I'm THAT girl

Ok, so if you've been reading my blog since the beginning or even for only a few months you would know that my heart (figuratively) and my home (literally) are filled with vintage dolls, holiday collectibles, treasures, pastel colors, bits of foil, old tags, signs and letters from old advertisements and industries and the things our parents and grandparents would remember from their childhood. Discovered in the wood planked aisles of the old Five & Dime. The pretty dolls temptingly propped up in the window...the Easter Baskets and candy containers...The magical displays changing with each approaching holiday seasons. And candy for every single season...foiled wrapped...billows of tulle and colored cellophane...the promise of chocolate wonderment inside. 

And these ephemeral treasures were never meant to last past the morning of the big day...their wrappers were to be torn and tossed...candies eaten.

Yet somehow a tiny fraction of these remain today. Apparently their recipients valued them as much more than mere wrapping or vessels for candy and treats. Maybe they were kept on a shelf as decor in bedrooms for a while, and later they were tucked away, stored in an attic or closet...to one day be acquired by a new admirer of old beauty. An admirer who's more than familiar with ebay and flea markets and junk shops. 

Well, I am that admirer...I'm that girl...and I know you may be that girl...or boy. 

Our homes are waiting for these objects to find their place among their kind on our shelves. We dust them off, hot glue their eyes or hair back in place, and invite them to the party here for as long as they want. Where dolls and bunnies and plastic ballerinas, doll heads, foil eggs, cardboard Christmas houses, tiny toy pianos, all get to reprise their starring roles for an adoring audience.

Which all leads me to my latest treasured find! She was a rare purchase...not just because she's rare but because I rarely spend a dime! Given the past 5 months or so with all the home repairs and just that awful insecure feeling Sandy has given us all, we've been pinching pennies.
But while browsing ebay last week I stopped in my tracks...eyes wide, mouth open...and that familiar flutter in my chest as I read the description. I had never in my life seen something like this! And I must tell you...not only have I been a vintage collector and ebay stalker for 18+ yrs... but Aaron and I also had an antique booth in one of the most incredible buildings in a town FULL of amazing antique shops. On a daily basis we saw anything and everything you could imagine. 

The ebay seller had found it at an estate sale. She did some research into it and found that this basket, made by the Shreveport Association for the Blind, was most likely made for a fundraiser in the early 1950's. One thing the seller couldn't believe...and that I couldn't believe either...is that it was never opened! The aged and yellowed cellophane remains completely intact. Not even a little hole from a tiny inquisitive finger craving a bit of foil wrapped Easter chocolate. And not only is it amazing that it's unopened...the colors are still vibrant! So she was kept out of the light of day for sure.

Jeez, can you tell how excited I am about her?! I'm sure she'll acquire a pet name soon, just like all the rest of my fave collectibles. Right now she's hanging out on our work table in the work-in-progress studio. I'll let you know when she finds her perfect spot...and also when the studio is complete...or close enough...I'm sure the studio will never be complete...the whole idea of a studio space is that it's always in flux, right?

Ok, thanks for stopping by...I hope your day is fabulous!

xo, Jenny

Sunday Funday

Ohhh boy are things getting fun around here! We've been working round the clock on so many things...orders, the house, and the stuuuudio! We are so so close to being in there like for realz! And that means that some of our prized collections will be joining us very soon...ya know, to provide moral and inspirational support while we toil away in the studio. Such as these guys above! This basket o' bunnies...they are totally ready for their new home! I wheeled them in today and just seeing them in the room made my heart flutter a bit! These poor fellas have been hidden away in boxes for the past few months and finally they'll take their places among our favorite things!

In classic Jenny style I was mixing paint while I decorated. Somehow organizing goes hand in hand with me painting a piece of furniture. I have a vintage cupboard that is waiting for a little pink...or possibly aqua...I'll know by the end of the night! ha!

Hanging shelves and displaying favorite bits, bobs, treasures and supplies. A pretty display that's totally practical and close at hand. Good stuff ready and waiting to be used in a project!

I got side tracked...saw some glitter letters that needed to be put away but I couldn't resist playing with them first.

And yes I'm all about juxtaposing...The room being filled with eardrum shattering deftones and heart warming vintage bunnies makes perfect sense to me!

Oh and jeez...all hard work calls for sweet rewards. The other night Aaron and I made a batch of Shortbread squares and oh boy were they just little bits of happiness in my mouth! Tender, buttery, not too sweet...just melted away all our troubles! Gosh...of course they are all gone...and that just means we'll have to bake more very soon.

I couldn't not include a pic of this little guy. His Uncle Walter threw his hoodie on the chair for a couple minutes and this guy instantly made a nest. Boy is he so so good at making nests...twirls around, tucks his butt, lets out a big sigh and settles in.

