Honies, I'm Home.

Hi!!!

Oh I have missed, missed, missed you!!!

ok, before I get into chatting about the show, I am going to talk about the contest, I was going to announce the winner today, but I lied, I will actually announce the winner tomorrow, and I am going to share a bunch of photos from the show as well.

You will also get to see a photo or 2 of my bubs...YES, HE IS REAL!!! No imaginary bubs for me.

ok, the show......................


first, I had a wonderful, wonderful time. Just to get away for a bit was much needed. To tell the truth, i partied like I was a damn Olsen Twin, it was great.

Now the bad side....The show was very slow, and though we did well without our comics, I only sold 4 art cards all weekend.

Ouch.

I have had a rough time at selling cards at shows before, but never this rough. So consider my self esteem very bruised, on the plus side for you all.....that means I have a ton of new cards that I will; be listing in the shop thins week.

YAY!!

ok, here are some wonderful parts of the weekend....

My bubs and I took a taxi into the city Friday night to go to the McCormick and Schmick's out there, one of my bubs' chefs was kind enough to comp our meal and drinks for the night. I was more than wonderful.

On Saturday we had fun at the show, I got to expand my ever growing comic art collection (photos coming this week) I also got to meet for the second time, one of my idols, Terry Moore, the writer/artist/creator of my favorite comic of all time "Strangers in Paradise".

that night we hung out in out room, had some drinks, went to an auction and then hit the penthouse for the after party and free drinks, you gotta love free drinks.

Sunday was dreadfully slow day, I was out looking around the convention, and when I came back my bubs told me that our friend Diana and her family had come to the show.

I love Diana she is a doll, so I was thrilled to hear it, Diana calls herself my biggest fan, she has shown incredible support for me over the past year, in every way.

So, when Keith told me she was there it just made everything just that much better, but then he said, "oh, and she left you a gift" and low and behold there was a gift bag behind the table, he handed it to me so I could open it, and inside the gift bag was...................................

a Dior purse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was practically screaming and going around and showing people. WOW!!!!! It was a good day to be Jenn, that is all I have to say about that!!!

The strangest thing was when someone came over to my table and told me my work looked just like an artist that they really liked on Etsy....lol.

Oh and before I forget, I will be listing a new comic in my etsy shop as well it will be there later today so be on the look out, I will give it a proper write up tomorrow, but you are all the first to know.

I was lucky enough to be part of an amazing anthology put out by Bad Place Productions, I have three pages of art included in the book, so besides cover work, this is the first time that my art has been published anywhere.

so be on the lookout for that.

picture I am showing today is a lovely piece I have in my shop right now, it is 8x8 on canvas panel.

until tomorrow, when I promise, lots of photos and the contest winner.

xoxoxoxoxo
jenn

It's Go Time

ok we are in the home stretch before I leave, so no time for a real blog today....so so sorry.

I (really we, it's my bub's and I) have to make signs for the convention, get them printed, put my cards in the cases, pack, get snacks, we each have a doctor's appointment.............


the list goes on and on, though yesterday we did take it sort of easy and enjoy a late lunch together at out Mexican place..... which has inspired me to ask Keith to throw a Mexican themed Fiesta birthday party for me, sure my birthday is many months away....but hell, it's a fiesta, these things take time to plan.

ok loves, off to do my marathon of stuff, will be back on Monday with the winner of the contest!!!!

the photos I am showing today are up in my shop, they will be there until about 7:00 tonight (eastern time) when they will be taken out for the show.


xoxoxoxoxoxox
jenn

Dear (Insert Name Here) week 8 (is it 8, I made that up)

Dear Anna Wintour

(editor in chief of American Vogue)

I have never been so inspired to write in to a magazine before....blah, blah....seriously why do all letters that involve magazines have to start like that???

ok, I will just come out with it.

Bravo on the May 2007 issue of Vogue, I mean this in all seriousness. You wooed me with the models on the cover but then kept it going all the way through. I felt for the first time in at least 2 years that I was reading Vogue, not a glorified version of People magazine with an insufferable article about Jennifer Hudson or Sienna Miller.

(seriously, how did you give the go ahead to put Jennifer Hudson on the cover????)

I was actually taken aback and moved by the clothes on the cover as well, something that does not happen very often anymore as I am more inclined to focus on the celeb than the clothes.

It is still about the clothes, right? Or did I lose something a long the way?

Not to sound all "The Devil Wears Prada" or anything, but I honestly believe that fashion is the most important art form our culture has today...and that is really saying something seeing as I am an "artist" myself.

I think American Vogue needs to be that bible, that bible of class, style, and fashion...it NEEDS to be that, I want it to be that, the dream magazine of my childhood.

I am sure by the time next month rolls around you will have f-ed with my emotions again but putting the damn kids from Harry Potter on the cover, and I will be forced to write you a hate later calling you the devil and telling you that I think Merryl Streep put too much heart in her performance of you.

but until then...

thank you.

sincerely,
Jennifer Gordon, longtime reader first time writer.


