I'd love for you to meet our Feature Sponsor: blondie blu

I Love that this blog affords me the opportunity to introduce you guys to some truly great talents and wonderful personalities. I'm thrilled to give you guys a glimpse into the darling world of Blondie Blu! Her blog is soaked is nostalgia and brimming with vintage fabrics that are to die for. She has sewing project DIY's, chronicles of her fabulous vintage finds, and she opens the doors to her amazing home and studio to let you in on the magic. And her Etsy shop is fantastic! 

Again, I'm so happy to bring you this month's Feature Sponsor Blondie Blu!!  

What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Helena Weber and my little business is named Blondie Blu. I also have a blog by the name of blondie blu and co.  I just try to make pretty things (or at least things that I think are pretty) from vintage fabrics, linens, lace, buttons, etc. or from recycled goods.  I've been sewing for over 20 years, and used to make much of my own clothing back in my "other" life, when I worked in a law firm.  When I had my little girl, who was born very prematurely, her immune system was not very strong for the first 2 years, so I stayed home with her, which was wonderful.  I enjoyed spending that special and magical time with her.  I began sewing clothing for her, much of which was from vintage fabrics.  I just loved the beauty of these old fabrics that had such soul to them.  I began to sell custom children's clothing on line, and had such a wonderful and inspiring time doing so.  Eventually as she grew, I began to branch out into sewing other wares – bags, pillows, wall hangings, etc. and my little business grew into Blondie Blu.

What/Who are you inspired by?

I am most inspired by the amazing women in my family – my Mom and her two sisters.  They grew up during WWII and making due with what they had came very naturally to them.  They all sewed and made beautiful clothing, drapes, upholstery – anything and everything.  My Mom was especially thrifty and loved a good bargain.  She could truly make something from nothing!  As a little kid, I used to go with her to a little local antique/junk shop, where she would pick out different pieces of affordable furniture, take it home, strip it down and paint it or refinish it.  The home I grew up in always looked beautiful thanks to my Mom, her talent and creativity.  

Where do you create? home studio? kitchen table? sofa?

I have a little niche carved out for me in my home – one half of our very large master bedroom.  There are skylights in the room and during the late morning and early afternoon, which is mostly when I work, the golden light bathes the room in a warm glow that is just the perfect atmosphere to feel creative in. I have 2 large desks set up with my sewing machine and serger, lets of shelves stacked with lace, doilies and buttons, and 2 large armoires filled to the brim with my vintage fabric treasures.  Heaven!!

What are some of your fave movies/shows/bands/music?

I am a big fan of old movies – from the classics like "Casablanca" and "Gone With the Wind", to some lesser known ones like "Marty" with Ernest Borgnine (1955).  Some newer movies I love are "Julie and Julia" and "It's Complicated".  I don’t know what it is, but I could watch "It's Complicated" a dozen times and not get tired of it!  I love a lot of classic rock bands like Van Halen and Aerosmith, funk bands like Spyro Gyra, Tower of Power and Earth Wind and Fire.   I am a HUGE fan of anything Motown!!!  Give me some Motown on the radio while I'm doing housework or driving in the car, and I am a happy girl!  Some current musicians I love are Jack Black, Mumford and Sons and also Bruno Mars.

Do you collect anything?

Ha ha – well let's see, I "collect" vintage fabric, or would that be more like "hoard"?  I also can never pass up a vintage Mary/Madonna vase if I see one at a thrift shop or estate sale.  Just love them, and I find them so touching.

Favorite art/craft supplies?

Mod Podge Stiffy!  Can't live without it.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Five years from now, I would love to be writing my second (or third) craft, decorating, inspirational book.  I would LOVE more than anything to write a book, and I have so many ideas.  I would also love to have a little shop, perhaps in the back of a gypsy caravan or an old VW van.

Three favorite websites/blogs/shops...etc?

My 3 favorite websites/blogs are: Susan Branch (I absolutely love this woman, and she is such an inspiration); bluebird notes (Koralee is just the sweetest and so talented); and Aunt Peaches (original, quirky and just plain fun).

