Around here...

Even though I really love blogging, I'd be lying if I said it was easy to fall right back into it. Like so many other bloggers who temporarily or completely lapsed, I think I just got so used to sharing our little bits of life mostly on Instagram and Facebook. 

I love Instagram, but it is nothing like a blog. I have to get back into the swing of taking a bunch of pics throughout the day for the blog, and not just the one I might post on instagram. I have to share lots more behind the scenes stuff, more life, more of our process. That's the stuff I'd want to see on an artist's blog. How about you? 

The past week or so has been non stop work. Aaron has been non-stop cutting on the scroll saw. I posted the above pic on instagram and a friend was hoping that it was a pineapple on top of that stack. It's actually a potted succulent, but I was totally considering doing fruits and veggies! We do pizza, we do donuts, we do gemstones, and we love all those things. We also love fruits and veggies and eat a TON of them around here...so it could happen! ;)

A mix of pieces just prior to getting their edges painted. About two days after this pic was taken they all shipped out to their new homes! (Here you see the succulent that was mistaken for a pineapple)

This is a pic from yesterday, we were both packing up orders. We each took a stack of invoices and a bunch of pink tissue, got out the candy and the gold stars, blasted music, sipped smoothies, and  then had a huge pile of happy mail to take to the post office. 

So for years our workdays were all about cupcakes, and then it was macarons, and then donuts. And we are still making lots and lots of donuts. What's going to rule our lives next? 

Some of you old school blog readers and collectors may remember "Retro Baking Gal" from years ago! Well we brought her back and she is available as a 5x7 mini plaque! 

And if you are a Jersey shore local, you may remember our bra & pantie paintings from when we had a retail shop! Or maybe you saw them in a store near you! Those canvases were one of our best wholesale items. We shipped them to shops all over.

Really, it had been so many years since we made those canvases and we wanted to revisit the design but do them in a new format...as wooden diecut plaques instead of on canvas.

 LOVE how this set looks hanging! Would be so fab in a dressing room or girly bathroom! We hope to add a few more styles to the shop soon! Floral for sure! 

I was just talking about my love for vintage lady head vases and then a couple days later we spotted a super cute one at the OG Flea! She was similar to this gal that I've had for over 15 years. 

So I had mentioned previously that we moved our studio upstairs this winter since it was so crazy cold downstairs. Well here is a tiny peek at a fave corner of the room. It's still kinda empty in there, which is what we're going for in the studio...lots more room to work and spread out. We have a checklist of things that we still need to do, but we promise we will do a studio tour once it is finished! You may remember our little downstairs studio, well we still have that set up, but more for personal art & crafting, less for our day to day small biz art. 

Oh and if you are wondering...the "OK" planter is Oh Joy for Target.

 The "Do Your Best" flag is from Three Potato Four, and the abstract painting is by me.

Speaking of...I actually took this pic in the old studio. You can see my paper mache bunnies and things blurred in the background. 

Ummm how cute is this tiny porcelain chihuahua? My sweet friend Brandi  had read in my Ocean Grove flea market blog post how I was looking for porcelain chis, but had no luck finding any. Well this little cutie and two tiny puppies showed up in the mail!! I can't take it! So so cute! 

Brandi is an incredibly talented artist, and such a sweetheart! She and her husband are restoring an amazing old home in Savannah, and they painted the exterior pink!! It's so so beautiful! 

Well, as far as these little guys go...I definitely think a new collection has been born!! I need ALLLLL the tiny vintage porcelain chihuahuas now!! ha! 

I shared this on instagram a little while ago, but didn't share it here. A gal who knew I was a vintage ICE CREAM collector tagged me on Instagram letting me know that she had two of these up for sale! So of course I had to have it! It's the cutest vintage pamphlet. I think I might make a big print of the cover and frame it for our kitchen! 

And while we are talking Instagram...I LOVE this pic from @mrsjessicaroberts of her adorable little lady.

Our pieces look so happy hanging in her room! 

Lately we've been watching Preacher (on AMC). Yeah I know...we surround ourselves with all this bright cutesy stuff and we almost exclusively watch dark creepy stuff. 

