Meet "The Creep"

So, remember in my previous post how I mentioned that I nearly died over the piece Aaron was painting while I was working on my "Girls with Cake" painting the other day? Well, here's the painting he was working on!

 If you know me at all, you know that I am absolutely crazy for vintage stuffed bunny rabbits. I have been collecting them for years, and even though I have a lot…I'd say I don't have nearly enough. Some are still bright and candy colored, but most have faded with age and their pastel tones are perfection. The well loved and worn ones are my favorite. If you look around our home and studio you'll soon gather that they're sort of a mascot or trademark of ours. We've incorporated them into our artwork quite a bit, but I think this is the first time we dedicated an entire painting to a bunny. That's why we chose our fave bunny of all to model for this piece. He's our big and tall pink guy, affectionately named Creep. He earned the name Creep because we'd always set him up in a vignette with other bunnies or dolls, and because of his height we'd always prop him up in the back. Well, standing back there behind all of the smaller bunnies and dolls, with his staring red eye, I thought he looked like some big creep who was pretty much trying to photobomb the vignette. But I say it in a nice way. I love Creep.

Like I said…vintage bunnies are a big deal around here. This rolling cart holds one gathering of them in our living room.

And we make bunny artwork whenever we can! Our "bunny baby" die cut has been a collector favorite…and probably my all time fave die cut of ours. 

The die cut painting is based on one of my most prized possessions. This is the actual Bunny Baby.

And here's another Creep appearance. This here is a pin I made (and some rings) from our scrapbooking papers! The bunny was colored in with some washes of acrylic paint, mounted to chipboard, cut out, sealed, and then I added a pin to the back. And if you scroll way way down to the bottom of this blog where it says "Thank You so very much for visiting…" you will see him there as well! 

And yes…he even shows up on the cover of our book!

But I had been saying that we really needed to do more real deal paintings of our bunnies. So, while I was working on painting my girls the other day, Aaron started playing with some papers, and sketching out "The Creep" on this tall and skinny canvas.

He wanted to keep it on the loose side…and sorta give the painting the same time worn feel as Creep himself. Right here is the beginning stages with just the darks blocked in.

At this point my heart already started to beat faster! Sooo cute! 

I really just needed to see the eye and some color, and I knew how the painting would turn out. I snapped this pic and went back to work on my girls.

And in a little while he was all done! Here it is standing next to the real Creep. 

It's a deeper canvas, so the sides absolutely needed some color. You can't see a ton of it here, but he used a fun pink and cream polka dot patterned paper on the edges…and it is perfect!

We already got lots of emails and messages and comments asking if he is for sale. 

Well, he is in the shop now! We made prints and they look fantastic. It's mounted on a 1/2" thick wooden plaque and measures approximately 12" x 4". 

 I think this painting came out perfect, and Aaron is going to show me step by step how he did it, so that I can paint a bunch of my own as well. We've got bunnies in every shade of the vintage rainbow…aqua with pink ears…pale yellow with aqua ears…light pink with dark pink accents…

The painting possibilities are endless! 

And this got me thinking...how fun would it be to teach a vintage bunny mixed media painting class?! Maybe at a future Art Is You?! Or at a few small shops? I think it could be SO fun!

I had to share! I am just in love with it!

Anyone else collect these? 

Thanks for popping in! 

xo Jenny…and Aaron says hi!

Life Lately...

It seems like so long since we last blogged. I think it's been about 9 days, but it seems longer. With the change in weather (and mental state) we've been getting out of the house and studio a bit more. And I gotta say...it feels really good. Our weekend spent upstate at my parent's cabin was just what the doctor ordered. Muddy midnight quad rides through the woods seems like as far as you can get from painting pink cupcakes! Not that there's anything unpleasant about painting cupcakes...but everyone needs a break.

 After getting back from the cabin trip, just a few days later we went to the Ocean Grove Flea Market...another great time! And this weekend we went for the trifecta and hit the Country Living Fair up in Rhinebeck, NY. I can't recommend the CL Fair highly enough. I took lots of pics, but because we've been working on getting lots of orders out the door, I still have to go through and edit the photos! But we plan on blogging our day at the CL Fair later this week! It was such an AMAZING show!  

We've been working round the clock on orders, but we pepper in an hour here and there to work on new designs. The latest that we are so excited about are our Victorian era inspired Cat wooden diecuts. We referenced a bunch of antique clip art as well as photos of adorable kitties. We gave them complimenting ribbons in pink and aqua, complete with tiny jingle bells. We once had a tabby of our own, so we started with our fave. We got a great response almost as soon as we shared them on Instagram and Facebook. So that's very exciting! We've already got a handful of kitty diecuts that we'll be sending to new homes across the country later this week! 

And being that last Friday was National Doughnut Day we made sure to paint a classic pink frosted doughnut with sprinkles just in time.

Here's Aaron with his prize...and it looks as if he doesn't want to give it up. He's generally a veggie and fruit guy when it comes to snacks...but he's a sucker for doughnuts. Remember the Amish Doughnuts from our trip upstate? Well these are about that same size! ha! 

