a little Easter recap

We're still waiting on Spring to show up. Today is a little drizzly, but this weekend might hold some warm sunny weather. If that's the case we're certainly gonna get some air. We definitely earned it this week. We've been real busy packing and shipping orders all day and night since Easter. And that's why I'm so late in posting this little Easter re-cap. Also I figured I'd post this today in place Friday Favorites since it's National Sibling Day and I rarely get together with all of mine.

We normally work on weekends, but we always take Easter off. It's a great way to start off the new season and the perfect day to catch up with family. This year my parents and brother Jason came down to visit us from way upstate NY! In preparation for their visit we got as much work done as possible before hand. It was just a whirlwind of cutting wood, sanding, painting, packing, and shipping.  

I love the special holiday offerings at bakeries, so last week we made a few trips to our fave local place for Eastery treats.

And for Easter Sunday we picked up a seven layer cake and a big cookie platter to bring down to my brother's house. 

It had been so long since the whole family was together. There are five of us kids, so it's always hard to get us all together at the same time. This year was quite a big gathering. Not only was it my parents, siblings, me, and Aaron...but also my brother Richard's girl, and her mom and siblings.

 And of course this little peanut!

 Our niece Olivia! It's honestly shocking that I got a semi-still pic of her. I snapped this while she was spinning in circles and bouncing around like silver ball in a pinball machine. This is what happens to a 3 year old after eating half of a solid chocolate ballerina and half of chocolate bar. Happy Easter indeed!

This happens to be one of my favorite pics from the weekend. My Dad, my brothers, Rich, Walt, and Jay, and my sister Missy. They look like they're giving Olivia a group tickle, but in truth they were all trying to keep her from squirming out of her Daddy's arm so that we could get her in the group shot. It's going to be great looking back on this pic years from now.

Oh and let's just take a moment to look at my dad's fancy Easter outfit. Yes, he had "real clothes" packed for the trip…(optimistically packed by my mom)...but somehow he always ends up back in sweatpants, beat-up tees, and his USMC hat! He is a total character and he knows it! It's just non stop jokes…and most of the time the jokes are totally abstract and therefore over-your-head. But not over-your-head in a clever way. Nope…just in a nonsensical way. But not to worry. He's his own best audience, and he cracks himself up. Which in the end cracks us up.  

Gosh there were so many people in my bro's apartment. At one point in the evening Aaron and I paused a conversation to just stop and listen to how loud it was. So many conversations going on at once, and non-stop laughter. I swear it peaked right on the tail end of dessert…way too much sugar! ha! 

I was behind the camera most of the time, but here is a rare pic of me. It is non stop silliness when we get together, do not let my straight face fool you. 

It was really great being together. We ate a ton of yummy food, gave lots of hugs and kisses. I took a bunch of pics.

 We are all looking forward to Olivia's 3rd Birthday party coming up, and I'm hoping everyone will be able to make it again. 

Crazy to have a pic of all of us! And it wasn't easy. I think my dad disappeared a couple times. 

And speaking of…will you just look at THIS! 

My dad purposely makes the dopiest faces when we take pics. In another big group shot of both families he's ducking behind everyone and peeking over their shoulders. Every family photo ever, this is him. Even in his junior high school year book, there's a shot of him on the swim team and he's doing the same thing! 

 I've said it forever…his goal in life is to bust chops.

Walt & Val 

Aww and here is Rich, Steph, and Olivia (who is holding Daddy's wallet).

 Again, I'm shocked that Olivia isn't a blur here…she was ready to take that wallet and run! 

It was a great time. We really needed to unplug and leave the studio for the day. 

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, with family, friends, or even alone…just relaxing.

Thanks bunches 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!

Super Yummy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey everyone! This is Aaron writing this one. We figured that I should be the one to share this recipe being that I'm the one doing the baking. Yes it's true, I used totally dislike baking. I love cooking, but baking always intimidated me. Most likely because I was always watching Jenny bake, and she is really really good at. But sorta recently I got over my fear and started baking things whenever I got the chance. I really like the idea of Vegan Baking. It's really not all that different from traditional baking, but I love all of the creative substitutions that are used in vegan recipes. Namely, the "flax egg". To make a "flax egg" you just combine a certain amount of flax meal with a certain amount of water…whisk together, and let it sit until it thickens. This will take the place of an egg in most recipes. I know it's a simple concept, but it still impresses me (I'm a cheap date). And there is another big bonus to vegan baking…you can ALWAYS lick the batter bowl…never ever a chance of salmonella from raw eggs. :)

Anyway, we had a very flavorful dinner the other night and we needed to finish the evening with some chocolate. I found this awesome recipe for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, and within minutes I had the ingredients prepped and was popping the dough in the oven. There are lots of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but Jenny and I can totally vouch for these. They're really really good, and they stay soft and moist. Lots of other chocolate chip cookies get hard, and I'm not really into that type of cookie. These were so easy to make, and we've already added them to our stack of reliable go-to recipes.

