Happy New Year!!!

Attitude is everything. As the new year looms...no longer on the calendar...but now on the more immediate face of the clock...I start to think about all that has come to pass over the last 365. And I can either go "whew!...I'm glad that's over!" or I can say "wow!...I grew so much last year!" (and I'm not speaking of dress sizes...though that growth is plenty ample as well!!) But no matter how you slice it...2008 was tough. For a whole lot of us I'm sure, but personally, I can say it was either pretty much a year-long anxiety attack or more optimistically speaking: an extremely hectic accumulation of necessary realities, trials, and tribulations run amok.
For me and Aaron, I guess the year's fulcrum was our move to a new apartment. It was a very big deal. We lived in our previous apartment for about a dozen years and kinda thought we'd never get outta there. But the stars aligned and we dropped that place like a bad habit...or more like a truckload of bad habits. We were getting stale...mentally, socially, creatively...and we needed a brand new start...new streets to stroll, some new windows to open up, a new studio to work in, new walls to paint, etc...we just needed everything to change and moving to a new town/new home is a guaranteed life changer. And change is good...but it's also very HARD! Since our move the whirlwind has not stopped spinning. Or I guess a better analogy would be an earthquake. July, when we moved, is the epicenter of the quake and since then the aftershocks have been sending tremors through every facet of our lives. Me and Aar work seven days a week and when you toss in a big big move things are gonna go a bit crazy with your business and your pile of invoices and orders. I mean...it's 5 months later and we're still in catch-up mode!! Those five months have been a true test to the vitality of my nervous system.
But like I said above...Attitude is everything. It's too easy to focus on all the bad stuff. I feel like there are some people out there who thrive on negative energy...they make mental lists of all that's wrong in their lives, put on a poor-me-pout, and mope through life. Well that doesn't work and nobody likes a whiner. So here I am at the end of 2008...with 2009 looming large and bloated with promise and possibility. 2008 was good. For me it was a huge year for making new friends and refining existing friendships. I found a new home and this blog found a new home as well. I left AOL and came over to Blogger and the move has been fabulous. The blog has a brand new life and about a thousand new doors have opened wide. My old apartment and AOL have a lot in common. It was convenient for me in the beginning, served it's purpose when I was just starting out, but soon I totally outgrew the place.
Jeez, here I am writing this blog and I've got so much to do for tonight's New Years festivities. We're taking the long trip over to my sister Missy's apartment...sarcastically speaking of course...she lives 15 feet away! I'm baking Magnolia cupcakes and tiny little cookies called Melt-aways. Aaron's grandmother is famous for her Melt-aways and I found a similar recipe online. I have to get crackin'. The party is gonna be a blast. My parents and a couple of my little bro's are coming down and we've got the Wii all set up for a long night of Wii bowling and Rockband!! We've been playing Rockband since Missy got it on Christmas and it's just about the funniest thing I've experienced in a loooooong time. My sis Missy is the designated singer most of the time and she's powerful and passionate on the microphone!! It is a RIOT!!!
Anyway, I feel like I'm ending this post so abruptly but I really gotta get going. I'm gonna post real soon with pics of the party...Christmas pics...my tree and gifts. Wow, there's way too much to get into. I just wanted to post on this last day of 2008 to let you guys know that you're always on my mind. Your comments on the past couple of posts have been so fabulously heartfelt and I'd love to address a few subjects in my next entry. Thanks so much to all of you for sticking around through thick and thin. I just know that 2009 will be awesome. I know the art that me and Aaron create will be leaps and bounds past anything we've ever done before. I plan on furthering friendships and seeking out bigger and better creative outlets. Me and Aaron wish all of you the very best.

xoxo Jenny

Lollishops!!

