...

Hello dear ones.

well, I was very very close to taking a mental health day today, but I am going to post what's in my head anyway.

So....last night Keith and I found out that a good friend of ours is going to die very soon, she has been battling and struggling with cancer for the past several years, but her battle is almost over and there is nothing left to be done.

I am heartbroken for her, for her poor wonderful husband who has become the surrogate father I needed since mine died...I feel bad for her Mom who should not have to bury her child, and for her son who in his way will always need his mom.

I am overwhelmed with the fact that of all the people in the universe this is a person that should not have gotten sick...bad things should just not happen to good people.

I'm sorry, I am very down today, I don't like to bring that melancholy here to my blog but sometimes I have to, I have to open the door so you can see what is inside, and you see dear friends, what is inside is a bit of a mess right now.

I am feeling very Victorian and melancholy today, the rain is not helping at all, as it still looks like night out, and it's making my knee hurt so bad I can barely walk.

sigh....

in other brighter news...

I promised a bit of a little shop announcement and here it is. Withing the next several days I will be listing the most adorable mini blank note cards. The measure 2 inches x 2 inches and would make lovely little gift enclosures or gift tags, the best part about them is that they will come with lovely little handmade envelopes, all made with antique papers.

I could just die....little cards and little envelopes....breathtaking. You know my love of stationery, so those should be soon.

Also.................this is still maybe a month or so away, but definitely before the holidays, I will have a small collection of reproduction prints available in my shop as well, all made with copyright free images...very Victorian and lovely (well in my head they are, you see I do need to get my butt in gear to get these done) but I have talked with a printing company close to me and have seen some samples and their fine art prints are lovely. I am hoping that I can charge around $10 for an 8x10 print...hopefully.

ok, well that's it for today, the images listed are a few of my current pieces that are all still available and listed in my shop, also coming later on today are more of the American Cancer Society Donation cards, as I have been sold out for a couple days.

xoxoxo

um...it's still dark out

good morning...

oh and by good morning I mean...what the hell am I doing up so damn early????

so as I type away I am being greeted by the morning sky, still dark as night. This is no good. I am no morning person. So, when awakened at 5:27am by my allergies, I knew the day was off to a crap of a start.

I tossed and turned, sniffled and moaned...then started to loudly complain to my poor bubs who was trying to relaxy before getting up for work...poor guy, he heard a lot of this.

"ugh...........(sniffle, sniffle) it's awful"
"THIS IS NOT NORMAL (cough, cough)"
"It's way too early to get up, it's still night (sneeze, sneeze)"
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHH ( cough)"

I realize now that I should not have been such the drama queen, as my dear bubs gets up at that time everyday, that it is not in fact "still night" but the beginning of his day.

Working at home has made me spoiled, and a bit bratty I fear, well....more spoiled and more bratty that I used to be.

So..........that has been my day, 7:00am and I have already listed 3 reserved pieces on etsy, and worked a bit on a new collage.

At this rate I will be ready for bed by 9:00am...le sigh.

Though, no bed for me, as I actually have plans tonight, I am hanging out with another woman, my friend Debbie....I know, me having girl time. Crazy as I am usually trapped with a bunch of boys.

You see Debbie called last night to see if I wanted to go to a fashion show with her hosted by Clinton Kelly from What not To Wear, it should be fun...sure we're not talking Couture here, but still, fashion is fashion.

Though, my inner fear is that he will be heckling people in the crowd for their choice of ensembles...And hello.....in this city there are more people that are poorly dressed that well dressed.

So what are you all up to today???

The pictures I am showing today are of the one available card set left in my shop (which is my favorite so far I think) as well as a new 4 piece collage.

Oh, and before I forget....I should thank you all, again (I do that a lot), for the support as I deal with the darker side of etsy...(the stalker). Thank you all for the emails and the support, it is because of that very fact that I end up smiling at the end of the day, because when all is said and done, someone might try and take what I do and what I am, but they can't take all of you, all of "this".

so, thanks from the very bottom of my (not dead) heart.

I love you all.

xoxoxoxo
jenn

PS- did you all here that Brit Brit got her kids taken away finally????? I am tempted to write to her tomorrow for celeb letter, but I am not sure, I am sort of holding it all in...

and the winners are....

good morning everyone!!

ok so I will just cut to the chase.....thank you all for commenting here and on myspace...also for those of you who made purchases in the past few days.

