Boy oh boy!

Yep! I blinked and here we are....the day before New Years' Eve! Proof that Aaron and I have been swirling around and around in a tornado of work, family, work, family, and more work! We are both sooo looking forward to pushing the restart/refresh button tomorrow night! ;) 2010 will be our year!...yours too? We are very excited about restructuring and regrouping.

For now, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very very Happy, Healthy, FUN New Year!!! I look forward to visiting with you all more often..here and on YOUR blogs as well!! I miss you all so much!!

I'll be back on New Year's Day...shiny and NEW!! :) Luv ya!!

xoxo Jenny

ohh....here are some happy pretty mosaics I put together with fave flickr pics!!

My oh My where did the time go?

Hello hello, and happy holidays my sweet friends!! It has been so so long since I last checked in! So sorry for that. Life has been quite tornado like the past few months. I have a bunch of cool stuff to share with you...exciting news too! But for now, I just wanted to check in, to tell you that I still have a pulse....and to let you know that the Holiday Edition of Joli Paquet is in full swing!! Today was day one of the kit previews. You MUST stop on by for lots of holiday fun, ideas, recipes, and inspiration! Kits will be listed for Sale over the next few days. Here is a lil peek at what we will be offering:

"Happy Little Holiday Tree Collage"

It is a DIY collage kit on canvas featuring a print of our original vintage bottle brush tree painting! Mica Flakes, crystal glitter, tinsel trim, ribbon, and ric rac! Bring on the lights, cocoa, and mod podge!! :) This kit is super easy ..and FAST! :)

I'll be back tomorrow with some fun stuff! I've missed you all to bits!!

Happy Happy Holidays!!!

xoxo Jenny

Local Treasure Hunting & Joli Paquet

Most of the time I feel like a kid. And I know I'm not alone in this. In your day to day life how often do you feel like: "when I grow up I'll... (insert some responsibility here) " I mean, I don't exactly feel like a kid. It's more like a feeling of incompleteness or being undone...not fully baked yet. Not in a bad way though. I mean, it's probably a good thing to feel as if you haven't yet become the person you will one day be. You should always feel like you've got something to work up to. And you know, I guess I do literally feel like a kid sometimes. Over the years, me and Aaron have both often felt like: "isn't it weird that we live here all by ourselves?...there are no parents, it's just us." Even though we've been living together on our own since we were 19 years old...you just get that feeling sometimes. You're looking around for the adult supervision.
Maybe you guys with kids are having some trouble relating to my pitch here. You guys can't exactly afford to feel like kids I guess. Or maybe not...maybe it's the same for you. Anyway, it's a funny feeling and often I feel like I'll be a kid forever.....But last Friday both me and Aar felt 100% the opposite of that. Man, we felt like ADULTS.
Let me illustrate....me and Aar work like crazy. All day, all night. When we're lucky, we get to take a late night walk. We never even get to watch movies. We have Netflix, and sometimes the same two unwatched dvd's sit on top of our dvd player for over two months straight. Aaron runs the errands...the grocery store, Home Depot, Michaels, A.C. Moore, the post office...and it takes up a lot of time, but at the same time, he feels like he'd go crazy without these brief forays into the civilized world. Anyway, you get the picture. All work and no play makes Jenny & Aaron a dull girl & boy.

So last week we saw a story in the newspaper about the latest craze in Japanese dining: Bubble Tea. It's this fantastic cold beverage made with tea, cream, various flavors, and floating around down at the bottom of the glass there are a whole bunch of marble sized tapioca beads. Bubble Tea isn't exactly new...we've seen it at places in NYC for quite a while...but it's new to New Jersey. And the restaurants that serve it are drawing in great business just because they've got Bubble Tea. So the newspaper article listed all the places that serve Bubble Tea in our area. One place was in the food court of a nearby mall. So that was it for us...Friday night, we shed our paint covered clothes and made a date for the mall food court. To make a long story less long, let me sum up the trip. We ate food from a Chinese food chain called Panda Express, it was great. We went to the pet store and looked at puppies. We walked around the mall and looked at all the teens and the crazy fashion they've got going on nowadays...they all look exactly the same! We walked around Borders books. And then we finished the night with some Bubble Tea. I got almond and Aaron got coconut. The stuff was fantastic! Drinking a liquid with solids in it took a little getting used to at first, they give you a jumbo straw to drink it with so that you can suck up those huge tapioca beads...it's just a fun drink...those tapioca beads are hilarious... and it's delicious. Anyway, here's the point of the whole story: for once, We Felt Old. We Felt like Adults. We were utterly exhausted at the end of the night and felt like we partied hard. Yet all we did was walk around a mall and eat some food at the food court. We drove home and we were cracking up at the idea of it. We felt like total grown ups! Total senior citizens!

