Not your Mama's banana bread.

Ok so, Pinterest...I seriously cannot say enough. I cannot go a day without popping in...at least 5x! I kid you not. Even if for only 5 mins. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have all night pinfests. It's just that good. And I'm sure I'm not the only gal in town who has put on the pinterest 10...much like the freshman 15. After pinning, one cannot just walk through life, let alone their kitchen without thinking..ohhhh what could I make! From organizing tips, to decor ideas, fashion wish lists, to Recipes! It's pretty much an addiction. So of course when I paused my pinning to walk to the laundry room to switch over a load I spied the bananas on the kitchen table..instantly flashed to the left over buttermilk from our Valentine's dinner recipe..and wizza wizza what..I was baking up a batch of these adorbs lil scrummy yummies before I knew it.

Ok, so our generation grew up eating banana bread when mom or grandma couldn't bare the thought of tossing out that browning bunch. It was never a planned, shopped for treat. Not that it wasn't yummy. Who am I kidding I don't think I've met a bread or cake I didn't like (read devour). But you know what I mean.

Ok so, I came across this recipe for buttermilk banana bread. Which

boasted being the best. It sure looked good. And seemed to be much more than an "only for salvadged nanas" recipe. I happen to own wayyy more baking pans than I should. all shapes and sizes. I'm a sucker for cutesy cakes. So I pulled out a mini loaf pan I had, and a cakelet pan (twinkie) from Williams Sonoma. Pulled together my ingredients, which were all pretty much staples, but for the buttermilk. Super duper simple! all dry in one bowl, all wet in the other...mix em up...pour in pans!

Recipe:

Mix together:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl combine:

3 eggs

3/4 cups softened butter

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 large mashed bananas

I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine dry & wet ingredients. Mix well.

Pour into greased mini loaf pans.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 mins. Till edges are golden.

BEST results if baked in mini loaf pans! :)

But here is where the chubster in me had to take it to the next level...

Once these cuties are cool...

Slice in half, spread with cream cheese and blackberry jam! Ahhh! Yes! This is the stuff that makes mouths happy. And they are pretty darn adorable aren't they? They'd be the perfect afternoon tea party treat! Served wrapped in large cupcake wrappers, you know hugging them like a blankie. Maybe a light sprinkling of powdered sugar too. They make me feel British when I eat em. I love those Brits and their sweets. Geez... and their kitchen "dressers", which we call hutches. They always stock them with stripey bowls and jugs, and polka dot plates, and cutesy egg cups.

Much like these:

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Pure cozy cuteness huh? Alright, I'll be snacking on these sweet bits for the next few days. Who's gonna join me?

Be back soon! Enjoy your weekend!

xo Jenny

busy busy!

Hey there! Just popping in for a bit to say hi! Aaron and I have been working like two lil' elves over here. We were able to photograph and list a few more JUMBO diecuts in the shop today. I'm especially excited about the Charlotte! She has been floating around the house all day! On the mantel, hung on the wall above the mantel, on a shelf ...in the kitchen, and the bedroom. She looks pretty darn happy no matter where we put her! She's such a FUN size! A total focal point for any antiquey vignette. So yes...she is my current fave! :)

And here are the cherry topped cupcakes I spoke of yesterday. Aren't they just so cute?

And an old fashioned classic slice of layer cake! I'm thinking we may need a big glass of milk to pair it with!

Ohh and guess what tonight is? (12:00 AM EST) It's the February update over at Spookytime Jingles! Annnnd we have a special lil Easter piece this month! As always, these are one of a kind creations so if you love them...grab em!

That's it for now...less than an hour till The Walking Dead premiers!! Ahhh!! Hooray!

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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Sweet Shop Ornament tutorial

Is it weird that I'm such a HUGE fan of our new full-color sticker sheets? And I swear, this isn't one of those tootin' my own horn moments...I honestly love these sticker sheets! They are exactly what I'd hope to find in the fantasy scrapbooking/art journal shop of my dreams. I cannot wait to make more! We have endless ideas and mock-ups for future sheets...the only issue is finding the time! One thing that I promise to do is always compliment any forthcoming creative elements of ours with tutorials here on the blog...just some simple examples of how to put this good stuff to good use.

