merry christmas and happy new year: April 2012

Two Fab blogs and Two ways to WIN!

Hey kids!!

I just wanted to pop in to let you know about two Everyday is a Holiday giveaways on two of my FAVE blogs! I was thrilled to sponsor these two fabulous gals in April!

If you'd like a chance at winning 2 of our Instagram Inspired pieces then pop over and visit Smile and Wave, and My Girl Thursday! I promise if you have not been following these gals you will be very grateful to me for introducing you to 2 such fab bloggers. ;) wink wink.

Rachel at Smile and Wave is a fantastic chronicler of all things vintage...creative home decor and provides DIY projects galore. Check in daily to spend time with Rachel and her cute as a button family.

My Girl Thursday, who's real world name is Chantilly (how fabbb is that name?), has dedicated herself to making your blog-reading life a bit more tasty, kitschy, thrifty, and crafty. You'll never find yourself at a loss for some good blog reading if you've got these two gals on your daily visit list!

xo Jenny

Fashion Inspired Art Journaling

Hello lovelies!

I've been meaning to share this art journal spread with you for a while. I shared my love for Meadham Kirchhoff's Spring 2012 with you a little bit ago. I was just so incredibly inspired by the color palette and overall sweetness. When a collection catches my eye I like to gather tear sheets and keep them for reference. (I have an embarrassing amount of these in boxes...and boxes) These pics were such eye candy, inevitably becoming key elements to an Art Journal spread.

We even hand painted some cosmetic accessories and a portrait of a sweet little gal of our own...some glittery nail polish and a compact. And there's even more imagery that will all be part of a brand new fashion & make-up sticker sheet. They'll be coming to the shop very soon for your very own journaling fun and projects!

Do you art journal? Are you inspired by fashion? I'd love to see your pages!

Enjoy your weekend!

xo Jenny

P.S. I was so happy to see all of the comments on my Odd & Abandoned II post....but in a moment of SPAZZticness I accidentally deleted them! :( Womp Womp. In all my years of blogging, that was a first. :/ Sorry kids. xo

Odd & Abandoned Part II

Hey kids! I'm back with more of the most weird and wonderful images culled from the wacky world around us. This time around I'd say they're more Odd than abandoned.

Beginning with this dream-like riverboat in the shape of a swan...or maybe it's a swan in the shape of a riverboat. Is this not incredible?! Imagine a wedding aboard this magical vessel! And really...as if a massive swan boat wasn't fantastical enough...they've gone and crowned him King of the river! I Love the crown! I meant it literally when I said it's dream-like. I'd swear that I've taken a ride upon this beauty in a recent nocturnal journey.

In real life it floats along a river in Fujiyoshida Japan.

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This is the "Gingerbread Castle" in Hamburg, New Jersey...no not Germany...New Jersey! After operating as a children's fairy tale theme park for nearly 50 years, Gingerbread Castle finally closed in the late 1970s. It reopened for a few years as a haunted Halloween venue before a fire closed it permanently in 1993. It's a thrill to know that there are still some mysterious stones I've yet to overturn here in my home state. I would LOVE to go see it! Maybe this summer!

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This image seriously seemed far too crazy to be real. It had to be photoshopped right? Nope! It is indeed real. An art installation by artist Doris Salcedo. Created in 2003 in Instanbul, comprised of over 1600 chairs! Amazing!

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Ok, so you guys know all about my love of pianos so it comes as no surprise that these painted steps (found in Valparaiso Chile ) pretty much make my heart all fluttery! And umm...there is pink and aqua in the mix!! To say that I LOVE them is an understatment! To learn more click the source link.

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This incredible structure resembles something straight out of The Lord of The Rings. It is the La Montana Magica Lodge in Huilo Huilo Chile! The lodge has 13 rooms equipped with central heating, closet, and bathroom. As well as game rooms for children, mini golf, reading room, bar, restaurant, laundry service, and sauna!

And lastly, this has been one of my absolute favorite Internet images for a long time. It seriously had me grinning ear to ear the day I first found it. It was labeled as a "Redneck Mansion", which of course prompts a chuckle. In actuality it is an outdoor theater set. I've never been a by the book kinda gal. I mean, there's a part of me that craves the traditional beautiful old house with the white picket fence...but then I see something like this and say "imagine that?...living in a stacked up jungle gym mini village of trailers?!"...and I'd probably jump at the chance. This just has an ineffable charm.

