major catch up ..and some BIG news!

With this entry I can not-so-proudly announce that I've just beat my previous record for "worlds most delinquent blogger"!

I haven't posted in 24 days! For myriad reasons...none of which are excusable. You guys are there for me and I owe you some fresh stuff. Jeez...I've been an out and out truant! Forgive me.

 

 

 

Lot's of things have happened in the past 24 days and lots more will be happening in the next couple of months...but I'll lead up to that.  Let me first flash back to May 9th. That was me and Aaron's 15th anniversary. It's so very crazy how long we've been together and it dizzies us to even think of all the different phases we've been through. We've been self employed since like 1995 and life can be pretty interesting when you mix self employment and co-dependency/ co-working/co-habitation/co-creating/ girlfriend/boyfriend etc, etc... Ups and downs and ins and outs galore! Life will test you a lot, and luckily we've been able to pass those tests.

Anyway, we went out on the 9th and ate some insanely decadent food that seemed to weigh us both down for three days! On the 10th it was my baby brother Walt's 18th birthday!  It's funny, but Aaron knows Walt for almost as long as I do! So, for Walt's first milestone we piled into the family van and took to the streets of NYC for a shopping adventure. Walt is a sneakerfreak and a snappy dresser so I mapped out all the hottest sneaker spots and hipster clothing joints in Manhattan and we worked our way down the list on a beautifully mild Saturday. Those pics...one of Walt, one of Jay ( who has been doing great), were taken in a store called YRB . It's a huge store with about ten thousand t-shirts. We jokingly took the Walt photo to look like he was posing out on the graffiti covered meanstreets of NYC when in fact it's just a faux facade inside the store made to resemble such a scene. The day was long and fun and we finished it off with top notch brick oven pizza at Angelo's which is directly next door to David Letterman's Late Show theater.

The following and final day of that eventful, food filled weekend was Mother's Day. A huge and heavy brunch at Aaron's mom's house. Barb love's to entertain, so even though it was her day to relax she was still the hostess with the mostest! Great time! But come Monday the diet needed to be put back in place! It was like Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years combined in one weekend in May. With very warm weather approaching that kind of indulgence borders on illegal!

 

 

 

Ok, so my sister Missy...who now has a blog...and I'm excited to insert the link! Anyway, she just moved to a new apartment and it's fantastic. So perfect for her and I've been doing what I can to help her pull it together decor wise...painting, shopping, antiquing. Alright, so her apartment is in the carriage house of a big old house down the shore. One day a couple of weeks ago she's walking home from work (yeah, she lives within walking distance of her job!) and she sees on her front lawn a for rent sign. The unit in front of her in the big old house is for rent. To make a long story short...we signed the lease within days of this discovery. So we are officially moving. This is what I was referring to up above when I said that the next couple of months are gonna be busy. It seems spur of the moment but we've been dying to move. I'm posting pictures here of our current apartment as a sort of farewell, and to show you that we're gonna have to do some heavy duty sanding on all those wall stripes before we turn in the keys to this place. We did so much work here to make the place look right but so very much of it is smoke and mirrors. Our current apartment is essentially a box, with no character, moldings, natural light, cross ventilation, etc...Whereas the new place is all character, moldings, tons of windows, sea breezes, streets lined with big old trees, a big front porch, etc...and it happens to be within walking distance of Aaron's childhood bestfriend.

It's a huge new start for us. Moving conjures all sorts of mixed feelings. You get weirdly sentimental for the place you've spent the past dozen years in. Even though you know you gotta go...gotta move on to the next phase...you still get a little sad. I know I'll be over it as soon as I'm fully moved into the new place but it's a heavy time. Me and Aaron both keep thinking back to his car accident and the years of recovery spent right here. Which is actually the primary motivation for moving on. A couple of years ago...once we started to see a light at the end of the recovery tunnel, we both agreed that this place has seen too much of us...if that makes any sense. Too many tears were shed here. Too much pain was endured right here. We need a place free of memories in which we can forge brand new bright ones. The next few months will certainly be a financial strain due to deposits,  doubled up rent, and because it's an increase in rent (here I'll insert a truly tasteless hint to all of you compassionate would-be Everyday is a Holiday customers!!  shop away!!! ; )  )  But this move is more than necessary, and long over due. So on this blog expect lots of new home imagery and a whole new visual vibe in the months to come. One thing I'm psyched about is that we'll be able to reproduce our bathroom decor almost exactly in the new place...that's one room I want to carry over to the new apartment (vintage boardwalk/Jersey shore).  But lot's of other stuff is gonna change. And I'm sure there will be a drastic change in the art we create. There just has to be.

So, things are gonna be hectic for a while. If you're reading this and you're a patient customer waiting on a package...big thanks for your patience! We're trying our best.

 

Let's see...what else?...I owe you 24 days worth!

 

 

The other night we went into NYC to go see Aaron's favorite band of all time. They are virtually unknown but me and Aar have been devoted fans since their first album...circa 1997?...anyway, the band is called Firewater  but it's technically not a band, for the only constant member over the years has been one guy...the singer and sole songwriter named Tod A.