*******************************************************


OK everyone now for a little shop business, as you all know I will be going out of town On Friday morning (way early, at like 4:00am) I am taking a bunch of my art with me when I go, including ALL of my art cards, so if there is anything in my shop you want, get it now, as it might not come back with me.

also, I am a mere 5 sales away from 900, I am so hoping that I get there before I leave for Pittsburgh, as tomorrow is the big one year mark on etsy!!!!

so that being the case, the next 5 sales leading up to 900 are all getting extra love and goodies thrown it.

also, don;t forget the contest every time you buy something you get entered twice (wow).

ok, so that's it for now, I will be checking in tomorrow with all my craziness.

xoxo

************************************************

Tuesday

morning everyone!!

first, big thank you to everyone on board with the contest!!! So far I have a ton of entries through here, my shop, and myspace...so it will be a good contest.

For rules of the contest please see the blog post titled..."Monday"

ok so yesterday was hectic and I worked non stop, I even worked during Heroes!! Finally at about 11:00 I fell into bed to relax with the May issue of Vogue.

you see, my handsome bubs went to the PO to mail some of my packages and came back with it, at first I thought he had gone to the store and bought me a foreign Vogue, but no...it was American Vogue...and it had Models on the cover, yes...models!!!!!!!

I can't even remember the last time American Vogue had models on the cover, can you? Anyway, I usually sort of dread the summer spring issues of fashion magazines as I am not a "summery" kind of girl, but this issue of Vogue, is the best I have seen in quite some time, I seriously think I could blog about it for a week, it's that good.

but, I don't have time for that...I have a few hours to actually do some art and then I have a couple graphic design things I must get done, phone calls to make and more goodies to package.

Oh, and a big congrats to both Ben and Tara for jumping out into an early favorite position because they both commented on the blog and bought something...you see I think they are trying to "fix the contest" but remember loyal blog readers, this is not like the Quiz Show scandals of the 1950's, I have integrity, I cannot be bought.

(well I can be bought but it would take designer handbags to do it, or shoes)

here is an idea I stole from Karen Beth's blog, that I just loved.

5 hearts and 5 hates

here are 5 things I heart

1- the moments before you fall asleep at night then everything is all dreamy and surreal

2- ice cream dates

3- pictures of old movie stars

4- the rare mornings my bubs and I have to sleep in (about 2 times a month if we are lucky) and before we are both fully awake we just kind of snuggle in together and can't really talk, we just sort of squeak to each other at fist.

5- rain

5 things I hate

1- hillybillies

2- the fact that people light off fire works in the park next door all spring, summer, and fall

3- the fact that sometimes I tell people I am originally from New England and they say things like, "I thought you looked foreign"....there are so many things wrong with that statement I can;t begin to start, I just hate it all.

4- driving and being in a car for too long

5 - being poor.

ok, that's it for now loves. I am showing a new set of blocks I did, be back tomorrow for letters to celebrities.

****small side note, as of Thursday I will be taking all the art cards out of my shop as well as select paintings on canvas panel....they may not return as they will be going to Pittsburgh with me. If there are any you want, grab them now, or if you ask, I can hold things too...I'm nice like that.

xoxoxox
jenn

Monday

wowsers, happy Monday everyone...

first, a giant disclaimer, I am leaving for Pittsburgh in the wee hours of Friday Morning to go to a show.

I am in no way prepared for this show at this moment in time....but I have 4 days right? plenty of time to get ready for that.

but, that means I will be doing an awful lot of work from here on, which means I might not be "all about the blogging like I normally am, fear not...I will still be blogging and reading blogs, but you migt sense something missing from posts or comments, fear not all the love is still there, it is my sanity that is not.

But....I have plans to bribe you. You see, I am going to have a contest to celebrate my 1 year Anniversary of selling on etsy.

I will announce contest winners 1 week from Today.

I know, I know...you're all thinking, how do I enter this contest.

Easy, here are the ways.

1- leave a comment on my blog (each day you comment gives you one entry, so if you comment Monday-Thursday, you get 4 entries. If you comment 4 times in one day...sorry, that still only counts as 1)

2- You can buy something from my shop each item you buys enters you TWICE!!! Yes, you heard me...twice per item.

3- you can combine both ways, comment every day, buy a bunch of stuff, and up your chances.


But now you are thinking....what will I win?

Well this is where it will get creative, you see I don't think every prize fits every person, so depending on the winner everyone would get a different sort of prize, it will be a giant goody box of love from me to you.

It will include for sure...original art from me, cards and a collage, along with some other cool goodies.

It might include depending on who you are and what you like.

1-books
2-comics
3-supplies
4-toys
5-movie
6-yoga tapes
7- fashiony things.
8- sweets

cool huh? so now that you know the rules....on you mark, get set...go!!!!

I will be back tomorrow morning for more blog adventures, the piece I am showing today will be available in my shop later on. I am so very much in love with this collage at the moment, I hope you like it as much as I do.

xoxoxo
jenn

ps- also................I am so geeked up over the return of Heroes tonight that it is causing me pain!!!!

For A Thousand Years

I am having one of those mornings where I really feel that had my alarm clock not been set, I would have slept forever, no seriously...not sure if I would have ever woken up.

Grudgingly I got out of bed with what felt like the weight of a toil of a thousand years of work still beating down on me, and I have no idea why.

I spent all yesterday packaging things and then packaging some more, no time for creative fun, but I am trying to get as much parceling done before the "mean cheese" invasion which it happening in 9 hours and 12 minutes to be exact.

As you know, last time we had her there was a bit of an "incident" with my art supplies, since then my bubs and I have taken precautions to get my supplies out of the way and into the bedroom where she does not go.