That being said I have been up for a while writing all your names on little pieces of paper...lol....

so the winner of the 8x10 collage is.......(those dots are a drumroll) AARON!!!!!!! this should make you happy Aaron, as last time you created a stink saying that the contest was "rigged"

ok and the winner of the 8x8 collage will be...............................CHICKENBELLS!!!

Congrats to both of you, I will contact you later today about the contest!!

Did you all have lovely weekends?? Mine was good, filled with some cool creating and some sleeping in time on Sunday....

as some of you may have noticed I snuck some new merchandise into my shop over the weekend, Saturday I listed a couple sets of blank cards featuring my art, I was not sure how well they would do, so I only made a couple sets....and I was pleasantly surprised to say that each set sold out within minutes of me listing them, so.....I have made a couple more sets, so today at 2:00pm EDT, I will list them...

also....my rings and stickers and hair pins are finally here, I'm telling you it was like Christmas waiting for these, and it was worth the wait. The new button set is wonderful as are the stickers...but the best possible things are the rings and the hair pins, I have only listed one of each so far, but they are amazing. The quality is superb!!!

(thanks to kittycrossbones.etsy.com for the wonderful work, I recommend that you all use her if you need any promo items made, just drop my name, trust me do it, it will make you feel all "Hollywood" to name drop)

I am feeling a bit anxious this morning and I am leery to talk about it too much here, no need to air dirty etsy related laundry all over the place....no this is NOT an etsy bashing post, not at all, I love etsy. I am just having minor (major problems) with another seller right now and it is leaving me distracted and raw....as if someone is trying to steal a part of my very soul.

(I know, I am the queen of melodrama)

anyway, I have lots and lots to do this morning, including packaging some lovelies and making a trek to the PO before the rains set it.

see you all tomorrow when I promise my undivided attention to you...:)

things that are just too beautiful for words

because I was too lazy to re do my inspiration board this week....here you go, a small glimpse of what is in my head...

happy Saturday!!

Thursday's Top Five

1- drinking fresh pineapple juice, with just a hint of sugar...I am seriously in love with this juice, last night I was holding onto the container and saying "I love this juice, I want it to be my maid of honor"...then my bubs gave me that look that says "are you out of your mind?"....

it was awesome.

2- getting a yorkie!!!! ok, I know we just moved into the house, and I can barely take care of myself at times, but I really want a yorkie, in fact I can hardly look at one, I almost start to weep...same thing happens when I see bunnies, though I am not allergic to the yorkies, so they win out.

I am applying to yorkie rescue to be put on the waiting list.

3- HEROES!!!!! Yup, I got season 1 on dvd yesterday and even better, my bubs watched the first episode with me...he never watched the show...but you know what, he liked it!!! I liked Mohinder, my Indian boyfriend, in the movie of my life he would play the man who runs the newsstand where I bought Zink magazine....though frankly he is too young, and too beautiful...

4- It's Fall Fashion magazine season, so frankly you should all be lucky I am even blogging, I finally made it to the post office to get my fall fashion Vogue out of my box...and you know how I feel about Vogue....it was only slightly dampened by Sienna Miller on the cover, look like yet another dead behind the eyes plastic doll....first Gwyendie and now this....why fall fashion mags, why have you forsaken me so????

speaking of fall fashion.....there is a quest going on, spanning from NYC to Columbus (ok really it's just in NYC and Columbus) this quest is to find the September issue of Vogue Nippon....yeah apparently it's "sold out" everywhere, but that is total BS, I need this, and my Buffy soulmate Jody needs it too...so please, I beg of all of you, keep your eyes peeled, go into every asian market you can find!!!!!

5- last but not least....look at this ridiculous web site!!!!!!!! It's my new favorite place to go, I have this wish that my bubs would let me tape pieces of fried chicken to his face in the shape of a beard so I could send it in.

yes, I am that sad.

wow...I just realized, no photos in this post...crap, well it feels really cheap to just post a random thing from my etsy shop, or even just a photo from a fashion mag.....or a pineapple...

what to do what to do??????

ok suck it up and just do some blatant self promoting...during a case of creative block the other day, I made a decorative (and wearable) mask, based on the IO myth...enjoy.

xoxo

Because I Am Spolied Rotten

What a wonderful bunch of celeb letters yesterday, I particularly felt a connection to Moogan's letter to Kathy Griffen...as I have been thinking all of the same things about her poor plastic ridden face.

ok moving on from there...

