Around here...

Ok, me and Aaron are grown adults. We are highly evolved human beings of average intelligence and moderate talent. On some days we may actually appear to have our stuff together. So...with that said, why on Earth were our lives so completely thrown off course by the simple act of setting our clocks ahead by one hour??! Seriously, all day Sunday was screwy...among a ton of other bits of odd behavior, we somehow ended up eating dinner at like 9pm. (which is way out of character for us) ...and today is still totally out of whack. We also have been burning the midnight oil this past week, trying keep up with orders and get home improvement projects done simultaneously...so I'm sure that that didn't help matters. But, on the upside...we've been checking lots of stuff off of the to-do list. Things are coming along in the kitchen and I'm very psyched about that! My current fave little spot is our chalkboard wall, which is where we've got our new stainless shelves and small kitchen implements hanging...they give it a classic culinary feel...but I've sweetened it up a tiny bit with pink & aqua napkins, towels, and some other things that are softer around the edges. I snapped the pic above because I loved the rare splash of afternoon sunlight our wall was graced with.

Some of you have been following this blog for years and already know a bit about the different twists and turns that me and Aaron have taken on our art career path. I'm betting that lots of newer readers aren't aware that many many years ago we were painting murals and doing all sorts of decorative faux finishes, plasters, etc... We worked in homes, shops, restaurants, country clubs... And so, in doing some walls in our kitchen with techniques like this it was really a lot of fun. It was one of those 'revisiting our roots' moments. And even though we hadn't done that kind of work in over a decade, the skills are all still right there on the tips of tongues (or paint brushes)...you don't really forget techniques once they have become second nature to you. So, we wanted the kitchen to have a warm & cozy feel. Neutral, aged, and distressed walls as a backdrop to our candy colored vintage collectibles. You can see a glimpse of it in-progress above. There are a lot of layers and varying textures, but in the end it will be our collections and other decor items that will stand out. The goal for the walls is for them to fade into the background, very much like the paper that a great book is printed on...in the end you'll only see the words on the page...not the paper.

And speaking of our fabulous collections...This is one of our newer amazing vintage finds! We've been collecting these vintage cake decorating sets for years, but never came across one in such a fantastic box. I love that it props open to become a little display. It's from the 40s, and the imagery from this period is always so very inspiring.

We definitely have crossed that redecorating threshold where even though things are turned upside down...we are now able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When redecorating there's this little magic that occurs every once in a while. Over the years, anytime we've painted rooms and things are moved to the side, sometimes accidental pairings happen that offer you a new way of seeing your old things. This is one of 'em...I loved this grouping!

We had been searching for some inexpensive clear glass jars for our pantry staples...the dry goods...stuff like rice, oats, quinoa, etc. And we were so happy to find these on the World Market site. They worked out perfectly and we'll be ordering more soon! (side note: in shipping, one of the jars arrived broken, which was a surprise since World Market packs Amazing. But anyway, Aaron called up about the broken jar and the girl cuts him off, says "no problem, a new one is on the way." seriously, he didn't even have time to explain and World Market had already remedied the situation. The new jar arrived within 2 days!...one more reason to love that place!)
So we are hoping by tomorrow we will feel a bit more on track. We are looking forward to having more daylight in our days...more daylight means more photos! We have lots to do this week. We have a recipe review to share, a little "show and tell", and a peek at some Art Journal pages. Hope you'll check back in!
Love from the Jersey Shore! xo Jenny...and Aaron says hi!