Ok, so we got some time outta the house and it felt great. And the next morning we got out some more. This was a record for us. Two outings within the same weekend. Saturday morning was the Asbury Park City Wide Yard Sale. Asbury Park is the next town over from us and it's one of those city's that's on the rise. Way back in the day it was once a dazzling city on the shore. Then, it became not so nice. But as of late it's experiencing a cultural revolution. The big old houses that got all chopped up and turned into multi unit rentals, are now getting bought up by creative people with vision and getting converted back into the big old one family houses they were meant to be. Condos are going up down at the water front. Cool shops galore have opened...art galleries, night clubs, restaurants...it's really on the fast track to being the seaside jewel that it once was. So, the city wide yard sale was a must for us. The weather could not have been any better...a perfect Fall day! And part of the net proceeds of the yard sales went to charity. 10% of sales would go to Rescue Ridge animal shelter. A shelter that takes in cats and dogs that are deemed unadoptable. This place works tirelessly with these animals to rehabilitate them and place them in loving homes. Amazing! The whole city wide event was organized by a gal named Sonja. (see picture of the cute blonde gal in the Paul Frank shirt) And it just so happened that the 2nd yardsale we went to was at Sonja's house. We were shopping around, and she asked us how our shopping was going and then we found out that she was the gal who put the whole thing together. In case you're interested, here's a link to the Rescue Ridge website. Sonja did an amazing job. It was so very well planned. We had a print out listing every participating address. And every house on the list had a cool sign posted out front. Some houses were even hosting pet adoptions right there that day. So cool! We got some good stuff. One little piece of furniture that will one day go to the right of our computer set up. It's the perfect organizer for paperwork...invoices, "shipped", "to be shipped"...etc and you know we need it! It needs a lot of work though, but that's what we do. Our first job ever...right out of highschool was furniture restoration. We did it for over ten years. So I promise to do an online tutorial on it with great before and after photos. When me and Aar go Yard Sale-ing it's not even about the purchases. I mean, we like to find good stuff, but I think it's more about the experience. We did get some good stuff though. This super duper fantastic pink and creme serving set...it actually came with a lazy susan underneath! I could never bring my self to call it a chip and dip set. I'm not sure if I'm going to use it for edibles or craftables. Also got a sweet pink apron, a set of shelves that we're gonna paint...which I'll show before and after pictures of in the future. Maybe a couple other little things.Not a ton of stuff, but like I said, we're into just getting out and getting air.
On the other hand, my sister Missy is all about the purchases. She always comes home with a stockpile of stuff. (see Missy checking out one of her purchases - a handmade toy chest that looks like a train car. I wanted it too but I let her have it! wink!) She wasn't able to do the whole day with us because she had to go into work but when she left us she gave us a budget to spend on her if we were to see stuff she had to have. And we found stuff she had to have! Including, some amazing baked goods! A gal by the name Annie Feinstein had a table set up with her husband and adorable daughter selling deelish stuff! (the above mentioned pink & cream serving set came from Annie's yardsale.) We got ridiculously good cream puffs which we popped in our mouths on the way to the car, brownie-like chocolate cookies, some little apricot and raspberry filled cookies. Not your typical yard sale fare...then again, what the heck is typical yard sale fare? The last thing I expected when walking up to this house was a table set up with gourmet sweets. I said to Annie's husband: "oh, kill me now." It was great stuff. She's a professional baker for parties, events, whatever. If you're local and want to order some dazzling baked goods, get in touch with me for Annie's contact info.

