More Pics of Hickory

OK, OK,...I know I made a promise and then as usual, life gets insanely busy! So I"m trying to go back and fulfill my promises. Today is a beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking pics of the house. So after my weekly clean, I took pics!

My Amazing trip to England!

Yes, that's right! I went to England to meet my boyfriend's family and to see where he grew up as well as some time in London. I loved!!!! I mean LOVED the countryside of Norfolk, as well as Bungay, which is right over the bridge into Suffolk.  The air was so clean! We walked for miles in enchanted beauty. Here are some pf my favorite pics from that area.

My Artwork is getting Out of the Basement

I have to move my studio and all of my paintings out of Argonne drive this weekend. Going through all of my paintings has been quite depressing. First of all its the disillusional idea that I was going to make it one day as a painter. That's what us Painting majors hope to happen one day. My fame has come in being called McB, by my beloved students, and in the name of jennyjen. Not that either are a bad thing...not at all!!!! Its just seeing these paintings that I spent so much time and soul over. And I really hate to put them back in the basement somewhere else. So I started an auction of my work. I posted most on my facebook wall. Small paintings have a suggested starting bid at $35 and larger ones at $150. The auction ends at the end of the week on Dec. 18th....moving day. I had some buddies come and look last weekend, and they have bought and lovingly placed four paintings in their home. See photo's. They feel very much at home there and I feel so much better with them getting to see a new view, breathe in some fresh air, and see the light of day! Please visit my facebook posts here and let the bidding begin. I have a square to take credit...will gladly take payments and work with you if you see a painting YOU MUST HAVE! Keep scrolling down through old posts non my facebook wall  stop when you get to the VICTIM painting!

photos by Cindy France

Holiday HEap THis Saturday!!

I hope to see lots of shoppers this Saturday at this year's Holiday Heap! If you have never been, you have no idea what you are missing out on! This show has never disappointed for people trying to find the most unique gifts! All diy vendors, all hand made! I included the map in case you wish to make your game plan early! Notice, I"m in the back room, along with some really really awesome and amazing vendors, so DON'T SKIP THE BACK ROOM!!! SO that's this Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 to 5. At St. John;s Church, which is on the corner of St. Paul and 26th. Streets! See You There!

My New Home Holiday Style

I moved into Hamden in mid October and I am very happy to say that my house on Argonne Drive now has a contract and will hopefully ride on into a new happy situation. I have found this beautiful little row home on Hickory Ave. that I am renting for a nice little monthly fee. I have these gracious dreams of living this sweet little life, making my sweet little birdie bird products, living off of my makings and painting again, in another studio space one day. Yes, this is my retirement plan. On February 15, the county will mark as being employed by them for 25 years!!! AKA, I am hoping to retire in 5 more years. So the game plans is establishing my jennyjen birdie bird business and live a happy little life making people around happy when they see my fluttering, smart-alic birds. Any who, I am downsizing and learning to live as cheap as I can without sacrificing too much. And who knows, maybe this while scheme could work and I could even live a decent life doing what I want. I love teaching, but it really is beginning to wear on my creative soul.  But back to what I want to show you. I love this new sweet house My landlord has made this place a wonderful home with great aesthetic decisions and I have made a few changes in paint and added my decor and furnishing. Here is a quick peak of the living room with my fake Xmas tree! I believe you should either be real, or be really fake! I love my tree in this space. The space is small and thank god my mom has given me her organization of furniture skills so I could figure this out. 

Bazzart 2011 Best Show EVER!!!!

WOW!!! That's about the best sound I can come up with after my day hiatus from my extremely busy crafty-teaching season. I guess you've notice my lack of posts and have probably given up on me. I am trying to get my act together and welcome 2012 with more posts and more reflective time to figure out my artistic future.

 Bazzart, is held every Friday night and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend at the American Visionary Museum and I have been so gracious to be accepted for the past four years! I get to create my own 10 foot square shop and this year IKEA really came though with beautiful birdy bird curtains that look like they came right out my own pen! in fact many customers commented on my wall curtains and thought I had to have made them. The amount of complements and purchases let me take the day off today and clean and organize my new house ( future post to come on that one, I promise!)/ Here are some pics f my shop! I really do think I could do this for a living!

New Potholders!!!

Check out my new jennyjen birdy bird products for this summer!!! Potholders! A great way to brighten up your kitchen as well as make you smile as you pull out that apple pie out of your oven! Double and single thicknesses. yes, I'm experimenting with price and options here....patchwork backgrounds with a felt applique birdy bird. Machine washable! Come see them at Pile of Craft tomorrow before I put them in my shop!

And so the house goes.....

My House knows I'm going
I'm out
and not in a great way
a short sale
a newer way of not just giving up
not all at once
a hint, pre-sequel of foreclosure

it knows
the roof begins to leak
the oven smokes
the washer stops circulating

the trees begin to look dead around me
the flowers come up everywhere but in their allotted spaces

it is cleaned up and clutter free
we pretend we are a show house
maybe even featured in a magazine
that is what I tell it
as well as the cats

we wait for our audience
but no one has come yet

it is a dead market
and we have a red check by our name

but we will wait
and clean every dish
every morning
shine and polish every surface before we leave in the morning
awaiting our spotlight

Two More Wall HAngings!!

Two more....and to mark off February..I'm going to be listing these in my shop later today! So stay tuned!

Nothing like a SNow DAy in the SweatSHop

YEAh!!!! A day off to shovel some snow and get caught up on some household chores and a little work in the sweatshop. I'm really liking these wall hangings. Here is one more. Now I'm off to get myself snowed in (for round two) with my English lad and a bottle of Sofia Coppola ! Here's the latest of my wall hangings.