It is One World One Heart time again!!!

Time to make lots of new friends..and possibly win some FUN stuff!!!

We're back again for One World One Heart! And we are very psyched to give something away to a lucky winner out there. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and on Feb.12th we'll select the blogger who gets one of these brand new Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake prints!

For a while now we've been doing larger format 100% handpainted versions of our Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake piece. But now we're psyched to debut it in a variety of colors as a ready to frame 8" x 10" matted print. It also comes on a 3/4" wooden plaque in two different sizes: 8" x 10" or 5 1/2" x 7".

The selected winner will get to choose the format, size, and color.

color choices shown are: red, pink, blue, & aqua/green

So post your comments here on this post, and cross your fingers...and read my latest blog entry below this one for more details!

Thanks for participating in One World One Heart!!! xoxo, Jenny

Visit the OWOH blog for a list of all the participating bloggers!

Have LOTS of fun!

***PLEASE REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.

Keep Calm...We have a New President...and some painted ladies! :)

Here at the Jersey shore we seem to never get the winter we deserve. We always get these big scary winter storm warnings on the news but we end up with light snow that turns to slush that then turns to rain. It's almost like a 24 hour laundry cycle. We end up with clean streets and green lawns by the time it's all over.
Yesterday was one of those winter weather false alarms. And maybe big blowing blizzards can be not so pleasant but sometimes....you just want one. You just wanna be buried and shut up tight in your home with the heat toasting your toes. Strangely, it helps you get things done if you work from home. You feel like you're stealing some extra time while the world is on pause....but....no such luck here at the Jersey Shore. So I guess I'll just pretend I'm snowed in...that way I can finally blog after such a long absence. And man! do I need to blog!
It's that time of year again...no, not the time to pay your mountains of credit card bills. No, I'm speaking of One World One Heart! The gigantic blog sensation that links like a million bloggers together for a couple weeks of give-away and networking madness. It was started by Lisa Swifka of awhimsicalbohemian blog and over the years it has grown into an event that nearly matches the turn-out for the 2009 inauguration. It's really simple to participate and although I'm jumping on last minute this year...I wouldn't miss it for anything. All participating blogs must offer a give-away prize, then send a link to Lisa at One World One Heart, then all the participating blogs are linked together and the next thing you know...you've got a thousand people signing up for your give-away. And I know it sounds like the odds of winning the give-away are steep, but here's the thing...you can throw your name in for a give-away on like 600 blogs all at once. That puts the odds a little more in your favor and it opens up an endless world of new blogs to explore. So I'm all in! I'm gonna be a "giver" and hopefully I'll also be a winner. (I won 3 give-aways last year!) Below you'll see the prize we're offering but make sure to leave a comment on the post directly above this one...the post titled: One World One Heart

What's cool is that the prize I'm offering for the give-away is also our latest debut. For months we were only offering our Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake as a 100% handpainted piece on canvas. Well, we love doing handpainted originals for people...we really do. But the number we set ourselves up to do bordered on masochism. All day and night...our fingers painting perfect white block letters! not easy! So now we're happy to finally offer our Keep Calm in a variety of ways that are quicker for us and less costly for the collector. We're doing them in a few color ways and they come as either a ready to frame 8" x 10" matted print or on a wooden plaque, in either 5 1/2" x 7" or an 8" x 10". For One World One Heart we're offering any one of these variations as a give-away...the winner gets to choose format and color! So please join the party and leave a comment on the post directly after this post titled: One World One Heart to enter...it's that easy. I'll pick a winner on Feb. 12th...and so will all the other hosts. So enter on every blog that's giving away something you like. And although it's fab to win something...the winning is not really the main attraction. You'll be amazed at how many new awesome blogs you'll encounter in the process.
Anyway, yes, we are psyched about our new Keep Calm prints. We have a stack of the mini plaques all made up and just seeing all those bright soft colors all stacked up like that is magical. They are like little pieces of candy! All are in the shop now!

We are also super excited about our new Painted Ladies....Molly & Sadie. They are the first two in a forthcoming series. I've already got the other girls named and partial plans for their styling...all I lack is the time to get them done! We started with two of our fave vintage photos and made sure to pick a blonde (Molly) and a brunette (Sadie). The pics were just plain old photo booth portraits to start with but then we went all-out with the painted and sketched adornments. We listed them on Etsy a short time ago and I've been wanting to blog them ever since...but I was waiting on a "snowday"! Well a few days ago I got an email from my friend Lisa and she told me that our Painted Lady, Molly was on the front page of Etsy! This is thrilling news to me. Oddly, maybe for the first time in a long time...I wasn't home to see her on the front page! I'm ALWAYS home...but not this night. I think I was at my brother Walt's hockey game, so I guess I can forgive myself for missing it. I guess the best part of making the front page is that Molly was BRAND NEW. It's exciting when your latest work gets recognition. And speaking of...the sugary sweet gals over at the Cupcakes Take the Cake blog just posted our brand new Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake prints...the day we listed them! Huge thanks to those wonderful gals! I LOVE that blog. It connects sooooooo many people...and what's the connection? .... Cupcakes!

