CAKE!

Hey kids! Wowzer! You guys are awesome! Loving all of the ideas you have for using "your" Cuttlebug! It seriously makes me wish that I had 100 to give away! Wouldn't that be so great?! We'd feel like elves over here, stamping boxes and addressing them to happy crafters all over the globe. Well If I ever win big in the penny slots in Atlantic City, you have my word! Cuttlebugs for everyone!! ;)

The giveaway is still going strong! So spread the word! :)

So I posted a poll on my facebook pg yesterday.

Keep Music on my blog? or not.

-Remove it. It's annoying and makes it hard to read
or
-Keep it. It sets the mood, plus we can turn it off if we want to.

What's your opinion? I know that some of us read blogs in the work place, and that could be an issue. I get it. It's possible we don't like the bloggers choice in music as much as we like thier content. Another valid point.

I'd LOVE to hear what you guys have to say! Please comment here and let me know! :)

We have gotten SO many emails about offering a kit featuring some of our cakes and cupcakes. And after teaching our "Tea & Cake" class at Art Is...You, we decided we needed to get on it right away! :)

Ladies, (and some gents)...

"CAKE"

(a paper art kit)
This kit is the paper art version of what we taught at Art Is...You. Same feel and style, but in a scrappy type of kit! All of the images are 100% our handpainted originals, including five brand new handpainted paper patterns and our very own carnival style lettering. This kit is for any skill level, no expertise whatsoever is required...just bring your love for CAKE! Besides cake we wanted to really focus on pattern and color scheme...aqua, pale pink, turquoise, and a bit of red to punch it up...stripes, polka dots, some vintage recipe clipping, and a fantastic hand painted pink damask wallpaper background.
Very detailed instructions included and everything you see here...vintage mocha pom pom trim, pink twine for the bunting, 3d glue dots and adhesive strips, aqua ribbon, water color paper, and an 11" x 14" canvas board.
We just know you'll have a ton a fun with this...and with the Holidays on the way this is the perfect gift for the creative person in your life.

This super fun kit is now in the shop, and all ready to ship! A handful of you artsy gals have already placed your orders! We Thank You for that!! :)

Okie doke kiddos. It's raining here on the shore. The sun has yet to rise, and I am craving some Marzipan tea. Hope you all have a fab day!
Be back soon!! xoxo Jenny

Who wants to WIN a Cuttlebug?!!!

Don't forget to pause my blog music (way down bottom) before watching.

I've been hyping up this giveaway for a while now...and for good reason! Right before our trip to The Creative Connection we struck up a relationship with some sweethearts at Provo Craft...this is the company behind the famous Cricut cutting machine. We got the newest Cricut right before we left for Minnesota. The 5th Anniversary Cricut Expression arrived at our door literally on the day we left for TCC...and we couldn't wait to get back home so that we could play with our new toy. Well, surprisingly enough, it turned out that Provo Craft occupied the booth next to ours at The Creative Connection vendor market. So, we actually got to preview our new toy before even opening the box...we got to play with the display model right there at the vendor market. We were amazed at it's capabilities! And the gals working the booth were total sweeties. Upon arrival back home we read the Cricut directions and toyed around with it...amazing stuff! But once again, we had to leave home...this time for Art is You. So our Cricut had to sit at home and wait for us again. We're back home now and playing with it...we will have much more detailed examples of how we put Cricut to good use...but for now let me just say that it will be instrumental in the way some of our future kits will be put together...custom stencils, die-cuts, etc...I can't wait to really get this thing cranking.
So, I know what you're thinking..."what's with all this Cricut talk?...I thought there was gonna be a giveaway."
Well, there is. As I said earlier, the Provo Craft peeps are sweethearts, and we started a little relationship with those guys. They are so sweet in fact that they offered me The Cuttlebug to give away to one lucky blog reader!! This is huge! It's a $90 item! And it's a fantastic piece of machinery. I've included a video for it here...and a video for the Cricut Expression just so you can see what I've been talking about. (and the vid for the Cuttlebug is 5 years old...man, things age fast! That's some "exciting" music!)




So this is it...the Giveaway you guys have been waiting for! The Cuttlebug!! It's sitting here in our studio still safely sealed inside the box it was shipped in. Sure I was tempted to open her up and fiddle with her a bit...but I stopped myself every time. I want the lucky winner to be the absolute first person to lay hands on this beauty! It's a die cutting and embossing machine...total professional quality. It can cut felt, chipboard, metal, papers, etc... and it's completely hand powered. The compact size of it and the fact that it's hand powered are two aspects that get me most excited. It would be so awesome to pack this little cutie for art events like Art is You. If you're the sharing type, you'd be the hit of your table!

Anyway, let's get to it. Here's how you win your Cuttlebug: I'm giving you THREE chances to win!
# 1. Follow this blog & leave a comment on this blog post letting me know why you would love to own a Cuttlebug.