We had a sale going for Doughnut Day, but we are keeping it going another few days. So if you'd like a Doughnut, or Kitty, or anything else in the shop...right now you can take 25% off using code: DOUGHNUTS 

Here it is hanging along side our Vanilla Extract bottle diecut. 

And this may be my very favorite of all of our diecuts. We did it a few weeks back but it's still brand new to me. I guess because I had been wanting to do it for so so long. I think I've had Bunny Baby diecut sketches for years! Bunny Baby is one of our most prized collectibles (and family member/muse). I think our collections are my absolute favorite subject to paint.   

Isn't it so BIG?! So fun! 

And I couldn't be happier with the response! You guys "get it"! We shipped a bunch of Bunny Babies this past week and have another batch going out this week.

I love this photo that our friend Elena posted on Instagram of her bunny baby laying in a pool of pink tulle, surrounded by bunny friends and a pink heel. The second she shared this pic I knew Bunny Baby was in a more than worthy new home! ha!

And as we were packing orders this morning, we stopped and considered how much we love Instagram. We did these above paintings in square format and cropped them in the style of perfectly zoomed in Instagram pics. 

Through Instagram, not only can we connect with new collectors of our work...we've also made so many new friends. It's great to find other artists and makers who are creating and hustling in the same way we are. And there is just so much eye candy on Instagram. What a simple and great way to document daily life. We love scrolling back and seeing months of our life...the meals we have cooked, the things we have painted, fun with the pups...and yes, it stings my heart a bit when I scroll to a pic of little Jack. He has his own #hashtag....#littlejackthechihuahua. Gosh I love him so much! 

Here's a super fun display of our Instagram inspired plaques in our friend Lisa's kitchen. I love the phone, the lighting, the BAKE...

And I just had to share this! Such a fun surprise. I was tagged on Instagram, and the tag led me to a sweet friend's feed... (@bingobuttercup) she did this adorable illustration of me!  So unexpected. And her kind words made me smile. 

I love good mail days...but what I love even more are GREAT mail days. I just couldn't believe my good fortune on the most recent great mail day. I opened a package which was wrapped like a gift, and inside was a total surprise! It was sent to me from one of the cutest gal's I know, Lizzy, aka The Connoisseur of Cute. We met through the aforementioned awesome Instagram. Yep...this is the Betsey Johnson, Ice Cream cone wristlet that was a Friday Favorite of mine a while back. I have seriously had this on my wish list! If you love it and would like one of your own you can find them in Lizzy's shop! It's perfect!

Ok, that's the rundown of Jenny & Aaron's life for now. Like I said...I'll be back to recap the Country Living Fair very soon. We've got all the windows open today and the fan is blowing, helping to dry some paint. I love warm temps, but dislike super cold and super hot. I know we only get so much of this mild weather, so I'm fully appreciating every bit of it. I hope you guys are comfortable in your respective climates.

xo, Jenny...and Aaron

Vintage Style Spun Cotton Easter Cupcake Toppers

This is a super cute and very easy tutorial for all of you who love Vintage Easter collectibles and cupcakes! I'm thinking I just roped in a sizable audience with that opener. 

Homemade toppers are great, because even if you're not a baker, you can take a handful of bakery bought cupcakes and make them all your own by popping these in. Me and Aaron made these in an afternoon with very few supplies. We modeled them after some of our favorite collectibles.

And these here are just some of my favorite vintage toppers. They were a gift from a dear friend. I love the packaging! And yes, they were never opened. 

These right here are what we modeled ours after. The chicks crack me up. They actually have bangs! They look like surfers or skaters. 

We were so thrilled to find these spun cotton balls. They're exactly what we needed. They're from a great company called Spunnys. And I can't say enough about Nicolas at Spunnys...what great customer service, and fast shipping, and great prices too. I know we will be using Spunnys for lots of projects in the future. And the mullberry paper flowers are from Mullberry Bear, which has a great selection! 

Here is what you will need:

 Spun cotton balls (30mm)

Mullberry paper flowers (1 3/4")

party picks or toothpicks

assorted patterned papers

heavy duty crepe paper (or patterned paper)

all purpose glue

acrylic paint

ultra fine tip sharpie

pencil

scissors

xacto knife

paint brushes

circle paper punch 

1 white or yellow feather

We had a styrofoam food tray that worked perfectly as a place to keep our toppers while working. We just turned it upside down, and poked holes. First thing we did was to paint our balls with acryclic paint. We chose a pale yellow for the chicks and a creamy white for the bunnies. Once they were dry we drew the faces. First with pencil so that there would be guidelines for our sharpie. Tip: drawing on flat acrylic paint will dry up the tip of the sharpie, so keep a piece of scrap paper handy so that you can periodically scribble to get the ink flowing again.

Next we drew some ears on crepe paper, and some beaks on chipboard. (notice the beaks have two points...one of the points will stick into the spun cotton ball). We used the chipboard as is, no need to paint it. The ears we drew as one shape, rather than two separate ears. The part where the two ears meet will fit into a slot on the spun cotton ball. Cut out your ears and beaks and set aside. 

Next, using a sharp xacto knife we made slices for our ears and beaks. Be very careful here...you just want to poke the blade in and gently wiggle it to give enough space for the ears and beaks to slide in.

