I'm not afraid of monsters! (...and a Happy Happy Birthday to Aaron!!)

I remember when my blog was flush with links that connected to amazing people, places, and things. In fact, maybe 99% of reader comments were 'thank you's' for providing so many great links. I hope to get back to that. But besides being a dead beat blogger there are other reasons for the current lack of links on my blog. First off...I used to SHOP! And after those modest shopping sprees...(trust me...very modest indeed)...well then I'd tear open those postal boxes, unwrap my treasures, take some photographs of my fabulous online finds as they would appear integrated into my home decor or within their respective collections (you know...shelves full of dollheads, vintage paper mache bunnies, tiny pianos, Christmas balls in distressed silvery colors that would make your heart melt)...and then I'd put the pics up on the blog and link you guys back to where they came from. Because if I'm one thing...I'm a sharer! I've known plenty of gals who hide their sources like eggs on Easter Sunday(or if the chubster in me had her say I think the simile would be: "Like Colonel Sanders hides his secret recipe.") But life is short and there is plenty of good stuff to go around...so I'll always tell you where, when, how, and for how much, I scored my treasures. And you guys always expressed your gratitude every time I shared. So in turn I tried like heck to pack my blog with as many links as possible.
But here's the thing. There aint too much shopping going on over here no more...or no moe. Of course due to monetary reasons...but other reasons as well. I feel like we've been so busy that I don't even have time to look for stuff! Many of my great finds came from hours of online meandering. And I always worked within a modest budget....so the purchases that you guys would see...I'd call them "eventual" purchases...because I'd probably have a list of two dozen amazing finds all in the running to be bought. I'd hem & haw for a few days...weigh the pros & cons...and after much careful deliberation only then would I finally click BUY. So you guys would see upon my blog a half dozen great online finds...but what you didn't see was the hours and hours of spendthrifty neuroses that went into acquiring them. Yeah, I know, it sounds like I'm whining about not being able to go shopping like I did in those golden days gone by. But all of this is in good fun. But it's true to an extent. Shopping just has not been a possibility in recent months.

So how do I remedy this? How do I hook you guys up with links like I used to? I'm not sure exactly...but tonight I've at least got one fantastic link that you'll certainly thank me for. As for providing more links and as for getting this blog back on its feet and movin' and shakin' like it used to....Well, I just gotta host a great big super inspired SWAP very soon! I've got some twinkles of ideas floating around in my brain and once the time is right I'll invite you all to join in. Swaps may very well be one of my favorite things in life. So that's on the horizon for sure. And hopefully I'll find the time to do some very modest shopping and link you guys to all of the wonderful sources.
So here's my treasure of the month! Meet "Manette"!!!! I ADORE her! She is a monster made by the scintillatingly talented Junker Jane. She's been featured in Stuffed magazine a few times, even on the cover once, and I believe she is actually in the current issue: Jan 2010. Well I found her on that Taj Mahal of sources also known as FLICKR! Did I mention that I LOVE Flickr?! Only about a thousand times I guess but lets make it a thousand and one. I love Flickr! It's my oasis in the desert of days of doldrums and depression. I'm all visual. I NEED to see things and Flickr is a place that is just 100% dedicated to the art of SEEING THINGS! So anyway, that's where I first laid eyes upon the insanely perfect work of Junker Jane! Go visit her blog and Etsy because she is a busy busy bee and there are always new things in the works...new monsters taking shape...so keep tabs on her and check back often. And please tell her that Jenny Holiday sentcha!

This next thing is one of those "finds of the year". You know...one of those things that you've been looking for forever...not diligently but you just had it on your perpetual radar. I'm sure everybody can relate with their own personal obsessions. I've seen garlands like this come and go many times on ebay over the years...in many color schemes. But this one just so happens to be my absolute ideal perfect color. I guess you could say it's aqua. It's one of those inbetween colors...not quite blue, not quite green. And it's the inbetween colors that I am always drawn to. It's a honeycomb paper ball garland, I believe from Japan. It's in perfect condition. The metallic spacers in between the honeycomb balls are paper discs that are silver one side and gold on the other which is ideal for us...especially around Christmas time...because a few years ago we had to make a decision between silver or gold in our Christmas decorations...and the winner was: BOTH. Yeah, we decided that they could work excellently together if done right. But this aint no Christmas garland. Over here...you know...Everyday is a Holiday...so this is draped across our mantle year round. It's pretty long too...long enough to drape perfectly and there is plenty left over to hang long on the left and right. Love it!