Here's what you need:

2 Tablespoons flax meal

3 Tablespoons water

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cups + 2 Tablespoons or 1 ¾ sticks Regular Vegan Butter or margarine, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350F, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

1. First prepare your flax mixture, or what is often referred to as your "flax egg".

 In a small bowl whisk together the flax meal and the water. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes so the mixture thickens. 

2. Now it's time to combine the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well incorporated. Set aside.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl cream the Vegan Butter and sugar until well mixed. Then beat in your flax mixture from step 1, followed by the molasses and vanilla extract.

4. Now add your bowl of mixed dry ingredients into you larger bowl with the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined. I used a wooden spoon, but being that the dough is pretty thick, you may want to use your hands to really get in there. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Form the dough into 1 ½ inch sized balls. Space the balls out on the cookie sheets so that they're about 2 or 3 inches apart. You should get between 22 - 24 cookies. 

Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time. Being that they really don't turn golden brown, it's a good idea to keep a close eye on the clock. When they're done, take the cookie sheets out of the oven and let the cookies rest on the sheets for a few minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.

The cookies will have a perfect, moist texture. We stored ours in an airtight container, and three days later they were still perfect.

Again, these cookies will definitely be in our regular rotation of trusted recipes. We hope you love them as much as we did! Thanks for reading!

xo, Aaron…and Jenny says hi!

Vegan Chai Spice Snickerdoodles

So Aaron, the self described non baker is now eating his words. Finally, I think he has to admit that not only is ok with baking…but it's a full-on hobby of his. He started with muffins, and soon they became a breakfast staple around here. Then he moved onto baking cookies (we gotta blog the amazing almond thumbprint cookies he made!), and last night he baked his first from-scratch cake! 

This recipe was one of his first attempts at from-scratch cookies. With Fall weather settling in it's the perfect time to warm up the house with fresh baked cookies. And the scent that filled our home and studio was better than even the best candle in the world could offer. The recipe comes from one of our favorite books: Isa Does It. This is a Vegan recipe, but I promise you that these could easily be a bake sale favorite! Or a fave at your local coffee shop. They bake up so incredibly perfect! I'd even say beautiful! Perfect texture and size! We love BIG cookies around here. This is the perfect cookie to have with a cup of coffee or tea. 

Here is Isa's recipe: (Aaron didn't change a thing)

For the topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch cloves

For the cookies:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (Aaron used almond milk)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the topping ingredients together on a dinner plate. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix for at least a minute, until it resembles applesauce. Aaron believes this step was key…you really want to stir it all the way until it's the right texture. Then mix in vanilla.

Sift in remaining dry ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough. Get in there with your hands to mix, it’s the easiest way to get the dough to come together.

With clean, moist hands, roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread a little). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. (Aaron agrees with Isa…the formed cookies easily flip onto the cookie sheet.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit browned on the bottoms. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

If you love snickerdoodles you'll love this unique take on a classic. You might be hesitant to add the cloves to the topping in the beginning, thinking that the taste might be overpowering…but it is not…these are sweet and delicious, and not "overly spiced" at all. 

Give them a try!! And check out Isa's blog for lots of amazing recipes!

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!

Friday Favorites

Now more than ever I'm trying to conjure up Springtime. Like, maybe the ultimate Spring day will show up if I look at enough pics of adorable baby chicks, and Easter bunnies, and paintings of pretty girls rendered in pastel perfection. I feel like Spring is the least controversial, the least debatable of all the seasons. You never hear someone say "Yeah, well, I'm just not into Spring...it's not my thing."  Ha! I seriously just laughed to myself, imagining someone saying something as ludicrous as that. Everyone loves Spring. Even those nuts who love cold winters and endless snowfall...they too have their breaking point. By the time April rolls around they're dying for mild sunny days just like the rest of us. 