# 2.Mention this giveaway on your blog and post a comment here with a link back to your blog post that mentions the giveaway.

# 3. Mention this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment here with the link back to your Facebook or Twitter post.

And since this is such a special prize I'm keeping the entry period open for 2 WEEKS. Out of the comments I will pick a winner on Friday October 28th!! ;)

And one more thing. We just put our Beaux Gateaux kit in our shop. After teaching some classes that featured our Cake Art we've been getting tons of requests for kits featuring our Cakes. So Beaux Gateaux is now in the shop and we are currently working on two brand new kits featuring fabulous cake art...I hope the first one is in the shop by tomorrow. It's a super fab kit...we're just putting the finishing touches on it and we are psyched...it's one that we would buy for ourselves if we saw it for sale somewhere. That's the standards we keep for our Cake Art...it has to be something that we would adore ourselves.
Ok, that's it for now...good luck with the giveaway...and get busy with some Cake Art. Beaux Gateaux is a great kit to start with...excellent for Mom and Daughter to create together.
xoxo, Jenny

Good Luck!!!!

Back from Art Is ...You!

We are back home after our---"wham-bam-thank-you-Ellen & Sallianne"---trip to Art is You. It went so so unbelievably fast for us since we only had classes on two days. For most peeps there it was a week long art party...(and I must say that I'm a bit jealous of those peeps! ;) But our teaching schedule was nicely arranged for Sunday and Monday. That meant we would only have to reserve a hotel room for two nights (good for the wallet but not so good for our tired bodies that wanted an extra night for vegetating.) But were responsible... We arrived late Saturday night to check into our room, set up our vendor table, and grab a few hours sleep for our Sunday morning class.

Sunday: Celebrate Everyday!...our Art Journaling class. Very very cool. And I think our students thought so as well. Six hours of cutting, pasting, doodling, writing, painting, coloring, laughing, chatting, etc...very loose format. As instructors we were there to share, inspire, offer tips, and encourage everyone to open up and have confidence in their hands and brains. Showing everyone that an Art Journal is less of an object and more like a DESTINATION. A place to go and be creative in your own way...no judges, no expectations...just you and your visual expression. And i feel like we accomplished our goals as instructors in that class. We got feedback from gals saying that the class felt therapeutic. That's possibly the best word we could've heard.

After class the vendor market was still open, so we went down to work our table and check out all the other goodies. I'm sorry that I didn't take more photos for you guys to see but there really wasn't any time. It was one giant room of artists, and we all did some much needed socializing. I met so many people for the first time in person...including Lorraine Reynolds...we have been facebook friends and I've long been an admirer of her work...but now I got to see and touch her work. Amazing stuff & gal! Totally a highlight of the trip. The night was great...lots of hors d'oeuvres! And yes, I have to bring it up again. Last year I raved about it a bit too much. This time I'm just reiterating...man oh man, they feed you often at Art is You. It's a great package deal all around. Everyone is treated so well.

Monday: Tea & Cake... this was a project driven class. Everyone worked on a 16 x 20 canvas and got to paint a real deal still-life / table-scape centered around CAKE! It was mixed media ... The students used prints of our cakes & cake slices, vases with roses, tea cups...and then they handpainted the "world" that this imagery lived in...And they also re-painted parts of the imagery...the frosting, cake texture, rose highlights etc... Seriously, these gals blew us away. The pics that you see here of some finished products do not do these pieces justice. Trust me...in person these were excellent pieces of art...every one of them was display worthy. It's hard for students to toot their own horns but they were all admiring each other's pieces so much...and if you do the math, that means that everybody had a praise worthy piece of art. We'll be doing a lot more classes of this sort...regimented, yet totally free form.

After Monday's class we packed up, checked out, and drove home. The 2 and a half hour drive flew by. As we were pulling off the parkway and heading into our neighborhood it really hit us that Art is You was over. It felt like a snap of the fingers. We did all this planning for it...and then: SNAP! it's all over. We have to wait a whole year for it to come around again. And this year seriously carved it in stone...we will always do Art is You for as long as there is an Art is You. Even if we weren't asked back as instructors we would still attend. Sal & Ellen are THE most perfect hostesses. And the attendees are the cream of the crop. As artists in our field...Art is You is a must. We kinda see it as our year end wrap up. A time and place to gather and remind yourself why it is we do what we do. I'm sure almost everyone who has taught or attended will agree with me on this.

Anyway, I'll let you guys get on with your night. Just wanted to get my Art is You rave on. Mission accomplished. xoxo, Jenny

A walk around the neighborhood.

I Love when the seasons change. The transition periods are the best...because when you're deep into any season it seems to get a bit too extreme in a given direction. But in the first weeks of spring turning into summer and then summer turning into fall...those are the perfect times. We took the pups for a walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the change. This is the time of year when it seems cooler inland, and a little warmer down by the ocean.