How are you all? I personally am a little worse for wear today after deciding last night (late) to head over to the Treehouse to watch their open mic, my bubs was up in the air about whether he wanted to play and basically decided that if he could get on sometime around midnight it would be a go...alas by the time we showed the first slot was 12:45...so we just settled in with our friend Ken and decided to stay and watch him perform his punk rock new wave set...which we had never seen, and was by far the highlight of the night.

You see, last night was one of those nights that everyone who performed with a few minor exceptions...all seemed miserable, playing that "I'm too cool to care about the audience" card...all on stage, eyes closed and lost in some sort of haze of pretension...it was sort of sad...until our friend Ken got up and played and though his music was crazy and unlike anything anyone was hearing there...he was enjoying himself, he was actually...dare I say...smiling.

Oh the the horrors....maybe he did not get the memo that you are supposed to be ultra sad in order to be taken seriously...

When did it become wrong to have a good time, to enjoy what you do? Why and when did jaded hipsters become the status quo?

ok, speaking of being happy.....last week a certain bubs (that would be my bubs) decided to get me a present for hitting the 1000 sale mark...he gave me a choice, either Season One of Beverly Hills 90210, OR Season one of Project Runway....

what???

hiw can he make me chose between those two, it was like damn Sophie's Choice, it was that difficult, so in a moment of pure emotion I sort of screamed out "Project Runway"

really looking back it's a no brainer...as a 90210 junkie and a total "Kelly Taylorphile" (new term I just made up) we all know that the good Kelly stuff does not start to happen until season 2.5, the summer she and Dylan hook with Brenda in Paris.

I know, I know I am so lame....

so back to my point, I chose Project Runway, and when he got home from the store, there was a bonus surprise....yes, another gift for me, it was a video game called "Designer's World" and sure it's made for 8 year old girls....but it looks so cool.

The point of the game is to design a fashion collection, hire your models, and have a fashion show in NYC, Milan, and Tokyo...you also have to make sure your line is doing well in stores etc.

Um, hello....that is awesome!!!!!!!!!! I have not opened it and hooked it up yet, as I know it will consume my whole world once I do.

The other day I also experienced the very rare "Mail Orgasm" you see I placed an order with my very favorite magazine crack dealer, Jody for some Japanese Vogues and Japanese Elle....but with my order she threw in a bunch of other mags too...

and I thought I was in heaven...but that very same day I also got a large box in the mail as well, my bubs giving me the look that said "what did you buy"...but alas...I was shocked too. You see I got a wonderful surprise from a dear blog reader and internet bff Tara.

This care package was filled with....Foreign Fashion magazines (drool), Griffen and Sabine Postcards (AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!), A kick ass 90's mix cd with like all my favorite Euro Brit Pop bands, some cards, some candy, and most importantly of all, a very nice long letter...I stayed up late that night very slowly going through all of the goodies from Jody and then from Tara....listening to the Smiths and the Judybats and everything felt so right.

so....with all of this cool inspiration being thrown at me....I have been working like crazy in between going out and the like...so the photos today show just a small portion of the goodies, as well as a mixed media box that I finished yesterday that is now posted in my shop.

Oh, I have babbled enough for today...catch you all tomorrow.

xoxoxoxo

Dear (Insert Name here) week who cares it's my 200th post

Dear Dame Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice)

ok, I may be jumping the gun by calling you "Dame" but really let's be honest, the damn Queen will knight and dame just about anyone these days, so I am guessing sometime next year you my dear will be "almost" royalty....good job on marrying up you by the way, I doubt that I would be saying this had you not given an heir to the Beckhams.

I am going to say some mean things, and you just need to know from the very bottom of my Spice Girl aching soul...that I do adore you.

In fact during my early 20's when the Spice Girls were H U G E, you were always my favorite, in fact me and the rest of my foxy and not so foxy rolodex all called dibs on which Spice Girl we were...and I was all about you baby. You see my overweight and overbearing bff at the time was "Ginger" so it seems fitting.

I chose you because ever then you knew how to wear clothes, and wear them you did.

When I heard you and Becks were a thing....well I knew I had made the right choice for as my fantasy Spice.