Anything else you'd like to add? 

Thank you so very much to sweet Jenny for "spotlighting" me!  It's been such a pleasure to be part of her lovely blog!  XO

..........................................

It's the end of January, and me and Aaron have gotten off to a bit of a slower start than usual but we are falling into a rhythm now and have so much creativity to get out into the world. So stay tuned for that. And if you'd like to be a sponsor...by all means, drop me a line!
 In the meantime I'd love for you guys to take a minute to visit Helena / Blondie Blu...introduce yourselves and take a peek into her fabulously vintage world! She's a sweetheart!
xo, Jenny

a little recap of Aaron's Birthday

(a little vid from the beach)

It had been so so incredibly cold the past week or so. We even had the pleasure of some frozen pipes, which then led to one bursting. This predicament was remedied by my little brother climbing under the house on his belly through an ice cold river of mud with water raining down on him til he found the source. He then cut and replaced the pipe....and informed us that in his estimation most of the pipes will need replacing as well. Party!

So, yesterday was Aaron's birthday and it was so incredibly pleasant. Yes wet, yes grey...which would normally bum us out a bit...but coming from needing that space heater blowing on us non stop it was like a gift to have some temperatures over 40! We had planned to go to the movies with Aaron's parents later in the afternoon, so we got a bunch of work done in the morning and took an afternoon walk around town. We started up on the beach...and again even though it was grey, it was nice. Normally we can see NYC and a handful of bridges in each direction...but yesterday it was as murky as a good episode Scooby Doo. The water was moving gently...we saw a seagull or two. Nice and quiet. We walked down to the boardwalk to see how the post Sandy rebuild was progressing. There were signs boasting a Spring 2013 comeback, but wow...there is so much to do! They are still pumping water out of some buildings! We saw stands opened up...their owners shoveling sand and debris out. Jeez, so much to do. 

There are fences around everywhere...for safety reasons. I love this Lady Luck sign. 

The horses from the destroyed carousel which I shared in my Hurricane Sandy Story are now across the street in the waterpark. I'm not sure what they have planned for them. There's a tendency to attach personalities to these guys...like they're all dressed up with no place to go...awaiting their time to shine and ride again.  

The kiddie park is bare bones right now and so many of the rides are just gone. 

So, onto the evening...Aaron's parent's picked us up around 3:30...which might be early for a Bday party, but we had planned to see a movie and then have dinner. Being that the movie was nearly 3 hours it only made sense to go early and then eat at a normal time. And the movie plans came about due to convenience and coincidence. Aaron's Birthday fell on a Tuesday, the day that the local theater does a date night special of buy one get one free. We saw Zero Dark Thirty...which was just...wow! Intense is not the word. My heart rate didn't level out for a good 10 mins after we left the theater. Fantastically made film.

After the movie we went to our favorite Indian restaurant...Neelam! We hadn't been there in so long...so it was a real Bday treat for Aaron...Indian food is our favorite. Aaron's parent's were also psyched to go even though they have only had Indian food once or twice before. They had really enjoyed it previously and trusted us to pick good stuff from the menu for them again. We went with our favorites of Chicken Tikka Masala, Navratan Korma, assorted pakora and samosa, pappadum, garlic naan...and we tried one of the specials...an Indian chicken chili. Ohhh boy it was FANTASTIC! Holy crow man...just deeelish!

After dinner we went back to Aaron's parent's for Cake! As you know I'm the baker in the family and I love baking Birthday cakes! Aaron and his mom share January Bdays and we decided to do a combined party. Barb chose this Toasted Coconut Chocolate Cake. It doesn't have my typical all butter type of frosting. It's a classic 7 minute frosting made with sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, and vanilla. It's nearly identical to Marshmallow Fluff. I've made it for whoopie pie filling in the past. It's super old fashioned. Lots of our vintage baking books have very similar recipes. The cake itself was quite dense, not too sweet...kinda like a devil dog. Not my usual devil's food or fudge cake. I really like trying new recipes, and I'm on pins and needles till we cut into it and try the first fork full. It was good...not my favorite of all time...but  good! We had a piece again this afternoon and we both liked it even more!

