SO pretty!

Thanks mom for the BEAUtiful anemone! It is in the ground and being watered in well with all this rain.

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A successful visit!

Thanks to my friend Cindy who I haven’t seen in years which is hard to believe, I had a “shopper” a couple weekends ago.  In conversation at work, Cindy’s friend Jenny mentioned she was looking for a unique gift for her mom’s birthday.  Edited story…Cindy showed Jenny my website and blog and now I am writing this post!

Thanks to Jenny for stopping by to shop “the shop” for a gift for her mom.  It was a pretty Saturday afternoon and the experience went just exactly as I had always hoped it would when someone made an appointment to come.  I was thrilled to have a guest, Jenny was very excited to find not only the white container (pictured below on the left), but also a pitcher that I had filled with fresh flowers.  Ironically enough it’s a pitcher that Cindy gave me to paint!  I love karma.  She took the pitcher water, flowers and all.

In an email exchange after her visit, Jenny told me

She ABSOLUTELY loved them, she was a little sad to be turning xx so they brightened her day!  Thanks again for an amazing gift for her!

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but that is a true gift.  I love when people are excited about buying something I’ve painted.  And I hope they will enjoy it for years to come.

Reminder:  I will be at the Growing Place again this year for the Gardener’s Art Festival on Saturday, June 21.  I’d love to see you there!

Cheers!

Jen (by Jennifer)

Just in time

SO glad to have my new UGGs and my new Sorels to help me battle this weather!  The high today is -11.  That’s just incredible.  Thanks again mom and dad for the always more than generous Christmas cash to shop with for “necessities”!!

Elmhurst – woo hoo!

It’s hard to believe that a week ago I was doing my usual final push to paint for the Elmhurst Garden Faire and Walk on July 14, and that it’s already come and gone.  What a great day it was!  A beautiful setting and near perfect weather set the stage that morning and I sold the stool shown below before the faire even officially began.   THANK YOU to everyone who came by to check things out – particularly, of course, those of you who purchased some of my favorite things.  I love seeing items go to happy homes.  Although Archie the Cat was disappointed that the toolbox didn’t come back with me, he’s moved on already and found alternative places to nap.

I’ll keep you posted on my next stop.  Meanwhile, I’ll be playing with new color combinations and seeking out unique items.  Every watering can I painted sold this season, so I’ll be focusing on more of them.  Let me know what else you’d like to see!

Have a great weekend.

jen (by jennifer)

Day 9: You Only Get One (1!) Chance at This

Before I move on, I should mention that the flower buckets from yesterday’s post are 15″ tall by 7.5″ diameter at the top.  I will ship to you. You pay postage.  I take PayPal or you can send a check in advance.  Or we can meet depending on your proximity.  I’m flexible. Now on to the GOOD stuff – Day 9!

This is truly a one of a kind find – an old wooden tool box.  Thanks Mom!  She spotted this a few years ago when we were out on an adventure and bought it for me with full faith that I could do something with it.   It was already distressed with white paint. What I found as I continued to work on it was that clearly one side is “noon” and the other is “some time around dusk.”

Ready for work at noon on a beautiful day

 

Work is almost over

SO many options

I see this in so many ways. On a big island in a kitchen with cookbooks and utensils, in a living room full of magazines or rolled blankets, on a porch with potted plants … what do you think?!

This, I don’t want to ship unless I have to because it’s heavy and I don’t want you to pay for that, but hey –  I can see why you would.  I love this.

Day 9 down friends – see you tomorrow.

jen

Happy Birthday Mom!

I’ll spend my day today finishing a winter wreath for my front door, organizing my dressing room and doing some creative projects.  Wonder where I get it from?  The one I call mom.  Thanks mom for everything you’ve taught me – some things you realize and some that you don’t.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Hope you have a wonderful day in the woods of Missouri.

love,

jen

Happy Mothers Day!

This picture reminds me of my Grandma A.  It also represents quite a few other women who have impacted my life.  The brush belonged to my Great Grandma Krueger, the peonies remind me of Grandma A, the old purse and glasses are from my Grama Z, and the fact that I put these things together on the top of my dresser comes from learning to decorate creatively with things that having meaning to me from living and learning from my mom.

Happy Mothers Day to all the great women in my life (then and now).  If you are reading this, you are likely included.

love, jen

Happy Birthday Day a.k.a. June!