You see, I have had 2 weeks to complete this project, and it's still not done, as I kept thinking "oh, I have two weeks, I will do it tomorrow".

it never happened, we are in a state of flux at the moment.

Also because of the injury to my bubs' thumb and the fact that he missed work this week and he will be missing some work next week too because of our trip, he is working for the next seven days straight. (for at least part of the time.

I am thinking about taking her to the park the next door, though frankly it is a bit sketchy for a woman to go there alone with a child, I might brave the dreaded hillbilly and gangster wars that take place there so the mean cheese can swing on the swings for a jillion years.

But here is my fear and worry....that lil cheesy will get stung by a bee (she's very allergic) and I also fear that the her mom will have not packed her epi pen, and then I will be forced into action, and for that matter...panic.

I saw My Girl...I remember what happened to little Maculay Culkin in that movie....bee allergies are no good.

I am probably working myself into fits for nothing...

today I will be spending the day working on a commission project for the lovely and talented miss Vanessa Valencia and proceed to mean cheese proof the house, and then...more packaging.

I am showcasing today a bunch of the new pieces I have in my shop, I will be listing a couple other goodies today too.

chat with you all soon....

xoxo
jenn

Native Americans, Chinese, and a case of Stigmata

morning everyone

I have to say I was putting off blogging this morning because I have sworn to myself that all day today I am going to be packaging parcels...I have about a jillion to package up...ok not quite a jillion but a lot.

First, I want to thank all of you for your well wishes for my bubs, this post will be filled with some of the highlights from his recovery period.

Also huge thanks to the letters writers of yesterday, the one about Robert Redford was brilliant, also I am seriously considering sending mine to the Olsen Twins, because I think I am onto something with the Mothra movie.

So, my bubs has gone back to work today after a few days "off" he spent the majority of the time easing his mind with Godzilla movies and of course his very favorites...old western movies.

My bubs fancies himself a cowboy and I am his best girl, the one who works in the saloon but has a heart of gold...or I am the Indian Squaw and we have a forbidden love....wait, no this is what I think of when we watch these movies, sorry, I was confused.

I think all the joy he gets out of the movies is how politically incorrect they are, he also likes to tease me because I am a teeny tiny part Native American, and the portrayal of them in the movies is dreadful.

So, he was overly delighted when he bought a new box set dvd that had 20 westerns on it...that one of them was called "White Comanche" where William Shatner played twin brothers who were half Comanche and half white...

the Comanche one was raised as a "savage" with the Comanches where he was their leader, all hopped up on Peyote and raping white women left and right (I wish this was a joke)...My bubs kept looking at me, trying to goad me into some sort of left wing tantrum, by saying things like...

bubs: Your people are savages

me: my people?

Bubs: yeah the Comanches

me: I'm not a Comanche Indian

bubs: what are you again

me: Abenaki

bubs: what? jaberwocky? what?

me: no (sten look being shot at him) Abenaki

bubs: no.....I think you're a Comanche, you're very savage.

(at this point on the tv all the Comanches have gathering around and are all hooting and hollering, I am barely watching...as it is dreadful)

bubs: see, that is so you, I see a lot of you in them (pause, as he gets no response from me) See, there you are.

me (looking up at the tv at a Comanche giving his war cry, he is being played by an actor who is clearly not of Native American descent) That's a Chinese man, he's not even Native American

bubs- well, you do seem Chinese too...you do like rice, an awful lot.

So this was basically how it went from then on....you see, my bubs is like a Groucho Marx type and is always trying to get me to throw fits...he thinks it's hilarious, and I guess it is, though I ended up giving long "speeches" about what is right and what is wrong...

lol

ok, so the other day I went on a bender and had to out a lot of my art cards into their acrylic frames, which is a total pain in the butt, I did about 20 of them before I had to stop, it is a bit of a process screwing them all together and stuff, considering we don;t have a power screwdriver.

I worked until I developed some blisters on my hands and had to stop, well yesterday while painting I suddenly felt a horrible pain in the center of my palm, ok here's where I get gross sorry....well one of the blisters broke and started to bleed....in the center of my palm.

ouch

yuck

on the plus side...it totally looks like I have Stigmata now, now all I need to see is Jesus in a grilled cheese and I will be able to start performing miracles.

ok, now I must dash of and do some packaging before I get even more distracted.

I have listed a ton of new stuff in my shop and will be listing a few more pieces today, next week is the one year anniversary of me joining etsy, I am very close to reaching some goals that I am hoping for before then...I am also thinking of doing a contest...I am still deciding on what.

enjoy your day!

xoxo
jenn

Dear (Insert Name Here) Week....something or other

Dear Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

what's up bitches??????

First and foremost I am just going to come right out and say, that I totally love you two. I could pretend to be all cool and say that I have only come to adore you once you hit "adulthood" and became fashion mavens, but I know in my heart that is not true.

You see I have a very vivid memory of being at an 8th grade dance, it was a Friday night and I was having a miserable time standing off to the side all geeky and forlorn with no one to dance with (except Karl, the kid with the bright red hair and stutter, but he would dance with anyone) and I very clearly remember leaning over to my equally geeky female friend and saying "I can't believe I am missing 'Full House' for this.

So you see, I am an old school fan.