It was a great time! When asked how his Birthday was, Aaron exclaimed  "GREAT!"

Ohhhh and will you have a look at this guy?! Little Jack who is allllways "helping" us when we paint and work bumped into some pink paint. Since he inadvertently gave himself one pink eyebrow, Aaron decided to even him out. This kid is a nut.

Ok, thanks for catching up...or allowing me to.

xo, Jenny

PS... Gosh, the other morning I accidentally deleted a bunch of pending comments here on the blog...thinking I was in the spam folder! So, I'm so sorry if your comment hasn't shown up. I was sooo sad when I realized what I had just done. :(    Feel free to repost it!!

Straight from the heart

Gosh, I've said it so many times before...when life throws you a curve ball you can count on the kindness of kindred spirits to set things straight. In blogland I have made so many amazing friends over the years, but if I were to split hairs...(and Aaron can vouch for this)...and have to pick one friend to live right next door to me...it would have to be Laurie Romanaggi aka Magpie Ethel. 

A little about Laurie...she has the GREATEST collections upon collections upon collections of vintage, cute, quirky and just plain wonderful stuff! You MUST check out her Collection Challenge!!! Ahhh!! If you are a vintage lover you will be smiling so hard it will hurt! (it's along her left side bar)  I've known Laurie ever since I started blogging! And I've been collectiong her incredible holiday creations for just about as long.  

So, being that she is only my fantasy neighbor, yesterday I did not receive a knock on my door from her. No, distance forced Laurie to employ the mailman for her mission of goodwill. A box arrived with a return address that said Magpie Ethel!! And not a little box either. Upon opening I found a vintage card with the most sweet, kind, and generous words. After reading about all that we lost in Hurricane Sandy. And seeing that we no longer had our prized white tree covered in pastel vintage trinkets and treasures...Laurie took it upon herself to gather together a collection of Holiday goodness that could only come from the ultimate Magpie! And all of this...she sent to me and Aaron!  

I was crying like a baby as I opened each ornament. So many memories came flooding back. The years of collecting. Finding THE perfect balls in antique shops up and down the Jersey shore over the past 18 years. 

These are just perfection!  Oh the heart fluttering that goes hand in hand with holding a teeny tiny aqua glass bell.

And this flocked star ornament truly touched me. It is so similar to one of my very favorites that is now gone. 

Ohhh and this candy cane! Laurie included two of these! One in pink and green as well! Adore adore adore!

 I know this is just stuff...but we collectors hold these things so near and dear. Each item holds a little bit of life in it. They're infused with memories and good times. We remember the thrill of the hunt and the magical the afternoons exploring new towns, new antique shops, lunches with friends...or even hunting things down on ebay...or receiving them as gifts from friends or in blog swaps. 

Well, theres something even more special attached to a box like this. A box that arrives out of the blue from someone who loves stuff just as much or even more than you do. You know how much went into culling together this magic. It came straight from the heart and has touched our hearts so so deeply. And  come next holiday season each of these pieces with hang on our new tree...and we'll build new memories.

Just thought I'd share this with all of you!
xo, Jenny

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! The week has flown by, hasn't it? A few days ago our pipes froze to our kitchen sink and dishwasher and despite an effort involving a blowdryer...we have not been able to thaw them out. It's humorous to think that we're pining for Monday...when the temp will reach a whopping 34 degrees in hopes that this will be enough of an increase to thaw us out. We are currently averaging like 12 or 15 degrees. Oh well, still happy it's Friday. Happy to be sitting in front of the space heater making art. And happy to be able to share my Friday Favorites with you guys!

In my precious collectibles and artwork you will find lots and lots of color. But my wardrobe would look right at home in any of my favorite Hitchcock films. Black & White. I'm totally a cardigan girl, and this one is so fab. In fact, I'm down with the whole ensemble above...just need some tights in this cold! 