Ok, that's it for now. There are plenty more where those came from. I'll be back soon with part 3!

xo, Jenny

Friday Favorites!

It's Friday kids! Hooray!! Yes, we still look forward to Fridays even though we work from a home studio. It's not exactly like going to the office every day...we get to blast Pandora all day while snacking on toasted corn muffins...and we get to take quick breaks to cuddle with the pups. But with the change in seasons and the new house we are really looking forward to warm weather weekends! Big plans for the deck and back porch and fencing in the front yard for the pups! We plan on gathering some odd furniture and planters and some pastel summery paints...and getting to work!

We've been taking late night strolls around our town with my brother Jason and my sis Missy. It's so surreal. I never imagined being back here. It's an old beach town with an amusement park, lots of tiny houses with so much potential, whole neighborhoods full of old bungalows...some almost with a summer camp feel...with little court yards behind them. They used to be just summer rentals but now they're year round residences...and sadly, they're mostly neglected as far as repairs and upkeep. All of these tiny little houses in a row. I dream of buying them up, painting them candy colors...one for me & Aaron...one each for Missy, Jay and Walt.

So anyway, here we are. Back in the little Jersey Shore town of my youth. Long ago it was a vacation place but now it's where families work and live all year long. And we're one of them. And like I was saying...we work from home...so we kinda get to see more of this place then most residents I guess. That's why we have to make the best of it. Embrace the days and nights...the indoors and the outdoors...the weekdays and the weekends.

And...speaking of weekends...enough dreaming and planning and thinking...it's Friday Favorites time!

How about this adorable polka dot teal dress? Love the fluttery ruffle! I've been peeking at it all week...I almost feel like I own it already! It is so on my wishlist!

Adoring these! Gold espadrille wedges...I love those 3 words in one sentence! :) And the price is totally right!

Ever since I was a tiny girl I've collected gemstones, and crystals, and "shiny rocks". My very first piece was from the Museum of Natural History gift shop! How can you not feel good looking at or holding them? This particular little piece of magic is Aqua Aura Quartz. I love it!

Take a good look...this is not your everyday ice cream sandwich or as we called them growing up in N.J. "Cartwheels". It is an ottoman! Can you even? How much fun would this be in a livingroom? I love love love it! It is just so fun! Too bad it's a bajillion dollars. :/

I love these "Wall Dots"! They remind me of giant necco wafers. But shiny, and can be hung on your wall to hold fresh cut flowers! They come in a fabulous array of colors! I'd LOVE to hang some in the livingroom!

Thanks for popping in lovies!

Enjoy your weekend!!

xo Jenny

"Chip it" = FUN!

Chocolate Layer Cake

I am soooo loving this Chip it tool from Sherwin Williams. It is so easy to use...the little how-to video is maybe a minute long. You just click the Chip it tool and drag it to your toolbar. Then with a simple click you can use it on any image. It gives you a reference chart of all the colors that make up the picture. And it conveniently gives you the specific Sherwin Williams paint names and numbers. Right away I started playing around with it on some my fave paintings of ours.

And for me it's not just some superfluous technological gadget. Making color scales and charts is something I've been doing manually forever. On any of our paintings...either on back, or just outside the frame of the image, you will find little squares of color that we've mixed and painted. These color squares are for us to reference...for whatever reason. A lot of times we'll do a mini collection of paintings...a series. And the color swatches help us to carry over the color theme into the next painting that we're working on. Or if we're using corresponding patterned papers...or painting stripes or polka dots on a frame or a border...the color swatches always come in handy.

You must give it a try! It's perfect for your latest decorating project. ( Heck, you can take one of your collection of prints from Everyday is a Holiday...Chip it...and then pick paints and fabrics to decorate a whole room around it! ; ) ) Also it's fun to see colors come up that you didn't really realize were an integral part of the image. Anyway...have fun!

xo, Jenny

Cupcakes for all occasions

For the birds

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When we moved into our new home we became roomates with a bird. Moving a bird to a new home that's many hours away could be a very stressful process for the bird. So my parents thought it best to leave him here. There's something about birds in general that steers me away from saying we are "bird owners". Birds are synonymous with freedom. Sure, our little guy lives indoors and we feed him and put him to bed every day...but for the sake of bird rights...let's say that this is exactly where he chooses to be...living here with us.