All this being said, I am left really wondering...what the hell is up with you lately? Have you seen yourself?

First, what is going on with the boob job? And honey, in all seriousness can you PLEASE eat something!!! Becks is not going to stop cheating on you no matter how thin you get. Right now, you look like a manorexic trannie trolling the streets of LA looking for some poor doofus to pick up, and by poor doofus, I mean Eddie Murphy.

Your hair...your porr beautiful hair, let it grow out, get rid of the blond it does not make you look more "LA" it just makes you look weird. Oh, and one more huge piece of advice....I know you are living next to the Robots Tom and Katie and their strange little alien baby...do not, I repeat DO NOT get sucked into that circle of the bizarre, please, I need to know your safe. I don;t want you to look like a robot like Katie.

Wait, what am I saying, you already look like a robot, but not in the Stepford wife kind of way...more like a sex bot gone all to hell.

Clean yourself up darlin, and start hanging with a real power couple Brad and Angie.

Love
Jennifer "Posh" Gordon


(that's all for now loves, you have just finished reading my 200th post, someone throw confetti at me and crack open the champagne and post some letters for me to read)

sigh

oh good morning my lovely readers...

I am in a bad mood today, well not bad, really, just anxious, nervous, and raw.....

You see, I have been tense this week due to issues with the mean cheese and other "real life" things...so I have been pouring myself into my art making and that has been a wonderful place to be.

I am very protective of my art, what I do, how I do it, why I do it...when approached by a publisher once who wanted to feature my techniques in a book, I was in all honesty not too keen on that idea. I am kicking myself now....but that is not point.

I have had a wonderful "honeymoon" period on etsy, yes...etsy is filled with collage artists but it seemed that I was the only one using a lot of fashion imagery....that is not really the case anymore.

I see it starting to creep in...starting to become a "trend", I fear with every ounce of my soul that fashion imagery will soon become the new "put a bird on it" trend (have you noticed, everything has birds on it?).

Even a few months ago while in the bookstore I was flipping through Somerset Studio magazine and noticed an article on how to use fashion images in your collage work, I almost went so far as to buy it, before I thought better of it...I did not want a magazine to start shaping what I do....

does this make sense? I mean, I know there are just gobs of people who use fashion imagery, I know I am not unique or one of a kind....

But I am me....and my work is such a part of me...It just feels strange to look at other people's work (in real life, online, or in a magazine) and think...wow, that looks like something I did.

I am all over the place today....I think my main point is, I don't want to be just another collage artist in a crowd, with everyone's things looking the same, you know?

SO I won't be....As my brain and my body almost feel like they are going into Fight or Flight mode....and I can either run away or fight...and seeing as how much I love this, well you know, I'm going to fight.

Not to sound like a bad Karate instructor....but I need to "take it to the next level", I need to push myself, as right now I feel like I could be left behind.

When talking to my bubs about this, he is wonderful, right there on my side, his punk rock nature letting me know that copy cats are just that, copy cats, and that I have something that none of them do....I have myself. He let me vent, he listened to my insecurities, he cheered me on...and I saw in his eyes and heard in his words, that he was right there with me.

I am not going to censor what I do, for fear of using the same images or themes, I will not change who I am or what I want to do...not for fear of someone else...

Hell, I survived competitive bitches in professional theater, where there was always someone younger, prettier, thinner, and maybe even more talented than you always lurking behind you waiting to stab you in the back.

Art is my job, but it's also my passion and my life.

wow........ok that was long and rambling, and bitchy and insecure and all of the things that I sometimes don't like a bout myself, but here they are now being published on the internet.

thank you for reading them, thank you for taking the time to not only support me and my work, but also to support my tirades.

ok, I really need to get going now and start to prepare the house for the arrival of the mean cheese this weekend.

The image shown today is a new collage I listed in my shop last night, called "There Ghosts Often Wandered There"

thanks again for reading this, have a happy weekend!!!!!


xoxoxoxo
jenn

trying something new

So, I have always wanted to try my hand at fashion illustrating, I have a bunch of books on it and I was always scared to do ot it because of my lack of drawing skills...but something got into me yesterday, in between running around like crazy...I decided to draw.

I did three illustrations yesterday and will do more today because they were so much fun!! I based them all on pieces I had seen in magazines, like the one above this is Chanel...

it was fun to actually use the colored pencils I have, as well as paint and some collage elements.

