I can steal a bit of time to share some of the artful life with friends. So since I've been away for so long, busy with the rigors of life, this installment condenses two entry's worth of good stuff! Wait, maybe three or four...

I've got a friend named Cerri and what she mailed me blew me away like dandelion seeds on a windy day in May! First let me tell you that my brand new postman unwittingly tricks me every day. I don't think he's got the route organized yet...anyway, a couple days ago I see the mail truck come and go and no packages are left behind. Then, a half hour later he comes back, ringing my bell and pounding my door, with two arms full of boxes. I go for the biggest one first and it's the one from Cerri that I've been so psyched for since she said she was sending it. The box was like a Trojan Horse full of your most indulgent good stuff shopping spree finds . A fabulous tote bag stuffed with just about everything she could possibly sell in her Etsy shop plus more! Me and Cerri are doing a one on one swap and this is the motherload she gave me. I really couldn't photograph every single item but if you look close you'll get a good idea of what an eye for style she has. For instance, in our little scrappy world those classic raffle style tickets are ubiquitous, as they should be...but Cerri's not only come wearing crowns, she also hand adorns each little crown with tiny dots of glass glitter. Don't waste your time scouring the earth for great finds...go to Cerri at Little Pink Studio! And by the way, Princess Abigail , that cute as a button birdie, came with a little calling card just so I know for certain that SHE is The Holiday Princess! I love everything so much and there is no way that I'll match it with my end of the swap but I'm doing my best.

Before I get into what all was in those other boxes from my rookie mailman let me show off the crown I made for Holly in the Crown and Tiara swap. I really loved making it and totally want to have some for sale. Holly's is 100% hand painted on front and I could not possibly find time to do all that painting over and over, so now I'm devising a way to do original crowns that aren't as labor intensive. I posted Holly's amazing crown to me in the previous entry. That was a really fun swap to do. Holly is a sweetheart and all around renaissance girl.

Ok, now back to the mail. I received two more Bit's and Pieces collages from my swap partners. I already posted Natalea's (pronounced Natalie...she told me this way early on in our friendship and yet I still say Nah-tah-lee-uh every time I read it!) So here are two new ones from Amy Elise and Mary Holcomb! I have eight partners in this swap. Aar wants to kill me for biting off more work than I can chew but I'm thinking more of the rewards this time around. I sorta assembled a dream team of collage artists to give me their unique perspectives on my personal tastes. So in the end my eight bits and pieces collages will come together to form one giant collage. (I know, twelve partners woulda been the exact right number but I'm slightly less crazy than that!)

So first we have Amy Elise's... she's an expert tag maker as I've shown previously and I think her collage illustrates her talent perfectly...super neat, balanced, shimmer in all the right spots, bits of text, music, tiny objects. And this sweetheart of a girl did a surprise one for Aaron! With so few clues about his "on-the-side" tastes she assembled a collage that coulda come right from his own brain! He can't even believe how perfect it is and what a gosh darn nice gesture! And as he was holding it today he realized that it's made up of 9 squares, and he's had a weird connection with the number 9 since way before I even knew him. So now we are doubly pleased!

Next is the dazzling little number I got from Mary Holcomb . Now you can really see what I'm saying about the totally unique artistic interpretations of my small aesthetic world. Mary said she had some second thoughts about giving up the pup in the top left corner and I don't blame her. The little cardboard half house she made from scratch if you can believe it. I sooooo love to spot the differences in style...Mary leans toward the kitschy and nostalgic...it's like a patchwork quilt of your most treasured keepsakes. And since I'm only up to my chin in swap madness me and Mary did a one on one swap of four tags...these are the four she made me. Those crafty hands of hers have got some range! Oh, and while I'm on the Bits and Pieces topic...be aware that there are many Bits and Pieces collages still in the hands of the US postal service and just as many being posted to the Flickr group daily. So post yours if haven't or just take a stop by for some tasty eye candy.