Even though it was a city wide yard sale, me and Aar are quite fast and efficient. We were done with the yard sales and still had a ton of daylight left. It had been a loooong time since we had been to the Antique shops down in Point Pleasant so that's where we headed for old time's sake. Point Pleasant is a beach town with one of the best boardwalks in Jersey. We go there for 4th of July every year, and it's where we met up with Jennifer Hayslip over the summer. But we haven't done the antiquing part of Point Pleasant in years. We just never have the time, and I feel guilty saying it, but online shopping has greatly reduced my antique shop shopping...with the exception of my trips to Englishtown, which I've blogged about at length in the past. So we figured we were due for a trip down to Point Pleasant. Got some great pot holders in all my fave colors. I too am a part of the current crochet craze. I've always loved them, but right now it feels like I NEED them. I'd love to have a wall full of them. After the antique shops we headed for The Book Bin, one of Aaron's favorite used book stores. Sadly, it is now defunct. Maybe it's been for years...that's how little we get out. Then we spotted a little store named Summerhouse. We walked in and it took us a minute to gather our heads. When we shop locally, save for a couple amazing shops like Parcel up in Montclair, and Bodega Shoppe in Asbury Park, we usually plan on being underwhelmed. I don't mean this in a mean way...but you know how it is. Not too many shops get it. There is a whole bunch of middle-of-the-road stuff out there. I usually walk into a store and say "oh, cute. I'd buy that candle". Never do I say "WOW! I'll take one of everything!" I walked into Summerhouse and really, I was just not expecting it. My eyes first met a drop dead Halloween vignette with a mini typewriter under a cloche and these perfect little black birdcages with ravens and skulls and little black and amber bottles of poison. I said "wow!" and then I took in the whole shop. I was in the presence of a blogger...I just knew it. This shop was filled with all the stuff I love...All the stuff WE love! We, meaning me and you readers. The stuff that only us who are in the know, know about. How did this stuff end up in my neck o' the woods? And then I took out my camera and approached the proprietress behind the counter. I said, I need to take pics for my blog, can I? And she said "sure, what blog is that?" and before I could even finish the phrase Everyday is a Holiday, she said "I read your blog."... and then a few more questions back and forth and but of course, we were both speaking the same language. We knew all the same names, places, events, etc...A Blogland buddy opened up shop just a hop skip away from me! Joanna Madden & Kathe VanHarte have the most fantastic shop! They're a mother and daughter team and they are friends with a local blogland friend of mine, Kecia Deveney , who they drove out to the Country Living fest with! Small world! And it was one of those rare shops where I did want one of everything! (though I'm a girl of shallow pockets) I got some flash cards I've been coveting forever. A great little vintage inspired french notebook. And a handful of great vintage photos. We definitely are going to set something up with them. A trunk show or something. And maybe a little tour group trip during Art Opera.

Summerhouse

715 Arnold Ave.

Point Pleasant Beach

N.J. 08742

732-295-1800

Ok, I know you all want to kill me for these absurdly long blog entries but I've got one last thing to mention. Joli Paquet! We are thrilled to be a part of it this year. I'm a lover of Pretty Little Kits and I know you guys are too. Our Halloween kit is now for sale! Go to our Etsy shop to pick one up, and go to the Joli Paquet blog to see all the other great kits for sale. We've been wanting to make this kit for a long time...it's titled: Salem Academy for Witches & Warlocks. You'll have a ton of fun making it and it'll be a fab addition to your annual holiday decorating. And the fun doesn't stop there....join the Joli Paquet flickr group and post pics of your completed kits, holiday decor, etc...

Alright, I'm exhausted and I bet you are downright spent. Thanks so so much again for reading! Happy Fall! xoxo Jenny