I've been a fan of Banter Banners for a while now and when this style showed up in a Fab.com sale I thought it would be perfect in our bedroom. Boo Hoo for me though...they sold out super duper fast. But Hooray for Bantar banners that they did so well! They offer a create your own banner which of course I could do...but man, Fab.com discounts really rule. 

By now you know I'm a sucker for lighting...industrial type especially. And wall mounted task lamps make me pretty happy. I'm really loving this one, and wondering where I could use it. But this probably is a question for a later date...when repairs are further along and our house makes some sorta sense again. 

Ok raise your hand if you are cookie crazy! Are these just the cutest, prettiest things ever? Who knows if they taste good? In my experience though, when peeps put so much care into the esthetics of a cookie...they usually taste fantastic. I'm betting these do.

 But still, I'd wanna shellac these things and save 'em forever and ever and ever! (don't get me started on the "faux cake" I ordered on ebay like 10 years ago! The lady glued REAL coconut flakes all over it!  Not a good idea.)

Big ups to designs with stamina. I was so happy to see that our Keep Calm And Have A Cupcake gift bags and journals are still available at Paper Source! Man this many years after the initial  Keep Calm frenzy and they are going strong! Totally took on a life of their own!  :)  And three cheers for cupcakes!

I LOVE this pillowcase set! Another Fab.com find! Man, I love so many of their selections! This designer had 2 other styles that I adored as well. Total typography lovers over here!

Speaking of Typography...

Love this video

Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues - A HAND LETTERING EXPERIENCE from Leandro Senna on Vimeo.

Ok, stay warm, keep positive. Happy Friday!

xo, Jenny...and Aaron sends love!

frozen pipes, errands, and carbs galore!

Hey kids! So are you freezing your rump off too? Or are you one of the lucky ducks in a warm locale?   Here in Jersey it is ridiculously cold!! And have I mentioned that our heating system is the pits?...and that we have queen sized sheets blocking off a part of the house? because it still needs to be insulated from underneath the house...including the bathroom downstairs where the floor fell in? 

Yes. Well that is what is going on. When you walk from the kitchen and pass through the sheet, there is a drastic transition of temperature. As you enter the bathroom or laundry room it feels as if you just walked OUTDOORS! yep! So taking a shower is brutal. You have to psych yourself up for it. 

Though if I were to employ a silver lining for this scenario I'd say that the contrast in temperature fools you into thinking that the rest of the house is warmer than it really is. You can trick yourself by strolling into the frigid bathroom or laundry room and then strolling back into the kitchen...you'll say "hey, it's kinda warm in here." But the trick wears off in about ten minutes. So there's lots of tea and coffee drinking going on. 

Oh, so where was I going with this set up?...yes...this morning we woke to find that the kitchen faucet would not produce one drop of water. Uh huh...the pipes froze! Luckily it was only the kitchen sink. We were still able to shower and brush our teeth in the bathroom.

We called my little brother...aka the manliest man we know...and he was at work and probably not happy to hear the news...but said he would crawl under the house with a flashlight and blowtorch when he got home if need be. ( We passed on this offer...he works hard enough already...why add to his load? )

 So we checked for the sound of water running under the sink or floor...telltale sounds of a burst pipe...luckily no. So we turned all of our faucets on a trickle while we left to run errands for the day with the hopes of returning to a working kitchen sink. Still no water flow as of this writing.

One of our errands was the post office. So awesome to be sending off a BIG happy batch of orders to their new homes all over the globe! :)  There isn't much that makes us happier!! Man it is a great feeling! THANK YOU guys!

Another errand was Michael's for some supplies. There were sooo many super cute Smash book items that I really hope to pick up at a later date. Today we were in a rush and I knew it would be a mega can of worms if I even began to really look. But as we walked to the checkout we came across these super cute rubber stamps and tiny paper clips! Had to have em!

Have I mentioned how much I love bread?...Yeah I did... just yesterday in fact! ;)  Gosh I seriously could just go nuts at Whole Foods! Look at all that golden crusty goodness! It was calling me!