I hope in the future I won't always have to start my blog entries and emails with apologies for not writing sooner. Imagine that?!...that will be a wonderful world to live in! This time of year always has me busy, and it's hard to find time to post, but even by my own lax blogger standards...it's been a while! So once again: All Apologies for the delay!!
Fortunately, there is an upside to my current madness and all-over-the-place-ness. If all goes as planned this will finally be only a "temporary" predicament. As I said on previous posts, I'm changing the way I do business. Once and for all we're gonna try to get out of the always-behind-schedule-hole we've been living in. Me and Aaron are phasing out all of the totally handmade, made-to-order stuff and replacing it with ready to ship matted prints, batches of already made artwork, one-of-a-kinds, shop updates, etc... We just know it will work and that the future will provide those work-free moments we've been craving for so long.
And what I'll do with those work-free moments is....work! But voluntarily. On new stuff, on blog stuff, on swap stuff. Stuff that doesn't keep me up all night sweating bullets. You guys all know the drill I'm sure. You've got the work you MUST do...and you've got the work you WANT to do. So right now I'm just in the sloughing off phase. I'm trimming the fat and laying out the groundwork for the brighter future. That means I'm knee deep in older orders while trying to get the new stuff off the ground. But soon the older orders will be gone and they won't come back...we'll only have new orders, new work, and new art!
I'm imagining the illustrations you'll always see in the newspaper around New Years. 2008 is represented by a cane wielding, hunched over, long bearded, very old man...while 2009 is personified by a fresh faced, rosy cheeked, infant with a tiny curlicue of wispy hair atop his cherubic head. It's such a perfect way to illustrate a new start. Right now me and Aar are still totally in the hunched over old man phase...with the weight of our past bearing down heavy on our bones. But soon...POOF...that rosy cheeked little chubby baby will take over and the future will be ours to discover and to own.

And speaking of future...I'm sure a lot of you are already hip to what the future looks like...and I'm sure you know the name of it as well...but it case you haven't I'll spill the beans here: LOLLISHOPS! It's not just a brand new place to shop...it's THE new place to shop! The tagline is: "a frou frou friendly marketplace" and it's all that and more. It's like Etsy but with a whole lot of editing... and a super personal extended community....there's a Blog and tons of interactive stuff going on. If you go over there click on the link named NiNG...you'll happen upon an endless supply of featured projects with detailed instructions, supply sources, artist profiles...It's really a big time, multi layered, artistic outlet and community and even though it's a newborn, still in it's swaddling clothes it has the feel of a well oiled, fully formed entity. And like I said...it's edited...It's purposely niche. And it's my kind of niche. The gal behind it is Sadie Lou and she is dedicated and passionate. I've known her for a while now and from minute one I got a very clear sense of how seriously she takes the plight of the artist and the marketing of their art. There really is no better person to helm the art ship. She's a tireless advocate/promoter/watchdog and all around supporter of art and artists. So when she let me know about this idea she'd been cooking up...this little place called Lollishops...I told her I was onboard for sure. Fastforward a few months and Lollishops is launched. Sadie Lou's idea is not only realized...it's big and it has the potential to be HUGE! I'm so thrilled to be one of the artists onboard. You have to make some time, click over there, and shop til you drop. Or, if you're so inclined, join the artistic ranks and set up a Lollishop of your own. I'm super duper psyched to be the featured artist on the Lollishops homepage today. See what I mean about Sadie...we didn't ask to be featured...she decided to promote us all on her own. And she's a mind reader....or to be totally blunt and dare I say, a bit tacky...she's a wallet reader. She knows mine is empty and that I've still got Christmas shopping to do...so big thanks to Sadie for putting some wind in our holiday sails/sales!!!

And speaking of Lollishops...we've got a SALE going on over there ...and also on Etsy . These 5 x 7 mini plaques are a big part of our future artistic output. We've been making batches of them and they've been moving as fast as we've been making them. I just love this size. They're almost like postcards made of thick wood. We were able to shrink down a lot of our artwork to fit perfectly. Many of our paintings seem like they were born to be this size and some images that we've grown used to, now seem to have a brand new vitality. So the sale we're having is 72.00 for any three plaques...free shipping in the USA...(regularly 28.00 each) We think they just look fab when grouped together so we figured we'd have a sale to encourage multiple purchases. A whole wall of these would be awesome. And we plan on doing a 5 x 7 version of all of our future paintings...that way a collection can grow indefinitely. I can't wait to paint new paintings!...but like I said, we're still in our old old man phase and we've not yet earned the time to put brush to canvas.



