Two shows this year!

Come on out to The Growing Place for another chance to grab a colorful watering can, chair or something else for yourself or a gift! I’m excited to be doing two shows this year. Should be a beautiful fall day.

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Ready for TGP Saturday!

Looking forward to another Saturday at The Growing Place Gardeners Art Festival. Come out and buy yourself something fun and fill in those baskets with flowers. I’ll help you water them!

Need to take a seat? I can help there too!

See you soon. Have a terrific week. I’m still painting.

 

Holiday shopping: More watering cans!

You won’t want to miss the Holiday Open House at The Growing Place. It’s this Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18 at both locations. I was just over to the Naperville location this week to drop off some more watering cans for sale.

Check out how nice the cans look nested in with the birds! (Aren’t the birds supposed to nest? Anyway…) Pick up a couple birds with a coordinating watering can for a holiday gift. (Click on the photos for larger images.)

Happy holidays! Stay warm and safe.

jen (by jennifer)

Medium black with bronze sprinkle spout

Bright red medium with matching spout

Large galvanized can with bronze handle

93 degrees was pretty darn hot!

Thank you for coming out to the Naperville Growing Place last Saturday for the Art in the Garden festival. As usual, it was a wonderful (although H O T!) day. It was very nice to visit with those of you who already own a “jen” and came back for another or just to say hello… and to those of you who purchased an item for the first time this year, I look forward to seeing you again!

Remember to contact me if you have an item of your own you’d like freshened up or to check on my inventory to paint you something I have.

Enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend. Happy Fourth!

jen by jennifer

When will I see you next?

The annual Growing Place Gardener’s Art Festival is coming up fast. Saturday, June 25, the doors will open at 9 a.m. at the 25w471 Plank Road, Naperville, Illinois, IL location.

I will be located on the east side of the front lawn. I’m very excited to be back this year and hope to see you there. I’ll have my always-popular assortment of garden-inspired goods including watering cans, stools, chairs and more. There’s also a good chance I may have some additional India-inspired items, so be sure to come and say hello.

Watch here for updates and photos of what I’ll be bringing to the show.

See you soon!

jen by jennifer

Dogs of India: 7

This little pup knew how to work the camera!

Dogs of India: 6

Dogs of India: 2

These pups were lounging around Galleria mall on Sunday when I went to do a few errands.

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)

Growing Place Art in the Garden Festival 2014

I received the information in the mail yesterday for the Growing Place Art in the Garden Festival 2014 on June 21 in Naperville!  Mark your calendar.  I already requested my usual couple of days before the event off from work this morning so I can be ready, ready – ready!  And I will start sourcing watering cans right away.  I sold all the cans I had painted last season.

Let me know if you have requests!

Spring will come!!  Hang in there.

jen by jennifer

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)

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”!!

Next Stop – Elmhurst Garden Walk and Faire

A week ago I was on the last push to get ready for The Growing Place show.  It went well Saturday although for the first time since I’ve been doing outdoor events, we had to deal with rain.  It rained all through set up and then stopped, but by that time there was MUD!  Fortunately, the staff at the Growing Place is fantastic and the best help you could ask for which made the situation a minimal distraction.  And the early showers didn’t keep shoppers from shopping the rest of the day…and overall it was a successful show.

Here are a few of my favorite items that were on display that are still available:

Watering Cans on Display at the Growing Place 2013

After talking with another vendor at the show, I’ve decided to start another count down!  Looking for a job, working around the house, blogging, painting and all the other miscellaneous life tasks just aren’t enough.  I’ll be working on additional items to take to the Elmhurst Garden Club Walk and Faire on Sunday, July 14.  It’s the first show I ever participated in back in 2001 if I remember correctly.  It’s in a beautiful setting at Wilder Park in Elmhurst and well worth a visit.

Watch for more feature items over then next few weeks…

Cheers!

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)

Seven! Poop – Should have 7 items …

Not that I’m making excuses but let me see if I can come up with seven hats I’ve worn today to make up for the lack of seven items to feature for Day 7 of the countdown:  Artist, Blogger, Carpenter, Chef, Daughter (helper), Gardener, Girlfriend, Happy Person.  I think that’ll do it.

All of the following items will be with me at the Gardener’s Art Festival at the Growing Place in Naperville, Ill., on Saturday, June 22.

I’ll have watering cans, buckets, a couple of pitchers, and fun containers of all sorts.

Let me know if there is something in particular you’d like to see.  My time is running short to paint, paint, PAINT, but I’ll do what I can or make arrangements to make sure you get a “jen” that you can enjoy.

What hats do you wear?

jen (by jennifer)

Day 8: Up Close

Maybe I shouldn’t have you look too closely … but just maybe you’ll be intrigued.  As much as I love bright color on a dark background, white is a wonderful as well.

See you soon.

jen

Up Close on White