Friday, 28 March 2014

Friday Favorites


So, as you know, me and Aaron work side by side each day. Or if not exactly side by side, at the farthest, we're one room away from each other. What I'm trying to say is that my day is his day, and his day is my day. The energy that propels us is shared. And as an artistic duo, the idea of sharing energy can either be a gift or a curse. It's just as easy for one of us to bring the other down as it is for one of us to inspire the other. 
But after all these years together we've learned a trick or two for keeping things light and staying inspired. I guess if I had one criticism for Aaron's artistic process I would say he doesn't take enough time for inspiration. Just today he was working on a new painting and adding finishing touches to a kit that we're making, and he was lagging a bit. So I told him to stop, put all the work aside, and take some time to just look at stuff. We then spent the next half hour flipping through old photos, stacks of scrapbooking papers, all sorts of supplies, old books, and then we pored over Pinterest. After all that he said he was totally psyched to get back to work. Very often I will take the time to just set everything aside so that I can look at the things I love. Aaron doesn't do this enough, and from now on I'm going to make sure that he does. It's a vital part of the artistic process. It works as a little reminder. It tells you "See...this is why you do what you do. You make things that are inspired by these other wonderful things. And hopefully you'll make things that will inspire others to make things." ...maybe not those words or thoughts exactly...but something along those lines. The whole artistic process is cyclical and fluid. We're inspired and we inspire. 
And by the way...all of these Friday Favorites are things that Aaron and I looked at today when he needed a boost in his artistic process. I think the above print from Artist Courtney Blair perfectly illustrates the mood of the day. It's available at Help Ink, which is an awesome site if you want to buy amazing art and donate to charity simultaneously...and why in the world wouldn't you want to do that!?! Help Ink has a list of worthy charities on their site, and when you spend $5.00 Help Ink gives $1.00 to the charity of your choice from that great list. So cool. 


I recently found out about Dot & Bo  and it didn't take long for me to fall in love with their handpicked items from all over the world. Dot & Bo is free to join and they offer new and fantastic sales daily! I am loving the locker cart above.  Yes, I know, I'm a bit of a cart addict...but this one isn't just a cart. It's half-locker for pete's sake!


And this clock is also from Dot & Bo! I love it...all caged and industrial. Such a great look. 




You gotta check out this incredibly adorable tutorial for making kitty planters. Made from...ready for this??...soda bottles! Yep, I think this will be one of our first outdoor Spring projects.



This seriously speaks to me. I talk about this so often with Aaron. Just working hard, getting the most out of your day, and sleeping heavy when your head hits the pillow, because you know that you did every single thing that you could have done. And then waking up again and knowing that you'll do it all again. That type of existence would make me proud. 


The Gingham's Up jacket  from Hello Holiday is my idea of the perfect Spring jacket. I like those Spring nights that are cool and slightly breezy. Down the Jersey Shore all the boardwalks open on Easter Sunday. The weather is usually a bit chilly, but after such a long harsh winter you'll take what you can get. On Easter Sunday people hit the boardwalks en masse. The scent of boardwalk french fries drifting on the cool ocean breeze is heavenly. Anyway, in this particular daydream I'd be wearing this jacket. ha! 


Oh yeah...so this is this is my internet kitty crush of the week. I found him on pinterest. I may have to play detective to track him down and see if he has an instagram or you tube channel.


Isn't this Rose Buttercream Cake just so pretty. I mean, I would eat it and all...but first I'd have enough reverence to actually look at it for a little while. I'm no heathen! But seriously...this is precisely why me and Aaron paint cakes. 

Ok, thanks again for checking out my Friday Faves! I hope you found some inspiration!
xo, Jenny...and Aaron says hi! 


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