And now I just want to express my uttermost appreciation for all of your heartfelt comments that you leave me on this here blog! Every time I sit down to post a new blog entry I pull up the last entry so I can just refresh myself with what I last said and what you guys said last. Wow, I'm all teary and warmed all over again from reading your comments. I wish I could respond individually and I wish I could answer every query but I'm simply unable...maybe the Baby New Year me will be up to the task. Often, I'll get questions asking if a piece of artwork is still available...sometimes I don't answer but right away I'll make sure to re-list the item if I can. So just check our shops often to see if stuff is there that wasn't there before. But like I was saying....your comments. I'm really warmed all over knowing that so many of us are on the same page. We're weathering this crummy storm together and keeping positive. And I've taken the advice that many of you had passed on and I've turned off the news. Since the election is over we've all turned off the news. So now those talking heads can spout off about the bad economy all they want....they're just so many solitary trees falling in the forest. Maybe they don't even make a sound. We've replaced the news with music and random TV...sometimes Lifetime movies, sometimes forensic cop shows, cold case files, old Law & Orders (though we've seen 'em all)...but like I said before...we don't actually WATCH any of it...we've got our eyes on our work...the TV sound in the background is just to move the day along quicker. It's amazing how much our culture is in love with crime and all it's accoutrements. Me and Aar are totally guilty as charged and can't get enough of the stuff. Aar takes it a step further and reads crime fiction. Well he reads ALL fiction but lately he's hard on the crime kick...the vintage stuff. The Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett type stuff...private detectives...trench coats...dames... golden age Hollywood. Anyway, I talk to a lot people...artists, crafters , and all around lovers of pretty stuff. And I think it's so funny that we all pass the time of day with crime. I guess it's just the ultimate in escapist entertainment. Since we're all so far removed from it we can watch it and listen to it in total safety. Although the subject matter is decidedly negative it just rolls off our backs as we render things pink and glittery and whimsical. I'm not philosophizing here and I've got no moral to extol about our society's desensitization toward violence etc...I just think it's funny.

So, I guess I'll sum up and make sure to post again soon. The holidays have come way too quick and we're working hard to get through them in one piece. This year is extra special over here on the family front. Aaron's brother and his wife are at this moment over in China adopting their new baby girl. They emailed us pics but I don't want to post them until I get permission from them. I've posted pics on this blog of their son Adam (our favorite nephew)...well he's gonna be the big brother. For the past couple of months he's been pointing to a globe and telling us "Dian Dian is from here!" and he points directly at China..."Dian Dian is my sister!" he says as he holds the printed out photos of her. We can't wait to smoosh the both of 'em together. Mom and Dad arrive back home with Dian Dian on the day after Christmas so the festivities will be delayed and stretched out a bit for us. Aar's parents can't wait to see their new granddaughter. So yes, things are all up in the air over here but for once...in a good way! I really can't wait to post pics! I hope all you guys are well and that you're all spreading joy and love to those that matter most in your lives. We've got stormy weather here in Jersey...it was supposed to be snow but we got nothing but rain and a bit of slush. I was sorta wishing for a snow day. Alright, hope you all are keeping warm!