I debuted our brand new jewelry last entry and now I just wanted to let you all know that every piece is listed on Etsy and ready to ship. So go shop...please! It's Aaron's birthday and it would make him very happy! Lol. Also, on the last post I know I referred to our new blocks as shelf sitters...which they are...but they also come equipped with a bracket on back so they can hang on the wall just like all of our other stuff. And they look awesome on the wall. I've always loved deep, thick, wall art with sides that have imagery...it's a great look. And the size and shape of these blocks make them perfect for grouping on the wall. Hang some vertical ones mixed in with horizontal ones. And if you're looking to start a collection I absolutely promise you that there will be MANY more variations to come!
Alright, I'm actually writing this at 3:30 am. We're working all night and into the day so that we can ship a ton of packages tomorrow....or today...however you want to look at it. As I mentioned...it's Aaron's birthday. I'm not sure if we'll do anything special. We usually get together with the siblings and make a day out of it but that definitely can't happen tomorrow. But we can always pick another day that works for everyone. That's the way we do it...we don't let the calendar tell us what to do...we let the calendar know who's boss. So I must be going...the computer screen tends to make me sleepy and I've still got a load of work to complete. Thanks so so much again for reading...I hope I wasn't too long. Stay Warm!!!

xoxo Jenny

A Lifetime of Art

I've been an artist for as long as I can remember...and the same goes for Aaron. And when I say "for as long as I can remember" ...I don't mean 16 or 20 years. Like, I'm not talking about memories of crafting when I was twelve or thirteen. I mean as far back as my memory goes...meaning toddlerhood or thereabouts...or whenever you become YOU...I think I've been an artist since then. So more or less: my whole entire life. And I've talked about this with Aaron...once again, he says the same goes for him.
I know a lot of people who discover and cultivate the inner artist much much later in life. Sometimes it happens in college. Through your struggles with grades and figuring out that you really don't care for the curriculum you've chosen for yourself...you decide to change majors and in so doing you take an art class just for the heck of it...and WHAM!..."holy cow...I think I'm an artist." Next thing you know, you're transferring schools and you're plotting a future in the arts. Or maybe you're a career gal but you're just not quite feeling fulfilled in your daily life...so you start trading your time on the couch watching movies for hours at the crafting table making jewelry. Next thing you know, you've got an Etsy shop and you've got custom orders piling up. And I think a lot of times those who discover within themselves this dormant artist-in-waiting are much more likely to "respect the beast"... in other words: you don't take your artistic inclination for granted. You work hard at it and you get better. You explore new mediums and you make sure to MAKE TIME FOR ART.
When I said that I've been an artist for as long as I can remember I don't mean that I was painting portraits at three years old. But I mean the sensitivity was there. The "eye" and the "ear" for seeing and hearing things in a slightly left-of-center way. I was always exactly the way I am today. Aaron relates to this but not to the extent of myself. He feels that he always had the eyes, ears and hands of the artist...but he hasn't always had the same sense of self. He can remember caring less about certain things...he can remember a lack of sensitivity. He knows that I'm a bit of a weirdo. Like, when I think back to stuff I experienced at like four or five...I don't feel like I was any different. Like I was the same me as now but just in a small body.
What I'm getting at is what it means to be an artist. On the surface there's probably not that much difference between a lifelong artist and one who picked up the scissors, the brush, the soldering iron, for the first time, just last month. But underneath, I think the two are worlds apart. The Lifer...(and I know this from personal experience and from knowing Aaron so well)...well, the Lifer seems to be constantly at odds with art. The Lifer is more likely to see art as a curse rather than a gift. So instead of just sitting down to do it...you end up thinking: "should I even be doing this?"...."why am I doing this?"..."is this good enough?....could I be doing better?...what does this say about me?" ...etcetera, etcetera....At the same time, the later-in-life artist attacks the art with enthusiasm and blissful gusto...I mean, they've got some reservations and misgivings...but overall...they've got much less on their minds. And because of this...they'll get more accomplished. Me and Aar both have a wee bit of envy for the later-in-life artist. Not really though...because Envy is not a word that either of us know the definition for. But you know what I mean. I wish that art was fresh for me...I wish it was the refuge that it is for so many of you....the refuge that it once was for me. And I guess it could be...but I have to work at it. I can't just sit back on cruise control and expect art to be my savior. And that means...I have to do more. I have to spread out...have fun...let go of all the flotsam & jetsam...and just get lost in the act of making things.
Well, I hope to do that with this new decade. I feel like the very end of this past decade might have been the most stressful in my life. I found myself saying "I can't wait til next year". And that's not a good way to be. Especially when you're getting older...I mean, what sane woman wants to rush to her next birthday?! That's crazy! My last blog entry said that I'd be back here with a new blog entry on New Years Day. And as you can see...it is far past January 1st. And just me saying that I promise to do this or that tomorrow is a dysfunction in itself. Forget what I'm doing tomorrow. I really really have to focus on what I'm doing today and only today. No more looking ahead and no more looking back. If I blog it should say..."hey...look what I did today!" Right?