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while...sorry. But I'm not gonna reach waaaaay back for a recap. Generally speaking, early January is kinda uneventful. Aaron and his band played a show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park but the weather outside was painfully cold. It was like 2 degrees and windy. Even in the club it was cold. The show was great but as soon as it was over all you could think was...'where's the car? lets start it up and blast the heat...and then go home and wrap up in a blanket!'
But then early January turned into mid-January and you could feel all this patriotic electricity in the air. 7-eleven even had pretty much a kiosk of Obama/inauguration merchandise. Hats and shirts and flags and scarves and hand warmers etc. It was just so exciting to see such enthusiasm for something so American. Every other day the majority of peeps worship and covet a handful of tabloid celebs...who's dating who? who's in rehab now?....it's all such a waste of time and energy and you'd think that we'd have better things to think about....more important stuff. Well on the days leading up to and on the day of January 20th Americans proved that we are capable of focusing on the more important stuff. When have you every witnessed such a positive outpouring of patriotism? Patriotism that didn't have to be incited by a national tragedy. It warmed the soul a bit. On that cold January day the tension of America melted. Partisan politics took a back seat to pure, unadulterated patriotism. It was a great sight to see. And for my sister Missy and her boyfriend...her friend Maggie from California and my brother Walt...it was a sight they had to see in person. I'm not too good with massive crowds or extreme cold so I was definitely not making the trip to DC. I've posted some pics here of their trip....how cold does everyone look?! Missy tells me the pics tell none of the story...it was absolute mayhem she says...but the KINDEST mayhem she ever encountered. People waited over three hours just to get a Metro Card to get into DC! But nobody was pushy...just millions of people smiling, assisting, and helping complete strangers. There's one pic here of disposable pocket sized binoculars...the 16 year old kid who sold them to my sis named them right then and there off the top of his head...Baraculars!

I got the most fab package ever in the mail! My friend Amy just decided that she was gonna be the sweetest thing ever....she just decided that I needed a box full of wonder! I can't even stand it. You sometimes wake up and it's a murky day...the windows are gray...the wind is whistling in the eaves...you don't want to get out from under the covers. Well on this particular day the mail came really early. Aaron looked down in our entryway and there stood a completely unexpected box of joy. I opened it up and it hit me like a ray of summer sun. Vintage bunnies, an amazing vintage salt water taffy box, a super fab cone from frippelous ....a cone I wanted! A vintage baking book! and more.... I'm really touched at how much she "gets" me. Everything is perfect! And all "just because." Thanks so so much Amy!

Just got these candles over the Holidays...one of my gift card purchases!! I've been wanting them for a while and I was thrilled to get the chance to do some much needed shopping. They're on Etsy of course and they're called Bliss Candles . I just love the rustic lid and their short stout shape. I picked up one in White Chocolate scent and my fave, Birthday Cake. I've been lighting them a lot lately when we turn all the lights off and wind down with a movie. They smell fab and I love the warm glow.

And speaking of 'how can I live without these?'....check out this tiny wood block fridge and stove. So affordable and so fab up on a little kitchen shelf. There were some other colors too...namely, red...I want those bad too. These are handpainted and just perfection. You must check out their shop!

I'm a pushover for the simple things. These teeny tiny vintage bakery stamps from Cerri are just amazing. Just little words etched in rubber and fixed to tiny wood blocks...collectible and useful. I love making practical use of old tools! Cerri rules...what a perfect gift! Thanks so much!!

And these earrings are something that shoulda got filed under: Christmas...but since they had to come all the way from Argentina...delivery was a bit delayed. They're made by Munieca and as soon as I saw them I thought of my sister Missy. And don't you love when you can shop for your sister and yourself at the same time....yeah, I got myself a pair too. They're just so well made and pretty.