I was petrified to show them but do to some great encouragement from some people I adore....I decided to list them in my shop.

I just got such a feeling of joy about them, when I was little I went to a Barbie Fashion show, and I seriously think that was an actual turning point in my life, I remember after that drawing out Barbie's clothes, nit so much designing her new clothes but drawing her clothes.

This brought back that same feeling.

Maybe I am feeling like this because I am sick (yes...damn it, I have another plague) and it reminds me of being a small one again. Home sick and drawing pretty pictures of clothes.

I hope you like them, the ones I have done so far are all done on paper and remain relatively inexpensive because of that.

oh, I know this is a lackluster post but my bed is calling me back to it and I really need to get some things done today, plague and all.

so, I've got to take something to shake this fever and get to work....aren't illnesses in the spring/summer just so gruesome, I can hardly stand it.

until tomorrow loves.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

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

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

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

The Real #150!!!

ok, I know technically this is post #151, but still I can't have my 150th post be a little blurb about a sale I was having...now can I?

How was your weekend?

As you all know we had the mean cheese this weekend, and she did live up to every ounce of her name...little miss adorable woke up in the wee hours of the morning and decided while the bubs and I were asleep, to trash our place, specifically my giant shelf of art stuff that she has never touched...until now.

Keith woke up because he heard a bit of noise, but by the time we woke, she had already done her thing.

all my vintage boxes that I had been saving for years, using them very sparingly for pieces of art were all tossed all over (some have bite marks), oil pastels were thrown and crushed, paints were every where, cards...everywhere, postcards...everywhere and ripped.

Huge giant sigh.....

oh little cheesy why the hell would you do that? It was first thing in the morning too, and luckily without coffee I have no gumption to be mad, but I actually said out loud "Can't we have anything nice?"

Like I was my Father...what the hell? I have now morphed into my parents.

That coupled with the fact that we had to go to the awful McDonald's Super Play House in order to get out of the house, as it was yucky for a bunch of the weekend...and we all know how much I hate going there, last time I was there, some of you very loyal readers will remember I saw a young girl "pleasuring herself" up against a giant French Fry...

um, yuck.

but any way, enough of my weekend rant, I have business to take care of.

First off the lovely Kate, who is one half of our fake internet lesbian celebrity couple Ka-Jenn (watch out Bradgelina our hair is way hotter than yours), has decided to tag me, meaning I now have to list 10 seemingly random or little known facts about myself...then I have to tag 10 other people.

so in no particular order...here is the list.

1 - I love Shark movies to the point of insanity, I just love them, all of them, they don't have to be good, they just need a shark, the best ones are ones where the shark(s) is somehow smart, or the ones where the shark is out for personal revenge against someone.

2- I am a total clothes whore, if I had money I would still be poor because I would spend it all
on clothes, I would rather have wonderful clothes, shoes, and purses than anything in the world.

3- when I was little I spent a summer writing a play, it was a courtroom drama with a twist ending, after all my hard work I had my mom and I act it out on a rainy day, I was the lawyer (I was both prosecutor and defense, not as two different characters but all rolled into one (what can you expect I was a child). My mommy was the key witness who was actually really the murderer (I know....like Law and Order). I can't help but think that my mom considers that moment me peaking early, and everything since then has been sadly lacking.

4- My first name is Jennifer Anne, not just Jennifer.

5- when I was little I had a dream that I was hosting the Muppet Show with Harrison Ford, to this day I think itb was the best dream I have ever had.

6- I love The Smiths, Depeche Mode, The Cure and almost any other really depressing Euro-Trash band like that.

7- I have severe OCD about how I need things to be when I sleep.

8- I have known my bubs for half my life (almost)

9 - I would rather look good than feel good (typing that makes me feel sad, but it is true).

10- Sometimes I am afraid that the past several years of my life are a dream, that I will wake up and be crushed with an overwhelming sadness that none of it has been real.

Oh, I love making lists like this, I really do!!! Thanks Kate.

ok now who to tag, who to tag.......

Aimee, Gillian, Vanessa, Lisa Gabrielle, Jody, Angela, Ben, Karen Beth, Rebecca

consider the torch passed my lovelies...I really wanted to tag everyone, but I stuck to the rules.

ok, I am longing to finish up a new set of blocks as well as four miniatures that I started working on!!