So yesterday my bf (aka, my bubs) was home from work due to a thumb being "almost" cut off, and since he was home and feeling bad, he did what he always does, watches Godzilla movies.

Yesterday's fine piece of Japanese cinema was Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster....I sort of like this one myself, not because of the giant crab like sea monster but because Mothra is in it, and when there's Mothra, there are the "Mothra Twins" or if you want to be specific about it they are actually the Mothra Fairies.

Anyway....right when I saw them the thought came to me that someone should re-make this movie and that you beauties should play the twins....

seriously I think it would be the highest grossing movie of all time.

I think if you could get John Stamos to play Godzilla in a combination of CGI and voice acting that would be so fierce, and maybe Bob Saget could play the giant crab like Sea Monster....and as for Mothra you could get that guy who played "Joey" on Full House, Dave what's his name...the one that Alanis Morrisette wrote all those songs about, so not only would you tap into the whole Godzilla subculture, but you would be giving the fans of Full House the reunion movie they've been clamoring for.

Get Quentin Tarrantino to direct and you are sure be #1 at the Box Office for at least 1 if not 2 weeks.

in all seriousness, I love you...Mary Kate more than Ashley (today at least)

love,
Jennifer Gordon

this was my yesterday

morning loves

ok so yesterday started normal enough, I blog, I read blogs...I lurk on etsy while drinking coffee and then get to "work". I am lucky my work is just one room over and I can go there in my jammies if I like.

So I go to work, determined to make a ton of art cards for my shop and for the big Pittsburgh Show in a little less than two weeks.

I am engrossed in the work and not looking forward to putting all of the pieces in the little acrylic frames they come in, usually I am lazy and wait until someone buys them before putting them in the frame...but they will need to be there soon enough so I know I have to get it done.

I work for a solid few hours putz around on etsy some more and decide I need to glam up like a good 1950's housewife before it gets too late, you see I try and make sure I look good even if I am not leaving the house or anything...but still.

Anyway I shower and do my thing and when I am out I hear the cell phone ringing, which is odd, because no one has that number, I glance at the caller id and I don't recognize the number, so I ignore it.

but, my ocd kicks in and I need to know who called, luckily there is a voice mail, it is someone calling regarding my bubs, basically it says not in exact terms "We are calling for your bubs, we need to know the name of his doctor in the ER that treated him for his injury, please call blah blah".

um what....

my bubs, work injury, my bubs.....aaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!

this is when I try not to panic, he is a chef, most likely he cut himself, or burned himself, or something.

But then my mind wanders, why didn't he call me, rationally I know it is because he knows I would worry myself sick.

so I wait, and wait...I am near panic, I decide to turn on the tv (which I never do when I am working) I see the news, I see foortage of the massacre in Virginia, and I am floored with how quickly things can change, and how fast things are taken from you.

This makes my panic worse, and I turn off the tv. As I am reaching for the phone to call the cell phone of our friend Clem who works in the restaurant.....the phone rings.

It's my bubs, and he is "fine"

you see he cut his thumb, quite badly, in his words he said "almost off", well it is not quite that bad....but it did require a million stitches.

He is home with me today which is wonderful, yet his pain is really bad, and he can;t play his guitar so there seems to be a bit of a loss and sadness behind his eyes...or that could be the pain, which I can;t imagine...as he is dealing with it all without the pain pills, which I would be eating like Pez Candies if I were him.

But he is stronger than me.

I know he is worried about the loss of work for a day or more, as the money situation is not good, I pondered the idea of having a "Bubs Cut his thumb all to hell, Sale" in my shop, but I think that would be in bad taste, yes it would be bad.

right?

So now it is early in the morning and he has been up most of the night, as have I, because you see, I can't sleep very well without him next to me...yes, I have turned into one of "those" people.

sigh....

so today I am showing a bunch of the cards I worked on yesterday, I am listing more today as well as working on a few other pieces!!

I was trying to think of a "theme" for tomorrows letters to celebrities day, as last week the themed up letters were great.

I was going to do authors, but now I am not so sure I was thinking what if we all picked the same celebrity...and all wrote to them....

But I don't know....so let's just keep the theme open tomorrow...write to whoever they can be dead or alive, it makes no difference.

until next time

xoxo

Bunch of stuff in list form

Happy Monday everyone, not really happy for most you know, but hell you get a new blog from me so that is bound to bring a half smile to some of your faces, right?

ok so for some reason I LOVE, and I mean love reading lists that people write when they have been "tagged" or some such nonsense, I even enjoy writing them...so today we are going to pretend that I have been tagged (don't worry I am not going to tag an of you) and I am just going to write 9 things, none of which are related, frankly I don;t have the brain power to link my thoughts together this morning).

1 - I am deeply and passionately crushing on Henry Fonda right now...strange I know, but true. It started last night while the bubs and I were watching a documentary on John Ford, and there was Henry....swoon....except sometimes when he smiles, all I can see is the same smile of his daughter "Hanoi" Jane Fonda....which is bad. Then he closes his mouth and all is right with the world again.

2- this weekend my bubs and I heard a strange click, click...noise, over and over, click, click....click, click. We had no clue what it was, I assumed it was related to the damn mouserson we have....but no....it was not a mouse, but a BIRD, from outside....it was in our dryer tube. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I didn't think that was possible, plus the bird was flailing about so that it unhooked the tube from the vent, the bird was "this close" (you can't see me but I am holding my fingers very close together) from entering our apartment.