Now slide your ears and beaks into their respective slots. It takes a little work to get them in just right. Once they're in, using a detail brush, add a thin line of glue along the front and back to secure them. We love Aleene's because it dries fast, and clear!

Next up are the little "outfits". For your chick hats, cut out circles, then cut the circle in half, roll into a hat shape and glue the end to keep it in place.

For the collars, punch circles from patterned papers and pair them with contrasting colored paper flowers. And if you are giving your chicks the funny bangs you will need a white or yellow feather.

Cut a tiny bundle of feather and glue it inside the front of your hat. Then glue the hats onto the chicks.

Now poke holes in the centers of your flowers and paper circles and glue them together. Then push the doubled collar up the pick and glue to the ball. 

And you are finished!

Since we wanted a forever spot for these toppers we made some faux cupcakes from air dry clay. They're painted pink and creamy white,  and the tops are sprinkled with clear crystal glitter.

We hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! Now tht we've made these you can bet we will be making little characters for all seasons and holidays! If you make some of your own, we'd love to see pics! Thanks for joining us! 

If you enjoyed this tutorial you may love our book!

Happy Spring & Easter!

xo Jenny & Aaron

Friday Favorites

It looks like it's going to be the wonderful Spring weekend we've all been waiting for here in Jersey. Spring has been taking forever to show up, but gradually it's getting warmer out there. A couple days ago me and Aaron took our first beach walk of the season. It was still chilly and windy up by the water, but it was pleasant enough for us. I'm really looking forward to doing some of our work out on the deck. We've got lots of base coating to do, on plaques and die cuts, and doing it out in the sunshine will feel great. And oh jeez...don't even get me started on the idea of grilling up our veggies every evening out there in the open air. I've been dying to get the grill fired up.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I better keep my mouth shut about the pleasant weather or I just might jinx it. I'm psyched for Easter. The entire Jersey Shore pretty much opens for the season on Easter weekend. So it feels very fitting to open up this Friday Favorites with these super sweet Easter tags. 

I've shared lovely tags from Lia before, and these latest Easter tags only improve upon my already high opinion of her work. And guess what?...these are free printables! 

And not only are the tags printable...the sweet gift wrap is as well! You can find them all right here.

I love this table! The color is so bright and I love the contrast with the wood. It's half industrial, half super fun. Rustic yet modern. And the best part...it is a folding table! It's from World Market, who always has my number when it comes to furniture. They call it a Beer Garden table. I can think of a million uses for it. When I was putting this table in the post, right below those tags by Lia, I instantly imagined owning this and it being our designated giftwrapping table. That would be awesome.

Oh jeez, there's a word that I simply cannot stand: procrastination. Yep, procrastination drives me crazy. I love days when everything that pops into my head gets done right then and there. To me, that is the definition of a good day. 

That's why I love this sign. This simple statement says it all. 

One of my all time favorite collectibles are vintage photos. Vintage holiday photos and birthday photos are the best. Over the years I've come across some really fantastic vintage Christmas tree photos, with kids posed in front holding their prized toys. And I love vintage photos of kids with their birthday cakes. I'm always searching for the classic "kids on Santa's lap" pics. But the much rarer cousin to Santa's lap pics are Easter bunny lap pics. They're not too easy to find, and they go for a pretty penny on ebay. I'm partial to shots from the 1940s - 50s. For my collections I generally like Easter bunny photos that are actually sweet. But it is also very entertaining when you come across the crazy ones. And for some reason, there are lots of very weird looking Easter bunny costumes out there. So, hats off to the girls over at Prudent Baby for putting together this round-up of 25 Absolutely Terrifying Easter Bunnies. You have to click over to see them all....there are some gems in there.

Aaron and myself are makers of signage, and therefore, we treasure any vintage reference that we come across. We are suckers for vintage neon from boardwalks and ice cream shops. And this Giant Ice Cream Cone is like a total dream! It would be amazing in our livingroom! The rust stains are perfect. And I love the sun faded tones of the pink and blue, and that cherry too! Wow! 

Right now I could totally go for these Honey, Peanut butter & Coconut cookies. The recipe is simple, and I swoon for an ingredients list that is as short as this one. 

The other day my friend Carolyn shared a link to this home, which was listed for sale in Toronto. The owner is a 96 year old gal, and it's pretty much a 1950s time capsule. Carolyn suspected that I'd die over these pics...and she was right! This entryway is my favorite. That wallpaper is so incredibly beautiful. I'd move in just based on the entryway!

And this living room! Everything is so pristine! It all reminds me so so much of The Madonna Inn! I've never been to the Madonna Inn, but it is on the top of my list of places that I must stay in one day! You truly should take a few minutes to browse some of the rooms! 

It is all so much fun! Especially when you consider that it's pretty much a secret. All of these magical pastel interiors are hidden away behind an exterior...that looks...

like this! 

I love it! It would be amazing if the next owner just kept it exactly as-is.

Ok, thanks again for reading my Friday Faves. I hope you found some fun and inspired things. Have a fabulous weekend!

xo, Jenny...and Aaron says hi!