And oooh my gosh...the patisserie case is like otherworldly! Everything is full of fat and cream and  real ingredients. None of that gross cheap fake tasting stuff you may find at other grocery stores. This 

stuff is trouble! ha!

Aaron and I hadn't been to Whole Foods in quite a long time since moving. We used to live right across the street and almost daily we took full advantage of that fact...often hitting up the hot food bar as well as their daily dinner specials. Gosh that place is just fantastic! 

Today we wandered into the cheese section. I've had brie on my mind for days and it just had to happen. While choosing my brie Aaron the cheddar lover came across some samples of aged English Cheddar that he said was "so good you could fall down". So we each picked a cheese and finished off the deal with some crackers and Stonewall Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam. 

And as I type this I am chipping away at this picture perfect square...

Oh and if you are looking for Aaron...he's got his nose in a book... as always!

What did you guys do today?

xo Jenny....and Aaron

a pretty good week so far...

Hey guys! Well the week is off to a pretty good start! Aaron and I have been busy busy bees! The mood has shifted a bit for the better. We are both seasonal depressives for sure, but I guess once the cold has really set in we both realize there's nothing we can do about it so why not pretend that it's 70 degrees and sunny? We've been medicating with music, coffee & tea...and lots of art making. Filling orders isn't a grind in times like this...it's a gift and a blessing. Artists need affirmation, and as far as that goes what's better than a stack of boxes full of your artwork all set to ship to every part of the country? Lots of really awesome folks have had the patience of saints while we work in these far less than ideal home conditions. 

Seeing our Cookies and EAT signs lined up last week was a thrill, and this week we have multiple Charlottes! Triplets to be exact! :)  And some assorted prints and other fun pieces. We always love seeing different mixes of our art. People often purchase mini collections from us and we really do get a kick out of seeing the diversity of their selections. There are some talented "groupers" out there. 

Lots of hammering going on! 

...and signing

and sanding...And can you believe this lil guy? Aaron had that cardboard placed to catch falling dust from sanding the edges of our diecuts. And "little" just so happens to looove the feel and sound of his tiny feet on cardboard. And then we he discovered that his cardboard platform was located directly in front of a space heater...we could not get him to budge!

So yeah, this little heater hog normally won't even deal with a light rain or mist, and he hates the cold...but something about snow changes all of his precipitation and temperature standards. He had a blast running around in the bit of snow that we got last night. Probably only an inch or two fell but boy is it cold!!! And they're predicting some more snow for Friday. brrrrr.

So poor Aaron had been needing new shoes soooo badly. Everyday shoes. He's truly a boot man, but boots aren't great for everyday...sitting around working...you need some comfort. Maybe a month or so ago when we were out shopping for the holidays and we came across a pair of skate shoes that were a cross between a sneaker and a boat shoe...but weren't flimsy. When shoes are flimsy we refer to them as "slippery dippery". Anyways...at the store they didn't have his size, and we were shopping for other people so the shoes weren't a big priority. Well yesterday we found them online! It was strange...they come up via Sears of all places...but then we were redirected to a site called Afterschool.com. Ummm...ok I must tell you that we are soooo HAPPY with the entire process! We ordered them at 4 pm yesterday and they are on his feet now! In the store and on the company site they were over 69.00. We got them for 49.99 plus free shipping! Under 24 hrs!! Hooray for Afterschool.com!  

And I just wanted to share a lucky lucky happy find with you! I'm big into BREAD! Eating it, smelling it, decorating with it. And I hope that as soon as our kitchen is a kitchen again...BAKING it! Well this is a vintage new old stock linen dish towel! I am so excited about it! It came today in the mail. So both Aaron and I had a happy happy mail day!

Yeah like I said...the week is off to a pretty good start! Hope yours is too!

xo Jenny...and Aaron says hi!

soundtrack at this moment: Led Zeppelin's Kashmir

Join us in February!

Hello friends! 