3- I wish almost more than anything in the world that I could have been a silent film star, or an Edwardian Era actress....

4- I look forward to Fall Fashion Vogue all year, right about now is when I really start to ache for it.

5 - I did not start doing art until my ex husband (that no good hippie) read all my journals and began to question all my poetry, what does this mean, what does that mean, who is this about??? Blah, blah, blah....I started doing collage as a way to still express myself without words, which I felt had betrayed me.

6 - my parents got married because my mom looked like Elizabeth Taylor.

7 - my favorite food is cheese, and cake....well and cheesecake for that matter.

8- I was petrified for most of my life that I would develop schizophrenia....which runs rampant in my family, I knew if I could make it to age 25 I would be fine, and I am.

9- sometimes when I am home working all day by myself, I realize I have not used my voice all day, not one peep...so I just make a noise, I little gasp of air and noise just to be sure that using my voice is still possible.

yay!!!!

was that fun for any of you? it was pretty fun for me, and that is really what I was looking for.

I spent most of the weekend working on this giant set of blocks I have pictured at the top of this post, they will be listed in my etsy shop a bit later today, they consumed me....and for that I love them.

see you all tomorrow darling ones!!

xoxo
jenn

Saturday Night Sale

hi all

just a quick hello and wanted to announce my Saturday Night Special in my Etsy Shop, my sale lasts until 6:00am Sunday, EST .

*******

Please write SNS in the message to seller section and wait for a new invoice.

Sales run until 6:00am Sunday Morning EST

*********
BOGO - buy one get one half off all Art Cards/ACEOs
15% off Everything else in my shop

also...if you buy anything from my supply shop you will get a free gift!!

*********************

pictures show a few of my new art cards listed today.

xoxo
Jenn

Back to work

morning!!

wow, yesterday was a much needed little break for me, I did only the slightest amount of work...as many of you know I am a bit obsessive with my work load and find that I am working all of the time.

That is part of the downsides from working at home, I never take a "day off".

So yesterday my bubs and I went to a movie, we...The Reaping, which was....well it was exactly what were were expecting it to be. I love scary movies that mix bible anything into it...so when I kept seeing the previews for this and repeatedly the words "bible plagues" were said...well, I knew it was the movie for me.

Plus it took place in the swamps of Louisiana which is where "my people" hail from.

All in all it was good, fun and scary...not scary like The Exorcist but still very good popcorn turn off your brain movie , at one point I was watching the movie all balled up on my seat, barely peeking out over my knees. This is hard to do in 4 inch heels but I needed to.

I also had my hands up almost shielding my eyes...waiting, just waiting.

We were also the only two people in the theater so we got to just be sort of loud and funny during it.

all in all in was good, though...disclaimers being what they are, I was raised very catholic (I'm not anymore...but that's not the point), when I was little my mom gave me this "children's bible" that was filled with gory painted illustrations of the 10 plagues and all that, I was mortified and fascinated by this when I was small, so seeing this movie was like peeking back into the things that scared me when I was small.

Looking back, I don't know why my mom gave me such a frightening children's bible...but I guess she had her reasons.

After that we had a little lunch and just relaxed.

I think we needed it, you see my bubs and I are always doing stuff, even when we are home together, we very rarely take the time to just be, I am not sure why this is, but relaxation is always just out of reach.

I would like to try and work on that.

I know I get obsessive with my work because it is such an extension of me, of who I am...when I am having a good day work wise, I feel calm, secure inside.

Worthwhile.

But on days when I am suffering from creative block, or sales are down, well it's strange, I take it personally. I am filled with doubt and all at once I am insecure. This makes it very hard to be around me sometimes, those times that I am filled with "need" for reassurance.

That is what I want to work on, I want to just be me, with out the doubt. Is this even possible? I know everyone feels like this sometimes but is it possible to just be so at ease and comfortable with yourself?

Or is being an artist type something that predisposes you to this inner turmoil.

wow....I have no idea how this blog went from Bible plagues to insecurity.

maybe that is one of the plagues???

ok I should dash, I have photos to take of some new pieces as well as a couple things to finish up. I will be listing a set of Audrey Hepburn blocks later today!!!

I listed this set of blocks last night, it is a set of 5 blocks and it is up for sale in my shop.

until next time, have a very merry Friday The 13th.

xoxoxo

Lazy Day

just writing a quick hello....there will be no blog entry today as my bubs has the day off and I am going to take some down time.

will be back tomorrow refreshed and ready to go. We are going on a date this afternoon to a movie show and lunch.

in the mean time here is a new piece in my shop, it is a double sided ornament of sorts, non holiday of course, perfect for any time of year.

also, thank you to Ben for being my 850th item sold on etsy last night...what a wonderful treat, I will have to include a special gift for Ben as a thank you!

oh and a HUGE thank you for all the letters yesterday, I think this was our best week yet!! I am also struck by the death of Kurt Vonnegut Jr right now, I'm thinking next week perhaps we should use the theme of writing to an author, either dead or alive.

until tomorrow loves.

Dear (Insert Name Hear) Week VII

Dear Most likely Dead but some people still think you are alive...Elvis Presley,

First off, I am a huge fan, like ridiculously huge, always have been, always will be, I even made the pilgrimage to Graceland on the 20th Anniversary of your death, did the whole openly sobbing at your grave thing and everything.