I'll take a slice of Autumn a la mode

Me and the boys just got back from our nightly walk. ("The boys"...aka: Aaron, the man in my life & Carlos the chihuahua in my life.) We're smack dab in the center of yet another beautiful weather cycle here in Jersey. Well, maybe not in the center...it's actually looking like the tale end of a gorgeous week...tomorrow it's sure to rain. But tonight, WOW! We walked down to the ocean as we always do, and the wind was a relentless, massive force whipping the waves frothy white. Where there was once a big wide expanse of beach, tonight all that was left was a mere sliver of sand between the ocean and the boardwalk. But like I said, the weather was fantastic...this was a GOOD wind! We took a seat on a bench and just let the tempest engulf us. Carlos was hilarious...we were all bunched together and he just buried his face in our necks...he's such a cuddly little guy...and he has to hide those gigantic chihuahua eyeballs from the wind! I don't know if I've mentioned it before but Carlos has this insanely funny habit when he takes these long walks with us. Every once in a while he will stop dead and look up at us, tail-a-waggin'...and do you know what he's waiting for?!....a BACK RUB! I kid you not! Well, it's what we've titled a "back rub"...which is a super firm petting of his back, butt, and shoulders. He pauses and I say, "Oh, you need a back rub?!" and then me and Aar bend down and massage away. After the rub, he darts! We have to run a few steps with him because he's so excited. He stops for back rubs about six times per walk! And the stops occur at nearly the same exact locations every night. He is a complete crack up!
So yeah, I'm back indoors and I can hear the rain starting right now, perfect timing. Don't worry, I'm ending the weather portion of this post very soon. I realize that some of you are still in the midst of stifling heat and that my talk of the perfect weather in my neighborhood may begin to sound like bragging. Aaron was on the phone the other day with a friend of ours from Texas, Melanie...and she asked if we could box up some of the Jersey weather and ship it to her because she's still sweltering.
But it's time for the heat to move on...somebody better forward the memo through the proper channels. And I've got a fantastic debut that illustrates just how much I've moved on from summer. For real, gimme Fall, Autumn, back to school, football season, Halloween...not quite Thanksgiving yet...I can wait for that. I just want Early fall. The AC is off but the heat aint on yet. But maybe, if we get a chilly evening, we'll heat up the home with the oven. A little residual warmth from the baking of a classic Apple Pie! Insert Painting Here:

(sorry about the watermark...but we've had some meanies steal our work in the past)




I know that I always, always say that I'm excited about something or other. And it's always the truth...I promise. But this time my excitement is tripled, maybe quadrupled! I've wanted to paint a slice of apple pie forever! I know that we are known for things that are pink and frosted. The Cakey side of sweets. But deep down, both me and Aar are Pie People. We die for a good crust. One day we want to do like Kerouac and drive across the country ordering Apple Pie in every state. It's funny, in the world of sweets you almost have to choose a side...are you Cakes & Cupcakes? or are you Pies? And speaking of...after you go to our etsy shop, you have to make another stop at Cakespy and check out Jessie's painting which so adorably illustrates the age old conflict between Cake & Pie. I LOVE her work! So yeah, this painting you see here was an absolute labor of love! Our aim was to not just paint a slice of pie, but to capture the world in which a slice of classic Apple Pie would ideally exist. The easy way would've been to go with the retro diner feel, but we were thinking Grandma's house...vintage wallpaper...perfect country cottage colors and patterns...all washed in antique sepia. And there's some pink in there too...but you have to look closely. We see this as the crossover piece. This is the least cutesie of our sweets collection...we think this one can slide into even the most conservative decor. So many times we hear about a husband who would like the home decor to be toned down a bit. It's really funny to hear that our pink cupcakes are practically "smuggled" into homes across the country. Well, I think this piece can walk right through the front door. And it's not just a kitchen piece...I see this as the bridge that carries sweets into the house proper. Jeez, I sound like a sales pitch! Which I assure you...is not my real motivation. It's just that this is the way I look at art. Decor comes first and foremost for me and when we paint, it's a thought that is in the front and center of our minds. We always consider the world in which our paintings will live. Look closely at the details of this piece...we gave it a lot of texture...right down to the tiny black specs of vanilla bean in the ice cream. We're doing this piece in a variety of ways... two sizes of matted prints and two sizes of wooden plaques. And this one happens to reproduce really well. The actually painting and the prints look identical when side by side. We've got the 8 x 10 plaque version hanging in our kitchen...that's my personal fave. So many of you guys have been asking me when in the world I'm going to paint some Apple Pie?!...Well, I hope I pulled through.

In addition to this warm Apple Pie a la mode we've got the shop stocked with our classic Halloween artwork...available as matted prints in both 8 x 10 and 5 x7 and as mini plaques and 8 x 10 plaques. We've always loved painting Halloween stuff...I'm not sure if it's number one on our list, but it's very very close. At no other time of year and in no other context am I OK with the color orange...it just doesn't really work for me. But come Fall, and I welcome orange with open arms.
Alright, I guess that's all for now...look for an Apple Pie die-cut very soon! Thanks so so much for checking out our newest artwork. Because really, I've got you guys in mind throughout the entire design and creation process. And super duper thanks to all you guys who left comments on the last post. I really really appreciate the encouragement and the positive feedback! OK, 'til next time...xoxo, Jenny