Right now we are taking a bit of a break...eating while watching the E! red carpet for the Oscars. We'll be able to catch Seth MacFarlane's opening bit but then we'll be promptly switching over to The Walking Dead...we've got priorities after all!! And I'll definitely be painting some furniture before bed.

And what have you guys been up to this weekend?!

xo  Jenny

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday all! I'm excited for the weekend...gonna get the last bits of molding tacked in around the new studio...then paint...and hang artwork...and so on. All good stuff. And then on Sunday while many are tuned in to the Oscars me and Aar will be glued to The Walking Dead...wouldn't miss a second of it for anything, so we won't even be flipping during commercials. So yes, I hope this Friday finds you well and ready for a fab weekend doing whatever you please!

Now for the Friday Favorites! 

I saw this scarf on pinterest and my eyes lit up! It is just so so pretty! The color, shape and style are so me. I'm all about pieces that possess a bit of sweetness and have an antique-y feel. So when I clicked on it on pinterest I thought I'd be brought to an etsy shop...but no such luck. Well actually, for some of you  with those patient and dexterous fingers it may be the jackpot...because it happens to be a crochet pattern. I myself do not have those skills. I wish I did. I'm not ruling out learning to in this lifetime...but I won't lie...don't see it happening this year...ha! 

So if you follow me on Pinterest you already know that I have been pinning loads of Studio inspiration and wish list items. Our art and collections are all on the sweet side with candy colors and a more girly vibe. But the bones of the studio (much like my wardrobe) lean more to the masculine...well you know... lots of black, tan, grey, distressed metal, aged wood. It feels balanced to us...sorta like an all black outfit, some combat boots, and then a punch of sparkle, my pink hair and some pink or red lips! :) Makes sense to me! ha! Industrial meets candy.

The above wall of amazingness is a reproduction metal chest of drawers from Pottery Barn Teen! So so not in our budget...but a girl can dream right?

And then we have the rustic side of things. We love to add bits and smidges of old wood. Very apothecary or old timey candy shop. Love this DIY storage idea! Old crates and bright vintage florals! Hugely smile inducing!

Yes...These have my name all over them! I've been a fan of platforms for as long as I can remember. I once had a pair of boots that we only referred to as my "Frankensteins". They went to mid calf...had the hugest bottom ever...and had tiny pink roses hand painted all over them! If Cath Kidston went Goth I suppose! ;)

Yep...cookie pillows! Well actually "biscuits"! And whattaya know...the Brit awards are on the telly as I type this. I Love the brits and their fab decor and their yummy biscuits! I grab a box form the import aisle of the supermarket whenever I can...along with some tea of course! 

I think I share some loves with the designer of these, Nikki McWilliams. She makes homewares and accessories inspired by British culture, contemporary Pop-Art and a lifelong love of having a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.

Ok and I just had to share this duo...Is your heart just melting all over?! 

I found then on Instagram and was obsessed! The entire feed only features these two...the little Japanese boy Tasuku...and his French Bulldog Muu! Their mom snaps the most adorable photos of them going about their days as best buds. It is so so so cute I can't stand it! 

So hard to pick a favorite!! Follow them on Instagram!

Ok, off to get the cooking done! Pretty psyched for what we are having tonight! Hope your Friday is Fabulous! xo, Jenny

around here...

So things are indeed moving along over here! The studio is painted...with the exception of some replaced pieces of trim that we grabbed at Home Depot today. And do you see that hammer? Yep! Hanging art! Hooray! Geez man, it feels good to be at the art hanging stage! 

We still have lots of organizing to do and we need to get some shelves for one wall, but overall the room should be totally finished within a week! Of course finished is relative term. We'll always be moving things around...adding happy bits and elements. But yep! Almost there! 

Yesterday and today we were actually able to do some work in there!  In our last apartment it was a nightmare getting this old farmhouse table out the door because it was a super old home with tiny doorways in narrow hallways. So yesterday it was like this big amazing moment when we were able to carry the table right through the threshold without so much as a pause in our stride. Ha! We laughed out loud at the same time...with the same thoughts.

It's no secret that I am a candle fan. Jeez, they work as such good medicine for me. They add an extra layer of happy to a room or moment. I had Sweet Macaron from Bath & Body Works burning as we began to get the studio looking like a studio. This is a super duper sweet scent, and wow what a throw!

