A peek into our Art Journals

A peek into our Art Journals…this is going to be a recurring series for us. Every single day we are working on art in one form or another. It's our job. But we still make art for pleasure, and this usually happens in the pages of our Art Journals. For us, the Art Journal is the one venue that is strictly personal, fun, and loose. We can have a vague idea and get started on it in an instant. We don't have to plan it out, or work hard on pre-sketches or tracings. We can just go go go. 

So, we thought this would be a great thing to share with you guys. Teaching art is one of our absolute favorite things to do. It feels so good to be able to impart to others even the slightest bit of knowledge from our nearly two decades of being professional artists. And Art Journaling is probably one of the fastest and simplest ways to get right down to a person's creative source. There aren't any rules or expectations. Your Art Journal is what you make it. 

It has now been almost two years since we have done our weekly Art Journaling tutorials here on the blog. It was really Hurricane Sandy that ended the series so abruptly. And then life got hectic, and then we got busy…we wrote our book…designed a scrapbooking line…and also kept our business going. But those tutorials WILL return. We aren't sure exactly when…but we are looking forward to doing full step-by-step pages and spreads with you guys again. For now we'd like to periodically share glimpses into our Art Journals just to show you all what we're up to, and to hopefully inspire some of you to do more Art Journaling of your own. 

Ok, now lets talk a little bit about our latest pages. "Take Me To The Sea", is a page I had worked on in my spare time this past week. You may have seen pics of it on Facebook or Instagram. I really wanted to do something summery before the season ended. That was my initial inspiration…Summer.

One of my favorite parts of the Art Journaling process is gathering my supplies. And I don't just mean paint and stuff like that. I love digging for the source material…old photos, ephemera, papers, and even phrases I had scribbled somewhere in a notebook. 

The girls in this spread are from a book of paper dolls from the late 1940s or early 50s. I set them against a new beach and ocean that I painted, and I gave them new bathing suits that I made from floral scrapbooking papers. I guess the most obvious aspects of their makeover are the tattoos and pastel colored hair. This was my way of updating them a bit. I took classic gals from the 1940s, and made them into classic gals of 2014. At beaches in our neck of the woods, gals with lavender hair and dozens of tattoos are de rigueur. 

I just used pencil to quickly sketch some basic tattoos all over the gals, and then gave them pops of color with a tiny brush and acrylic paint. I wasn't worried about the details really. I was just trying to give the overall impression of lots of tattoos.

And the banner was inspired by vintage beach postcards. I love those so much. I can stare at them for hours. The colors are so dreamy…which is what inspired our seashore bathroom here at home. I also love the old classic lettering style. I think I may have had the phrase "Take Me To The Sea" fixed in my mind before I had even started the page. And the designs on old postcards so often will include gorgeous florals. I love combining lush floral clusters with beach scenes. They go together so perfectly. The florals here were clusters that I cut out from scrapbooking paper and then I totally repainted them to have my colors and bold outlines.

Ok, now I'm actually going to hand the keyboard over to Aaron so he can personally explain his own pages. Take it away Aar...

Aaron: 

In my Art Journal I often like to try to capture trivial little memories. One morning last week I was thinking about the yellow rotary phone that was in my parent's kitchen when I was kid. Yes, I'm a child of the 80s. I have all of these childhood stories that center around the memory of that phone. To name one…prank phone calls. If you were a kid in the 70s or 80s I'm guessing you made your fair share of prank phone calls. I was the youngest of three boys…so when I was very young I borrowed my older brother's friends. I just tagged along with them and did what they were doing…precocious by way of convenience. Anyway, those were magical times. Riding bikes, running around up on the wooded beach behind my house, going to the local swim club, all that stuff. 