The photos listed today are a new set if blocks I have in my shop, these blocks are both the same size so it is a bigger stack that the ones I usually list.

It is called You Were Laced With My Doubt

The other piece is called Things To Keep You and it features a vintage fashion illustration.

I currently obsessing over both these pieces, I love them so much.

ok more tomorrow.

xoxo

A post where I let my guard down, talk about books, and Ebay OCD

Good Morning!!

Off to a bit of a late start this morning after staying out too late last night and then coming home and having this massive allergy attack...I know, I know, it's my own fault for going outside during spring and all, but really...I cannot be a hermit girl all the time.

Can I?

First off, I just want to thank everyone for playing along with celeb letters yesterday, I love reading your letters as well, and a big thank you for those of you who don't write, but just red the letters, I say thank you because you are putting up with a big heap of insanity, lol.

ok, so yesterday morning I got a lovely convo in my etsy box from the uber talented Amy Martin, saying that she had featured me in her blog.

I immediately headed there to see what she had to say....can I just tell you, I was totally taken aback.

wow

the way she writes, and the beautiful things she said about my work...wow. I have to say, my eyes filled up with tears, and (please allow me to let my guard down for a minute) for just one minute it allowed me to see myself through someone else's eyes. I had no self doubt or angst about anything, I forgot that I am that dorky girl with the low self esteem who used to have peanuts and apples thrown at her on her bus rides to school, I forgot for a minute that most of the time I am scared and very doubtful of what I do.

that is what her post meant to me, so please, I beg all of you to go to her blog and shower it with your comments...they're like internet kisses you know.

ok...

moving on from there, yesterday was crazy and hectic start to finish, my bubs and I are changing our apartment around so I will have a work space in the one room with the Air conditioner, as this summer I will be working form here, at the moment the entire place is in a shambles...eeek.

We also went to the used bookstore again yesterday and traded in a bunch of Keith's old books....and with the sore credit I got the huge pile (except for Vogue of course) of fantastic fashion books and a Pre Raphealite book...for the rest of the day I was flipping though them every chance I got...I am telling you, I am so inspired right now and have a ton of things in my head...if I can somehow get them down on paper and canvas...well, I think we will all be happy.

So when pouring over the books, which are so good I wish I could eat them, I got it in my head that I wanted to find some of the Vintage Fashion magazines that the photos originally were published...

oh, this is where I can get into huge, and I mean HUGE trouble!!!

I went sirectly to the computer and then directly to ebay where I typed in the words "Vintage Vogue Magazines"....

well, this is where the trouble starts, from there I found quite literally a million magazines I wanted...then I narrowed down the search "Vintage Vogue" + "Janice Dickenson", "Vintage Vogue" + "Gia"...ite went on from there.

Oh no, can I ask....How much is too much to spend on a single magazine?????

Don't worry I didn't buy anything yet, but I was only stopped because my bubs got home and asked what I was doing, that seemed to have momentarily broken the spell.

but that can only last for so long, right? I mean eventually I will go back there, and on an impulse will buy something, and then all of you will ahve to hear about it, and my guilt about buying a magazine for $100

please, I need help!!!! I could pay bills with that $100 or buy some clothes.

I have to keep that in my mind, at all times.

One last thing before I dash off to do some work today...

I have one set of blocks left in my shop that I listed last night, the rest have been sold....I will be making more in a couple days, for those of you interested, I have gotten emails etc from some of you, so don't fear there will be more. I have a couple sets being planned out in my head already.

I also listed a new collage called "You Used To Love Me Like This" which is also up in my shop.

ok, loves, until tomorrow.

xoxoxoxoxo

Post #146

Good Morning!!!

I could not think of a snazzy title, so....there you have it, we're at post #146.

I am pretty proud of myself for not giving up the old blog here, especially during the long and lonely months of no comments and no readers, this sure are a lot more lively and fun filled now though, and I have all you to thank for breathing a little life into me.

See, I think of all of you not only as my friends, but as ae group of co-workers that all hand out together and gossip...like in the movie Clockwatchers

anyway, this blog will be all over the place and a ramble fest today as I have no coherent "theme".