Happy Birthday to my mom today.  May the coming year be one full of nothing but happiness.

love jen

(from Archie too – mrweowp!)

 

Leave it to a Cat…

Leave it to Archie to cancel his appearance right after I advertise for him.  What a cat!

BUT… I hope you marked your calendars because the Gardener’s Art Festival is the real deal.  I’ve participated in this show for the past five or six years.  The gardens are worth the trip alone.  It’s a fantastic nursery and a gardener’s delight.  It’s more than a nursery – the planters and garden accessories are fantastic.  Can’t say enough about it.  Check out The Growing Place for more information.

Today’s featured item from Jen by Jennifer is a 9-inch beige ceramic pitcher.

This is one of the items I will have for sale at the show.  Watch for additional featured items between now and Saturday, June 25, when I’ll be at the Growing Place – Naperville from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Stop by and visit – I’d love to see you!  And maybe you’ll also find a treasure you just have to take home.

Enjoy the beautiful day!

jen (by jennifer)

Mark Your Calendars

Interested?  Watch for more information on this event and the Gardener’s Art Festival:  Enjoy the View at the Growing Place in Naperville.

Both events are scheduled for the same date.

R.I.P. GZ

Although cryptic, my last post was inspired by a visit to my Grama Zimmerman (GZ) in the nursing home.  I never thought I would be sitting next to her holding her frail hand and answering questions to help her sort out how long she’d been there and assuring her that family was around her and that she had been visited regularly.  It was very sad.  But I was able to make her laugh a couple of times and she said she felt better after talking with me.  I’ll leave the other details of the day out for the sake of brevity and staying on topic.  What it really comes down to is it was time for her to let go and move on.  And she did.  Thursday morning after a visit from my mom.  So, now there are two.  This is a picture from about three years ago at her ninety-third birthday get together at my brother Bob’s house.

Hazel Marie Zimmerman, Janet Marie Zimmerman (Anderson), Jennifer Marie Anderson

So today we will have a private service and lay her to rest.  I’m certain she is already much happier than she has been in a long time, reunited with my Grampa and my brother.  For that I am happy.

I spent a lot of time with G and G Z when I was growing up.  And when I stayed with them there was always a project to do.  Often it was painting something.  So this morning until the time I have to clean up to go to the service, that is what I will do.  Already I can smell the varnish from the other room.  I put a coat on a project I’m finishing for my mom that is her Mother’s Day gift from last year.  Figured I better do it before May rolls around again.  I get the feeling even if I live to 96 in good health as she did, there will still not be enough time to do all that I will want to.

Peace and love GZ –

“Jenny-re”

Almost Summer!

Well, Memorial Day weekend has passed, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.  So this means we are officially on our way to summer!  I find I need to remind myself (and the garden fairy) that it is only the very beginning of June.  We have both done so much in the yards already it feels like we should be well into June if not ready to fly flags for the Fourth of July.

The garden comes along quite nicely.  There are enough new plantings I will not attempt to walk you through it again.  I look forward to posting pictures when things are in bloom…  the beds along the fence (once mulched *sigh*) are almost picture ready now.  More on that later.

I am painting.  I worked a bit on a few projects for the show at the end of the month while concentrating mostly on a project for my friend here at work.  It is the final of three items for her bathroom. 

And of course Archie (Bee Dub, Mr. Kitty) was there to supervise…

Have a great day!

jen (by jennifer)

Here’s to inspiration!

Ok.  I have decided to do a show this year.  I started in 2002 (I think) with the Elmhurst Garden Faire and Walk and then added The Growing Place – Art in the Garden Festival a couple of years later.  Up until last Summer (or the Summer before?) I had been doing both of them each year.  With having moved residence, the plans to open the shop, etc. I decided not to do them.  But this year I’m back!  And I will be doing things a little differently… taking items to represent the shop as a whole rather than just my stuff.  But I still have to get painting in order to take enough of my product to make a good display.

So – here’s to inspiration! 

I was watering mamala’s flowers for her last night, so I snapped a couple of pictures.  I then went home to check my garden out back… the 25 lily bulbs are starting to sprout!  BUT this morning I saw a bunny back there…. hmmm – I’m thinking that could be BAD.  I may have to let Mr. Kitty out afterall to patrol the grounds. 

Maybe he can put some of those quick moves on the flower munching bunny and all that practice on his straw will be worth it.

Have a great day all!  I’ll keep you posted.