I LOVE you all to bits! xoxo, Jenny

Thanksgiving

There's a joke in the world of book publishing. When a literary agent comes across a manuscript and he reads a sentence that starts out: "And words cannot express how beautiful she was..." The agent immediately throws the manuscript in the trash. (Keep in mind that this is a literary joke, and by law it's nearly impossible to actually laugh at a literary joke. I know this because Aaron is a bibliophile and he's loaded with unfunny literary jokes : ) !!) But the point of this joke is that it's a writers job to find the words to express how beautiful the girl was. If he can't, then he's got no right submitting a manuscript. He's simply not allowed to say "words cannot express..."!
I mention this because right now it's MY JOB as a blogger, to express with words a whole lot of feelings that are virtually impossible to express with words! I'm speaking of trying to compose my response to you guys...you guys who nearly smothered me and Aar with your love and support. After I tearfully posted my last blog entry I then did like I always do: work work work and periodically take a seat at the PC to check up on comments. Over the next few days and right up until now the comments poured in...and not only were they large in number (73 and counting!) but they were large in HEART! I really don't know how to say what I need to say. My gratitude is IMMENSE, and my soul is full to the brim and ready to spill. I'm so tempted to say "words cannot express..." but as I said above...it's my job to come up with the words...even if words alone don't seem to be big enough to handle the task at hand... I'll give it a shot. It's a daunting proposition but I shall procrastinate no more...I'll start simple, with two very common but oh-so-heartfelt words: THANK YOU!!!!
Your comments are just so so so appreciated! I know my blog posts are usually bathed in prolixity, and this last one was especially so. At the end I tried to balance out all the text with a bunch of photos of our new ornaments...but still...chatty Cathy over here! I'm honored that so many of you took all the time to read the less than pleasant post. But what's so completely overwhelming to me is that so many of you posted such straight-from-the-heart comments. And LENGTHY comments! Me and Aaron read each and every one and there wasn't a dry eye in sight. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time out of your own hectic lives to share your personal stories and for backing us up in our decisions. You guys are at the absolute top of my list for Thanksgiving. I love the simplicity of this holiday. Sure, there are lots of traditions, practices, and history that go along with it ...but I like to boil it down to it's namesake. I seriously spend the entire Thanksgiving week just thinking about all the people that I'm thankful for having in my life. It's just so great to surround yourself with family and call up friends and just let them know that you couldn't possibly get by without them. My life is small and I've always survived on my small handful of friends, family and loved ones. But this year, that handful has grown...it's as tall and wide as a mountain. And that mountain is you guys. At this point I feel like I couldn't possibly get by without you guys. I have this blog...I open my world up to you all...and in return you all open your worlds to me. By sheer volume alone...you guys make it much more difficult for me to have a truly down in the dumps day. You guys are a cure that the big pharmaceutical companies will never get their hands on. You guys ARE my Thanksgiving this year!
Last weekend was tough...as busy as I tried to stay...I kept thinking..."wow, Silver Bella is happening right now." And there I was...working 'til the wee hours in our crammed studio. As we fought to get the work done, it was further evidence as to why we simply couldn't go. We are just so so behind with our orders and those seven days out of town would've destroyed us. But still...I knew that there was a whole lotta fabulosity going on in Omaha! And the proof trickled in over the next few days. I watched as gals got back from SB and posted their pics on their blogs and on Flickr. I read the stories and saw all the smiling faces. And really, it shoulda made me sad, but it didn't. I know I made the right decision in not going...I know it wasn't in the cards this year (and thanks millions for all you guys backing me up!!) But anyway, I saw the photos of SB and I was only happy. Everybody looked like they had such an amazing time and everyone looked so gorgeous in their prom dresses! Me and Aar looked through pics all week. Aar kept saying "look at that Aussie...she's a walking smile!" He was of course speaking of Natasha Burns. I've been keeping tabs on her around-the-world voyage and it's nothing short of stellar...she will have such memories! Also, Amy Powers' hot pink wig was awesome. It was thrilling to see what a fabulously tall gal Andrea Singarella is...again, the prom dresses were amazing. Those group shots...all those frilly pastels. And the pics I saw of what was for sale had me drooling!! If you haven't already, I insist that you scour the blogs in search of Silver Bells pics...you gotta see for yourself. So yeah, My frown really did turn upside down when I saw what a smashing time everybody else had! And you amazing gals who contacted me from SB...I can't believe you thought of me in the middle of the fabulous whirlwind! Got me all teary eyed!!!

And there's something I need to say. In my last post I expressed my utter distaste for the doomsday newscasters who just love to scare us all into thinking that we are on the verge of a second Great Depression. I know that these guys and gals are paid to keep you tuning in and listening...and what better way to do that then to yell "Fire!" It's just irresponsible sensationalism in place of "real news". But, that said, I do know that there is truth to what they're saying. I do know that people are really hurting. Not just us small time starving artists who rely on our day to day retail sales. But everybody. The people getting laid off...the people who are scared that they might be getting laid off soon...the people whose retirement portfolios took a giant hit...the people who work a second job around the holidays whose hours are getting cut back. It's all of us. We all are suffering. And still...even if my own personal sales haven't been so hot. I have to be seriously grateful to have the sales that we have. In fact, I'm more thankful than ever before. Because at a time like this your purchases mean so much more. When times are financially tough you don't go and just thoughtlessly and whimsically buy stuff. You put in a little more thought...a little more care. And the fact that during a time like this I'll have any sales at all completely melts my heart! So seriously, THANK YOU! All you guys who have picked up some ornies, some of our new prints, a kit or two....me and Aar can't thank you enough! We wish for our art to be a tonic...a bright spot in your dim day. If we can provide that...even a smidge of it...then we are truly honored to be able to do what we do.

