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!! :)