And if you just look outside for a minute...it wouldn't be too hard to convince you that birds kinda like human company. They're always just outside your window aren't they? And we love the company of birds. We like to hear them sing and see them flit about. They bring us closer to nature and further from our daily stresses. So we repay the favor in the simplest of ways...it's no different for birds than it is for man. The quickest way to their hearts in through their bellys.

So it goes without saying that I'm a big fan of birdfeeders. Because they're more than the sum of their parts. If we simply want to feed birds we could just throw some stale bread on the lawn. Birdfeeders are much more meaningful. They're charming...to birds and us. Their designs are often either zen like in their simplicity or kitschy, campy and cute. We design them to be ornamental jewels in our little environment.

They benefit us just as much as the birds. They keep the little guys fed (and safe from ground predators)...and they keep us in the company of birds.

Some favorites:

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Thanks for visiting! :)

xo Jenny

I Scream You Scream...We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Living on the New Jersey Shore we see our share of ice cream stands along the boardwalks. The signage is always so magical...and many of the old signs are handpainted. One year, a whole bunch of years ago, we took an early morning drive down to Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant, so that we could snap a bunch of photos of the amazing signs...uninterrupted by the hubbub of an open boardwalk. Being there at close to dawn was so pretty...with the sun inching up above the Atlantic. And it's a good thing that we went when we did. It seemed like a lot of the old painted signs soon changed to newer ones...glossier and with more garish coloring.

We've painted a whole bunch of vintage inspired signs over the years and we plan on doing a ton more. Right now, with summer close on the horizon we decided to do a big wood die cut of a vanilla soft serve cone, complete with rainbow sprinkles. That's my go-to treat in the summer.

Whether it's from one of the old drive up places down route 9, or the boardwalk, or the Mister Softee truck with it's enchanting jingle...a soft serve cone hits the spot.

We've got this die cut hanging up now. And it's pretty big...a 16 inch tall wood cut out. Very much modeled after what a real ice cream parlor would have. It's so fun and it's in our shop now.

Ice cream is always a good fit in home decor. It reminds you of golden childhood times or those quick little breaks you afford yourself in your busy adulthood.

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I found a couple of really great looking books on the subject of ice cream. Imagine a little ice cream social at home for your friends and little ones! And can you even handle this little pink soft serve machine, complete with toppings compartments, for your home?! Check my side bar for their Amazon listings.

Thanks for popping in! :)

xo Jenny

Smoke

Growing up with three younger brothers I've seen my share of fireworks. They'd always manage to acquire a dufflebag full of 'em...and yeah, they had to be smuggled across statelines...legal in Pennsylvania, but illegal in Jersey. Of course they loved whatever blew up the biggest and the loudest. My fave were always the friendly fireworks. Sparklers and Smoke bombs. No explosion, no noise...just shimmery sparks or a whole lotta smoke.

I've been pinning a lot of pics featuring smoke. Its a good thing that photographs are odor-free, because wow! I remember how stinky those thick colorful clouds were.

I love the extra layer that smoke adds to a photo or video shoot. Taking the air, the atmosphere, and making it tangible...part of the decor. Billowy clouds of pastel bring an other worldly feel...the presence of an apparition. There was a great Chanel campaign recently and prior to that was Santigold's awesome video. I was a huge Lost fan and if you were too then you know how scary the smoke monster was. It was so simple but so effective. You just thought "jeez! what the heck is it?!

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Fashion always seems to find it's muse in military motifs. There's always a correlation between the runway and whatever military action we're currently engaged in. It has to do with the imagery that's in hearts and minds...like it or not. You'll see lots of camo, olive drab and military style cuts to clothing. Turning a scary thing into an embrace-able thing...a sort-of sugar coating of current events.

There's a bit of that in smoke. Smokebombs were certainly first developed for military purposes...for covert tactics. But turning them into beautiful pastel apparitions turns that purpose on its head. In place of a stealthy entrance...they announce a "Ta-dahhh!" arrival.

I love any effort that's for turning a frown upside down. But even if you don't feel like getting all analytical about it...a fluffy pink smoke cloud looks soooo cool.

Here's to a great week!

xo Jenny