Oh boy, so the other day a big batch of our Keep Calm And Have A Cupcake items arrived at our door. For those that don't know, when you have licensed designs most of the time you get quantities of each product in the collection as part of your deal. I've blogged other items over the years but these are new to us. We had no idea how successful this collection would be. The Keep Calm phenom has been part of online and blogging culture for years now...but there is this whole other wave of fans that love it strictly for their love of cupcakes! The line has expanded and will continue to. We have playing cards...which I think would be fantastic used in art projects! Think Scrapbooking, Art Journaling, and Project Life! Also Nook, Kindle and Kindle Fire covers, as well as 2014 planners, and the most adorable little books with Sweet Little Thoughts on Staying Sane. All are now listed in the shop and ready to ship! We have limited quantities so grab em while we have them! :) Ipad covers coming in April!

Ok, off to get dinner ready and maybe after we'll get some trim painting done! Can't wait to get some real projects cranking out of our new studio. A fresh start is great for creativity.

xo, Jenny 

Jenny's Super Easy, Super Delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup

Have I got a super delicious recipe for you!  It's spicy, has got layers of flavor, and is perfect for this time of year. A great way to warm up on these cold days and evenings. And did I mention that it's super duper easy?! This soup starts with a rotisserie chicken. Those store cooked rotisseries are easy to just pass by. But the key is to look at them as an ingredient rather then an 'as-is' item. They are cooked to perfection and just waiting to be a part of your fave recipe. So for this recipe go ahead and toss one in your cart along with a few cans of broth, beans, corn, some cheese, cilantro and other fixins. This last minute dinner will taste better than a restaurant! Not kidding! Aaron and I love this as a dinner along with a side salad topped with chipotle dressing and some homemade guacamole and our favorite tortilla chips! And we always have some left over to heat up for lunch the next day.

This really is such an easy soup to put together and you can adjust the spices to suit your taste. For me this is one of those committed to memory recipes. I think by the second time you make this...and I do believe there will be a second time...you will know what you like and what you may like to add to make it your own recipe.

Ok so let's get that soup on! :)

You will need:

1 store bought rotisserie chicken

2 cans black beans drained (or whatever beans you'd like)

1 can of corn drained

2 cans chicken broth

1 can RoTel diced tomatoes and green chilies

small can of diced jalapenos (optional)

1 diced medium onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

dash crushed red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup Sofrito ( I use Goya brand)

3 cups water

Toppings:

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used Tillamook sharp cheddar)

Tortilla strips

freshly chopped cilantro

...and sour cream is delicious too!

Let's get cookin'!

First, cut and shred chicken and place in a bowl. 

In a large sturdy pot, over medium high heat add your olive oil, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Stir and begin cooking. 

Next, add your chicken, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Now add your RoTel, chicken broth, jalapenos, Sofrito, beans, corn, and water...stir well! Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 35-40 mins uncovered. Give it a little taste...spicy enough? If not add a dash more chili powder. 

Guys! That's it! 

When ready to serve, top with shredded cheese, and tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips. Or whatever you'd like! 

We love to have our favorite chips and Guacamole with this! 

As I mentioned above this soup can be tweaked and made to be Your very own! have fun! Experiment!    Let me know if you give it a try or if you have a favorite soup recipe!

Happy Cooking!

xo Jenny

Making progress with paint

I couldn't be more excited, more thrilled, more inspired, or more motivated than I am right now! I know you guys must be so sick of hearing about Hurricane Sandy, well I promise that I'm more sick of how thoroughly she has left her mark on nearly every aspect of our world. And being able to say 'screw you Sandy'...feels really good! And with every smidge we move forward that's exactly what we get to say. Granted, we're moving a smidge at a time...but smidges add up! 

This weekend Aaron finished up the last bit of tiling in the studio (the back corner of the closet...which no one will see...and you consider maybe skipping it...but then you feel like a slacker and you know you just have to do it.) Anyway, with the floor all done it was time to get some paint on the walls and ceiling. We went over to our local Benjamin Moore location...which is called Painters Express. It's in neighboring Middletown, NJ. We seriously cannot say enough good things about those folks over there! That place is run by a swift team of friendly, super duper helpful guys and gals who actually ask the who, what, where and why about your painting project. And we are talking about Benjamin Moore paint here. We've been painting furniture, faux finishes, and murals on walls in homes all over NJ and NY for over 18 yrs. We could probably build a small home with all of the paint cans we've gone through. So, like I was saying...if you think all paints are crated equal then just try Benjamin Moore once and it'll be your favorite. It's ours across the board!
And I was so excited to appear on their blog...a feature called Color Chats. What's crazy is that the interview and photo shoot took place on the eve of Hurricane Sandy...we lost power minutes after I emailed the last bit of info!
Since we'll be doing lots of painting over the next few months...from walls to ceilings to trim, and even some fab furniture projects, we figured we'd share the process with you guys! So stay tuned for all sorts of fun ideas, tips, tricks, and tutorials, along with our paint color choices!