And speaking of doing what we do. This is a brand new painting and it's dedicated to all you guys. It's simply titled : "Cupcakes". We wanted to do something that expressed just pure happiness. Nothing complicated...no real story to tell. Just lots of confectionary perfection in fabulous colors stacked three tiers high. We've painted cupcakes for years and years...but this isn't a retread. This is like the perfect sweets painting that we always wanted to do. We've had the sketch tacked to our inspiration board for more than a year and finally picked away at it and got it done...over many nights when we were supposed to be relaxing, watching a movie, snacking...instead we did this. Because in the end we knew that this had tons more exponential happiness than a night on the couch. We thought this image could spread a lot of simple happiness. We're offering it in two sizes: 11" x 14"...which comes in a mat that measures 16" x 20"...so it's a big statement piece once it's framed. And we're doing it as an 8" x 10" matted print which is great in a kitchen or on a wall full of cake art. This is probably our favorite painting to date and we're excited that it's debuting as a matted print and is slipped in it's cellophane sleeve and ready to ship.

Also, since my last post we made so many more of our favorite paintings into matted prints. We actually reworked a lot of the paintings...perfected colors, added texture where we thought it was lacking etc... These matted prints are the first step in changing the way work. Our goal is to constantly be creating new designs, fast shipping, and splashes of total one-of-a-kinds. And the sale is still on: Buy one matted print, get your second item of equal or lesser value for half price!





Which leads me to these. Lets call these spur-of-the-moment, impulse art. The cardboard Christmas house plaques were exactly that. I surrounded myself with materials and went to work...the mica flakes were the touchstone. I'm sure you've been there...you have a supply, an element, and you just NEED to use it...you need to feature it front and center in a project. That's how these houses came about. I only made four and probably won't make any more...the green one is already spoken for...so one down and three to go! The same idea goes for the new crafty take on our classic pink cupcake...I made only two of these and once they're gone that's it. But probably my favorite piece of impulse art is this cake on stage...titled: "Now showing...Chocolate layer cake!" This one is a slight departure for us as far as technique goes. Me and Aar both did this one...slid it back forth to each other across the worktable. Aaron cut out the curtain shape from a patterned paper and with a pencil he sketched on the details and gave it some definition with watercolors. It's just a simple piece but the colors and the feel of it is so folky...again, the mica flakes play a big role. Only one of these! You can find it here.




And one more thing I need to mention. We recently did this custom open/closed sign for a fabulous brand new bakery/boutique out in California named Cupcakery. We've known the owner for years and we know her style so it was easy to come up with a fitting design for her. Anyway, we had a great time doing and we know that a great open/closed sign isn't easy to come by. So this is a call to all of you bakery or boutique owners out there. We're available to do these and we can email back and forth with you...send us pics...color ideas etc...and we can come up with a fab custom design for your fab shop. Email me further inquiries. This one here measures 8" x 16" and is only super thin wood. It's two sided, hangs by ribbon and because it's lightweight wood it's perfect for if you got one of those suction cup hooks on your window. Just an idea...



Ok, it's my duty to wrap this one up. I'm eternally thankful to all of you who took the time to contact me after last post. I really wish I could email you back one by one by one...but I'd fall even farther down this pit of past due orders. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you...surround yourselves with those you love...if not physically, then spiritually...emotionally. You guys are all in my heart....XOXOXOXO, Jenny