Each album is a like a whole new genre of music and Tod A. assembles a group of expert musicians to help bring his latest inspirations to life. The newest album is his most inspired yet. Four years ago, after being fed up with our country's foreign policy, the war etc... Tod decided to leave the US and live from city to city in the middle east. About a month ago Aaron got an email saying that Tod is back from his self imposed exile and he's got a new album (very much middle east inspired) and a tour. So Aar was at the record store on release day and my sister Missy pulled through with procuring tickets for the whole group of us. We danced like crazy at the show and afterward, out in front of the club Aar got to chat with and pose in this pic with Tod A.  Needless to say, Aaron was thrilled. It is his absolute favorite artist. It was truly a GREAT time! And Tod is just too too kind!

 

 

 

Ok, now some stuff... Some Birds of a Feather goodies. Fabulously packaged crepe paper trims! When you shop there it's probably best to buy double...half to use and half to keep on display on your crafting shelf. Everything  Heidi does makes me happy...always the prettiest stuff!!!

 

 

 

I gave Aaron these two prints as an anniversary gift. Hemingway and Fitzgerald...two of his faves. The new decor in the new place will work with these. In the past we did a lot in this color scheme and we're planning on heading back in that direction a bit. Aar, will be thrilled to tie literature into the new home decor.  I found them on Etsy in this fun (run by three sisters) shop , I am hoping to custom order some more authors soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did a one on one swap with my new friend Tammy whom I met through Flickr after seeing one of her amazing collage pieces and leaving a comment on it. She is a total sweetheart...a doll. Her work has the exact look that I love...the pattern, the composition, the feel, the aged quality. She channels the amazing Corey Moortgat in her pieces and who isn't a fan of Corey's? I am so honored to own a piece of Tammy's and plan on owning a bunch more. She is planning on opening an Etsy shop...big YAY! too bad, I will be absolutely broke for the next few months!! Tammy also sent the other fab stuff in the pics with her piece, it all came wrapped in the cute ticking stripe paper!

The other stuff you see, the super sweet pink and aqua metal photo corners, pom pom trim, and the sweet extras thrown in are from Shabby Scraps . It turns out, that she and Tammy actually live within hanging out distance of each other. How lucky!!! I can't wait to get settled in the new place so I can play at the crafting table with this stuff.

 

 

 

Lastly, another side of Aaron. He recently reunited with his band and they've got a big show scheduled in July. They were a band for ten years, since they were just kids, but in 2002 their guitar player/ best friend/ ersatz brother, Dave, lost a battle with cancer. They ended the band back then because Dave was the band. But just a couple of months ago Aaron got a phone call from the rest of the guys asking what he thought about trying to put it back together to record their's and Dave's unrecorded material and to play a big reunion show in their hometown on what would've been Dave's 34th birthday. Well theygot together in the studio and they feel really good about how they sound so they are back together for real. Not just a one time thing...they want to make a record, do a bunch of shows, etc...

It's very exciting because it's a really special thing that the four of them have together. It's their closest connection to Dave and when the four of them get in a room together...no matter how long they've been absent...it's like they never left...non stop laughs. Anyway, I posted these pics on Flickr a few days ago and got some very funny comments about the other side of crafty Aaron. By day his world is full of cupcakes and glitter...by night...look out!!

 

I swear I will post again soon. This was a long post but not long enough to make up for my truancy. Thanks for sticking around!

xoxo, Jenny

 

Englishtown Antiques...and the other usual suspects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah it's been a while...so sorry about that! My hands have been in the throes of painting/cutting/gluing/sanding. Just today Aaron went over to my cousin's house to finalize some wall painting designs for their nursery and my cousin told Aaron: "I'm starting to think that Jenny doesn't exist." Because Aaron has been over there like 4 times so far and not once was I able to break away to go with him. That's kinda the deal with me and Aar. You either get one or the other but almost never both, because one of us has to man the controls back home. Well last weekend I had Aaron hold the fort while me and my sister Missy took a trip to my favorite antique shop. I've brought this place up before but it bears repeating. It's in Englishtown, NJ and it occupies and old grocery store. And I mean a full size grocery store! I just can't begin to explain the depth of what you will find there but I say without exaggeration that it's stacked ceiling high. Curiosities and artifacts fill shelves, drawers, cabinets...things are stuffed, squished, piled, and filed in every inch of available space. If you have a few hours, a bottle of Purell, and a dream, you are very likely to walk away from there flush with treasures.

  It was a rainy cool day when we went and that's probably the best time to go. It was me, Missy and her teeny tiny Papillon named Jack. (Both pictured above...check out that tiny vintage shopping cart!) As soon as you walk in the door, which is your typical super market entrance vestibule, you are faced with a wall of yard long vintage photos. The kind that feature huge groups of people...swim teams, ballroom dancers, soldiers, women's auxiliary, etc... Unfortunately these are NFS. These have been there since the first time I ever went there years and years ago. The owner, Perry, keeps these as his private collection as well as the gigantic movie posters way high on the walls and this drop dead original peeling paint white armoire that I've wanted forever. NFS has been the story of my life. And by the way, that's a picture of Perry there with the sign listing the store policies above his head. The last on the list is my favorite: All children left unattended will be sold!!!! 