This here is Bill! You want a guy like this at your local shop...who you can give your measurements, tell him what kind of decorative stuff you're doing, like maybe stripes or scallops...and he can steer you toward the best paints for the job and the proper amounts.

We were sooo psyched to come home and get to work! We are starting with the studio and then it is on to the living room! Seriously, over the years, besides doing it for work when doing decorative finishes or murals, we have painted the walls in our own home A LOT. And it feels really good to be at this stage. When I see fresh paint I see progress...my mood brightens and I'm off to the races looking for the perfect decor to make it all work.

Here's Aaron rolling rolling rolling!  :)  And yep...that is indeed a Painters Express shirt! HA! We really like to root for the home team.

So yep...pretty darn excited over here! And things are really moving quickly! hooray! We have some trim to buy and install...and then paint. And some holes to patch and paint. But, I think we should be moving in to the studio within the next week! I have paper mache rabbits and doll heads just aching to take their places of honor on the shelves we've yet to install.

Hope you guys had a great weekend! 

Thanks bunches for visiting us today! It's always so so great to hear from you guys!

xo Jenny...and Aaron!

Friday Favorites

Hey there! It's Friday! Annnd it was just so beautiful here on the NJ Shore today! The sun was shining and the temp was beyond pleasant for the middle of February. And speaking of mid Feb...How was your Valentine's Day? Aaron and I had the most deeelish dinner! We had a great time cooking and baking together and were so so pleased with the outcome of everything...Grilled balsamic skirt steak, roasted grape tomatoes with green onions, and parmesan polenta. Every bite was one to be savored. We have a feeling will be making Polenta quite often. It's so simple to make and it's so basic that it's pretty much peasant food...but all it takes are some fabulous additional ingredients to take it to a whole new level. It was a perfect meal. And our dessert was scrumptious! I had baked a Perfect Chocolate Cake just days ago so we wanted something totally different... something more "yellow" ha! We went with cream cheese brownies...which are not brownies at all...more like a blondie. Oh my goodness gracious were they yummy! On Vday we had a late lunch of Chicken Tortilla Soup so we weren't ready to even start dinner till 7 ish. And the timing worked out perfectly. We actually did the dessert baking first and let it cool while we started the main course. Everything came together without a hitch. And the late start worked out fine because just as we were sitting down with our beautiful meals one of our fave shows, Elementary was starting. Ohh we love that show! Aren't Lucy Liu and Johnny Lee so so good together?! He's such a brat sometimes that we laugh out loud. We really aren't big tv people but we always tune in to Elementary. Oh and gosh, well of course The Walking Dead as well. But that's a whole other experience. That is so much bigger than mere "TV Watching".  

So yes, Valentine's Day was really nice over here. And we have a new meal to add to our routine. Too good to limit it to only special occasions.

So now, lets get to the Friday favorites...

The above settee is truly adorable. I love the color! And I'm kinda into furniture thats on the smaller size. Must be so so many years of smaller living spaces. 

 And this hello pillow cover just makes me happy. Simple and perfect. I think I really really need it on my couch!

Ohh I could die! This adoooorable little doggie plaque has me grinning big. Yes it's a little strange...a bit like a deer head...but I think the message is clear enough. No one would think that you're a puppy hunter. This is more of a tribute bust.

They've got a few breeds available for my fellow pup lovers: Chihuahua, Jack Russell, Westie, and a Pug!

These rings by Michu Coquette are so pretty and dreamy. I love accessories that are the equivalent of carrying around your visual inspirations. I think I'd paint way more flowers if I was always looking down at one of these beauties on my hand. And these are just the tip of the iceberg as far as Michu Coquette go. I dare you to take a peek at the shop.

I'm a bundle up kinda gal in the winter months, but I really hope to be in this Flutter On dress come springtime. It's in my basic black and white color palette and the vintage cut is adorbs!

Ok, thanks so much for stopping by! I think it's time for me to serve up some of those blondies...version 2.0

xo, Jenny

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Hey guys!

Ok so you would be correct in thinking that we must be total cake nuts over here. We paint them...decorate with them...and heck, even our candles and some of my perfumes are of the sweet baked variety. A few years ago I was gifted a bunch things from Aaron. Lots of Williams Sonoma stuff. Like pink spatulas, dishtowels, and all those pink silicon goodies. All of those baking accessories seem ubiquitous now, but this was kinda when they first hit the market and WS was pretty much the only place to get them. 