Good News / Bad News

From the outset of this blog I made the decision that I'd always focus on the positive. Even when I'm really stressed and things are a bit heavy I try to stick to subject matter that's all rosy. Friends, family, and fabulous things. It's not that I'm hiding the bad stuff...or being less than genuine. I'm not trying to pretend that my world is free of life's pitfalls and drama. It's just that I respect you guys and I don't think you deserve to be exposed to one iota more of the dark side of things. You get plenty on the tv, in newspapers, magazines, political blogs etc...you don't need me to join the black parade. Like the age old cliche: "whaddaya want to hear first?...the good news or the bad news?" Well...I just give you the good news first and last. You'll have to go somewhere else for the bad. And I'm not unique...ALL of my favorite blogs follow this unspoken rule. From posie gets cozy to My Minutia to Inspire Co. to Inside a Black Apple . All these gals spoil us with lightness and faith and inspiration and generosity... I can remember specific times throughout the years when I felt like these Blogging Beauties literally saved my life. These blogs and the many others on my blog roll are like safe zones. You can browse and browse and feel assured that you'll only encounter great heartwarming stuff. It's almost like the Disney seal of approval...but I mean that in the best way. Not like these blogs are hokie, rated G, schmaltzy, hug parties. NOT AT ALL. They are real and they exist in a decidedly positive reality. We choose to see the bright side and in turn we share our stories of life on the bright side. Nobody is faking it.
BUT...even though we all may try our darndest to only share the good stuff...the stuff that makes us smile....well, sometimes it's just not possible to be so disciplined. Sometimes life brings bad news and sometimes the bad news is just way too big to gloss over. We'd have to try really really hard to pretend like everything is rosy. Those favorite "all positive", life saving bloggers I spoke of up above...well, they also have had their share of bad experiences that they just had to share with us. And all in all I think all of us readers benefit from their honesty. We get the chance to be there for them. As readers it's our opportunity to give back. And also, even though we don't really need any more reality in our lives...these instances of bad news do serve as reality checks...but positive reality checks. Because we all have troubles and when we share our troubles we feel less alone in the big big world. I was just about to mention as examples, a handful of bad news blog posts from the archives of some of my favorite blogs. But I think to take them out of context is to trivialize and simplify them. And they deserve more than that. Anyway, if you read a lot of blogs I'm sure you know what I mean.
Ok, so let me get to it. I have a ton of good news...lots of positive...lots of hope. But I also have some crummy stuff that I simply can't ignore and I think if I left out the info I'd be dishonest to all of you guys. So as much as I hate to be a wet blanket just keep in mind that me and Aaron have got our eyes on the sky and we're facing the sunny horizon. We're staying positive and this post will certainly finish with a flourish of inspiration.
Alright, the number one bad thing on my mind is this: After much heartbreaking and teary deliberation, me and Aar have come to the conclusion that we simply cannot go to Silver Bella. There are so so many reasons why. It's almost been a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances. First, me and Aar support ourselves with our art. This is the only source of income. And as of late, that income has been not so hot. In our studio we often keep on any one of the cable news channels while we work...since our favorite talk radio station doesn't come in so well at our new address, we now use cable news as our talk radio...since our eyes are on our work we can't watch the tv, we can only listen. And right around September it became very difficult to listen to. Ever since the word "Economy" started to sound like a curse word. Newscasters just love to be harbingers of doom, and they love nothing more than to flippantly tell us that we're on the verge of a second Great Depression. Me and Aar work away in our studio and every time the bad economy and/or the crashing stock market are mentioned we CRINGE. News like this directly correlates to a monster drop in sales for us. These news guys are telling us all to cut the fat...tighten our belts...stash the cash under our mattresses. And so what do you think cut the fat means? I think it means: "you don't need to buy a painting of a cupcake" and "you don't need a mural in your daughter's room" or "you should wait 'til the financial storm clears before you have Aaron and Jenny come in to your home to do some awesome finishes on those bookcases etc etc..." And that's exactly what's been going on. I wonder if these news guys know how powerful they really are. The worst part is that they don't necessarily even believe what they're telling us. They say it because it gets our attention. Fear is an excellent attention getter. Fear will keep you tuning in each day. They use it as a tool and it's just so very inconsiderate, irresponsible, and careless of them. Anyway...I know it's so unbelievably tacky to talk about money and I'm super embarrassed to even bring it up but I think I needed to.
There are other reasons besides cold cash why we can't go to Silver Bella but the expense is a big one. Sure, we were going there to be vendors...we were going there to sell our stuff. And last year teaching classes there was so awesome and we did great on vendor night. But this year we were to be driving there...a 2 day journey there and a 2 day journey back. That means, counting Omaha, we'd be staying in 3 hotels. We'd be gone from our studio for 7 or more days just to set up shop for roughly 2 hours. Don't get me wrong...we knew this going in...we knew this when we paid for our tables and reserved a room in the hotel. And we were more than thrilled to do it. The drive would be an adventure and Silver Bella would be an amazing 4 day party with the bonus of getting to actually set up shop and offer our artwork to some of our favorite people in the world...and to BUY stuff from my favorite artists in the world...I sorta planned on redistributing whatever we made at our table to all the other tables at vendor night ; )( This is actually really really hard for me to write about but I want to stay objective just so I can express myself clearly without getting too emotional...but I keep tearing up every time that I pause and picture all the faces I was looking forward to seeing....I swear, if you're reading this, you gals, my friends, just know that your faces seem to be painted inside my eyelids...I'm gonna miss you all so much!!!) BUT...I have to just make this point and move on. With our big drop in sales over the past 2 months the light of Silver Bella grew dimmer and dimmer. If business was booming it would be no problem at all...the trip to Omaha wasn't just for business. Our motivation was more social than business. We couldn't wait to see all of our dear friends that we don't get to see in real life. We woulda been ok with breaking even or even a slight loss on our expenses. But with the way things are now...it's just impossible.
Don't worry, I'm going to change the subject real soon. I hate that I'm talking about such crummy stuff! I guess I need to get this off my chest because I feel so guilty. Guilt is a big big thing with me. I feel guilty because Teresa is going to have an empty table on vendor night. I feel guilty because me and Aaron were in the advertising for SB. I feel guilty because we are letting down anybody who was looking forward to seeing us there. And my guilt spans further than Silver Bella. I feel guilty now for letting you guys know that business hasn't been good. Because I hate to tarnish your idea of where our artwork comes from. In our art we try to give you all the lightness and whimsy that we possess. I don't want you to think that we're feeling down while we're creating.
I swear, I will change the tone of this post very soon but there's one more thing I need to air out. It has to do with the way we work. Me and Aar are both cursed with artist brains. These are the brains that are opposite of business brains. Although we've had lots of success I think that we probably work much harder than we should. We know that success should come easier and that we shouldn't have to work 'til 3 am, 7 days a week to get our orders out...but we continue to repeat this behavior. And what's worse is that when sales drop we'll often make compromises with how we work. We'll set ourselves up to do way more physical labor than we're capable of doing, in a time frame that is simply unrealistic. The result is that we are constantly struggling to stay on schedule and we often have to make amends to some of our most valued customers. The only upside to this is that we LOVE giving gifts and making free artwork for our customers (there goes that artist brain again : ) )
So...that's why we're changing how we work. We will no longer offer 50-60 different versions of handmade stuff. We can't keep that much stuff in stock and doing it made-to-order keeps us locked away in the studio 24/7...really. We'll now only offer a couple things as made-to-order and we'll be switching to selling artwork that is already made and ready to go. We've been dying to do it this way. We'll be able to work like crazy on BRAND NEW stuff and then announce a shop update...maybe every 2 weeks. All new art...lots of one-of-a-kinds. We've been asked a million times if we offer original paintings. And now we finally will. Work for us has been: "time to make the donuts"...and we have to change that. We have to be artists...ever evolving...ever expanding. (*note: ever since I made the switch to Blogger and I've added the world map to my blog which shows where in the world my blog readers are coming from...I think I owe it to my international readers to explain some exclusively American references...in this case: "time to make the donuts" refers to a Dunkin Donuts commercial from the 1980's featuring a chubby little mustachioed donut maker who wakes up each morning to make the donuts and he mutters to himself "time to make the donuts, time to make the donuts..."...over and over...repeating the same thing...day in, day out....I hope that explains it!)