In fact in fact I am not alone, my bubs is also quite a fan, in fact in our house instead of saying "swear to god", or "I swear on my life", we always say "I swear on Elvis".

Most people look at us like we are daffy, but such is life, right?

Am I your biggest fan? No...most certainly not, but I am a big enough fan that if someone were to ask me, Elvis or The Beatles, I would say Elvis even though I know that the Beatles did more for music, but you did more for culture in general I think.

I am a big enough fan to watch your dreadfully wonderful movies, Except Frankie and Johnny, which was just dreadful all around, as was the one where you played the singing doctor and you were trying to have sex with Mary Tyler Moore, who was a nun (Change of Habit).

I have to say my favorite film is "Follow That Dream" where you are a homesteader, living on the beach, that one was good. I think you were kind of "slow" in that one, right? Oh, and who can forget Clambake (I can't even think of that movie without hearing the song..."mama's little baby likes clambake, clambake, mama's little baby likes clambake too").

As far as favorite Elvis songs go, well everyone has one in fact I have several and in different categories, favorite slow songs are "Don't" and "Always on My Mind", I used to consider "Can't Help Falling In Love" on that list, but I ruined that song for myself when I walked down the aisle to it when I married that god forsaken hippie when I was 20....but that is a story for another time.

Favorite fast songs are "Suspicious Minds" and "Little Less Conversation".

which finally brings me to the point of my letter.

My bubs has been learning how to play "Little Less Conversation", and as he was practicing it when we both realized, at the same time....exactly what the lyrics were....and um....Elvis?

Is this a song about you trying to date rape someone?

Seriously, is it? Or is this just what was considered smooth talk in the days before political correctness and "Take Back the Night" Rallies?

these are the lyrics I am thinking about, and well...I'll just let you decide.

"A little more bite, a little less bark
A little more fight a lot more spark
Now shut your mouth
Open up your heart
and satisfy me baby,
satisfy me"

still a fan, but now searching for another new favorite fast Elvis Song,

Jennifer Gordon

Let's Go Back To Bed

(art and ghosts)

oh, I am sleepy, sleeperson today...

the big question is, will I make sense today????? My guess is no, but really I never claim to make perfect sense all the time, right?

So originally bubs was supposed to have the day off today and we were going to get to actually spend the day together, run some errands etc.

But upon looking at his work schedule he realized that they didn't schedule anyone that does what he does for Tuesday....when he pointed that out to them, well....they quicky told him he had to come it.

poor guy.

And poor me too, because i miss him, and I am dangerously close to be out of many supplies...I have no blocks left and two custom orders for them...eeek.

thank you all so much for showing some love to my new Lil Shoppe (to quote my friend Tara), I swear, even though I have been doing etsy for almost a year now, when I switch over to my new shop to add stuff etc, if feels all brand new again, it is wonderful to rediscover the joy in something, even if it is something so small, right?

On that same similar note, Aimee who hosts the creative challenge this week came up with the idea (with a teeny bit of help from me) to have the theme for this week be "What I wanted to be When I grew Up"...which I think is just wonderful.

When I was small all I could think about was dancing, and theater, and dancing, and theater...you see I was dancing by age 3, by age 9 I was dancing 5 days a week in solo classes, it was all I could think about, but then something happened to me in my early tween years, you guessed it, it was the demon puberty.

I got curvy, very curvy and as my instructors always told me, you never see curvy ballerinas.

With that my heart was shattered into a million pieces, I spent the rest of my time being devoted to all things artsy, mainly acting and writing. Long story short I did ended up going to school for acting as well as working professionally in theater for many several years during my 20's, which is something that shaped who I am and my style of work today.

ALl of this is being said, because it was the inspiration for the collage I am showing today, which is tentatively titled "Stage Beauty", it is the piece that I worked on all day/night yesterday and it is my piece for the creative challenge this week. I have not posted it in my shop yet, but soon.

ok now it's on to a few "shout outs" first, a huge thank you goes out to Lou, from ArtandGhosts, if you have not seen her shop, you have to, you have to heart it, you have to shop it, you have to love it.

She sent me.....Picnic At Hanging Rock, one of my all time favorite movies...EVER....but with that she sent me a lovely print just as a thank you for being her mentor. In reality I think she is mentoring me, because she is asking all the right questions, and in answering them, I am learning too, I think that is what is so great about helping people, here's hoping I actually get chosen to be a "real" mentor on etsy...as I am just a scab mentor now, luckily Lou doesn't mind.

Also, got to say a big I love you to Gillian, who was wonderful enough to ask me to design her banner and avatar for her etsy shop which in and of itself is a huge compliment because her shop and her work is so awe inspiring that, well you just need to see it for yourself, as there are no words to describe it.

ok that's all for now, tomorrow is celebrity letter day...I believe I am writing to a dead celebrity this week....

I know for a fact that at least one of you will be VERY excited about this.

until tomorrow.

xoxoxo

All Over The Place

Happy Monday sunshines.

what? you say, happy Monday?

Yes, it is a very happy Monday, because you know what I did yesterday.....I finished the Federal taxes for Bubs and I.