You've probably heard of Sepia Arts Studio and the gal behind the magic, Delila. She's way up in Finland and I'm way down in Jersey and yet her magic managed to spread all over my little studio space. I open the box to find this adorable paper mache egg filled with, no, packed with, all this STUFF! I guess she temporarily forgot that over here Everyday is a Holiday because she actually apologized for it all being a bit too Eastery for this time of year! Heck, gimme Easter on Christmas and Halloween and vice versa! Love the photos, love the flash cards, love it ALL! Ya know, I dream of a day when we can take off for extended periods and travel the globe so we can pop in and visit amazing gals like Delila.

Speaking of spanning the globe... My opposite side of the world friend Natasha hosted a Shabby Chic Matchbox swap. The object is to decorate a tiny little matchbox and stuff it with as much little Shabby Chic supplies/bits/trinkets as you can. And you'd be shocked at how much you can actually fit in there. I'm just showing the outside for now so I don't ruin the surprise for Natasha. You gotta go check out her blog...she's a super sweet girl, an excellent artist, and has this little son named Leroy who is just out of this world amazing looking...the before and after haircut pics are great! Shipping to Australia is usually very costly but this swap was perfect because of the weight of the package, or I should say lack thereof. I see so much good stuff coming from down under. For years I've been checking out Australian Vogue...they are not at all scared of COLOR over there. What our magazines show during the "resort" season they've got going all year round! So, if you can, swap with an Aussie, and keep the package under four pounds!

I've told you all about my friend Anna, the flea market fiend/queen from California. Well, that title describes about one sixteenth of her and that one sixteenth has got more voltage than a dozen cups of coffee. She's the owner of Buckaroo Bibs, and makes...you guessed it bibs! Fabulous bibs sold in fabulous shops nationwide. Well, she LIVES at flea markets. Back when the first Shabby Chic books came out and Rachel was instructing us all on flea market etiquette, bartering techniques, and how to separate treasure from trash...Anna was probably laughing and saying "Ms. Ashwell, I'm waaaay ahead of you." Anna knows her stuff and acquires her stuff for pennies, nickels, and her favorite "fiddy cent". She also knows how to pack a flat rate priority box. This box from her put any clown car you've seen to shame. The contents just kept on coming...and all of it, treasures! I've pictured close to none of it. What was inside really covered my whole queen size bed.

Lastly, we had another birthday over here. This time my biggest little bro Richard. He's now twenty two, and although it's astonishing how fast time goes it's not really shocking to see Rich as a man. The kid acted like a man since he was two. He was a sturdy little two year old and just hearing the cadence and delivery of his speech made you think he had his pick up truck parked around the corner. "Hey Jenn, I can jam." He'd say this in his best pick up truck having voice as he came in from the basketball hoop outside. And I remember how he was so grown up acting that I could have a mock locker room argument with him : "you can't jam. Look at how small you are and then look at Michael Jordan. HE can jam, you can't jam." And little Rich was completely unaffected by my doubts, saying "Yes I can. Ask Dad." That was his go-to phrase: "ask dad". Anyway, Here's the big guy's cake. As you can see, I've been on a paper flag kick. I'd rate my actual cake decorating skills as "acceptable". But taste wise, this was some darn good red velvet. I was thrilled that Richard made the red velvet request.

Ok, that's all that has been piling up on the blog back burner. I'll be back sooner next time, and hopefully with some pics of brand new projects underway and my end of the Bits and Pieces swap (eight of 'em!). Happy summer to you all, (winter in Australia) and have the laziest weekend you can muster...unless of course you're beating the dawn on flea market missions!

xoxo, Jenny

Cute stuff!! (and I'm not just talkin' about the kid!)