So, prank phone calls were simply a fact of life. You and your friends could center an entire evening around silly phone calls. As you can read in the little note above, there was this mean photo of my dad right there in the center of the dial. My parents were funny like that. The photo was serious…my dad really didn't want us abusing the phone for silly purposes. But the photo was also tongue in cheek. We were supposed to fear it…but we also knew that the whole idea of it was funny. I of course don't possess the actual mean photo of my dad, so for the purposes of this Art Journal I just had Jenny snap a pic of me looking a bit mean. My dad had the same beard in that era…and we definitely resemble one another…so I figured I'd pose for the reenactment. And yes, the pic in the bottom right corner is Tanner Boyle from The Bad News Bears. I had that hair at that age, and in my memory every single kid in the world looked like that in my childhood. So Tanner simply represents youth of that generation. The station wagon on the opposite page of the spread is just a typical family car from then. My mom drove one that looked just like it, except her's was green. And I selected the yellow floral pattern behind the car because it looked like typical kitchen wallpaper from back then.

I laugh at the idea of telephone poles and cables…how they're serious and essential constructs of modern civilization…but us dopey kids were crowding up the lines with our dumb jokes. And the sketch I did of the blue victorian house on the left is my childhood home…which is still my parent's house today.

Both Jenny and I paste phone book pages into our Art Journals all the time, just to bolster the pages, and we also like how the small print adds texture to the page. We usually gesso over it and let just bits of it peek through. But in this case, the phone book page was totally fitting. I really like to combine photographs, patterned papers, sketching, and hand painting. And if I can use these elements to tell even a simple little story, then I'm happy with my spread.

Ok guys, hope you all liked taking a peek into our Art Journals. Like I said, we'll share glimpses as often as we can. And real deal tutorials are coming back…I promise.

xo, Jenny & Aaron

Friday Favorites…on a Saturday.

If I've got one tid bit of creative advice to impart today, it's to take advantage of your better moments. We all try to take control of our days, only to be constantly tripped up by the onslaught of that thing we call "Life". Life can come at us in the form of little things, e.g. headache, rainy days, spilled almond milk. Or slightly bigger things like car accidents, a leaky laundry room ceiling falling in, or almond milk spilling into your Macbook. (in that case, spilled milk is certainly worth crying over.)

And we cannot avoid these things. They are scheming behind the scenes, and doing their darndest to trip us up in our quest for creative tranquility. 

Check out this quote from a writer:

"The history of my life is the history of the struggle between an overwhelming urge to write and a combination of circumstances bent on keeping me from it."

This quote will resonate with you if you are an artist. On the surface it might seem pretty cynical, maybe even a bit hopeless. But then you can dispel those thoughts by looking at who the author of that quote is:

F. Scott Fitzgerald

One of the most celebrated literary artists of all time. So I guess we know who came out on top in that struggle. Maybe not to the extent that he would've liked, but I think history proves that his urge to write was victorious over the life circumstances that were bent on keeping him from it. 

What I'm saying is this…there is no perfect day. The stars will never align just to allow some cosmic light to shine down onto your worktable. You have to steal hours, minutes, and moments from your topsy-turvy life, and cobble those moments together into some creative time. The key is to not allow life to get in the way of your art. The goal is for your art to impinge on life.

And speaking of stealing moments in the name of art…Check out the work of artist James Gulliver Hancock. Above and below are a few selections from his project All The Buildings in New York. Hancock is an Australian illustrator now living in New York. In an attempt to more intimately familiarize himself with the city, he's setting out to draw all of the buildings in New York. And not all of the drawings are fully formed works like you see here. Some are just sketches of fire escapes, dumpsters, signs and alleyways, sketched quickly on napkins or receipts with borrowed pens or pencils. 

A perfect example of taking advantage of better moments.

I just love the whole idea of the project, and the style of the drawings. Check out the video below for a little more of the story.

All the Buildings in New York from Marisa Guzman-Aloia on Vimeo.

I love this sign! The font, the colors...bits of red, pale pink, minty green. I want an apartment above the Plaza! Or actually I'd prefer one across the street so that I could glance out the window at it. The sign looks great in daylight, and I'm sure it was once a dazzling sight at nighttime! It's the old Plaza movie theater in Erie Pennsylvania. I have a feeling that Erie, PA gets quite cold in the dead of winter…so maybe I'll skip the plans on living there...I can always just buy this print!