We're still at work on our very own hand painted patterned paper packs...so for now this little project will make use of some of your own favorite patterned papers for the backgrounds. These are simple ornaments mounted on wooden discs that we purchased at Michaels...but you can probably find similar ones at A.C. Moore, Jo Ann Fabrics, or any store like these. Look for wood, mdf, chipboard, whatever you like really. Ours measure approximately 4 inches across...and ours were CHEAP! They came in a multi-pack with all different shapes and sizes and the whole pack was like 5 bucks!

What you will need:

- Everyday is a Holiday full-color sticker sheets!!

-scissors, pencil, artist paint brush

-wood, mdf, or chipboard discs in shape of your choice,
approx. 4" across.

- patterned papers for your backgrounds

-Decou-page by DecoArt. You can also use matte finish Mod Podge or clear gel medium

- heavy duty glue like E6000 or a hot glue gun if you prefer.

-colored glitters of your choice. (We used Martha's tinsel glitter in florentine gold, feldspar, and kunzite.)

-ultra fine clear glitter

-bakery twine or pretty string or ribbon of your choice

-ric rac or ribbon to hang them with

Step 1. Trace the shapes of your ornaments onto your background papers and cut out paper backgrounds. Also, cut out the stickers of your choice, eye-up your designs and match the stickers with their respective backgrounds.

Step 2. Adhere your backgrounds. We used Decou-page by DecoArt...but again, you can use matte finish Mod Podge or gel medium. With a paint brush apply a thin even coat to the disc, lay corresponding paper on it and gently press down...then gently smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles with a clean, dry paper towel. Let dry. You do not need to apply a top coat of the Decou-page or Mod Podge. We will be doing this later on. ( hint: most people have a tendency to brush a coat of Mod Podge over top of the paper they just glued down...doing this will always result in lots of wrinkles and bubbles. When applying a topcoat it is essential to let the paper that you've just glued down to fully set-up and dry. You'll know it is dry when it is no longer cool to the touch.)

Step 3. Once the backgrounds that you've glued down are fully set-up and dried, peel backs off of your stickers and apply them to their corresponding ornaments. Then, apply a thin even coat of Decou-page medium (or Mod Podge, or gel medium) over the entire front of the ornament...then dust the entire front with a coat of ultra fine clear glitter...let dry and shake off excess glitter. Next, apply a thin even coat of Decou-page medium (or Mod Podge, or gel medium) to the outside edge of the ornament and dust with an even coat of colored glitter (tip: using a glitter tray or paper plate, roll/press edges in colored glitter.)...let dry, shake off excess.

Step 4. Tie bows...we used classic bakery twine because we just love the stuff...you can find small rolls of it in all sorts of colorways at Michaels, A.C. Moore, or the crafty shop of your choice. Also, you can use ribbon or whatever you like instead. Just tie simple bows and using your more heavy duty adhesive or glue gun, attach the bows to the top-center of each ornament.

Next, make a loop of ric rac or ribbon to hang your ornament...attach to the back using your heavy duty adhesive or glue gun. To finish it off and make the backs prettier, we often used a 2" paper punch to punch out a circle of patterned or colored paper, and then we decoupage the paper circle right over the cut ends of the ribbon loop thats on back...it looks good and reinforces the loop hanger at the same time.

Taa Daaah! You've got a gorgeous, glittery set of Cupcake & Cake ornaments!...And you only used a few of your Everyday is a Holiday stickers!...You can make more...do a mixer ornament...or find a long thin base and make an ornie using one of the Retro Baking Gals! The format is no big deal...that's the easy part. But now you've got a simple idea of how to use your stickers in a really fun way...just follow the same steps, use the same methods, and you can't go wrong. We'd love for you to share what you've done with us! We can't wait to see your projects! Email us photos!
xoxo, Jenny

The Creative Connection...a recap. :)

The Creative Connection was more delightful than we could've hoped for. Being that we drove there...yes, from New Jersey to St. Paul Minnesota, 25 hours straight, no motel stops, just the occasional sugar and salt binge...we needed to rest up once we arrived in St. Paul. So in order to stop ourselves from turning into real life actual zombies we grabbed some beauty rest. This meant missing the opening day breakfast and also the lunch...but that was fine...We arrived at the event right before dinner and checked in...receiving our itinerary package (which was so so clear, concise, and helpful) and name tags. And at that point the hotel was teeming with fabulous gals and a palpable buzz was in the air. This was the beginning of what would be the ultimate odyssey of hands on, tangible, social networking...more consecutive handshakes, hugs & kisses than Mickey gets on a good day at Disneyland. It just warms the heart to reconnect with everyone...all the gals that we only get to see at events like this. And even better than that is when you get to meet in person for the very first time a longtime online friend. And what tops that is when you strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and then you carry that conversation over the next 3 days in St. Paul...and you just know that this will be a real deal friend for life.