I have been very, very, very, distracted lately with an almost consuming need for new clothes. None of my clothes really fit me any more. I have not been on a really good shopping spree since I moved here, almost 3 years ago. Sure I bought a piece here and there, but not a ton of stuff. And considering when I moved here I was a hell of a lot smaller than I am now, due to the fact that I obsessively worked out and ate only "luna bars"...that might have something to do with it.

I think my new spring fever has something to do with the fact that I am longing for some new clothes, that and my upcoming trip to scenic Pittsburgh at the end of April. You see, I will be going to the Pittsburgh Comic Convention, and setting up in the artist alley section. I NEED new clothes for that. As one of the few women at the conventions, well, you have to maintain a certain level of cute, or else the comic geeks won;t even stop at your table....

I say this with a lot of love and no disrespect for the nerd herds that attend the conventions, as you all must know, I am one of them too...

My big dilemma is somehow getting the money to go on a little spree...that is where the problem is.

I would go thrifting to save money, but the thift stores close to me are just filled with garbage and clothes from strippers...which isn't really the look I want to go for, frankly at the ripe old age of 31 I can't really pull of that cute/slutty look anymore, now I have to go more with the sophisticated geek chic look, which really I am fine with.

Also, fashiony question.......Does anyone know if there is any truth to the rumor that Zac Posen is going to be doing a line of clothes that are more affordable for the mass market???

I can't remember if I read that someplace or if it was just a dream I had, and yes...I do have dreams like that.

oh, if you all get a chance, you need to check out my etsy shop I gave it a whole new look with a new banner and avatar to match, I am sort of freaked out by change, so this is actually a huge step for me.

So yesterday I got almost everything done I needed to, and even got a chance to list a new art card set...which I love and actually was what inspired me to make the new banner for my shop, as well as a new set of blocks.

Oh I need to thank Rebecca for buying the James Dean Collage that I listed yesterday...it was a wonderful surprise and a much needed moment for me, as I am having one of those weeks where I am filled with a bit of panic and self doubt, thinking that I am crazy for doing this full time artist thing....but then something happens and I am reassured for a minute. So thank you Rebecca, you gave me that moment yesterday.

I included a picture today of the amazing corset that Gillian made using the collage I did...It is probably one of the most wonderful things I have ever seen!!!!

until tomorrow. (Fan Mail Wednesday!!!!!!! Everyone get your thinking caps on)

xoxoxo

A Post about a book, a shop, a purse, and a good mail day

Good Morning people!!

ok, be warned, this post might be all sorts of all over the place today, I've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of attention span on my part to do it...

so hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride (said in my best/worst Bette Davis, All About Eve impersonation).

First, let's get back to two days ago...thank you all for the lovely book suggestions, I am convinced that the Time Travelers Wife will be a good choice.

So, my bubs and I had a spare 45 minutes we decided to go to the new, Used Book Megastore that has opened less that 5 minutes from our apartment.

Half Priced Books, is sort of the Barnes and Noble of Used places....complete with "comfy" chairs and a coffee pot...it's not Starbucks people, but they do try.

so anyway, we went to the new location and I was armed with my list...I have to say as they are still new that the store was overall...wonderful, with a great fashion section....but alas I was on a mission. To get a new novel.

I head over to the fiction/literature section with list in hand and.......IT'S TEENY!!!!!

One long shelf front and back, but some of the books that were classified as literature...cough...Danielle Steele...cough, really belong in the romance section.

I look through everything and find.....NOT ONE BOOK on my list, they did not even have a fall back choice of another Patricia Gregory book so I could continue with my Royal Court OCD.

I did notice they had a few Tracey Chevalier books, and I did love her book The Girl With The Pearl Earring so much, that I decided on Falling Angels....

On the way out, I noticed that they did have an over abundance of a book called "The History of Farting".

What?

I could not evn open it....and really can't imagine that a subject matter such as, would warrant a book.....but who am I to judge.

right?

(ok now we jump forward in time)

So that night when I am about to go to sleep and curl up to read my new book, I am about two pages in and I think to myself, wow...this is good, it reminds me of a book I read where two little girls play with the gravediggers son in the cemetary...

(I turn the page)

enter the grave diggers son.

I've already read this damn book.

fuck!!!!!

(now we move ahead in time again)

so last night while out and about, I find myself in conversation with someone from the Half Price Books Dynasty, I tell him of my shock and horror over The History of Farting....he tells me that book is the highest selling book at all of their locations, that the book store as a whole bought the rights to that book, and have made a virtual fortune from it.