I am really happy to be accepting sponsors for February! Gosh, I couldn't be more excited about some of the things Aaron and I have planned for the upcoming months! We were thrown off the rails for a bit due to Hurricane Sandy but we're now on the road to rebuilding everything that was damaged in the storm. And we're looking to make up for lost time in a big way. Our home and studio are not just going to be repaired...they will be reborn...and hopefully made ideal. The thought of a fresh environment to create in has us bursting with ideas and creative energy. We are really looking forward to getting back to sharing DIYs and tutorials, and recipes with you guys! 

February will be a great month around here and we'd love to have you join the fun! If you are a blogger, artist, crafter, etsy shop, small or big business that is looking to spread the word and share your talents with like minded folks, then I think Everyday is a Holiday readers would certainly love to hear from you! 

I am so thrilled to know that we are gaining new readers and subscribers every day! And as a sponsor, not only will you be featured here on the Everyday is a Holiday blog...but you'll also be shared on facebook...on my personal page of over 5000...and the Everyday is a Holiday page with over 2400 fans. And Pinned on Pinterest with over 19,000 followers. Annnd if you'd like...why not sponsor a giveaway?! 

If you'd like some more details on sponsoring Everyday is a Holiday click here!

If you're ready to join the fun email us!

We are excited to spread the word and love!

xo Jenny and Aaron

Sunday bits

Hey friends! Happy Sunday! It's chilly yet sunny here on the NJ Shore.  It's supposed to get reeeally cold this week and that has Aaron and I ready to quit. Well ok, slight exaggeration...but mannn we both haaate being cold! And like I've mentioned, our heating system has mega issues and Hurricane Sandy really didn't help matters. We've been using a little space heater that we just picked up at Home Depot. It works great...when it is blowing directly on you. But since there are two of us we have it set to oscillate, which means one of us freezes every other 5 seconds...ha! I'm such a baby...and so is Aaron. The only bad thing about the space heater is that it fools the thermostat into believing that the heating system is doing a GREAT job...and therefore the heat doesn't kick in!  ah well. Adventures in home ownership! Party!

So I'm excited to say that we took this Sunday and made it all about Art Journaling! It has been too long since we got to play around with our fave supplies. Hurricane Sandy was the biggest rudest pause button ever. We still have no idea where some things are but we are working with the happy bits we have. I'm a gatherer and Aaron is a sketcher. Which is a great combo. We meet in the middle and it all works out. And oh yeah, as you can gather from the above photo...Carlos is a lap hog :)

And this lazy bones who we call Jack takes his Sundays seeeriously. As I walked from the kitchen to the livingroom I looked down and this is what I saw upon the chair. I think his lip and tooth dried so this made his lazy face appear to be smirking. Very soon after he fell into a deep deep sleep and it now sounds as if we have a team of lumberjacks sawing logs underneath the blankets.

And this guy feels the need to be up and aware and ready at all times. If he's not on your lap he's right beside you. He tries to stay alert but ends up falling asleep sitting upright. He's such a nutty old man!

Look! Our new IKEA pendant lamp is hung!! Thanks to Aaron's dad! We love it! Now all we have left is painting the walls and ceiling, and adding new trim around the room! So beyond excited! I won't lie...we haven't been rays of sunshine. It's hard to perk up with the piles and piles of supplies and boxes everywhere. It certainly can feel as if the walls are closing in around you. But I'm actually pretty proud of how much of a glass as half full mentality we've been able to sustain through all of this. The me of  lets say...ten years ago...would have curled in a ball or had a panic attack. For now we're just taking it day by day. We're looking at the bright side and know there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

Ohhh and I made a Chicken Tortilla Soup that was like seriously seriously deeelish! Geez...I kid you not...like one of the best soups we've ever had! Spicy, with layers of flavor.  Can't wait to have it again later tonight! :)

 And an update on the sickness front...I am feeling a lot better but still going through tissues like crazy! It has been long enough. I am so ready to feel 100%

How about you guys? What are you up to today?

Love from the NJ Shore!

xo Jenny...oh and Aaron says hi too!

Our soundtrack today: The Strokes