I think it balances things. ha! 

Annnd I just feel like it is my duty to let you know how CRAAAZY GOOOD this Ben & Jerry's P.B. & Cookies Non-Dairy Ice cream is! Oh my worrrrd! 

As soon as we knew this stuff would be hitting stores we began stalking all of our local ice cream aisles. I can remember when I finally spotted it...I let out some really horrible, annoying sound. And I probably had a spring in my step for a good 30 mins. after.

 We tried all four flavors , as one should, and this one is OUR FAVE! It's ridiculous. And I truly do not think anyone would know it was non-dairy. So super creamy and rich! Made with Almond milk! It's non-GMO! All organic! Calorie free!...(ok, that last part is a lie.)

Sooooo, if you are vegan, lactose intolerant, or just really love good ice cream...You need to try it!  

Thanks so much again for reading!

I'll be back very soon!

Love from the Jersey Shore!

xo, Jenny...and Aaron

Around here...

Sooooo, you see these?! These are mini donuts we vowed to try once the boardwalk opened for the season. When we went on the day before Easter the boardwalk was only partially open, so we'd have to wait until next time to grab some mini donuts.

  Well this past weekend we had walked over to Aaron's parents house for a visit, and on the walk back home we took the longer route which lead us directly through the boardwalk. 

They're fried much like funnel cake is, and come with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. They're good and seem to disappear like magic. The only trace that they even existed in the first place is the dusting of powdered sugar that trails down your shirtfront. The stand also offers iced coffee, which will be perfect in summertime.

Besides those fantastic little donuts the past week has been a blur. What else is new? This is the daily scene around here. Aaron cutting loads and loads of wooden plaques...cakes, cupcakes, pancakes, macarons...

We are almost totally caught up on all of our open orders. So many donuts are out in the world…which is so so fun to think about! 

And not only our single jumbo donuts…but our new boxes of donuts too! 

I've been trying to do some Spring cleaning while batches of donuts and things are drying, but I always get so side tracked. Every time I try to put away my jars, boxes, and tins I have to stop and ogle the candy colored bits inside.

Vintage buttons are truly some of my favorite things! Total eye candy!

And this box…I had stashed it away last year and totally forgot where. I do that often. Well I was so happy to find it the other day. I love everything about it. The imagery, the colors, the typeface used.

Another thing I came across while cleaning, was an extra one of these pins we made last year! So I had a little giveaway over on Instagram. I asked everyone to tell me what cute things they make, and boy that was some great reading and clicking! 

Here's the little package of goodies we sent off to the winner. I think we will be doing these random fun little giveaways more often! 

I was also the recipient of some incredibly happy (unexpected) mail. This adorable necklace with hand stamped charms featuring a cupcake and a J heart A. It's from our talented friend Mary of Hope & Celebrate! I love it! And I love her packaging! 

She also sent me this adorable "eat cake" bar necklace. So so so cute! I wore it today! 

We have been working on so many projects. Some are pretty darn exciting ones that we can't wait to tell you more about. As soon as we are able I promise we will! ; )

Tomorrow is Friday! And for once it actually means something. Now that the boardwalk is open for the season we can take a walk down there any weekend. We may just have to get some boardwalk pizza very soon!

Hope you guys are having a great week!!

xo Jenny & Aaron says hi!

Around here…

This photo is part wishful thinking, part incantation. Maybe if I put enough pastel Easter stuff around those lingering piles of snow will finally melt away and bring the daffodils into bloom. We're currently still cranking the heat, and still wearing heavy winter coats and hats for our daily walks to the post office. But at least the days are longer now and there is more sunlight. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've got bunnies and feather trees out all year round, but when push comes to shove I'll pull out even more to create some weather defying table top parties.

Some of my favorites have to be our faux chocolate rabbits. We love faux sweets...faux cakes, faux donuts. We found these years ago in a cute shop here on the Jersey shore. I wish I could find more. 

This race car fella kills me! Totally looks good enough to eat! Usually I'd start with a bite to the ear, but in this case I'd likely nibble a tire. 