And so that's what this is here. I've got a whole bunch of stuff...much of it done today. And I have to say...honestly, this stuff was made by a different Jenny. I felt a little more like my old self. I got a little lost in making these things. They definitely helped me through some would-be rough days. The jewelry is a lot of fun to do...because it's our art...it's exactly what we've been doing for quite a while now...but it's in a wearable format. And I've been wearing it myself. I mean, it's feels good to leave your house and to take your art with you. My art has always been for the home but now you can take it to go. The jumbo necklaces are great...and they are jumbo ( I guess they're just the right size to be coasters for a soda can)...but they're not so jumbo that they look odd. They're just right! And the gloss finish is like liquid glass. I love the feel of them. And the smaller size pendants and rings have the same glassy finish. They just feel so "real".
And these blocks are something that I've been cooking up in my mind for a long long time. I've been showing Aaron little sketches of these guys on napkins forever. Oh yeah...that's what I do. In the twenty minutes after I eat I probably do more talking than most people do all day. Aaron is just the opposite...he tends to relax and sorta vegetate. I just talk his ear off excitedly and draw about a thousand tiny sketches on napkins. Really...it happens like clockwork. I think it gives Aar a little indigestion. Anyway, I always wanted to make some shelf sitters...some chunky little blocks with imagery on all sides. Well, these are more than shelf sitters...they also come ready to hang on the wall just like all of our other wooden pieces. I just love the look of wall art that has depth and imagery on the sides, top, and bottom, as well as the front. So you can display these how ever you want! And you'll notice some new imagery on a couple of these blocks. Those were done for the new year...it's our yearly tradition to do new paintings within 48 hours of the calendar change. Finally, a pink mixer....and a pink haired doll named Flossie. (and oh yeah...we put Flossie on a necklace as well!) There's one more painting in the works that we were doing right along side those two but we just couldn't finish...had to get back to our orders...but that new one will be coming soon and it will be a favorite for sure.

Also, some really cool news. We've got a line of stuff out in stores now...in Barnes & Noble and other bookshops and stationery stores. Our Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake painting is now on giftbags, journals, bookmarks, desknotes etc... We've been contacted by different friends from all over who have been seeing it pop up in stores near them. Most people were worried for us...thinking that some big company took our designs without telling us. But we put them at ease and let them know that it's totally on the up and up and you can find our names and copyright on each and every item. In fact, a great company is behind them...Peter Pauper Press. They've got tons of product lines and they've been around since 1928. They were great to work with and they produce excellent quality stuff! We couldn't be more thrilled with arrangement. So, go to your local Barnes and Noble and check 'em out. Also, we'll have a bunch of this stuff for sale soon.
Alright, well I'm not making any promises as to when I'll be blogging again but I'm sure you'll see more of me here...I mean, I don't think it's possible to see any LESS of me! I'm really happy to have you guys...don't ever think that I take you for granted...in fact...it's just the opposite. I appreciate you all more than you'll ever know! Here's to a Happy, Healthy, and artistically productive new year to you all!