I can't get over the incredible work of artist Yumi Okita The pieces are made by hand using fabric, cotton, fake fur, fabric paint, embroidery thread, wire, and feathers.  

The size makes them so fantastical, but if you were to look at any actual butterflies or moths in nature, the patterns and colors of these are in no way a stretch of the imagination.

These may bring to mind another artist, Mr. Finch , who I have blogged before. I'm just so impressed with the magic created by some textile artists.

Yes yes…I am a sucker for shelves and carts on wheels. On this blog I have shared lots of them with you. Well, World Market once again has got my wheely cart number. This  four shelf model would fully accommodate me and Aaron if we were art journaling out at the kitchen table. We could roll this out and set it between us.

It's also available in this little two shelf version. I love it! 

After a long day of work we like to snack and then settle into a couple episodes of whatever our current favorite show is. Can you believe we had never ever watched Six Feet Under? It was one of those shows that we knew all about, but it was on the air during a very busy and cray time in our life. Well, now we are spoiled rotten with it. We love it! No spoilers please! I know to most of you it's ancient history…so you might just say "oh, isn't it a shame when Brenda kills all of the Fishers and then marries her brother Billy in a wedding officiated by their narcissistic psychiatrist parents?" 

(I wouldn't doubt that for a second) But please…don't tell us! :) We're loving Michael C. Hall in his role as David. So far from his portrayal of Dexter. 

All of the acting is great. The mom is outstanding…she yells constantly! And the family and relationship issues are pretty realistic. Can't believe it was airing like a dozen years ago. So…if you too are late to the Six Feet game…or would like to rewatch the series...Every single episode is available to stream on HBO Go. If you don't have HBO Go, it's well worth the small monthly fee.

And lastly, this. It's certainly fitting for art making. But also, it can apply to a wider range of thinking…like the full span of your workday…or the entirety of your career. It's definitely a statement to fall back on.

Ok, that's it for my Favorites this week. Once again I missed Friday and they arrived on Saturday. But "better late than never" didn't become a cliche for no good reason. :)

xo, Jenny…and Aaron says hi!

Fast & Fun DIY vintage mini play food box garland…with FREE printable!

We are so so excited to share this free little do-it-yourself download with you guys!

 As you know, we are avid collectors of all things vintage kitchen/bakery. When we came across this collection of mini vintage Junior Chef mix boxes from the late 50s or early 60s, we swooned! First off, they're toy/play size! Little boxes made for kids who wanted to play kitchen. I LOVE stuff like this. When I look at these boxes I can clearly recall one of my all time favorite things from childhood. It was a cardboard "grocery store"…it had shelves stocked with groceries, and a checkout complete with cash register. On the shelves were faux food items and stuff like that…tooth paste, laundry detergent, cereal, and cake mixes, very much like these mini boxes. And the fact that the set was merely cardboard made it even more magical. Me and my sister absolutely loved playing "grocery store". I swear, just the act of filling our little play cart, and checking out at the register, provided hours and hours of fun.

So, when me and Aaron got our hands on this collection we couldn't believe how perfectly the pastel tones and fun imagery fit our home. And the mini boxes looked so great when they were all together in a group. So we devised a cute, fun, and super easy way to display them together. A garland of mini boxes! We simply strung a length of classic bakers twine through all of the lids of the boxes, spaced them out evenly, and hung them like a bunting. No, not just a bunting…more like The Cutest Bunting of All Time! 

So, here's where the real fun comes in! When we posted the above pic on Instagram, we immediately got so many requests. Everyone asked if we were going to be making these and selling them in our shop. And then our friend Heidi took it a step further and said that she could help us make that idea into a reality. Heidi is an Uber Talent…she can do anything really. She's the gal behind MyPaperCrane. To list her accolades and fabulous lines of licensed products would take up way too much space. Let me just say that if you think you aren't familiar with her work…think again. I bet you've seen her stuff. Her plush pieces are amazing…her fabric patterns are incredible…and she's just all around crafty. 