Nothing makes me feel smarter, or really dumber than filling out the cursed 1065 Form...

but it's done, and it will be the last time for that stinking form as we are no longer business partners in the Ye Olde Midgard Comic Shoppe (I typed that the way it would be seen on a sign at a Ren Fair).

so with taxes now almost off my mind (I still have state taxes to do) I was able to work on cleaning and organizing my studio/work space, and you know what?

I have a ton of stuff, most of it I don't use, so I decided to open up a secondary Etsy shop in order to sell supplies and vintage stuff along with collage packs filled with papers and pictures. I just opened it yesterday so please understand the empty nature of the shop...also big huge thanks to Gillian for being my first customer at Chateau Stiletto.

Oh, I forgot to mention how cool Friday was....I ended up on the Home Page of etsy, thanks to Cat or as a lot of you know her, Artsy. She made the treasury list that was chosen for the page.

So here's a big giant shout out and virtual kiss for Cat (oooh, say that out loud, "kiss for cat"...that has a pretty sound to it).

Oh, and I got an issue of Russian Vogue in the mail this weekend (I have been anticipating this, ever since I hot "buy now" on ebay). All I have to say is wow...

no, strike that...WOW!!!!!!!!!

It is amazing, sure I can't read Russian, but you don't need to, the photos are incredible, there are so many images that you ballet and dance as their inspiration, and some of the models are actually dancers...

and the photos...the photos are beautiful, very artistic, I am afraid that after Greek Vogue, Russian Vogue and the army of foreign fashion magazines that have been coming my way, well I am afraid I am a bit spoiled. I even whined to my bubs that there was "no way I can go back to American Vogue now!!"

He just sort of looked at me and said that I should save it for my blog....so I did, and now I am unleashing it on all of you. Sorry.

Oh, this entire entry is all over the place, no theme, just a bunch of stuff being thrown at you....I wish I could have thought this out better so it would have been a more enjoyable read for you.

alas, my brain is not functioning on that level right now, I had a restless night's sleep after having nightmares, all night. Don;t fret none, these were not even bad nightmares, just stupid stress dreams, about me dealing with non paying buyers on etsy (which I am dealing with another small plague of them right now), and I also had a dream that some strange fat man tried to touch me...

oh well.

I guess I should take a minute and talk about a special sale I am having, I have already announced it to all the people who have bought from me in the past, but I will take a second and share it all with you.

I am having an Anniversary Sale, as at the end of this month I will have been on etsy 1 year, I will be taking 20% off everything in my shop until April 26th (my anniversary date), just use the code anniversary07 in the message to seller section and wait for a new invoice.

enjoy the pictures today, they are some of the latest pieces in my shop and I will be listing more blocks today.

xoxo
jenn

New Pieces And Saturday Night Sale

Happy Day before Easter everyone, I will be doing my taxes all weekend but I wanted to pop in real quick and show you some new stuff....and to announce my Saturday Night Special.

Take 20% off everything in my shop....

I was going to try and make the sale more imaginative, but alas...taxes have taken all that is good and lovely away from me.

Just make sure to write SNS in the message to seller section and wait for me to send you a new invoice.

The discount applies to everything in my shop, and lasts until 6:00am EST.

Happy shopping, and Happy Easter.

here are the new pieces...

Come on Ramblers, let's get rambling.

(I decided to title this post with a little movie quote, thinking my friend aaron will be so proud).

thank you all for your wonderful comments yesterday!!!

ok, down to the ever present business at hand.....

yesterday as you well know I had a doctors appointment, which I was dreading, a necessary evil in life, don't worry I won;t go into gory details about it.

I get to the doctors which is across town during rush hour, my bubs drops me off so he can find a spot. I am about 15 minutes early for my appointment. I get in fill out the forms and begin to wait, bubs shows up with a little present in hand, he stopped at a record store and bought me/him the best of The Replacements, as well as a little black and white matted photo of Audrey Hepburn...he said I seemed tense, and that this should make me smile.

it did.

you see 10 years ago I was diagnosed with very early stages of cervical cancer....it was not a big deal, a couple of appointments and a little bit of pain and I was fine and have been fine ever since, but that being the case, the "c" word, is still a scary, scary thing to hear.

So I have flashbacks of this every time I go to the doctor, so me seeming "tense" is sort of an understatement.

Plus...hello...the weigh you at the doctors, I don;t even own a scale, so it is a good way for me to forget any weight I may have gained. Until now.

Needless to say the appointment was unpleasant but fine, even the weighing...which was not that frightening, I actually weigh less that I thought, I actually weigh what I would have "lied" and said I weighed, now I can lie and say I weigh less.

Anyway, the doctor was 45 minutes late for my appointment, but when all was said and done it went well. As I was getting ready to pay and leave...I pass out.

On the damn floor after sort of slumping against the wall for a minute.

where the hell did this come from? Am I that delicate a flower that I can no longer even have an appointment without having a "spell".

So then I feel better, stand up and go to pay again, while mumbling something about my bf and I need to tell him I am fine, as I have been in the office for a very long time by that point. But....before I get to far, I pass out again.

um, seriously...what the hell?

I am finally feeling a bit better manage to pay, get out to my bubs and somehow we are outside walking to the car, it's freezing and I am dragging my coat and scarf on the ground and mumbling and not making much sense...really it's all a blur but the air felt good against my skin, it was very cold but I needed that, the 6 block walk to the car didn't even phase me, my bubs held my hand the whole way.