Wow, last but not least...today is Aaron's birthday!!! And sorry to say, but we have no plans for the night. We've got deadlines galore and it would be so so wrong to take the time away. But anyway, Aar's parents are taking him/us out on Saturday and that should be a ton of fun. Today Aar took a ride to the store and on the way back he got a call on his cell from his mom and his favorite nephew Adam. The little guy sang all of Happy Birthday over the phone and then said "uncle Aaron...I have a cake for you!!" So Aar couldn't resist. He had to take a ride over there to go pick up his cake. He comes how and he just keeps saying "man, the little guy is amazing...he keeps getting bigger and bigger...and he says the craziest stuff." So yeah, I guess that little visit on it's own was a bright enough spot in the day.

Alright, gotta get back to it all. Thanks so so much again for stopping by...and don't forget...One World One Heart!!! Enter some give-aways and expand your own personal blogosphere! xoxo, Jenny

To Enter OWOW leave a comment over here.

Hello 2009!

I know it sounds like blasphemy coming from me, (in regards to the name of this blog and all...) but...The Holidays are officially over!! That span of days from December 24th through January 1st is an epic long journey. Not a bad journey...just a long one, filled with lots of extraordinary eating and strange sleeping habits and social curve balls (namely, going to a New Years party at my sister's place clad in pajamas because all the guests are immediate family, and then finding out that her boyfriend's parents are coming, whom I've never met...and it stinks to meet people for the first time while wearing PJ's and sans my trademark braids...my hair was in a bun!!) ...but come January 2nd it occurs to you all at once that the journey is over and it's back to real life. And you realize that the return to reality is just the tonic you've been needing to rid your body and soul of the 2008 blues...(actually it was just a food-hangover!)

Here are some close ups! (these are pics not scans...just thought I'd mention that! Your print would be wayyy crisper!)
Every year at this time me and Aaron get this creative urge that can't be ignored and we must conquer a new painting A.S.A.P.! It's like a test to prove to 2009 that we are still artists and we've got brand new fresh ideas...2008 is over and in 2009 our brushes will be bigger, better, and more bountiful! So we pulled a couple all nighters and by the wee hours of January 4th we had this brand new painting completed, made into prints, matted and framed. "Kitchenology 1"...It's going to be the first in a series. And you can probably already see in your mind's eye what the rest of the series will look like. We were in a very British mood when we designed this one...heavy on the tea, fun color, and lots of pattern. The future will bring some classic baking implements and vintage kitchen essentials. We are big into vintage tea towels and the look of this piece also has the feel of a visual teaching chart...hence the name. It's available in 11 x 14 (in a 16 x 20 mat) and 8 x 10 (in an 11 x 14 mat). So that's what's new for us in the New Year! Now in our shop! 

This sweet lil fella was handmade by SWEET friend Chels of
PaperCakes on etsy! You totally need to pop over to her shop! Sooo much sweetness!! :)



Now let me touch on some highlights from the epic holiday journey...and you'll be happy to see that I've got some photographic support to back up my narrative. I guess I'll start with some pics of my holiday decor...this way you'll have a bit of a visual backdrop. We really didn't have time to go all out this year so the pics are few and tightly shot. Our new livingroom is a bit tiny so our tree is kinda crammed between our mantel and a big TV cabinet. I didn't realize until it was too late that I never snapped a pic of our wrapped gifts under the tree (and plus this year, the gifts were wrapped in a hurry. I told everyone that my chihuahua Carlos wrapped them while riding a bike!) But I do have a pic of the wrapping paper and tags that we used. (And you'll notice the introduction of RED into our theme and you may have noticed it in our new painting up above.) Also, I love that feather wreath...I added the bells... it hangs on the door to my livingroom. Yes, my livingroom has a door, which is weird. We were going to remove it when we moved in but we found that it serves a practical purpose when we leave Carlos home alone. He feels more secure when he doesn't have free roam of the whole apartment. So we close the door and he snuggles up on the couch for the duration of our absence. I've included a pic of how he snuggles up in his pile of blankets.


OK, the logical progression for this holiday re-cap seems to be a show and tell of my gifts. So many are Etsy finds which were made possible by my sister Missy and Aar's grandmother and Aar's mom Barb (aka, the best mother-in-law-on-the-planet...I-dare-you-to-challenge-this-proclamation!) That teeny tiny aqua pitcher, though it's small in stature, it still has the ability to knock me out! Also, you guys all know and love Cakespy, aka Jessie Oleson. I've finally got my hands on an original piece from her. Her imagery of sweets and their little fantasy world is just unbeatable...I know she's not in confectionary competition...but if she was, Jessie would be the cupcake champion of the world! And in keeping with cupcakes...holy cow! this embroidered cupcake flour sack towel is too sweet for words...it's by ChicBabyRose on Etsy. And this cupcake photo print is something I've been wanting forever...I'm still looking for the right frame for it so this pic is from the Etsy listing...love it! It's by Amy Nieto. And last in this department is this amazingly rendered typewriter artwork...it's by etsy seller Tabidesigns ( tabitha emma). This piece is where me and Aaron meet esthetically...the perfect crossroads. He is typewriter-literary-man-parchmenty-old, and I'm cute-little-birdie-aqua. Again, I'm still looking for it's perfect spot in our home so this pic is from the artist's page.