What a difference a day makes

For better or for worse, we can define ourselves by how we live through a single day...a mere 24 hours...a few of which are spent asleep. But in the 16-18 waking hours we show our true selves. Simply put: who are we? we are the day which stands before us. It's a really easy way to look at life. Looking at life this way can shrink thinks into a manageable shape and size. I'm not saying that I 100% subscribe to this notion...I mean, I'd LOVE to...I wish I could see things like that. But unfortunately, that worrisome part of our brains will take over. We'll pile everything up...a weeks worth of stuff, a month's worth, a year's worth...We'll worry not only about what we have to do tomorrow and next week but we'll also dissect and cross examine everything we've done yesterday and last week. But in a perfect world, we could define ourselves, assess ourselves, judge ourselves by how well we walk through TODAY.
Well, it wouldn't be a perfect world really...because sometimes you can have a real crappy day. But I'm trying to be positive here, so lets focus on the good days. The days when you go to sleep and can say...I did pretty good today...Ya know?! I know I'm no Thomas Edison here, with this age old concept. I too have seen the "One Day at a Time" bumper stickers for my entire life. But cliches are cliches for a reason...because at one time, they were fresh and profound truths.
So yes, that's where I'm trying to be mentally. Handle the day, beat the day, love the day, rule the day...whatever operative word suits you best. The day is yours and it's just the right size...so do with it what you want.

And Tuesday, I did just that! The weather was nothing short of magical. Brief pause here...before I go on about the weather... As I've stated here before: I love Facebook. I've done my best to talk it up to any of you guys who have yet to sign up because it really is a fabulous tool for keeping up with friends near and far. And what's great is that a lot of you have taken my advice and we've been seeing each other daily in the Facebook universe. And this is what I'm getting at...Have any of you noticed that the absolute most popular topic to talk about is THE WEATHER! Seriously, it's so so funny. A gal in Connecticut will type "the sky is so dark, it's almost black...just about to rain cats and dogs!" and then watch out! From Jersey to San Diego to Portland, Oregon people will come outta the woodwork to add their two cents about what the weather is like in their vicinity. You can scroll and scroll down the page and read minute to minute updates of what the weather is doing in each individual Facebooker's neck of the woods. Forever, in movies, books, tv, we've attached "weather talk" to the elderly. But from my daily visits to Facebook I've learned that the weather is pretty much the hottest topic there is, regardless of age, race, or gender. It's a total crack up! Go on Facebook and test it out...just make a mention of what it looks like out your window and watch how many people pipe in!
So ok, back to my story about Tuesday. After yet another weekend of steamy rain here in Jersey the weather broke and we could sleep air conditioner free for the first time in months. Also, we were able to open up all the windows in the entire apartment and work to the sound of the breeze in the trees. What's really cool is that this drastic weather change came on September the first! It felt like quintessential September weather. It was as if, all of the sudden, the weather was no longer an act of nature, but a man made, man controlled utility. Like some guy looked at the calendar, said "oh, it's September 1st...let me turn the temp. dial to 60 degrees." It was the most absolute PERFECT weather. My favorite kind...60 something degrees maybe 70, light breeze, very sunny. Perfect weather for a visit to your local park. And apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so...The park was bustling with life. Everyone and their mother and their dog was there. We spent a busy day packing boxes, right up 'til about 5:40, which is the cut-off time in order for Aaron to load the boxes into the car and make it to the big post office a town over which closes at 6:00. After that, Aar swung back home, picked up me and our beloved Carlos, and off we went to Joe Palaia Park. It's a 250 acre beautiful piece of multi faceted nature nestled right into a neighborhood very near to us. There are thick woods, meadows, streams, little swamps, sports fields, and a paved fitness path that snakes it's way around the entire 250 acres. It was an absolutely soul cleansing experience. Within the span of 50 yards we observed a gigantic turkey vulture, adorable bunnies, and a couple families of deer. All of these animals linger within steps of the pedestrian path as if they're there specifically for our viewing pleasure. And Carlos is thrilled to see any four legged creature. He goes bananas! He barks at some of the other dogs but mostly he wants to get near them and play play play. All three of us had a blast, worked up a big appetite, ate dinner , and then came home to work the night shift part of our day. But that brief respite in the great outdoors made the work a lot easier. Which brings me to my next cluster of blog thoughts.
Work. Work. Work. As I've previously blogged, we had a small feature in the NY Times. It was absolutely fabulous. But there is always a downside right? In this case the downside is that our Everyday is a Holiday corporation consists of Me & Aaron in a small apartment. No matter how many orders we get, how many emails there are to answer, it is still just me and Aaron. We work round the clock and wear way too many hats. The emails alone take hours and hours. And then, it's not just the work that we have to do...there's so much preparation work we must do before we can have the luxury of sitting down to mat up prints and make plaques and cut out die-cuts. For instance, Aaron has to go buy the lumber, then go cut the lumber, fill it and sand it before he can bring it home and turn it into plaques...and the same goes for all the supply shopping, trips to the post office, trips to the printer, etc...Don't worry, I'm not gonna bore you all to death with vivid descriptions of our hard work. I know all of us work hard and we've all got our war stories. If all of us were to sit in circle and throw our problems into a pile in the center...and then we were told that we can go ahead and take any of the problems that were there in the pile in place of our own...well, I believe that each and every one of us...if given that choice, would say, "no thanks, I think I'll take back my own."
The only reason I bring up the hard work and the lack of social life and sleep is because this beautiful change in weather has got me thinking about change. Of course me and Aaron can't go on and on like this. I've brought this topic up on Facebook and a couple friends of mine said they were going through the same growing pains. What they did to help with their problems was to hire some help. And they said it's been working great. For us, that's not the answer...first, we'd never be able to afford it and second, it's just not the answer we're looking for. We just have to change what we do in some ways. I'm not really sure how yet but I'm certain that we will make some changes. I'm just so utterly grateful for our customers. Our buyers have had the patience of saints. Everyone has been so so nice. We really put a lot of care into what we do...when we get busy, by no means does the quality suffer in any way...just the time frame. I love to make things for people. I love that these pieces will hang on their walls and brighten their days. I feel absolutely blessed that I'm able to provide that for the fantastic people out there who choose to collect our art.