What I do remember clearly is when we got back to the car...we had a parking ticket.

wtf? seriously? SERIOUSLY?????

that was my day? how was yours?

Oh and to top it off, we have been going to the post office everyday to check our PO Box, Keith has ordered some things off ebay (a couple weeks ago), as have I, I am also waiting for several checks for some artwork to come in...so we go, we haunt the PO every day and wait.

still nothing.

Bubs is clearly upset, as am I....though, I have been lucky, though I have gotten all of the things I have been waiting for I have gotten 3 wonderful surprises.

1 - karen beth, who is lovely, send me a wonderful little note with images she clipped from a magazine...how adorable!!! Karen Beth is one of the best mail givers out there, she should start a business where people pay her to send other people packages, they are that good.

2- Amazing Risa in Equador sent me a little collage as well as some tea, a magnet, and a lovely pencil and sweet note. She is delicious and I will have to repay her with many lovelies.

3- Evil Kate, who I lovingly refer to as Ka-Jenn, as she is one half of my fake celebrity lesbian power couple was recently in Ireland, Scotland, and London...much to my delight she picked up some Irish fashion magazines for me...as well as the awesome trashy tabloid "Hello" complete with cover story of Angelina's latest baby purchase.

4- Greek Vogue came in the mail, sure I actually bought this one off ebay so it really shouldn't be in the gift category...but it arrived from Greece, when the purchases I have made from local people, have yet to arrive.

oh and I worked on two new block sets yesterday and I am loving both sets so much, they are both up for sale in my etsy shop.

well, I hope you all have a lovely Easter, I will be spending the day the same way I spent it last year...muddling through doing the taxes for the comic shop, luckily this will be the last year!!!

xoxoxo
jenn

a little of this and a whole lot of that.

morning strangers

oh, thank you all for playing along with the letters, I especially loved Karen Beth's letter to Quentin Tarrantino this week, especially the part about him being "gnomish".

good adjective.

ok, so this morning I am in a total haze....every Wednesday I go out with my bubs to a bar, the place is great, the bartender awesome...it's all good.

Except...the bar has just that...a giant old tree growing through the building, yes...through the building. I should bring my camera to get a photo of me and the tree...but anyway.....I digress.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am the queen of all things "allergy related". Which in short means I really, really, really belong in a plastic bubble.

So, being anywhere that a tree is growing, not so good, especially in Spring, also they still allow smoking in said establishment....since there is a "state wide smoking ban" I am not sure how this works...but who am I question such things.

Anyway because of said environmental hazards by the time we leave there at 1:00am ish I am always an allergic mess, having to stay up until 3:00 or so in the morning constantly sneezing and waiting for the few whiskey drinks I had to wear off so I can take some allergy medicine without fear of dying in my sleep, like poor dead Anna Nicole Smith.

so, my point being...if I seem "fuzzy" this morning, that is why.

So, last night while at said establishment, we were "lucky" enough to see some people perform that we missed last week, this couple is like the very opposite of everything I like...the woman, had giant 1980's hair, a tank top, plastic pants, and a giant Native American Inspired necklace, and her playmate was all decked out in white pants and a white sweater....she was all slutty and dancing around like she has seen too many Guns and Roses videos and she is channeling her inner Axel Rose....but to my surprise when they started singing.....THEY WERE CHRISTIAN ROCKERS!!!!!!!!!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

since when is dressing like a whore part of the praising Jesus thing?

Am I missing part of the Easter ritual...? Am I?

So anyway, it was a horrible train wreck, Keith could barely look at them, i on the other hand could not look away....eeek.

I intended to blog today about the wonderful mail and not so wonderful mail I have been getting this week, but I think I will save that for tomorrow as I am still waiting for some goodies to arrive that have not.

It's strange, I ordered a bunch of magazines off ebay, 2 are shipping from within the US, and another from Greece...the one from Greece got here, and not the ones from the US....

our post office system sucks, that is all I have to say about that.

so anyway, more on the "mail orgasm" tomorrow.

So the other day it was 80 degrees and then yesterday it started to snow, and is borderline painfully cold....

Though, some of you know I have a weakness for Spring Snowstorms, it seems only fitting that I listed this piece, it was done in conjunction with the Creative Challenge on Etsy.

the theme this week was to do something based on a secret about your self. (sorry for those of you who read this story on the forums, but I felt I should put it here too).

Several years ago I flew to Columbus for the first time to be with my bf for a visit, I had at that point in time known him for 12 years and we had been breaking each others hearts that entire time.

When my visit was done, it was near impossible to leave, and to say goodbye...we were in my hotel room and I refused to let him bring me to the air port, I refused to even really say goodbye. In fact after hours of crying I basically told him he just needed to go, or else I would not be able to leave and go back home (something I felt I needed to do).

SO he left....and I sat in my room and realized I had made a mistake, I left the room and ran to try and stop him but it was too late, I was standing outside on an early spring morning, and it was snowing.

When I got back to NH (my home) I called him and told him that I was coming back to Columbus and I was never going to leave again.

We have been together since.

I have never told anyone that story.

The piece is titled "Into You Goes Everything I Know"

ok, now I really must dash off, I have a ton of nonsense to do and my day is going to be completely thrown off because I have to go to the dreaded doctor later on today.

yuck.

the saving point of today.....I am working on 2 new block sets that I am very excited about...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Jenn