Alright, I've touched a girl's sense of style...her home esthetics. Now I'll move on to her sense of touch & scent. I've been dying for a boatload of bathroom stuff that smells totally edible and feels amazing on my skin. I just thought that going to the mall for my bath products is just so 5-years-ago. And although the products from Philosophy and their ilk are superb...I decided that I'd take a sampling from a couple of the "little guys" on Etsy...being that I'm a "little guy" on Etsy. Plus, we all know that the "big guys" get all their ideas from spying on the "little guys"! And in some cases the "little guys" have actually defected from the ranks of the "big guys" and now they've started their own tiny companies. So I bought from two of 'em. First, Mad City Soap LLC. a few products...Shower Parfait Cream Soap in Fresh Marshmallow scent...just used it this morn...Fabulous!!! And then Whipped Sugar Body Scrub in Marzipan scent and Marshmallow scent...awesome as well!! The fresh Marshmallow scent is by far my fave but I recommend the Sugar Scrub over the Parfait Cream Soap because the fragrance is much stronger and sticks with you throughout the day! And the product I'd been most anticipating: Whipped Sugar Body Scrub..."Pure Grace" type...meaning it mimics "Pure Grace" by the aforementioned Philosophy. And it mimics it well!! I've coveted my sister's tub of Pure Grace since moving nextdoor to her and I swear that this is a dead ringer and then some...at a super fraction of the price! I can't wait to go over to my sisters to compare them side by side. I started with the smaller 4 oz. tub and I'll certainly be grabbing the 11 oz. as soon as I run out. I will always keep this in stock...same goes for the Fresh Marshmallow scrub. I figured I'd give my honest reviews...I highly recommend these!






The Next product line I picked up is GudonyaToo. I bought from two companies so I could compare the two and because I don't feel like being a simple Dove girl anymore. GudonyaTOO has a product called Whipped Clean foaming body wash which I got in a few scents: Island Coconut, Cotton Candy, Tahitian Vanilla (think vanilla with tropical flowers) So the GudonyaTOO Whipped Clean is very similar to the Mad City Soap products but I'd say that the scents of the Mad City Soap stuff sticks with you longer and my skin feels a bit more moisturized with the Mad City Soap. But it's really a matter of personal taste. Some gals don't want the scent to stick around all day. Another thing I got from GudonyaTOO is their Gudonya Whipped Shave, foaming shave cream in original Almond scent. It's super fab. Aaron loved it. He shaves his entire head in the shower with a regular disposable razor (yeah, it sounds nuts...no mirror! but he's been doing it for so long that it's second nature.) It's a cream that foams up...you use a tiny dab and it covers a lot of manscape. Aar said he's never had a smoother shave and he even used a dullish razor! So I highly recommend that one. I've got even more stuff on the way and I'll be sure to fill you in on those once I've tested them out.







Ok, scent & touch are taken care of and now I'll focus on Feet. My friend Rob once got this advice from his Granddad: "The two most important things you'll buy in your life...a good mattress and good shoes...You spend half of your life in your bed and the other half on your feet." I don't think I'm quoting him exactly but you get the gist. My sweet little brother Walt got me a pair of classic red Converse Chuck Taylors. Notice the bits of red that are creeping into my life...our art, our giftwrap, and now my shoes...this is only the beginning...Valentines is fast approaching and the red will be in full effect. Anyway...back on track... A while back I suggested to Walt that he'd look fab in Chucks. And I was right...he got 'em and he looks awesome. So he returned the favor and got me these. I wanted them for a while but I never ever buy stuff for myself so these were a perfect gift! Also, the above mentioned Barb (best-mother-in-law-on-the-planet) got me these Crocs...they're called Troika's. I love 'em. The uttermost in comfort. I feel barefoot but better than barefoot. They're a winter version of Crocs and I can't recommend them enough. I want Aar to get them too. He tried them on in the store, our local Wegmans, the greatest grocery store on earth... but he said he wasn't too keen on how they felt on his feet...well on his left foot anyway. He's got nerve damage there from the car crash...a constant pins and needly feeling. So the better-than-barefoot sensation is kinda lost on him. But I told him he's just gotta get used to it and he'll probably like them better than any shoe he wears. Alright...the shoe department is closed...we'll now move on to jewelry!!