Anyway, I'm glad that September is here, and I'm thrilled that mother nature chose to so blatantly announce it's arrival with this gorgeous weather! And I wanted to announce that our Halloween stuff is back by popular demand and is in the shop ready for pre-orders, meaning we'll take orders now and ship Sept. 10-12. There is a slight esthetic difference with our Halloween plaques. We now take the image all the way to the edge of the board...the images are full-bleed. There will no longer be the thin black border on front. The edges of the board will still be painted black but you won't see it from the front. We made this switch with all of our plaques...we just like the way this looks so much more. We're showing last years photos because I just haven't gotten around to photographing the new ones. Also we now have a special offer on our Die-cuts. There is a special listing in our Etsy shop ...any 3 die-cuts for 46 dollars. It adds up to a pretty good savings and best of all, it includes our brand new Halloween die-cuts!! We are flipping for these! I absolutely love 'em...especially the Charlotte one with the mask on! But when I look at her next to the one with the witch hat on top I think that it's imperative that you get the pair. And I'm not saying that as a sales lady...I'm speaking from a strictly esthetic standpoint. Oh, and besides the Halloween stuff, we've got more new die-cuts. A fantastic Jumbo slice of Red Velvet Cake and a Red Velvet Cupcake! Again...how can you not get the pair?! We've got this stock pile of pastel stuff in our line and little by little we're trying to create stuff for the Red lovers out there. There's nothing like a classic red kitchen and we'd love to be able to contribute our art to you fab folks out there who rock the red! And lastly...our Charlotte cupcake...maybe you didn't recognize her in that mask. Here she is, the silly girl, sitting pretty atop a pink buttercream frosted cupcake. What I like about this one is that Charlotte kinda takes the idea of a cupcake out of the kitchen and brings it into the living room...which is exactly where we have her hanging.
So, I'm gonna wrap things up here. Please take advantage of the die-cut deal and definitely grab some Halloween stuff. Those are some of my absolute favorite paintings of ours! Thanks so much again for reading...fingers crossed that those dog days of summer don't come back for a "hey remember me?!" visit! You guys are the absolute best! xoxo, Jenny

P.S....and a very fun P.S. it is... My sis opened an etsy shop!! Come check her out!! why not pop by her blog and say hi as well!! :)

BIG NEWS! ...and a winner!