Wow, this is a long post and if you're still reading at this point...thanks! Now I must move on to the good news. New stuff! We regularly present our artwork on 3/4 inch thick wooden boards. We distress the edges, apply washes...I think the feel of well worn wood melds nicely with our artwork. But we recently tried out some of our paintings in a more "dressed up" presentation and I think the result is a big step up. Charlotte, The Well Read Raven, Cupcake Girls, Celebrate Everyday, The Recital... now will come set in a sleek 16 x 20 mat, signed, titled, and ready to be framed. We took some pics of them framed above our mantle and each painting seemed to be reborn in this new format. The images measure 11 x 14 but with the 16 x 20 mat and frame the artwork becomes a great decor focal point. And these prints are just the beginning. We'll be matting up a lot of our classic Cake Art at 11 x 14 and 8 x 10. The 8 x 10's come in a mat that measures 11 x 14. We're also going to be painting some new classics...cupcakes, layer cakes, a new pink mixer, and a couple super fab holiday images...can't wait to debut them!!! We took our own private refresher course on matting and now we're all set up to be matting machines over here. It's a thrill to see our artwork all pristine and slipped into their individual cellophane sleeves. And the best part is...they're all in stock and ready to ship!!! As a kick off for these we're gonna have a big sale... Buy one print and get your second print or any other item in our shop of equal or lesser value for half price!!!