One of my fave pink cakes stands was also a Valentine's gift and a chocolate candle as well! It's a bit of a let down that every chocolate candle that I've come across since then has been less than stellar. They all smell very fake...headache inducing really. But that chocolate candle from Williams Sonoma over a decade ago was fabulous! 

Ok so chocolate! And Valentine's Day are pretty much inseparable for most.

Now...if you are looking for a last minute decadent dessert to surprise your sweetie or family with tomorrow then look no further! And also, don't limit this recipe to special occasions. It happens to be a go-to recipe for. Must've made it over 40 times over the years. It's one I can execute last minute or on a whim! Most likely there will be no shopping required if you keep basic baking ingredients in the pantry.  

Of course there are fancy chocolate cake recipes that call for bars of expensive baking chocolate which I also adore...but this here is made using merely cocoa powder! 

When I made this I seriously had no plans on doing so. I got up to change the load of laundry over and before I knew it I was measuring out my ingredients and prepping my cake pans! Aaron always laughs when he starts hearing pans in the kitchen. Chocolate Cake out of the blue! It's so much better than a boxed mix or can frosting. I really think that once you make this frosting you will be converted and never use a can again! Well if the zombie apocalypse happens who am I kidding...I think I'd use can frosting to frost a kitchen sponge.

Okie doke...let's get baking shall we?

Perfect Chocolate Cake

You will need:

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. ( I always use parchment paper rounds in my pans...perfection every time)

Combine your sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be really thin..don't be scared!). Pour batter into prepared pans.

 Bake 30 to 35 minutes (my oven took about 40 mins) or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Now let's make the frosting!

Perfect Chocolate Frosting

You will need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter 

2/3 cup cocoa powder 

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, add your melted butter, next

mix in your cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. 

Makes about 2 cups.

Frost and serve!

What are you guys doing for Valentine's Day? If you are a long time reader of this blog you know that Aaron and I have a tradition of cooking a fab meal together. We gave up the craziness of going out to crowded restaurants years ago. We shopped for our ingredients today and are so excited for tomorrow.  Of course we'll be back to share that with you! :)

Happy Baking friends!

xo Jenny

A new painting in the works

If you follow me on Instagram or the brand new Vine app, (which is sooo much fun by the way!) you may have seen some in-progress peeks of our newest project. We started it this weekend. It's going to be another larger format mixed media piece much like our Cookies sign and Bakery Menu board. It'll be a statement piece...the statement being: "did I happen to mention that I LOVE Cakes and Cupcakes?...well, in case it wasn't obvious...feel free to look at that big painting hanging on my wall."    We wanted to create something that would instantly transform any space into a vintage bakery...whether it's a teeny tiny kitchen...a studio...or if it's already a vintage bakery...we hope this piece will be a room maker! 

We both had ideas for classic cakes and cupcakes. Old fashioned, vintage style sweets. Nothing over the top fancy or super decorative. We both sketched out some ideas and bounced them back and forth. After laying down some rough sketches and figuring out the composition we then did some clean tracings of our drawings. Doing the tracings makes the painting stage so much neater.

When we have a perfected sketch/outline we then rub our tracings onto our board or canvas. Once we've got lines down then we can start to "block in" our still life! Here you see we base coated the "cake" and the little candy toppers, as well as the outline of the "wrappers". All artists have their own formula for putting together a painting. We tend to bounce around so that all the elements will progress at around the same rate...so that in the end we can tighten everything up together.

Here you can see that we blocked in both cakes and laid the foundation for highlights and shadows. When doing a still life / table scape like this it's key to make sure that all the elements sit well together. That their light sources and perspectives make sense...and one isn't way more detailed than the other. Getting all the elements in their "dress rehearsal"state gives us an idea of where everything is going. At this point we get really really excited because we can really start to envision the finished piece. The urge is to keep painting and painting and let life fall to the wayside. But you gotta take care of your life as well as your painting. If only you could inject some extra hours into the day...or forgo sleep! We get all excited, thinking about what the background will look like...all that stuff. But everything takes time...it's a process and that's a good thing. The end result is more rewarding.

So, like I said...the painting has to sometimes take a backseat to life. We paused today to work on some orders and run a bunch of errands.We are reeeally excited to get back to this piece later tonight after dinner and whatever else. Our next step is "tightening" everything up...putting the cakes and cupcakes in their stage make-up. 

Do you paint? How do you go about starting a new painting? We always love hearing about and seeing the art of other creative souls! :)

We'll be sure to show you some more of this piece as it progresses!

Ohh...and if these paintings got you in the mood for CAKE...be sure to visit us tomorrow for a super deelish, over the top fudgey...Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe!

xo Jenny...and Aaron says hi!!