Every single time that I sit down to write a blog post I first go back and re-read the comments from the previous entry. And honestly, don't take this the wrong way...but this time I think I owe myself a pat on the back! Let me explain...by asking you guys to list your top three blogs I think we've collectively compiled one of the single most useful, resourceful, and informative pages in blogland. You guys seriously BROUGHT IT! Not only did you thoughtfully and carefully list your top three but a lot of you included brief 'whys & what fors'. I just think that if someone out there was a newbie to blogland and they stumbled upon my last post and then clicked on "comments"... they would be absolutely swimming in great places to go. Heck...you don't even have to be a newbie. There are so many fave blogs listed that I think the most seasoned vet is bound to see a handful they've never seen before!

So WOW...super huge thanks to you guys who took the time to really share. So many of your comments are lengthy...just the way I like them...and believe me, I understand the value of time!
I love just reading through, copy/pasting the urls and seeing where they lead. I held the giveaway, first of all, because I thought we were due for one. And secondly, because I really wanted to pick the brains of my readers. Tara Frey's awesome book (Blogging for Bliss) got me thinking of it. Speaking of....I hope everyone went out and bought it! What an amazing book! She did a phenomenal job. I don't have the time to do a full-on book review right here and I don't need to...that book is gonna sell huge no matter what. I just wanted to mention what a diverse spectrum of blogs Tara's book covers but yet it's so utterly cohesive! Just like all the top threes that you guys listed...All so different but they all connect in some way or another. And do you know what the connection is? Do you know what makes Tara's book work so well? Do you know what makes this blog... and your favorite blogs work? Do you know what keeps 'em runnin'? (And please don't take this in a corny way) ... but the answer is: YOU! I'll explain a bit further
I just love this medium, this artform, this means of communication. So many of you who are reading this, also write a blog of your own...and you have readers who are also bloggers and so on and so on and so on. I feel like this world that we're all a part of is like the least pretentious of all. But first, before I go further down this road I have to address a truism or two. There's always been the cliche of "my online friends". Daughters roll their eyes at their mom's for having "online friends" and mom's roll their eyes at their daughters for having "online friends"... it's a cliche as old as the internet. There's this idea that this is all FAKE. And don't get me wrong...in many many cases, that is absolutely the truth! The negative connotations tied to "online friends" became a cliche, because like most cliches...there is a whole lot of truth to it. There are a ton of people out there who will fabricate a larger than life perfected persona that they use online in order to feel "special". You know the story...you've seen it a hundred times. And whatever, who am I to judge...if somebody needs to make up a fantasy persona just to get through the day...so be it. But I feel like this little online niche we've carved out is sometimes more REAL than our "real" lives.
Maybe it's based on the creativity that runs like a beautiful trickling stream through the blogs we all read and write. As diverse as we are, what really ties us together is art. I mean, we're not having health care debates or discussions about foreign policy. We're all essentially talking about, in some form or another: the creative life. And I think the creative life we live probably more accurately describes who we are than the boring day to day stuff we fill our lives with. We're not our car problems, our health problems, our weight problems, our money problems. We don't define ourselves by how we do dishes or take out the garbage etc... All that is just the stuff that takes up our time and fills our days whether we like it or not. Who we are for REAL is who we WANT to be. And I think our creative selves are so much more closely tied to who we WANT to be. So when we blog about the art we're creating or the art we're buying, or the classes we're taking in order to become better artists, or the way we hang the art that we love on our walls, etc. etc. etc. I think that that's who we really are. All that other stuff in life...the BAD news or the mundane news that we're leaving out...Well, we leave it out because we're telling it who's boss. We're not gonna let it own us. We're not falsely glossing over the less than glamorous aspects of life in order to look good. No, we've just got an unspoken code. All of us know that each and every one of us has that bad and mundane stuff going on...but why talk about it? Instead...check out this handmade jewelry I just bought!

