Friday Favorites!

It's Friday!! Hooray!!

Working from a home studio, setting our own schedule often causes our days to melt into one another and the idea of a Friday can be so foreign to us. Us meaning Aaron and I. But just the other day I noticed that aside from certain tv shows reminding us of what day of the week it is...my brothers are adding some much needed normalcy to our life! Another perk of the new living arrangements! :) I'm liking it!

So in honor of actually noticing it being Friday, I'm joining in on the Friday Favorites fun! My first fave is this incredibly fun...almost funny lil' retro styled appliance! Is this not too cute? I doubt I'd actually use that top griddly thing...but gosh...the toaster and coffee pot! I LOVE this thing! It's by Nostalgia Electrics.

My second fave is this ahh-mayy-ziiing chick-a-dee smoke detector!! Why on earth has it taken this long for something like this to exist? And now that it does how can we live without it?! Darling isn't it? Oh those fabulous Dutch!

Ok, now for anyone who grew up in the 80s ...are these fun or what? Tupperware pendant lights! LOVE them!

If you know me...you know that I adooooore anything almond or coconut scented. Well oh my gosh I seriously think I have found my fave candle ever! This is just beyond yummy! And the jar is so antiquey and cute! The scent fills the entire livingroom and kitchen when lit! Love it to bits!! So so so good!

And last but certainly not least...this fabulous Mid Century Modern inspired eyeball lamp! Ahhh I love love love it! Totally on my wish list!

Oh gosh this was fun!! Totally going to be a regular thing for me! What are your fave things right now? I'd love to see! Comment with a link! :) Or join in on the Friday Favorites Fun!

Have a GREAT weekend!!

xo Jenny

Oatmeal, raisin, white chocolate, walnut cookies!

Hey kids!

So once again I found myself in the kitchen after 11pm with the urge to bake...thanks to Pinterest! I had just pinned some yummy looking cookie recipes and the rest of the gang was on board for something sweet...even if that meant cookies and milk wouldn't be had till midnight-ish. I knew I had a big big tub of oats and some raisins...only thing..the oats were Quick Cooking oats, which are never what is called for in oatmeal raisin cookie recipes...so what to do? Concoction time!

I did some searching and after finding a few recipes that called for Quick Cooking oats, I set to mixing! I knew I had some white chocolate chips, and some walnuts to throw in...

Here is what I came up with, and they were so so yummy! Chewy and moist, yet nicely browned on the edges. The recipe is a keeper! My brothers couldn't keep their hands out of the cookie jar!

Oatmeal, raisin, white chocolate, walnut cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups of quick cooking oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

preheat oven to 350

Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar till smooth.

add egg, then vanilla.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Stir in oats, raisins, white chocolate chips, and walnuts.

Drop tablespoon size balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 mins depending on your oven.

Leave on cookie sheet 5 mins before removing to cool on cooling rack.

Enjoy with some cold milk!

xo Jenny

A couple more classic kitchen cut outs

Hi guys!

I'm so so excited to share our newest JUMBO diecuts with you!! I have had this super fun vintage vanilla extract bottle sketched on napkins and tiny bits of paper for years! I cannot tell you how happy I am to actually have the "real life" version hanging on our wall! Of course we had to include "Charlotte" in the company logo!.... teeny tiny polka dots ...pastel frosted cupcakes, ... And I love the pop of the red cap...like a cherry on top. :)

We really have to thank you all so so much for all of the incredible feedback on our diecuts! We are so excited to see them hanging in YOUR homes! So please please send us some photos! We'd LOVE to see your vintage kitchens and bakery inspired vignettes! :)

Annnd... a PINK retro mixer!! This is a different style from our Aqua and Red versions. It's more "Kitchenaid" inspired.

Both are now in the shop! We have lots more on the drawing board and we couldn't be more excited! So stay tuned!

And be sure to come back tomorrow for a super duper fabulous Giveaway!!

Thanks for popping in!

xo Jenny

They're here! They're here!

Hey kids!

Just want to thank you guys so so much for all of the super sweet words here on the blog and over on facebook about the new Jumbo diecuts! So happy you like them! We are really just so excited about them. We spent most of today finishing up photographing and listing the first batch in the shop. It is quite hard to pick a favorite. At first I thought the chocolate layer cake was it...gosh, then when we hung the aqua mixer, my face squinched up, and my heart raced a bit.. So for today...it's the mixer. Tomorrow may be the cherry topped cupcakes on a plate. (still to be photographed)

We have 4 in the shop and hope to have 4 more listed tomorrow. Including a BIG Charlotte doll head, and a Chocolate Rabbit! :)

If you'd like one of your own pop over and check them out! They are made to order and will ship in about 1-2 weeks. (unless we get mega orders...which wouldn't be a bad thing.)