Here is a tiny peek at my prized vintage paper mach rabbit collection which is on display in the studio all year round. 

We've been chipping away an hour a night on "home stuff". We're currently painting trim and walls. The darker walls and dark trim really balance things and make our pastels pop. I can't wait to finish and share some pics with you guys. We've been moving things around and creating some happy vignettes.

Here's a little peek of a shelf in the kitchen. That's a Cake decorating tip used as a holder for a vintage inspired flash card. 

We've been cooking some yummy meals and Aaron has been baking. These are some of our favorite banana nut muffins. 

Mostly we've been working on lots of orders, but we did manage to finish up this piece! It has been on the back burner for far too long. We chipped away at it for the longest time and finally finalized the details. We love how it turned out. It may be my favorite diecut to date! It's in the shop now and we've got it on sale for a special introductory price, which lots of peeps have taken advantage of already. If you're interested it will be on sale until very very late tonight.

We had our first flash sale last week over on Instagram, and as a result lots of donuts will be off to happy new homes this week!! So fun!

Popped into Target the other day and hit up the dollar spot! Although I only walked away with one thing this time…this adorable little file folder thingie. It opens accordion style and has tabbed sections. Perfect for holding all my little bits of ephemera and cute papers that I've got waiting to be added to art journal pages or other mixed media and crafty projects. 

Oh and on the weekend I shared this on Insta and Facebook. My sweet friend Court featured me on her blog for her #GirlCrushFRYday . I was so flattered and had fun answering her great questions. You gotta check out her blog. It is sooooo great. 

Last thing I'll mention...We're presently finalizing some details, but if you are in the NYC area…stay tuned. We will be teaching an Art Journaling class very very soon! 

Thanks for popping in!!

xo Jenny…and Aaron says hi! 

Around here...

Today when taking the pups out for their morning walk we were teased with a glimpse of Spring. Well, at least temperature-wise it felt like Spring. But if you look around the neighborhood there is still plenty of snow lying around, and every inch of ground is a soggy mess. Just like the rest of you, we are so so done with winter. 

But we're not looking for much…we're not asking for absolutely perfect weather. We just want lower heating bills and maybe the ability to go on some sunny afternoon walks. Because it's not like we've got the time to go galavanting through the meadows anyway. We've got about fifteen projects going at all times. All we're asking for is the possibility of opening a window in the studio. ha!

So, speaking of projects…remember those itty bitty cakes I painted last week? Well, I found a place for them inside this tiny tin toy fridge. Pretty perfect.

What is it with tiny things? I love 'em! 

Prior to the cakes I used to keep this tiny vintage box of Lido Cream Biscuits in the fridge.

Now I think I'm gonna start a new collection of these! I want ALL of the mini cookie packages. 

Side note: I had posted a pic of this box on Instagram, and my friend Jessica aka @dearestdeer, said that her brain instantly registered the name Lido as the baby-talk version of Little. That's pretty funny.

And while we are talking cute packaging…I was digging through boxes looking for things for our upcoming Instagram sale, and found this Bon Bon box I had forgotten all about. Geez, even this motif on the inside of the box is darling! 

We've been painting lots of signs over here. The orders came all at once. Most likely our customers are just like us and have big decorating plans for this new year. And how awesome is it that we're part of their new decor?! 

Above is a pic of Aaron applying some antique wash to a custom color EAT sign. That's another awesome thing...we love to customize signs to fit a specific color scheme. 

Seriously, there is so much wood in our house right now. A big batch of signs and diecuts just shipped, and a bunch more will go tomorrow and Friday. It feel so so good sending these pieces off to new homes! 

Our Cookies sign is one of our favorites. We've been on a cookie kick lately.

This pic is from a couple days ago. Right outside the window there was nearly 8 inches of fresh snow, and inside we were wrapping up ice cream cone diecuts! 

This is one of the many projects we've got going. Over the weekend we put the first coat of our new dark dark grey paint on one area of the living room. As much as we adore our aqua, we are so ready for a change and we're really excited to decorate around the new dark backdrop. Our vintagey pastels are going to pop against the dramatic, almost black walls.