And all of this leads to my next story...where blog life and real life intersect. Last weekend, a great blog friend, turned real life friend, came up to vacation here at the Jersey Shore. All the way from Macon, Georgia our dear friend Jennifer Hayslip of the blog Sweet Eye Candy Creations. We first met online a couple of years ago. We had very similar tastes in art & collectibles and both shared a passion for a pastel color palette. Then we met in person at Silver Bella. Jenn actually took one of the classes we taught, so it was really cool to actually get crafty together. Of course at an event like Silver Bella it's so hard to get actual one on one time. You plan for it for months, then you get there and you are all of the sudden seeing a thousand faces that you've previously only viewed through your computer monitor. It's a whirlwind. So anyway, just by sheer coincidence we found out that Jenn would be vacationing with friends, pretty much right down the road from us. Despite our super busy schedule and backed up orders, we just had to make time to at least meet up for dinner. And, in a rare display of normal social behavior, we actually did it! We met up for dinner with Jenn, her husband Curtis, and her friends Dawn and Craig. As always, we brought my sister Missy along, (she's part of the package). We had a blast and I'm thrilled that we actually left our four walls to do it. I think it was the second time we left our apartment all summer! We only got to meet up for dinner, but it was a great time and I think we got to know each other so much better. We got that little one on one time we needed. Since it's really Jenn's story and Jenn's vacation you should go to her blog to see and read all the details of her trip told in the way only she can tell it.

And now for a HUGE and Super big deal announcement!!!

I'm talking about something called: Art Opera 2010! This is a dream come true for us! A couple of years ago, as I said above, me and Aaron taught classes at Silver Bella in Omaha, Nebraska...and as I've said many times before, it was an absolute blast. Besides the actually classes, which were amazing, and vendor night, which was mind blowing...it was all those brief in between moments that were really so memorable. Meeting all the people we knew only in a digital sense. The names that we had been writing on boxes and envelopes were now standing before us in the flesh. Eating dinner in the hotel restaurant and suddenly Maija Lepore sits down to our table. Sharing an elevator ride with Hope and Melfie. Going out to brunch with TeresaMcFayden, Charlotte Lyons, Heather Bullard, Carolyn Peeler. Just too much fun. Great memories. Well, a little while back we were contacted by Lisa Kettell and she told us about Art Opera 2010. A great big art extravaganza, with classes, a vendor fair, in a luxurious hotel with amazing river views, in very close proximity to the best antiquing and shopping around etc etc...And guess what?! She asked if we'd like to be instructors!...And....it's right here in New Jersey! Right in the town we lived in for like a dozen years! Beautiful Red Bank, New Jersey! For real, the best antique shops ever...we actual were antique dealers there for a little while, we had a booth in a giant, rickety old building full of 10 by 10 stalls. There are about a million restaurants, spas, salons, shops, great coffee bars, forget it! And it's in close proximity to NYC for anybody who was willing to stay an extra day or two for a jaunt into Manhattan. Lisa Kettell, if you do not know her...take one visit to her blog and you'll see that everything she touches is Magic. She's a published author,(Altered Art Circus) started The Faerie Zine, she does amazing stuff and so much of it...super duper prolific...AND....she's a Jersey Girl! For so long she's been dying to have a giant art event right here in our home state. Even though we're in Jersey and it's so close to NYC, the capitol of the world...we somehow feel like we have to travel great distances to go to a big art event. Lisa wanted to bring the art right here to the east coast. And she is the perfect ambassador. She's hosted so many successful events and has more contacts than you can imagine. We are so insanely honored that she chose us to be instructors. And I'm announcing this now because signs up are so very soon...maybe within the next 24-48 hours or so. I'll let the formal announcement tell you who the teachers are exactly and all the other details. For now I just wanted to get the word out that me and Aaron will be there and our classes will be amazing. We've got two of 'em planned out and they are sure to be the best stuff we've done yet. Of course we'll be there as vendors as well....and like I made mention of above. We want to take advantage of the close proximity to NYC. We're thinking we can rent a little shuttle bus that Aaron can drive if need be and we'll plan a shopping trip/cupcake crawl into New York for anybody that wants to add an extra day to their Art Opera trip. We're of course just in the early planning stages for that but Art Opera itself will be up and running within a day or so. It will take place in early spring of 2010...which seems far away, but I'm sure it will pop up like it's tomorrow once we've got it inked on our calendar. Again, I'll let you check out the official announcement for all the real deal nitty gritty details. The instructor line-up is outstanding! Such an accomplished and diverse group. Believe me, you'll be making reservations as soon as you get the go-ahead! I just can't even wait!!

Oh, and before I sign off....I have to pick a winner for the give-away. Again, thanks so much to all of you for really participating! And super thanks to all of you new followers/sweethearts! And now for the winner!

Jerusalem hoooray!!!!

You get one of our brand new Favorite Photos plaques! Actually, you get to pick the one you want! So let us know which one and we'll send it out! Thanks so so much again! I hope to see you at Art Opera! xoxo, Jenny