(sigh)

Yet one more reason to hate Ohio...

(ok, now we are going back in time)

My Purse Saga....

ok so the other day I got it in my head that I needed a new purse, so I went a browsing through etsy to find the perfect lovely thing to be the replacement for my Prada for the summer, the only catch....I am painfully broke and in debt up to my eye balls.

so when I found this

I fell in love, I sent a message to the shop owner Ellene McClay, to ask if she would consider trading, and I was lucky enough that she said yes!!!!

You must go to her shop Deciduoussoul

everything in it is wonderful, wonderful!!!!!

ok, now on to the celeb letters of yesterday, I just have to thank you all for playing along in my fantasy world, I really love reading the letters, they give me such joy....plus I think we really broke new ground yesterday, we had some nice angry letters, plus our first ever letter to a fictional character.

good job!!

I have decided that sometime over the summer I am going to self publish a book/zine, a compilation of the best of the letters, it will be like the Post Secret books, except instead of deeply emotional and honest, well it will be vapid and hilarious.

The other day I also got some wonderful, wonderful mail....Not only did I get two fashion magazines, W and Harpers Bazaar but I also got an amazing present in the mail from the lovely and talented Jody. You may be familiar with her shop or her blog....I stalk both on a regular basis.

Well she sent me a documentary about Gia, no not the movie starring my favorite person ever, Angelina Jolie....but an actual documentary.

How hot is that?

I will watch it today while I do a bunch of stuff that is not fun, such as laundry, packaging things, and what not.

I really wish I could get an unpaid intern to do my packaging and stuff for me, that way I would be free to paint all day.

Because I am really enjoying what I am doing lately, check out my latest piece, it is not in my etsy shop yet,but later today it will be. It is called "I Never Spoke About You"

I am also listing several art cards, all about my latest obsessions, a Gia card, a Boleyn card, a NYC card, and a vintage lady card.

so excited.

ok, you have read enough of my babble for now, I probably should have saved some of this for tomorrow's post when I will no doubt have nothing to write about.

xoxo

Happy Bubs-Aversary

morning darling darlings

thank you all for the well wishes yesterday, I am still feeling awful and every part of me hurts but my blogging "fix" needs to be had, you know what I'm sayin' (I say this with a very thich "street" accent.

anyway...today is bubs and I's anniversary.

It is hard to pin point an exact day in our long history which began 15 years ago, but we consider the first time I came to Ohio to visit sort of the beginning of the "real" relationship, the Jenn & Keith v2 if you will.

So it was 3 years ago today that I stepped off a plane in Ohio after a treacherous flight through 1 snowstorm in New England and they a crazy delay due to ice in Detroit (where I say them actually hitting the pieces of ice off the plane with large sticks), and smack dab into what would be my new life.

It is one of those things that I say both, I can't believe it's already been three years, and I can't beleive it has only been three years...

I guess Keith and I feel like we've been together a lot longer than that, what with the whole "grey area" before our actual relationship....also that fact that we were first loves so many moons ago...

Today is also.....The birthday of the Mean Cheese...so though she cannot read, and we won;t see her, we just need to do a little shout out Happy Birthday Lil Cheesy, wherever you are.

So I have not been able to be very productive the past few days sue to the plague and the huge amount of pain every part of my body is in, but I did manage to work on some new block sets yesterday, I have one left that did not sell, that is still up in my shop, it's strange that it is still there because it is my absolute favorite so far, I love the fashion images on them, I can just see this on someone's desk in a cubicle or office....

But then again I am a sucker for fashiony anything, so to me this is really cool.

The set is called "She Began To Fade Over Time"

Oh, I do have to say that while not feeling well yesterday I started to Read The Other Boleyn Girl, and so far it is wonderful, I found myself totally engrossed in that world...it reads like "word candy", if my paintings are "eye candy" if that makes any sense....the book is just lush.

Thanks again Karen Beth, it was like you could sense I would need a good long read.

I can't believe yesterday was the Ides Of March and I totally missed it, I was hoping to create a masterpiece of Shakespearean feel....but alas, the day sort of snuck up on me, like assassins on Julius Caesar.

ok, I must now either a- go back to bed, b- read some blogs, or c- get some work done now.

love you all!!!