 

 

 

 

It's a simple fact of life that Father's Day is not a holiday that stands on it's own. Just look at most retail promotions geared at "dads and grads". Families all over flock together for graduation parties and almost as an after thought they say..."and it's a Father's Day party as well...two parties in one!"  And this isn't so bad, because by nature Dad's couldn't care less. Dad's like family get-togethers, good food, and a guilt free lazy afternoon. They're not worried about the celebration of man as patriarch. So in the duo holiday tradition Aaron's family celebrated baby Adam's 1st birthday on Father's Day. Barb, (Aaron's mom) as usual, went all out...she even had a bouquet of balloons and a sign on the street that said PARTY: This Way!------> which was meant to be humorous because it was really only a party for under a dozen people who all know exactly where Barb and Skip live. I made Adam's personal cake...the cake he'd be able to baby handle all he wanted. My plan was to bake it in the tiny round Wilton pan but on Saturday night the time slipped away from me and the store closed before I could get the pan. So instead I went with a one layer eight inch round and kept it simple, classic and sweet. Adam is not a cake lover. He touched it with one finger and sort of winced at the taste. I know Barb wanted the classic kid-with-cake-on-his-face photos but Adam just ain't down with the sweets...(yet!!)  No problem, there were plenty of us to eat it.

  Afterward Adam took a dip in his new pool and it was one of the best things I've seen in a long time. There he was, the center of the universe, the little sunshine in his little pool for one and all of us grown-up planets revolving around him, amazed by his every little gesture and facial expression. One thing that kid will never lack is attention! We could've watched him all day...but like I said, it was Father's Day too. So I went to go visit my Dad while Aaron drove Mom Mom back home to south Jersey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out these corsages!! Handmade with style and taste by Beth Holcombe. They are fantastic! Vintage plastic flowers, buttons, beads, and sparkly rhinestone bits! I'm totally gonna wear 'em like crazy this summer on tank tops and cardigans and what rules is that they are super fab table top decor when not worn. And Beth's esthetic prowess is well rounded...evident in the presentation of these. One she put in a basket tied with a pretty little bow and a fuzzy aqua toned chick. And the other came on it's own little vintage Atlantic city plate. She know's me too well!! It's so hard to separate the corsage and the plate but I gotta do it because my bathroom wall is begging for a new addition to it's collection of vintage Jersey shore souvenir plates. Ohhh and just so you know...her BFF is none other than Suzy Spence aka  Georgia Peachez!! Now is that a dynamic Duo or what? Both of these oh so talented gals will be celebrating Grand Openings of their own Etsy shops, on July 8th!! I predict a feeding frenzy!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Today the first of my Bits & Pieces swaps arrived!! This sweet thing is from Natalea!! ( who has a brand new blog! yay!!) I'd seen her sneak peek pics on Flickr and I couldn't wait for it to get here. Such a super job, so neat and clean! And I love how she wrapped it! Also include was a Hostess gift! (so nice!) This cute as a button pair of collage tags and the sweetest collaged letter J magnet!!! As for the collage, I'm so psyched. I love every inch of it and can't wait to hang it in the space I have planned for it. All of the patterns, colors, and elements bring a lil' sparkle to my eye! Thank you so so much Natalea...your collage is coming soon! Workin' on it!!: )

 

 

 

 

 

I think I've mentioned that I'm in a handmade crown and tiara swap as well. Well I got mine today and goodness gracious! What a total treasure! So many details! I think Holly might've dipped her hands in some actual magic dust before she sat down to create this...no, but really, you know how when something is so sparkly and shimmery and delicate that it just feels sorta magical? well this little crown has that feel. I want to find the perfect display for it...I'd love to find an aqua colored glass cake stand for it. I'll be mailing Holly's crown tomorrow. I had a lot of fun making it. I hope she loves it like I love hers.

 

It's the dawn of summer so that means all of our schedules are probably way off kilter right now. I've gotten a few emails from gals saying that their Bits & Pieces Collages are running a little behind...no problem, just as long as we contact our partners and let them know. We should all aim for a ship date of this upcoming Wednesday...sound good? I'm knee deep in my collages as I type this. Aaron thinks I'm nuts for having multiple partners...but I'm not nuts, I'm just scheming a little bit. This is my way of swindling some fabulous decor from the talented hands of others. Sure I have to work on five times as much stuff, but that's my tithe to the church of collage. So now I gotta get back to my paper piled desk. After the swap I plan on posting way more...but then again, I bet by this time next week I'll have signed on to three more swaps. It's a dirty job....xoxo Jenny 