We really only had time to paint one little area. So I've been using this freshly painted corner as my little test spot for all of our bits of decor. Right away I slid this table into the new dark corner, and seeing our tarnished silver, glass, and aqua mercury glass, against the antique black (yes, that's technically what the wall color is…antique black) just felt so right! We are hoping to have time to do some more painting soon. 

First we'll have to blast those big pink wall stripes with the electric sander so that they don't show through. It's not a fun job...but a necessary one. We have a long list of things we plan on tackling here at home...including refinishing our floors in the kitchen and dining area. Once we strip the floors we're going to coat them with a nearly black stain. I've been doing some late night pinning over on pinterest, trying to keep my ideas all in one place. 

Ok, I just wanted to pop in and share a little bit of our early-onset-Spring-fever. I bet many of you have got similar aspirations, and to-do lists a mile long. As the season progresses I hope to share some more projects in detail along the way. 

Thanks for reading!

xo, Jenny…and Aaron says hi!

Around here...

Hey, Happy October! It's my fave month! And for a bunch of reasons. I love the temperature, the cool breezes…I love layering on the clothing. And it's my Birthday month! Growing up, I often had Halloween themed birthday parties. Halloween birthday cakes, decorative bats hanging from the ceiling along side pink balloons. 

I better start making plans for my b-day. It's just a couple weeks away. I'm thinking that we might go into NYC for the day and finish it off with an amazing dinner.

I'm also pretty darn excited for Art Is You! It's next week! One week from today we will be up in Connecticut surrounded by the Art Is Family! Old friends and new! We'll be teaching a Friday night class and we'll have a table at the market on Saturday. So this is going to be one of those crazy weeks. We're sure to be running around like lunatics. 

And once we get back home we will begin our Holiday Hustle! We'll launch headlong into gearing up for the holiday season. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's first take a moment to acknowledge the holiday that is closest by at the moment. We just added our classic Haunted House cake wood mounted prints to the shop! It's an 8 x 10 plaque, and comes ready to hang! And yes…you can use code: EATMORECAKE for 20% off! 

I'm such a big fan of creepy cute! And sometimes all it takes is a small gathering of vintage wallpaper being danced upon by spider confetti.

 The other day while some diecuts were drying, I took a little bit of time to organize things in the studio. While I was going through all of my favorite vintage tags, cards, and other vintage ephemera, I was once again reminded of how much I love making and collecting them. Totally one of my all time fave "leisure time activities". Some of this stuff goes back to my early days of blogging… and all of those fun swaps we used to do here in blogland! 

I snapped this pic the other day because I love the look of the diffused late afternoon sunlight on the east side of the house. This is one of two black chalkboard walls in our kitchen. And of course those are faux cakes (though every single time we've had cable guys and the like inside our house they always assume the cakes are real…and they ask things like "When does the party start?").

  Oh and you may remember those shadow boxes that you can see peeking in on the left and right. I love how they look on the black wall. They're so cute and pretty with their scalloped frames and candy colors, and set against the black the contrast is just perfect. 

And look who got a new bow tie! Dapper Dan! ; )

This is pretty much the daily scene around here. Diecuts galore! This here is the step when we trace the shapes of our prints onto our boards. We do our best to waste as little wood as possible. After this step we then cut them all out on the scroll saw and sand them super smooth before mounting the prints.

And even after the prints are mounted there is still plenty of work to be done. Each one gets lots of hand painted details and highlights, and the edges are painted to carry the design over so that they're three dimensional art pieces. 

It's a lot of work, but we love it. We are looking forward to the holiday season like you wouldn't believe. We cannot wait to slide back into busy busy elf mode. 

Tomorrow is going to be a super full day. Just thinking about it makes me kinda dizzy. I have a feeling that pretty soon I'm going to blink, and when I re-open my eyes it will already be time to drive up to Connecticut! 

Thanks bunches for popping in!! Hope you guys had a great week!

xo Jenny…and Aaron says hi!