So, Heidi wanted to make reproductions of the boxes for her own personal crafty fun. So I scanned my set of boxes and emailed her the images. Within a few days she sent me the below templates! They are totally ready to print, cut out, and turn into mini boxes. 

And here's the thing…me and Aaron have never really reproduced something and then made it for sale. We generally hand paint original artwork from scratch and then make prints of the paintings for use on signs, die cuts, etc. 

So…we figured...what the heck, let's just offer these adorable templates as a free printable download for all of you guys! 

We suggest that you load your printer with bright white card stock. The heavier weight of the card stock will make the boxes sturdier. You can find the pdf right here. Just print them out…they conveniently come two to a page...and then cut out.

You'll see that there are little flaps that you'll cut just partially, just like on real boxes. These will fold together to secure the ends shut. Once you've got your templates cut, then just fold and crease them along all of the thin black guide lines. Then fold to assemble into boxes, using a bit of glue to secure the tabs to one another. (we used Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue) 

Then to make the garland all you have to do is thread a length of bakers twine along the top of each box, simply closing the lid to secure the twine.

That's it! Your adorable vintage mini mix boxes are ready to hang. We LOVE ours! And yes, now we have two hanging in our home…the original is on a cupboard, and the reproduction printed version is draped across a shelf front in our kitchen. We hope you guys love these! And we would love love love to see pics of how and where you displayed yours…or any other crafty ways that you used your boxes.   (tag us on Instagram! @jennyeveryday) And oh yeah…be sure to thank the wonderful Heidi…and shop 'til you drop at MyPaperCrane! Of course, feel free to share this post with your friends, or on Pinterest!

Happy Crafting!

xo Jenny & Aaron

Crazy Good Vegan Sloppy Joes

Me and Aaron cook a meal together every day, and we try to share pics on Instagram and Facebook whenever we can. For a while now lots of people have been asking us to share the recipes. Since we tend to be very detail oriented, we really like doing full step-by-step recipes, with pics to go along with each step, like all of the previous recipes we've shared here. But sometimes we're in a bit of a rush or it's too late in the day to get good lighting for all the pics. 

But we've been eating so much good stuff that I'd love to share with you guys…So I figured- What the heck...we'll share the simplified versions! I wanted to start with these Crazy Good Vegan Sloppy Joes because they are the epitome of simple. We made them last night and as the title states...they were Crazy Good. They are so good, that while eating them you will already be planning when and how you're gonna eat the leftovers. 

Yes, they are vegan…but you lose none of the tasty goodness of traditional sloppy joes. I'd say the only thing lacking in these is grease. And that's something we could all do without anyway. 

Me and Aaron like really good food…we are foodies for sure. So I promise that most meat eaters will wholly enjoy our meat free meals. These are a great option for Meatless Monday.

We've seen recipes for meatless sloppy joes made with veg/faux meat crumbles, but we really liked this one because it was made with lentils instead. We love lentils. They have a great taste before you even add any seasoning…sorta peppery and broth-like. Plus they have great texture. So we took the aforementioned recipe and added some of our own flavor touches…and we love how they came out.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder or ancho chili powder (we prefer ancho chili powder)
2 teaspoons oregano (we used Mexican oregano)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

We served ours on ciabatta rolls that we toasted in the oven, but when it comes to rolls and breads it seems like everyone has "their thing". And I get it. So go with whatever you'd like…kaiser rolls are great, burger buns, maybe go open faced, maybe go with biscuits!

1. Ok, first put the lentils in a sauce pot with four cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils are soft. Then drain and set aside.

2. Now, in another pot, heated medium, add your olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the onion and green pepper until softened, about 7 minutes. Now add the garlic and sauté for a minute more. To this add your cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper and salt. Stir to mix through. Then stir in the tomato sauce and paste, and cook for about 10 more minutes.

3. Add the maple syrup and mustard and stir until heated through. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes so the flavors meld. Then serve!