Pups, papers, postcards and Peachez

It's good to shake things up every once in a while. What I find funny is just how little it takes to sorta turn my world inside out. This past week, me, Aaron and Carlos were ruled by something weighing probably less than three pounds. Jack, my sister's tiny Papillon pup, was in our charge for eight days while she gallivanted around Cali with my middle brother Jay. On the first day of babysitting Jack we were like "whoa...do you think we're even gonna be able to get work done or even sleep for the next seven days?" The whole time-to-take-the-dog-for-a-walk schedule was thrown off, as were our wake up and go to bed times. Little Jack brought his little habits and us three had to change ours. And the six hour wrestling matches between Carlos and Jack left us saying " alright already guys!....is it really that much fun to nibble on each other's faces all day?!"

  We have our safe and quiet little system for how our days and weeks go and this past week that system was defeated by a puppy! But I'm not complaining. As our days with Jack were drawing to a close we started to say "how in the world are we gonna give this little guy back? I think Missy is gonna have to go get a new dog." Because in truth, a little shake up in your schedule ends up being a good thing...and Jack is the cutest, sweetest little pup ever! He's good for a nap on your lap any time of  day and he's got those adorable seeing-the-world-for-the-first-time eyeballs that only puppies have. Well, anyway, Missy is now back and Jack is gone from our day to day. Carlos keeps watching the door in anticipation and it's such a little heartache. We told him, the three of us will have to soldier on without Jack. Just look at those two together!!

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, here are the tags I did for my pal Tammy . I made sure to work outside of my normal color palette and use some vintage wallpapers that had a summer feel, like beach bungalow sheets and the patterns of beach umbrellas. I love vintage Jersey shore postcards, especially the ones from motels with their technicolor shades and ideal shots of poolside fun and parking lots packed full with 50's cars. On one tag I used a vintage Wildwood postcard and I love  that the folks lounging in the sun are definitely NOT models...Tammy got a kick out of that too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long time Everyday is a Holiday supporter and all around sweet gal made this impeccably crafted custom apron for me! Especially made for wearing while in the hands-full act of crafting...and not just crafting on any occasion...this was made for me to wear at Silver Bella!!  Suzy, who goes by Georgia Peachez, is a sewing sorceress!! First thing you notice is the quality, the sturdy, perfect stitching, and total flawlessness. Then you realize that ever color, pattern, and texture is perfectly chosen. She just knew what I love...stripes, polka dots, birds, aqua, rick rack, and just the right amount of silvery, beaded trim to subtly nod at  Silver Bella. You gotta go over to Suzy's blog! She's got a super fab studio space and amazing laptop bags!! Go and shop! I'm pretty sure she'll be opening an Etsy shop in the near future but for now you can check her out on eBay!

 

 

Swap update. I set up a Flickr  group/photo pool that all you swappers can go join. It would be cool to see some pics of bits and pieces in the pre assembly stage...because the journey is more important than the destination. But in truth, I'm more psyched for the destination...so when you guys ship and receive your finished collages you gotta post pics pronto! 

 

Today is Father's day and we're also celebrating our favorite nephew Adam's first birthday!! I'm working on his personal mini cake now so he can have a full hands-on experience when he digs in. We got him an adorable summer bathing suit outfit and a crazy loud singing guitar with all the characters from the Backyardigans on it! I think Adam is gonna love it but it may have enough volume and peppy vocals to drive his parents absolutely mad...sorry guys! Ok, I've got a kitchen to clean up and family to visit!! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!! Happy Father's day to all of your favorite Dads!! xoxo Jenny

my! oh my! I have a bunch to show ya!

Swap Update!! Well, sign ups are closed and we've got 66 participants!! I sent out emails to everyone with partner names and details...I'm only waiting on info from a few of you (likes, dislikes, mailing address, email, etc...)...so if you've signed up and you know you haven't given me your particulars yet, contact me asap with all that. I really tried to make good match-ups and visited a ton of blogs in the process. It's so cool to be opened up to so many blogs that I haven't visited before...all brimming with style, some great home pics, collections, art, recipes, etc...