Right outside the studio window is this scraggly dead looking viney bush that climbs the neighbor's fence. I peek out the window at it every day to look for the tiny blooms of green that indicate the arrival of Spring. None yet. It's still scraggly and dead looking. But by mid-May it's a wild billowing mass of bright green. I love that. It gives me hope. And I think most artists feel like this. The Winter is hard on us, and the longer it lingers, the more our creativity seems to fade. But seeing that dead vine turn into a mass of vivid green year after year, without fail, let's me know that I too will come to life all over again...bloom bright in warm afternoon sunshine. We all will.

So c'mon Spring...get here already! I feel like each of these Friday faves is trying to summon Spring in one way or another. I adore the above image! I love that it welcomes Spring on multiple levels. I love that the letters themselves could not exist without the arrival of Spring. No Spring-no blossoms. No Spring-no green leaves, no bright green blades of grass. It's such a magical image...and I'm trying to say that in the least corny way. I love it!   

And your first thought might be "what does chocolate cake have to do with Spring?"

Well, I'll tell ya...this isn't just a chocolate cake...this is a Campfire Delight! It's a 6 Layer Rich Malted-Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow Cake, and it's from the always amazing Sweetapolita! A recipe like this says "bring on the warmer weather...nights spent out on the deck or in the yard, around the fire, toasting marshmallows, making s'mores". Oh jeeeeez, I need this.

I love the way that Spring is captured in these incredible paintings by Darcy Allan. Her use of color is so enchanting. All of her paintings are so fresh. She keeps her lines simple and loose. There is an airy feel to her work, a lightness that shouldn't be taken for granted, perfectly imperfect. 

A little while back I fell in love with this pair of videos...and now seems like the perfect time to share them. Nothing says Springtime more loud and clear than a little yellow duckling.
Caution: Your heart is about to melt.

And last but certainly not least are these incredibly cute cookies! I just adore the style and color palette of Micarina. I've seen my share of decorative cookies, but I've never come across such unique designs before! I love how whimsical, how cute...and especially how much personality these cookies have. They are so dreamy. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite...but those Budgies are amazing!

Ok, I hope we inspired Mother Nature to get a move on! Thanks so much again for reading. I'll be back soon with some crafty fun!
xo, Jenny...and Aaron says hi!

Friday Favorites

Today was a great Valentine's Day...me and Aaron, as usual, were home, working together, doing a little decorating, cooking some risotto, baking some muffins, giving the chihuahuas tubbies, listening to music, watching our current favorite show after dinner...all the everyday stuff...and why should it be any different? We used to go out to eat on V Day, but then it got to be so stressful...too many other people out there doing the same thing. So we made it a day about cooking and relaxing at home. Overall, I like everything about Valentine's Day, especially that it's a day when pink and red sit side by side, center stage. I'm a highly visual girl after all. And speaking of visual...check out the perfectly stenciled wall above. So Fabulous! The colors and textures work so well together. So FUN! I need more rooms in my house. 

And I have been a fan of Fun Cult  forever! That amazing banner above is made by the same sweet gal who made the "forever" banner that hangs on our headboard. If you don't have one of your own yet...what are you waiting for?!!

I will always love paper crafting, and the simplicity and feel of paper decorations. I love the roses, sepia book pages, layered paper heart garland from La Mia Casa. It's just beautiful. And crafts like this should be kept in the highest regard. I so so appreciate the time and care put into precious things like this.

Do you want to make your own Royal icing sprinkles? Well, here's how! And they're not just for Valentine's Day! Imagine them in lots of lovely pastels. 

I wouldn't mind calling this Pink House my home. I feel like I'd have to return home with a package full of macarons each and every day. Why is it that I can picture exactly what my life would be if this was the doorway I came home to everyday?  

Yes, I'll take this couch and furball ottoman (if it's faux)...asap. Again, I can imagine a whole new life that revolves around the existence of these pieces. 

I'm so incredibly smitten with my Instagram friend Baby Dear's tattoos. I've seen so many tattoos that attempt to be sweet, but in the end they turn out harsh and odd looking. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Baby Dear's tattoos. She got them just right. Exactly as sweet as the elements that inspired them. Big kudos to her tattooer.

Perfect pink heart doilies for serving up sweet treats...or even for crafting, art journaling, or whatever you can think of. I'm a huge fan of these!

Lastly,  to say that these Italian Thumbprint Cookies are so up my alley is a gross understatement. I am a huge pistachio fan! Now mix the pistachio with vanilla bean, strawberry preserves, and white chocolate, and you've got yourself treasure for the tastebuds. I am totally making these! 

Ok, that's it for today. I'm so thrilled that you guys took the time to check out some of my faves on this lovey dovey Friday. Me and Aar send big love and hugs to you and yours!

xo, Jenny...and Aaron says hi!