Rustic Christmas front porch 2014

I didn’t really feel like decorating that day but the next day was going to be December 1 already!  I had to do it AND it was nearly 50 degrees outside.  It would really have been the wrong move to put it off…so this is what I came up with that afternoon.  I went rustic Christmas with items I bought (very few), collected or was given.  (My basement is FULL of stuff!)  Knowing I wanted to go this style, I had already purchased the ribbon so I was in pretty good shape.

Thanks to my mom for bringing home the fresh greens from her house in Missouri.  I always use fresh greens to fill my flower boxes each winter.  It’s good to have a source that barters in wine and conversation!

Merry Christmas!

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Painted Table Brings Back Contact

I was SO excited yesterday to receive the following email:

“Hello.
I have a yellow three legged table that I purchased somewhere and sometime ago, that I just love.  I was turning it upside down during a deep clean and noticed your card taped to the bottom.  I was just curious if you are still creating and if so to what capacity.
Thanks so much!”

My reply:  What a treat!  I TOTALLY remember that transaction…You were with a friend at the Elmhurst Garden Faire and Walk (2005 I think) and you really wanted the table despite the fact that “your husband was going to kill you because you were moving and the last thing you needed was one more thing to pack”?!…

Yes.  I still paint and sell my work.  In fact, after many years of not attending that faire, I returned to Elmhurst this July and had a great show. …I’m so excited that you still love your table.  I’d love to see a picture of it in it’s home – and if you wouldn’t mind I’d like to tell this story on my blog and include the photo perhaps. … THANK YOU very much for taking the time to email me.  Truly the reason I continue to paint is not only because I enjoy it, but I’m always thrilled when I can make someone happy by taking a piece home with them.

Here are pictures of the table that went from Elmhurst, Ill. to Oklahoma and now resides in Milwaukee, Wis.  It is a resting place in their second bathroom for hair tools.  How fun(ctional)!!

If you have an item or story that you’d like to share about “a jen”, PLEASE do!  This makes me SO happy!

jen (by jennifer)

Old friends do it all the time …

Playing catch up is just something we do, right?  So…here is a catch up photo of the last custom painted item I delivered.  Ellie approached me at the Art in the Garden Festival in Naperville for the last two years, inquiring whether or not I thought I could do something with a milk can that has sentimental value to her.  This year I went to her house and brought her milk can home with me.  With the help of my awesome boyfriend John, we sanded it down and cleaned it up.  Then I went to work spraying the base coats and then adding the hand-painted details.

She was very pleased.  What a great project.

 

jen

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)

3… 2…1… The Last Push

There is a 30 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms predicted for Naperville tomorrow.  I guess I’ll pack my umbrella among the other items for the show.  As you can see here, I’m stacking and packing product.

I’ll continue to paint a little today to finish the few items I started yesterday.

And to give you an idea of  the additional product I’ve been painting the past couple of days – watering cans!

 

Have a great day all – hope to see you tomorrow.

jen by jennifer

Day 5: Around the House

Hello all –

As well as highlighting items that will be at the show on Saturday, I also want to let you know that you can come there to check out my style and request custom work.  I’ve done armoire doors, a bedroom set, chairs and other items for people upon request.  Here is a look at some of the things around my house.

Archie’s friend

This is what got me started.

Door from my shop to my kitchen

Kitchen sink backsplash

 

Keep me in mind if you need a little somethin’ somethin’ to perk up a room.

See you soon.

jen (by jennifer)

Almost there … (project for a friend)

Well, so far the mirror and pitcher have gotten thumbs up from Kristen’s mom and mom-in-law.  That’s good news!  She sent me a picture of it almost in place.  So I wanted to share.  It’s really going to look nice.

Project for a Friend

Good morning blog friends –

I want to share a picture of the mirror and pitcher I’m bubble-wrapping to go in the car in hopes of getting together with my friend Kristen soon.  It’s a good example of how spray paint can make something come back to life.  She spotted this mirror leaning against the wall in my house when she was over a couple years ago and asked if it were ever going to go in my shop for sale.  I told her it would not if she wanted it – it’d be hers.  Since that time she and her husband Chris have bought a new house (and had two of the most adorable twin girls!) and she says she has just the spot for it.  It was originally silver when I bought it.  I painted it black some time way back to go in a bathroom.  It had some scratches so I put another coat on it.  It’s good to go now.  I love the embossed flowers.  It’s a nod to my love for painting flowers.  Hopefully I’ll have a photo of it in it’s new home to share in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great Sunday all.  I’m also working on a couple of closet makeovers this weekend.  Perhaps I’ll show before and after shots when I’m done.

jen

Nationwide… or almost

Hello again!  I haven’t posted since before the show at the Growing Place.  And the last promise I made (was it a promise? – oops) was that I was going to post a picture of the dresser I was taking – my big piece.  Well, here she is.

 

 

You’d think I would have learned by now to take pictures with my good camera as I paint things, but I guess it’s a Jen thing.  These are from my iPhone just before I packed her up and delivered her to a  nice doctor in Naperville who was going to transport her to a rental cabin in north Wisconsin.  I was so excited!  Earlier in the day a lady bought the large white watering can to send to Arizona, and last year the little black stool was heading out east.  I may not be taking the nation by storm, but there are “jens” out there!

Hope you all and your flowers survived the heat.  I think we might get a slight break here in Chicagoland for the next few days.

Be well.  Peace and sunshine.

jen (by jennifer)

You just Never know

If you know me at all, you know I can rationalize anything.  You also know I believe everything happens for a reason. 

I am extremely grateful to be from a family of creative individuals.

Tell someone today that you learned something from them.  Doesn’t matter whether it was positive or negative.