I myself pluralized my swap experience and took a handful of gals as partners. I'm looking forward to hanging the 9 x 12's in a little group on my studio wall! I love not knowing what the pieces will look like but still knowing that I'll love the stuff!

 

Ok, it's been too many days since I posted last. Partly because we've been a bit busy with orders as a result of a BIG sale we're having on some of our pieces that we're retiring...some of the markdowns are major so the response has been great. It's true that everybody loves a sale! So in addition to our item retirement sale we want to offer a special sale to you bloggers...Buy any two 4" x 4" art squared pieces and get a third at half price! So if you want to partake in the 4 x 4 sale just go make your selections on eBay (biggest selection) or  Etsy and email us your choices and then we can send you your discounted total/paypal invoice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, so that's part of why I have not posted...another part is that we took a little road trip up to Wilton, Connecticut forJennifer Paganelli's  Sis Boom event. As you can see from any of the pics, one thing you'll find in abundance at Sis Boom is COLOR! Paper crafts of all shapes and sizes, dresses, aprons, jewelry, candles, and even a little mini market out on the porch where you can buy any of her fabulous fabrics by the yard. All of the colors and patterns are just So Her!...you know the look a mile away. Also, Jennifer has so many friends and fans coming and going but she makes sure to spend some one on one time with everyone that comes through her door. She is one of the kindest, sweetest rockstars you'll ever meet! We went on the last day of the event and Jennifer told us that on the day before Danielle Muller from the Vintage Dragonfly paid a visit...go see pics of her trip on her blog.

Me and Aar took my little bro Walt and my sister's little pup Jack. We're babysitting Jack for a week and he's not a leave-at-home type of dog...plus, he and our own little Carlos would get in too much trouble together if we left them by themselves...but that's a whole other story. Anyway, Jack's a good roadtrip companion and is totally cool with meeting tons of people. On the way back we sampled slices of pizza across a large swath of southeastern Connecticut and we have to say that from our mini survey that Jersey comes out on top as far as good pizza parlor slices...I know, Connecticut has Mystic Pizza but we didn't put them in the running. After pizza game we hit a Cold Stone Creamery and all of us nearly popped our buttons! A great day ends on a full belly! Oh yeah, and I got to come home with some outstanding Sis Boom stuff...check out the party hat  (as modeled by one of my "crazy babies" )and the beautiful WISH banner! And the increddddible vintage photo collage!!! (complete with vintage millinery flowers!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's some photos from little melfie's  Fairy Jar Swap! The first is the jar I received from my sweet online friend Michelle! I love her style and can't believe how in sync the two of us are as far as color palette, pattern, composition, etc...I love it! Next is the jar I sent her...can you believe how much we were on the same page?! We also did a mini one on one swap of 4 x 4's...I LOVE what she did! And she sent this fab ATC and 2 lovely tags! The fairy Jar swap was such a cool idea and I love all the different interpretations I've seen posted on Flickr !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me and the fabulously skilled Tammy Gilley did a one on one tag swap and I'm so totally in love with the tags she made me! The minute details are all perfect and the patterns, colors, and neatness can't be topped! The one with the vintage gray wallpaper, jewels, and the vintage fashionista has some vintage map clipping on back that's to die for! No two tags are alike and yet they're all show stoppers! I'll post pics of the tags I sent her as soon as I get confirmation that she's received them.

 

 

 

 

 

Next is my contribution to the She Sells Seashells by the Seashore 4 x 4 Swap hosted by Danielle  , (whom I mentioned above-also went to Sis Boom.) I sent mine to Danielle herself. I had a lot of fun doing it because it totally captures the theme of my bathroom. The image of the bathing beauties comes from a vintage postcard and I repainted their swimsuits to go with my color theme. I love the glittery sand dunes in the foreground the most. I hope Danielle loves this little four inch square of vintage Jersey shore!

 

Ok, like I said up top, everybody should have a Bits and Pieces Collage Swap partner by now and if I haven't sent you one yet email me. Right now I'm trying to organize all the bits and pieces that seem to have taken full ownership of my work table! Feels like forever since I blogged!! I missed you guys! :)

 

Happy crafting..Happy swapping!

xoxo Jenny