Coffee & Donuts...and Kale!

It's always so hard to find time to paint new artwork. We have a ton of would-be new designs sitting on our drawing board, just waiting to be painted and made...when we finally get the time. 

But this past weekend we just had to get this one done. Coffee has maybe been the most requested subject for us to paint. And we really can't believe we took so long to finally make a coffee diecut. Aaron and I both love coffee, and although we've got very similar tastes in most areas, we're sorta opposites when it comes to how we take our coffee. Aaron likes his black, and he always has it hot, even during the summer. He'll do iced in the afternoon sometimes when he's outside cutting wood, but for the most part he drinks 2-3 hot black cups very early in the morning.

Me...I like it iced, and I like a little bit of soy creamer, and a tiny bit of agave. I like iced so much better than hot that I'll barely drink coffee in the colder months and opt for tea instead. And oh yeah, unlike Aaron, my coffee is ALWAYS DECAF. If I get within 10 feet of caffeine the heart palpitations will start.   

So yeah...we finally painted coffee. And of course we just had to give it a donut sidekick.

In our shop we already have a chocolate frosted donut, but this time around we had to add some sprinkles. 

Probably both mine and Aaron's favorite detail is the tiny coffee bubbles! So fun to paint! 

Here's how it looks hanging! And oh yeah...we highly recommend using a Chemex. We've tried machines and French Presses, but by far the Chemex is the best when it comes to flavor and ease of use. And we use cloth filters. They're perfect because they're reusable and better for the environment, and also they're sturdy and easy to just flip inside out into our garden without making a mess.

And we love that the Chemex had a little cameo appearance in the classic 1968 horror film Rosemary's Baby. 

The design has never ever changed. It's the same as it was when it was invented in 1941. 

The new piece is such a fun size! We plan to add more coffee designs to the shop soon! 

And I almost forgot to mention that to kick this new one off we're having a sale in our shop. Use code COFFEE25 to get 25% off anything in the shop...now through Friday, June 17th.

Ok, now for this amazing piece of jewelry I just got from Rock That Gem! Yes, that's a Kale charm. And yes, it's an actual piece of Kale electroplated in 24K gold! I simply had to have it. You should see the amount of Kale me and Aaron bring home from the grocery store every single trip. I'm a big fan of the stuff and this necklace is more than fitting. 

Rock That Gem has so much good stuff...all of it handmade by a sweet gal named Molly. You have to visit her Etsy shop.

Ok, just wanted to pop in, say hi, and talk a little bit about coffee, donuts, and kale. Which is sorta a weird trio...but also maybe not.

We hope you're week is going great. We'll be back soon!

Love from the Jersey Shore!

xo Jenny...and Aaron

DIY Faux vintage crate shadowbox shelf (styled 2 ways)

We had a tiny little taste of Spring weather this past week and it felt great! I was instantly filled with inspiration and wanted to put that inspiration to use. First I went shopping, and lucky for me that the stores are inspired too. The craft stores and markets are now fully stocked with all the hallmarks of Springtime...tulips and daffodils, the makings for Easter baskets and Spring wreaths, bags of Easter grass. All of this stuff got me thinking about putting together a Spring vignette in our kitchen. We're at the "focusing-on-the-smaller-details" stage of our kitchen re-do. We're ready to hang some little shelves that will hold some of our everyday kitchen objects, as well as our smaller collectibles. For shelving I adore the look of old crates, but they are always so expensive at antique shops or flea markets. And in my ebay searches I'll find old crates with prices ranging from $20 to $200 or more...and then with shipping factored in...jeez! So I figured that I could save myself some dough by buying new crates and with the magic of paint I could totally get close enough to the look I'm going for.

At Michael's when I picked up the supplies for my last shadowbox project I saw these cute little unfinished crates. They have a larger size as well, but these little ones were just so incredibly cute. They measure 11" x 10" x 5", and they are $6.99. They'd be great just simply spray painted in soft candy colors, or painted white, but I knew I could get the look of a vintage crate easy enough. Even though we have the skills that pay the bills when it comes to painting and faux finishing, I really wanted this to be an easy squeezey project, with no fancy supplies or expert techniques employed. I wanted to start, finish, style, and hang them in a single afternoon. And I did. All I used was craft paint, water, a paint brush, and a rag. No stinky sticky stain whatsoever.  

First, this is a messy wet project, so be sure to put down some newspaper or cardboard. For my basic wood color I chose a warm brown with reddish tones. I used "Dark Chocolate" by Americana. I painted the entire crate and let it dry. Actually this is when I went to the kitchen for pretzel crisps and hummus. Ya know, the snack industry really needs to start making commercials and ad campaigns that are aimed at crafters. On a day to day basis we find way more snack opportunities than the average sports spectator. 

Next, once the brown paint had dried, using black paint mixed with water, I brushed it all over the crate, letting it soak in. This is a wash, not straight black paint, so I could still see the brown paint through the black. I let the black wash dry a bit, but not all the way.

Now, using a tan color, (I used "Mushroom" by Folk Art) I just used my finger tips to rub some of the tan over some areas (you can of course use a brush if you'd prefer)...I just rubbed it onto accent spots, not the entire crate. Since the black wash was still wet, the tan blended with it and gave those areas a cloudy & aged appearance. This mimics those cloudy, aged spots you'd find on crates that have been sitting in old basements or barns.  

I then dipped a paintbrush in water and then into the black wash, and then brushed that over the areas where I had just rubbed the tan. When I'm brushing on the watered down wash I'm "distressing" the finish at the same time. By brushing back and forth with the wet brush it pulls up some of the paint and will almost bring it back down to raw wood in some spots. These spots will have a warm glow that you wouldn't be able to achieve with sand paper distressing. 

You can see what I mean here. Sand paper would give you fresh brand new wood, where here you see a warm glow. Do as much or as little as you like, and then let dry. I decided not to seal it with a clear coat since I wanted a rustic old feel. 

To hang the crate and turn it into a shelf I just added a self leveling sawtooth bracket to the back. You can find them at Michael's or Home Depot or Lowe's. They are our favorite, we use them on all of our diecuts and plaques. 

So this is what I had in mind when thinking of creating a Spring vignette. I wanted a very old timey general store/pharmacy feel. The old crate seemed like the perfect setting for a small collection of items that would've appeared on the seasonal shelf display in an old time general store. The shredded vintage book pages add to this aesthetic...almost as if the shred was the packing material that these little treasures came nestled in.

These are definitely some of the things that would be in my dream Easter basket. 

And here I styled the shelf for everyday! 

Our new kitchen decor is all about keeping it simple and practical. It's about letting the coffee beans that we grind every day also serve as a rustic, cozy, vignette

I hope you give some of these techniques a try. There are so many great raw wood pieces out there that can be made over...made rustic, old and vintagey...with just a few tones of acrylic paint.

And creating a Springtime inspired or everyday vignette is easy...it's all about keeping it simple and practical.

Ok, here's to a Springtime filled with lot's of artful DIY's!

xo, Jenny...& Aaron