The big opening night dinner was fantastic...foodwise and contentwise. Jo Packham welcomed the ballroom of nearly eight hundred peeps, with her trademark wit, charisma, and above all candor. I simply adore her honesty and true spirit. She got very emotional up there at the podium and it's not hard to see why being the founder of an event like this would break you up in joyful tears. The whole message and feel of the event was that we are all so much alike...that, at an event like this you know that you can walk up to anyone at all and connect on a million topics. Because the pre-work was done for us all...we could all fairly assume that if the person is there at The Creative Connection then they are our kind of person.

Tim Holtz was in attendance and he took the microphone briefly, talking mainly about what it was like to be the first guy featured in Where Women Create. And the keynote speakers were fabulous. Cristina Ferrare treated us to pretty much a tell-all, E true Hollywood story of her life. And the super sweet Holly Becker lead us through her own coming of age tale...and being that she's a blogger extraordinaire she had great visual aids on the projection screens flanking the stage.

The following day the vendor market opened and classes began. Classes - these were the reason for our journey...everything else was just the sprinkles on top. We taught three classes with two different themes and it's impossible to pick our favorite. We did Hooray for Cake and Lovely Ladies, Layers & Lines. Each was so so rewarding in it's own way. The connection we make with our students and seeing the artistic twinkle in their eyes is a cure-all for the soul. So much self discovery is happening right there before your eyes...and to think that you yourself play a small role in bringing about that discovery is just plain magical. Everyone was so darn sweet...arriving at class with an open heart and mind. I hope we filled them with good stuff that they can put in their artistic toolboxes for the long run. The slide show up top shows just the tippy tippy tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to take stroll through blogland to see what everyone else has to say about their good times...I've been seeing some great pics on Facebook too. Me and Aar would love to return next year...even if we're not instructors we'd even go just to be vendors at the market...speaking of, I guess that was our only disappointment. Our classes were scheduled at the same time as the market on both Friday and Saturday...so our booth at the market was left unmanned while we taught our classes. Next year we'd make sure to bring help or to set up with one of the few super generous gals who offered to help us out next year if ran into the same problem.

As much as I'd like too, it's impossible for me to give you guys my full blow-by-blow recap of The Creative Connection. One thing I'd have to say is that this is one event that is so very worth putting on your calendar for next year. And say you have a friend that you'd love to travel with but maybe they don't have an interest in taking art classes...well this is the perfect opportunity. Even though us artistic people tend to sorts take an event over and make it all about the artistic projects, the getting down and dirty with paint and glue and glitter and more. The Creative Connection is so much more than that. You can go and take classes on starting up a small business, opening a bakery, putting together a unique and creative menu...jeez, tons of stuff that doesn't involve cutting, painting, drawing, making etc... It really is a special event for making connections not only with others but within yourself...for seeing what was always there but you were maybe too busy to acknowledge it. I know it worked that way for me and Aar in a way. Well, it really hit us on the ride home (which we did much slower than the ride there...actually got three motel rooms in three states) we'd like to do a lot more of this. And so now that we're home our goal is to not fall back into any old patterns but to carve out new ones that will lead us to a life that contains much more of the stuff we want it to contain. And with that said, Art is You is nearly a week away ( not too late whatsoever to sign up! do it if you can...it's in Danbury Connecticut and our classes are awesome! Really great projects!) and we are stoked to hit the road again and teach teach teach and meet meet meet.

Please don't forget to enter our swag bag give-away...two swag bags and two chances to win... either comment on the video on the previous post or comment under the same video on Facebook. The sound on the vid is out of sync and it urks me to no end, but in a way it makes the train wreck that much more fun right? Ok, gotta go grab some dinner. Thanks so so much again for stopping by!
xoxo, Jenny