We plated ours with a simple spinach side salad with cherry tomatoes, sliced carrot, and red pepper dressing. The fresh greens were a great contrast to the yummy indulgent sloppy joes. We love the signature sweetness of sloppy joes, and for us the smoked paprika made all the difference.  Also, as I said above, we really loved the texture of the lentils…they're soft but have a teeny bit of bite.

And our rolls weren't huge, but they weren't tiny either…so both of us felt like we could eat more but not an entire sandwich more. So we dished a little extra "Joe" on our plates right next to our sandwiches to eat with a fork. I recommend this tactic. :)

Ok, hope you love these! Let us know if you do!

xo, Jenny & Aaron

Friday Favorites…on a Saturday

It's Saturday already! This week flew by. We've been working like nuts over here on orders, as well as on some deadlines for some really exciting things that we will share soon. I think today we might take a trip to Target, just for whatev. And the trip will also give us a chance to try out our new carry bag for Lieutenant Dan. We've been testing him out in the bag at home and he seems to like it in there. He'll take an hour long nap in the bag no problem. So the real test is in seeing if he gets jumpy when seeing other shoppers at Target. We hope he just chills out after the initial bit of excitement. 

On another note…me and Aaron have been art journaling a lot more lately whenever we get free time. If you're a creative type I highly recommend art journaling to keep the art pipes flowing smoothly. For me and Aaron, art journaling is all about flushing out ideas, gathering inspiration, and trying out new styles. And being that it's all in the journal, there isn't any pressure. The art you work on in your journal doesn't have to ever be seen. And I'm big into just gathering imagery together that makes me happy. I make inspiration boards much like on Pinterest, but instead I've got all the stuff printed, cut out, and filed accordingly. And gathering the inspiration together has got me thinking about some of my fave things right now. I technically missed Friday Favorites…so I guess we'll call these Friday Favorites, A Day Late.

Starting off with this photo above! It just makes me so so happy. It's an Ice Cream cake from our friend Rosie aka Sweetapolita. Her color choices are always exactly what I want to see. Desserts like these are already over the top…but Rosie always manages to take them into Dreamland territory. I love the sprinkles! Perfect in every way! 

This may look like amazing wall paper, but it happens to be a wall of roses. Each is secured to the wall with craft pins. This would be so awesome for a Photo Booth backdrop at a wedding or party. And you could go with whatever color/flower theme you want. I was immediately grabbed by this combo…I love pale pink set against black. 

 I love Keiko Lynn's blog, and this conturing tutorial is really great. Excellent step by step process, and the end result isn't crazy dramatic.

I heart this sequin heart head band from ban.do . Shimmery gold is a mainstay in my wardrobe. It brings sparkle to my mostly black daily uniform…and when I wear pastel accents, the gold glimmer makes every color pop even more.

Speaking of pastel accents!!! I have been a fan of creepers since my teens. They are classics. This pair in mint has me swooning. I think I may have to pretend that it's time for back to school shopping, and pick myself up a pair. They are so so good, right?

Besides needing a little help in the vertical department, thick soles just look gooooood. They've got that Frankenstein feel…but in a fun way…like Herman Munster meets Betsey Johnson.

Ahhh I love this macaron pillow to bits! And I have a feeling Lieutenant Dan would be a big fan as well! But thinking of Dan using this as a tuffet is almost cute overload…we might break the meter. 

Adore this faceted lamp from Urban Outfitters. It's got that modern vintage appeal. I love to tie in geometric shapes with my more cottage style rustic pieces. Especially when it comes to lighting. This lamp just looks so aesthetically soothing. And it also comes in a lovely pale pink.

This is perfect. I know that Aaron would say that I am certainly one of the "people" that the sign is referring to. I'm betting many of you are one of those "people" as well. It's a gift and a curse…this sensitivity. Probably the same part of the brain that allows us to see all this pretty stuff so clearly, also lets the worry creep in. Ah well, I'd never trade it.

Ok, it'll soon be time to get Lt. Dan into his carry bag. Target here we come. I'll report back with any good finds. Thanks so much again for reading!

xo, Jenny…and Aaron says hi!

