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

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

A Birthday recap, Zombies, and a Giveaway!

This year, as luck would have it, my birthday fell on a Saturday! If you've been a follower of my blog or know me...you know that our "crew"...meaning my siblings and Aaron...have made it a tradition to spend each other's FULL birthdays together...to do whatever the birthday boy or girl desires. We started this tradition many years ago and it really has enriched our relationships with one another and it has shone a special light on each of our big days. Because lets face it, when you're a girl getting on in years, you have to invent all sorts of stuff to make your b-day a day that you look forward to...ya know?!

So, we make it an all day affair...and my b-day happens to be during my favorite time of year (but that could be a "chicken or the egg" type thing)...and I usually pick a daytime destination like Lambertville / New Hope...these are fantastically old antiquing towns and you stroll the leaf strewn streets...maybe sip some cocoa...maybe find a cornfield maze. Or maybe if the weather isn't agreeable we'll hit a gigantic mall like Palisades Center, and just shop all day and eat all night. But this year my brother Jay was working and we wanted to stick kinda close to home so that he could join us for dinner when he got off work in the evening. Sticking close to home turned out to be an amazing idea.

Don't ask me how I have managed to overlook this wonderland of a place for so long! It is so so fitting that this was my chosen birthday destination...for the trip there, and the discovery of this treasure that was right under my nose, truly was a GIFT! If you're not already familiar...please allow me to introduce you to Scrappers Cove! It's located in a small New Jersey town named Milltown and even though you could say it's in the middle of nowhere, it's really like a half hour away from my home and it's super easy to get to...very close to Rutgers University. The pictures I've posted here are just the itty bitty tip of the iceberg. They have everything the scrapper/art journalist could ever want! The full line of Smash...GORGEOUS ribbons...Copics galore...and all the boutique lines that we drool over online are right there for you to see and touch. Papers that you have never before laid eyes on...unlike your visits to AC Moore and Michaels...those two places have had the same exact papers for about five years now!

On our maiden voyage to Scrappers Cove this past Saturday, we had the pleasure of meeting Pat...she was running the place that day...and she's the mom of the gals that are behind the shop's perfection. Those two...the daughters...were off vending at some fab scrappy event. I would say it was a shame that we didn't get a chance to meet them...but we're gonna go back there so often that it doesn't really matter! ;) We'll be old friends before we know it!
And like any excellent scrappy shop...they host in-shop classes. Yup, classes taught by the likes of Tim Holtz, Claudine Hellmuth, and more! A class had just wrapped up when we arrived on Saturday...and wouldn't you know it...the class was taught by a friend that we met at Art Opera last year...Peggy! Super Sweet! We were immediately reminiscing and talking shop...favorite bloggers, scrappers, companies, art retreats. We got to talking about the possibility of us teaching some classes there...it would be great! So close to home...and teaching in a place that has that much amazing product would be so inspiring. I've always loved PRODUCTS...and lots of them. The more I have around me, the better my creative brain works. It's just the possibility of possibilities that opens my artistic floodgates up. Aaron was never this way. He's always been the kind of artist who just resigns himself to work with what's on hand...even if his supply pantry is nearly bare. Well, I've managed to infect him with the PRODUCT bug. Now he LOVES "stuff" and understands the importance of surrounding himself with as much "stuff" as possible when it's time to create. It's all about open doors and endless possibilities...having lots of products on hand will do this for you.

So my Birthday also happened to be on the same day as Asbury Park's annual Zombie Walk... another little birthday gift from the universe to me (I'm a HUGE zombie fan!) Check out that pic below!! Those are all ZOMBIES! Staggering in the warm October sunshine, out celebrating my birthday! And oh yeah, the pics above are from our annual trip to the Cheesecake Factory...yup, we somehow always end up at Cheesecake Factory on my birthday. I got the pumpkin cheesecake...deeeeelish!

We popped in at Porta...to see our brother Jason, that's where he works...and being that it's located in Asbury, the place was filled with zombies! If you look close...the couple just to the right of center are zombies...and so are their cute little daughters! :)

These two zombies waiting for a table...It's nice of Porta to allow them to bring in outside food...I mean BRAINS!

Ok, so sorry for the length of this post...but I had a few things I just needed to include! These two new listings in the shop I'm very excited about...our Ornament Kits! We've made ornaments like this for years...and now we've really gotten into teaching instead of doing. We want to put our raw materials in the hands of the collector/student. Our Ornies are a perfect Holiday project...first, because they are easy enough for anyone to make...and second, because your finished projects are classic Holiday decorations that you'll want to display year after year. Check them out in the shop now...and look forward to lots more kits, paper packs, and sticker sheets in FULL COLOR. If things go the way we hope they will...you guys are gonna be super super busy creating with Everyday is a Holiday exclusive imagery!

One last thing...something I'm really psyched about...A Giveaway! Yes, we have a GIVEAWAY here!! This one is for LOCAL peeps! Or anyone that will be in the Somerset NJ area October 28, 29, 30.
So leave a comment...and if you are the winner, I will get you your two tickets asap!

2 Tickets to the Sugarloaf Craft Festival! :)

It's a very big event which we'll be attending...and so will you...if you win the giveaway!...I can't wait to see these artists in person!


Event Details
For over 30 years, the nation’s most talented artisans have personally sold their contemporary crafts and fine art at Sugarloaf Craft Festivals. Rated as one of the top craft experiences in the country, last year more than 175,000 visitors attended Sugarloaf Craft Festivals and enjoyed the work of thousands of juried artisans.

You can read all about the festival here! Get directions here. Print a coupon to save 1.00 on entry here. Become a fan on facebook too!

We will be attending as shoppers and blogging the event! We'd LOVE to run into you there! If you'd like to go just leave a comment here! I know so many of you are spread out all over the country and in other countries and wish you could be there, but I'll promise next best thing...a great recap of the show...with photos...and links to my hand picked fave artists! :)
thanks again! xoxo, Jenny