I've been meaning for a while now to take a stroll around town to take some pics of these big beautiful houses down the Jersey shore. Our town is really a summer town, so at this time of year everyone has already left until next year. And they leave behind these giant white Gatsby houses by the sea.

I don't think anyone lives in the house above. There are a few like that...some of the biggest, prettiest ones are empty. But then you'd be surprised sometimes and see one that looks like it hasn't been lived in for decades and then you'll see a car way back in the driveway, and lights on at night.

I love how in this pic little Jack is just walking past this ghoul who's climbing out of his grave. That kid is so jaded when it comes to zombies...we've let him watch too many movies.

This house below is actually directly on the ocean. If I were to swing my camera around, there would be the Atlantic staring back. And they've got a little putting green right there on the front lawn.

Well, I guess that's it. Just a quick stroll through our neighborhood with the pups. We're so so looking forward to Art is You this weekend. We loved it last year and know that it'll be even better this year. Ok, I'll be back soon!! xoxo, Jenny

Holiday with Matthew Mead Giveaway!

Hey Kids!

We are so so excited about Art Is... this week! Ahhh!! Our first class is on Sunday. Gosh that is so so soon! Just as we are coming down from our TCC high we will be repacking the supply cart...putting our mascot Mr. Bunny aka "the creep" in his favorite spot in the suitcase...and yes, getting our Chihuahua Jack ready for the road! :) Hooray!

We have been huge Matthew Mead fans forever and we thought that finally, at The Creative Connection, we'd be able to meet him in person. But fate intervened and it was not to be...at the last minute Matthew's TCC plans were dashed. So hopefully somewhere down the line we'll be in the same place. I mean, odds are, it'll happen...because this world of decor loving esthetes seems to keep getting smaller and smaller. You just seem to end up in the same room as your fave mag editors, publishers, stylists, etc...

Well I'm here to post this Matthew Mead giveaway because we love everything he does...especially around the holidays. Below are the details of the giveaway. I know that since my online blog habit, Pinterest and Flickr addiction, my magazine stacks have diminished. But where I do find myself still spending actual money on publications is when it's a special issue around the holidays. So one of you lucky ducks will get your Special Holiday with Matthew Mead free. Just check out the video below, follow the directions and link and you can WIN!

See and share a spectacular sneak peek of the HOLIDAY 2011 issue to win a copy of Matthew’s latest magazine, Holiday with Matthew Mead 2011. Share this video sneak peek with a friend via a blog post, tweet or Facebook mention and you will be entered to win! Help Matthew spread the word about this very special expanded keepsake issue of Holiday with Matthew Mead, which will be delivered directly to your mailbox. And be sure to head over to the holiday website for their launch week of contests which will feature cash prizes, home accessories from Matthew’s new home décor collection, and free copies of his books and magazines.

And oh my gosh...go "like" Holiday with Mathew Mead on facebook! :) tell him Jenny Holiday sentcha! :)

Ok...back to work! We'll be popping in before we leave for Art is.

Love you guys!

xo Jenny

Road trip recap, Halloween goodies and our Swag Bag Winners!!

Hey kids!

My goodness it has been just non stop busyness since we got back from MN. So much going on all at one time. We're catching up with everything that was put on pause before we left and now that we're back we're already preparing to leave again for our Art is You trip. This means getting our class details all finalized...and making sure that we've got some good stuff for the vendor market. And by good stuff, I mean Halloween stuff, which you can see some sneak peeks of below. But first I wanted to close out the Creative Connection chapter. To start with, a little slide show of our journey home. Now these aren't your usual travel pics...I'd call these "road" pics...literally. I snapped most all of these out of the passenger side window, sometimes while we were going like 70mph...so don't expect perfectly composed landscapes...these are more like glimpses of the American roadside between Minnesota and New Jersey.

Next, I've got a video here announcing our Creative Connection Swag Bag winners. Please excuse our sleepy headed selves...it's a late night for us now that we're back on a semi normal schedule.

(don't forget to pause the blog music before watching...way down at the bottom of this page)

And lastly, as I mentioned up top...here are a couple new Halloween designs. We're excited about these because they're inspired by all of the Art Journaling I've been doing. I'm just so psyched about our new line of original Art Journal stickers...AND our Art Journaling class that we'll be teaching at Art is You...which is just days away!! and it's not to late to decide to come! so sign up! even if it's just for one class...you will not regret it.