  Perry's daughter Leah runs the place and she is so so sweet. She's about my age and has spent her whole life in the world of antiques and collectibles. Leah told me that recently someone came in and mentioned that they heard of the place on my blog. That's so cool. So if you're out there reading this and you're the gal, shoot me a comment!

  On this trip to Englishtown I think I left with the least amount of stuff in my history of going there. I guess this mission was more about getting me out of the house and hunting for stuff for my sister's new apartment. She's got a Mexican/western theme going on and that can be really really fun stuff to shop for. Where my colors are pale pink and aqua, hers are bright pink and dark turquoise. You almost let your eyes find the color and then you figure out what the heck you're looking at. I do remember a couple of finds that I wanted for myself but then Missy rounded the corner and made the "but I want that" face so I easily relented and let her take it, knowing that my apartment is already full to the gills. I especially loved the tiny little cowboy boots, still caked with mud.

  I took some pics of the few things I managed to grab for myself. Two new pieces of tarnished silver...a compote and plate to add to my collection, as well as a tiny lil trophy style cup. A super cool styrofoam cap with a red, white and blue band. A bunch of glass Christmas ornaments that have nearly lost all of their color...I love that!...I may add some glass glitter to them. An old bottle brush tree...I plan on either painting it white or flocking it. The thread spools are from a previous day of antiquing but I thought they looked awesome in the compote so that's why they're pictured here. I love the grungy, aged patina of the thread and the pink cardboard center of the turquoise spool.

  The photo mosaic is a sampling of the stuff I got from Englishtown Antiques over the years. You would not believe the amount of cups, saucers, plates, glasses, and silverware. Furniture, rugs, kitchenware and room teeming with old books is where I always lose Aaron. He leaves with stacks of stinky old books every time. If you look around our apartment you will find 1-2 item from Englishtown in every corner of the place.

  Oh, and by the way. Now that Missy has her new apartment which has a big crafting room I made her promise to start blogging. She met so many people at Silver Bella and I'm often asked where the heck she disappeared to so now she'll be able to keep in touch and get in some swaps etc...here is a  link ...stop over and say hi!! Tell her Jenny sentcha!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend Anna sent this huge heavy box of stuff! First off, all this amazing melamine dinnerware. The colors are edible...like salt water taffy! The millinery bits are also part of the haul as well as a whole mess of vintage cards and this very cool plastic pink clown whistle, which lived on Anna's computer monitor for almost a year but she's a sort of foster parent when it comes to good stuff. She lets things pass on to another place to live with new eager parents. There's actually way too much stuff to show and tell about...as always. Anna is the best personal shopper a gal could have. She never sends duds. I soooo wish she had a blog. Her scribbled notes and sharp quips and opinions that fill front and back of old yellowed envelopes and cards are just so fun to read. I could only imagine what she'd let lose in blog format. The wit and wisdom of Anna would be blog gold! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A while back I showed you pictures of my page for the itty bitty robins egg blue book. Well the finished book has arrived. It really is itty bitty but man is this little gal FAT! I could stare and stare at each page. So many people put in so much work. The trims and glitter and charms are too much. It's really so cool to flip through and let each tiny piece of art engage you. Mary Ann  was the host and she totally went above and beyond to make this a magical little keepsake that you can have foreverand ever.

 

 

 

 

  Cerri and I swapped way back. It was the For the Love of Supplies Swap that Artsy Mama hosted. I actually missed the deadline for sign ups but Cerri agreed to take me on as her partner. I showed you what I sent her awhile back and now I can show you her end. Right around swap time Cerri's life got a bit busy so I had to wait a bit for my package but that was absolutely no problem and as you can see...it was WELL worth the wait! I love everything so much! The tin is so fab...it sits on our mantel right now. And inside every bit and piece is so up my alley! Love everything Cerri! I'd swap again anytime!

 

 

 

 

 I thought I'd get a jump on summer and show our newest 4 x 4 plaque. We hope to do a lot more summer stuff...well, ever year we hope to but by the time we get around to it...bam, September. Well at least we got this little guy done. I love the denim-look trim. What's more American than blue jeans? We hope to have it listed on Etsy later tonight!

 

 

 

One last thing before I go and try to grab myself a walk in the park. This sign was commissioned by the super sweet husband of the amazingly sweet & talented Analise. It was a total surprise for her as well as a ton of other stuff he pulled off for her big day. Sugar Sugar is the name of her business and me and Aar were thrilled to do this sign because her work is just so inspiring and perfect and we'd love any connection to the magic. Getting the colors right was easy squeezy since we seem to share a common palette.   

 

Ok, thank you all for your patience with me. I hope to post again before the weekend because it's gonna be a busy one. Me and Aar's 15th anniversary, Walt's 18th birthday, and Mother's Day! Whew! Three in a row!

 

See ya soon!

xoxo Jenny

 

Oh....before I go..some Flickr eye candy...and a happy little vignette here in our apt.