First I'll mention the Betsey Johnson ring...a gift from my brother Jay!! He knows me soooo well. I love love love it! He doesn't think he's a good gift giver but he's great at it! He got Aar a bag and or manpurse and Aar loves it! Aar carries a stack of books with him everywhere he goes and now he's got a sturdy bag in which to keep them. Anyway, back to the ring...it looks like an adorable little wrapped gift but it could also be a petit four...because I got a look at the Betsey collection in Macys and the ring right next to this one was a cupcake. So she's either going for a birthday party theme or a sweets theme. Either direction is perfection in my book. So this is a fab fab gift! And then these two amazing necklaces I picked up on Etsy. First, the handmade "blue rose locket"...made from vintage findings, by etsy seller: botanicalbird
...too cute! I'm searching for the perfect pics of Aaron and Carlos to put inside. Next, the "Montmartre necklace" made by etsy seller: mylavaliere, featuring my all time favorite line: JE T'AIME PLUS QU'HIER MOINS QUE DEMAIN...which translates to: I love you more than yesterday less than tomorrow. Why is it my fave? Well, when I was a little girl of say 9 or 10, my mom had a little stained glass "thing"...it was soldered and looked like a little book. It sat on my mom's windowsill and the sun cast through it. For an entire summer I used to laze around and hang upside down on a piano bench and say the line with "perfect 9 year old French pronunciation"...I vowed to have it memorized...probably thought I could insert it casually into conversation...or I could say it while walking down the isle in the grocery store and anyone who overheard me would certainly think: "hey, a little French girl just walked by!"



Ok, gifts are over for now. Now, another sort of gift. Good friends and good customers are life's gifts. And this gift is our friend Amy Elise holding her Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake painting. We were only doing it in Pink or Aqua but we did a special order for a special gal. She wanted red. Here she is modeling it fabulously...how adorable does she look?!...really! She plans on hanging it up where that big clock is currently hanging. It was fun to do but tough to do. The color Red is not cooperative. It takes a zillion coats to get it solid looking...and then to paint white letters over it is a pain. But all that was erased once Amy sent this pic. Love it!



Next, holiday eating! Namely, Bobby's Burger Palace. And the "Bobby" is none other than Iron Chef Bobby Flay. He opened up a location five minutes away from where we live. His roots are in my area so it's fitting. I believe his mom lives like 15 minutes south of us. Best burgers ever! You look at a wall menu when you walk in...pay at the register...fill your own drinks...and then they bring your burgers and fries out to you. It's cafeteria style seating, so it's kinda like everyone is sitting side by side at the diner counter. A Flickr friend of mind commented that the outside of the building kinda looks like an arcade...so right...also, isn't it cool how the logo looks like a burger? Anyway, yup, those are potato chips piled way high on the burger. Bobby believes that all burgers should be "crunchified" meaning...add some chips. It was perfect. You just smash the burger down and take a big crunchy bight. My sister Missy is a "genius". She ordered a Black and White Malted. Go to Bobby's Burger Palace when one opens in your neck of the woods!! Sadly, it was my first and last visit for a while. My New Years diet is in effect and that place and it's kind are strictly off limits for some time! boo hoo!


And lastly....and certainly not leastly!!! Our new niece Dian Dian, aka Dee Dee! We are so psyched! She and her parents (Aar's brother Jamie and wife Angela) got back from China the day after Christmas. They had been emailing pics back home for the duration of their time in China and we were oooohing and ahhhhing every day! We all got together at Aar's parents house on New Year's day and she was scrumptious!! Her big brother Adam is taking to her fabulously...opening up her gifts for her and showing her! The little girl likes to EAT! She goes from chicken noodle baby food straight into a big chocolate chip cookie and back again, without a pause for thought. We can't wait 'til she's ready to be babysat. Right now she's only bonded with mom and dad, so she needs some time. Think about it. We all look so weird to her I'm sure...and we're speaking some strange dialect! She's been keeping her parents up all night but on New Years she was perfectly behaved. She took to Aaron easy because he looks like her father. That's also how Aaron made such close friends with his fave nephew Adam...a couple weeks ago Adam's Daddy told Adam that he and Uncle Aaron were brothers...and Aar swears you could see a look of recognition and realization come over him.
So now we've got a new niece! Can't wait to keep you guys updated on her development. I can't wait 'till her mom can put her hair in little braids!!

Alright....wow, what a looooong post! I really didn't think I had it in me! Let me just say how much you guys mean to me and thanks so so much for all your happy new year wishes!! It will be a happy year! I look forward to seeing how it goes for everyone!
xoxo, Jenny!!!