Life Lately

Me and Aaron kinda have a pattern that we fall into over and over. We make new art, and then get busy with orders and other things, and then gradually make some headway, thus making more time for making new art…and then the whole process repeats. Right now we're in the middle of making some headway, so we've got lots of creative projects starting up. The first thing we tackled over this past weekend was a little unfinished business. When we painted our pink frosted doughnut last month we had also started a chocolate frosted one, but we had to put that painting aside for bit in order to fulfill some orders. So, with our smidge of spare time over the weekend, we finished the chocolate doughnut! We love how it came out.

Oh, and do you see these doughnuts in the foreground?….they are vintage play food from 1987! And they are scented. They still smell like "Donuts"!

Here's a better view. We also have four munchkins that came with the set. They're from Dunkin Donuts. I've seen sets on ebay that come with the original Dunkin Donuts box, and they're pretty darn pricey.

So yes, being that we're debuting the chocolate frosted doughnut, and will possibly debut some other new pieces, we're keeping our Summer Sale going a little bit longer.

Once again, over the weekend we shipped out a bunch of orders. We love to see so much art going off to new homes.

And the good mail wasn't just outgoing. There was some great incoming as well!! We had to wake Lt. Dan up from a nap to tell him that he and his brother had received gifts from our friend Kimberlee. 

Kimberlee's signature color is black, hence the black bonies for the boys. And she also is very accustomed to big dogs. These would be tiny treats for her pup…but in order for our guys to make any sort of progress with these, we had to first break them up into smaller pieces! so funny. They loved them!

Kimberlee also hunted down the sparkly aqua collar we had been wanting for Lt. Dan…but wouldn't you know it…he is such a tiny peanut…so the collar was too big. We think it's the perfect hand-me-up for his big brother Carlos. Fits great, and it looks so good with his black coat. This pic here is after the two boys did plenty of running around like nuts. 

 Kimberlee always sends the most incredible care packages…just so thoughtful!! One of the treasures included was this incredible vintage wedding couple. Her arm grasps his! So darling! They look so sweet atop one of our faux cakes. 

Also over the weekend I pulled out my art journal for the first time in a couple weeks. I've been so occupied with orders and canvases that my journal has been lying there neglected. But that's what an art journal is for…you can open it and get to work whenever the mood strikes. And then close it up and put it to the side until the mood strikes again. Our journals don't mind that we artists are fair weather friends. 

I always notice that I do my work-work up on tables…and I do my play-work down on the floor. Probably because I'm being looser with my creativity when it's playtime. I might not have anything specific in mind, and when there isn't a set plan, it's good to be able to spread all of my supplies on the floor around me. I make a massive mess. 

Do any of you guys have similar work/play habits?

And yup, we also chipped away on the pink moldings while orders dried. We never get to do home projects in one sitting. They get spread out over many days.

Ok…this next thing is more than a big deal. Do you see the lovely Lt. Dan? And do you see that piece of artwork beside him? Well that is an original from Mary Engelbreit herself!!! It would be impossible for me to overstate what fans me and Aaron have always been of Mary. For 20 years she has been our hero in the world of art. So, when this gift from her arrived in the mail we were both in tears. It says: "for Jenny & Aaron, with thanks & love. Mary Engelbreit"

The greatest surprise ever! We will treasure it always! So so so so kind of Mary to take the time to make this very special piece of art. If you woulda told the 17 year old me that Mary E would send me an original painting one day, I seriously wouldn't believe you. Well, for that matter…if you told me even as recently as last week, I still wouldn't have believed you!  

Also over the weekend we finished up a bunch of hand painted signs and die cuts that are all going to a very special home. 

 These two are a couple of my faves.

And lastly, here's a great little pic to send you off on your way. I walked in the room with the camera and called the little peanut. This is exactly how much he peeked. And then I think he went back to his nap. I love this teeny tiny speck of love.

Ok, just wanted to check in. We expect to get very creative over the next couple of weeks. We hope to have some great stuff for show & tell!

thanks for reading, xo Jenny…and Aaron says hi!