Hope you guys have a GREAT weekend!!

ooh oooh....before I go...The Walking Dead comes back tomorrow night!!! YAAAAAY!!

xo Jenny

A girl can dream...

Like I said a million times...the kitchen is the heart and soul of a home. And I promise that you'll get re-acquainted with that idea if you ever move into a new place. Me and Aaron just moved and it was just so utterly essential to get the kitchen in living/working order before even getting all of our boxes over to the new place. We've already had all of our bigger discussions around the table, celebrated a birthday, ate a holiday meal...and now we're trying our best to stock the cupboards with our New Year's resolution diet foods.

Today I took some pics in the new kitchen...just a couple sneak peeks of our new Jumbo solid wood cutouts of sweets. They're on half inch thick wood, super sturdy, heirloom quality... And they are BIG. Great pieces of home decor. Pictured here is our chocolate cupcake and our three layer cake. But these are the mere tippy tops of the iceberg. We've got dozens in progress...including a slice of cake, a large Charlotte doll head, tray of cupcakes, ice cream cone, chocolate bunny, pink paper mache rabbit, and a couple versions of vintage stand mixers...including a fantastic RED one...which peeps have been requesting left and right. The mixers are so fabulous...very big statement pieces for the home...or business for that matter. These will be available very soon. And what we're really thrilled about is that our carpenter is my little brother Walt. He's been working away at making his workshop a visually awesome space...he really had in his mind that his shop would be for tinkering mostly with engines and various greasy objects...but we instantly invaded his space with saws and the requisite sawdust. He's more than thrilled to be our woodcutting machine...but he's gonna need a new shop-vac for all the dust.

We hope to have most of the collection photographed and listed in the shop this weekend! So stay tuned! And for up to the minute news and SALES like us on facebook! :)

Ok, well being that I'm in a kitchen state of mind...and vintage/retro is the only way I go...I wanted to feature some amazing "new vintage" appliances from SMEG! For many years I've had tear sheets of these beauties pinned to my cork board. The colors are so dreamy and creamy...the streamlined/chunky designs are right out of my fantasy sketchbooks. I'm so in love with British kitchens...and that's where I spied SMEG fridges and stoves most often. Buying all those import magazines used to be so expensive but Pinterest certainly solved that financial obstacle. You can get these kitchen cuties on-line here. It's a super fab source for all your SMEG needs. Customer reviews for all of these pieces are stellar. My dream kitchen will certainly come to fruition one day...and there will be SMEG appliances for sure. I love the chunky hinged door handle especially. Heck, for years I've been wanting one of their refrigerators for our bedroom! We wouldn't plug it in...just use it as a dresser for sweaters and other warm clothes. A girl can dream...can't she?

Alright, just thought I'd check in from my corner of the kitchen. I'll be back really soon with more pics and links for shop listings of our brand new solid wood cutouts.
xoxo, Jenny

Scroll down for more SMEG eye candy!!


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Packing and Vacuums

Stix n Brix, NC

Yesterday was not an easy day.  It was fun and we didn't want to stop.  What did we do?  We packed up the inside of Wanda for an upcoming trip.  We were tempted to put everything in there as if we were fulltiming and just leave it in there.  That time will come in a few months but it's still a little early.  It did make me realize that we can indeed carry our essentials with us in this rig.  Many people that have 40ft MHs or big 5ers say that they have room to spare when they first pack up for the road.  Now I can understand why.

We want a good vacuum to keep in the closet of the MH that doesn't take much space.  We currently carry a cheap bagless green one that does a decent job but it lacks in suction power in my opinion.  It's a bit bulky too.  One that has caught our eye is the Dyson DC35 Multi floor.  It's a cordless battery operated machine that has lots of suction and all the necessary attachments to do the job.  The battery needs to be recharged after about 15 minutes but I think that's long enough for a MH.  It costs about 300 bucks too which is a bit more than we want to spend.

We have really thinned down our kitchen supplies.  We like Corelle plates but don't know whether to carry a place setting for 6 or just 4.  To those of you that are set up for the road, how much do you carry?  What kitchen appliances and cookware can you not live without?  What kind of vacuum do you carry?  Any input or ideas would be appreciated.  We aren't great cooks or Susie Homemakers by any means, but we don't want to be out there and say, "I wish we hadn't sold that at our yard sale." too many times.

I've got to work tonight and then we'll hit the road tomorrow afternoon.  We plan to pull in at a Walmart around supper time and then leave there in the morning.  We should be in Tennessee shortly after noon to get some rally hugs.  That's a little earlier that we planned but we are ready!

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life's journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.