*We will be adding more prints daily! Holiday designs and cupcakes coming over the next day or two!

More new stuff!!! We're doing tons or ornaments...sold individually and in stock! We hope you'll see new ones in our shop every few days. We've got some cool ones...our classic green mixer, a vintage sifter, cupcakes dressed in a spectrum of buttercream frosting, cake slices, full cakes, and a couple retro pin up gals with some 3D adornments...all are made of sturdy mat board and expertly cut by hand (and man are our hands sore!!! but we love doing these!) The backs are finished with some of our favorite patterned papers...polka dots, stripes, florals etc...as well as some bits of vintage ephemera like recipe book clippings etc...All are signed and they hang by a bit of classic bakery twine. Each will come in their own little cellophane sleeve...awesome little gifts, ready to ship and they ship cheap in a sturdy cardboard envelope. Also, our postcard packs are super fab stocking stuffers! Those are ready to go as well. The matted prints, ornaments, and postcards are some of the stuff we were gonna have at our Silver Bella table.

I got so many nice Birthday comments and emails!! It's just too too kind of you all. You guys really warm my heart. Thank you...really....thank you!! We've been so bound by work that I had to put my birthday plans on hold 'til we had some free time. Also, there's a bit of rough family stuff going on that needs to clear up. I like to celebrate with everybody in my family and at present it's just not possible. I'm willing to wait 'til we can all get together. Aaron's parents and Grandmother sent me the sweetest cards and his brother and wife, (the parents of that adorable nephew you've seen pictured on this blog and on my Flickr page)...well they sent over flowers, a balloon, a cake...so nice!!! And Ana, my sweet, funny as heck pal who is the best flea marketer and snail mailer in the business sent me a happy little envelope with a vintage card and this sweet rick rack and birthday seal!
And my sister Missy, who lives behind me and you'd be utterly shocked at how little I see her! She got me some really fun stuff...I absolutely adore this bottle of perfume from the Harajuku Lovers line...so sweet!

It's funny when the 4th wall is broken. I recently made an Etsy purchase from my online friend Mary. Well, like most online friends, I've never met Mary in person. But unlike most online friends...Mary lives like 15 minutes away from me. So she hand delivered my package...so nice of her! Aaron came outside and it was discreetly left on the railing of my steps, wrapped like a gift! Happiest mini aqua ornament stems...amazing pink, aqua, and silver trim...and some fab appliques! Love this stuff!!

Lastly, I'm thrilled at the results of the Presidential election. I know it's an issue that can be divisive and I'm not here to espouse my politics...I'm just happy with the choice America made. In the scope of America it's way bigger than that first step we took on the moon. I had tears in my eyes...no they were streaming down my face...when the declaration was made. Aaron was at the post office today and there was a poster in the lobby with a big picture of Obama...it was an ad that a local person put up who is setting up a charter bus trip to the inuaguration. When was the last time Americans were so excited and such a part of Washington politics? I imagine there will be charter busses coming from all over the country. It's so exciting...the idea of people coming together like that...for America...for a President. It's such a worthy and noble cause. It's funny, this choice of President is such a forward thinking, twenty first century event but at the same time there's a feeling of going back in time. A reclamation of national pride. It's been a long time since this many people even cared who won or lost. We've definitely made a huge step in the right direction and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Alright, I've taken up enough of your time. I have to get back to work. I'm super super sad that I'm not in a van right now driving to Omaha. We were already scheduled to leave. I definitely have more tears coming. But the decision to not go really wasn't a decision at all...staying home and working was in fact our only option. I'll really miss everybody so much and I can only look forward to next year. For now, thanks to all of you guys for being there for me. Me and Aaron are working hard to get things on track so we can really be there for all of you guys.
xoxo, Jenny