So, lot's more Halloween stuff is in the works...hope to post it soon. AND I'm dying to finish some more of these sticker sheets that we've got in progress. They are my absolute FAVE new thing! ok, that's it for now...thanks so so much for stopping by AND for participating in the giveaway. Congrats to the winners! Look forward to a HUGE giveaway coming really soon!

xoxo, Jenny

The Creative Connection...a recap. :)

The Creative Connection was more delightful than we could've hoped for. Being that we drove there...yes, from New Jersey to St. Paul Minnesota, 25 hours straight, no motel stops, just the occasional sugar and salt binge...we needed to rest up once we arrived in St. Paul. So in order to stop ourselves from turning into real life actual zombies we grabbed some beauty rest. This meant missing the opening day breakfast and also the lunch...but that was fine...We arrived at the event right before dinner and checked in...receiving our itinerary package (which was so so clear, concise, and helpful) and name tags. And at that point the hotel was teeming with fabulous gals and a palpable buzz was in the air. This was the beginning of what would be the ultimate odyssey of hands on, tangible, social networking...more consecutive handshakes, hugs & kisses than Mickey gets on a good day at Disneyland. It just warms the heart to reconnect with everyone...all the gals that we only get to see at events like this. And even better than that is when you get to meet in person for the very first time a longtime online friend. And what tops that is when you strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and then you carry that conversation over the next 3 days in St. Paul...and you just know that this will be a real deal friend for life.

The big opening night dinner was fantastic...foodwise and contentwise. Jo Packham welcomed the ballroom of nearly eight hundred peeps, with her trademark wit, charisma, and above all candor. I simply adore her honesty and true spirit. She got very emotional up there at the podium and it's not hard to see why being the founder of an event like this would break you up in joyful tears. The whole message and feel of the event was that we are all so much alike...that, at an event like this you know that you can walk up to anyone at all and connect on a million topics. Because the pre-work was done for us all...we could all fairly assume that if the person is there at The Creative Connection then they are our kind of person.

Tim Holtz was in attendance and he took the microphone briefly, talking mainly about what it was like to be the first guy featured in Where Women Create. And the keynote speakers were fabulous. Cristina Ferrare treated us to pretty much a tell-all, E true Hollywood story of her life. And the super sweet Holly Becker lead us through her own coming of age tale...and being that she's a blogger extraordinaire she had great visual aids on the projection screens flanking the stage.

The following day the vendor market opened and classes began. Classes - these were the reason for our journey...everything else was just the sprinkles on top. We taught three classes with two different themes and it's impossible to pick our favorite. We did Hooray for Cake and Lovely Ladies, Layers & Lines. Each was so so rewarding in it's own way. The connection we make with our students and seeing the artistic twinkle in their eyes is a cure-all for the soul. So much self discovery is happening right there before your eyes...and to think that you yourself play a small role in bringing about that discovery is just plain magical. Everyone was so darn sweet...arriving at class with an open heart and mind. I hope we filled them with good stuff that they can put in their artistic toolboxes for the long run. The slide show up top shows just the tippy tippy tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to take stroll through blogland to see what everyone else has to say about their good times...I've been seeing some great pics on Facebook too. Me and Aar would love to return next year...even if we're not instructors we'd even go just to be vendors at the market...speaking of, I guess that was our only disappointment. Our classes were scheduled at the same time as the market on both Friday and Saturday...so our booth at the market was left unmanned while we taught our classes. Next year we'd make sure to bring help or to set up with one of the few super generous gals who offered to help us out next year if ran into the same problem.

As much as I'd like too, it's impossible for me to give you guys my full blow-by-blow recap of The Creative Connection. One thing I'd have to say is that this is one event that is so very worth putting on your calendar for next year. And say you have a friend that you'd love to travel with but maybe they don't have an interest in taking art classes...well this is the perfect opportunity. Even though us artistic people tend to sorts take an event over and make it all about the artistic projects, the getting down and dirty with paint and glue and glitter and more. The Creative Connection is so much more than that. You can go and take classes on starting up a small business, opening a bakery, putting together a unique and creative menu...jeez, tons of stuff that doesn't involve cutting, painting, drawing, making etc... It really is a special event for making connections not only with others but within yourself...for seeing what was always there but you were maybe too busy to acknowledge it. I know it worked that way for me and Aar in a way. Well, it really hit us on the ride home (which we did much slower than the ride there...actually got three motel rooms in three states) we'd like to do a lot more of this. And so now that we're home our goal is to not fall back into any old patterns but to carve out new ones that will lead us to a life that contains much more of the stuff we want it to contain. And with that said, Art is You is nearly a week away ( not too late whatsoever to sign up! do it if you can...it's in Danbury Connecticut and our classes are awesome! Really great projects!) and we are stoked to hit the road again and teach teach teach and meet meet meet.

Please don't forget to enter our swag bag give-away...two swag bags and two chances to win... either comment on the video on the previous post or comment under the same video on Facebook. The sound on the vid is out of sync and it urks me to no end, but in a way it makes the train wreck that much more fun right? Ok, gotta go grab some dinner. Thanks so so much again for stopping by!
xoxo, Jenny