a full heart

you guys have totally blown me away. a full heart is putting it mildly. thank you a million times over for all of your support in the NieNie Day auction! thank you to all my sweet friends for your comments and thank you Chris...my hubby! he left a super sweet comment...his very 1st one on my blog, I might add...and I loved it! xox Special hugs, kisses and thank yous to my wonderful friends that bid and last, but NOT least, a HUGE thank you, hug and kiss (and more hugs) to Barbara:) she not only won the auction but reduced me to a big ball of tears when she sent me the sweetest message ever.

"Hi lovely jenn, ... ...i am going to send stephanie this lovely lulette as soon as she is doing better because i, as you, do believe that she will enjoy it. God bless you and yours and keep you well and creative. you bring such joy. fondly, barbara"

can you even believe that!? it is difficult for me to put into words how much that means to me. I appreciate you so much Barbara. I am so thankful for your support and beautiful generosity.

some auctions are still continuing through the weekend. Design Mom has all the details. hooray for this wonderful network of bloggers! absolutely unbelievable!!

now...i've been getting alot of emails about lulettes and when I'm going to have a shop update! I'm aiming for next Wednesday night you guys!! I have cakes, french couples, houses and more...yippppeeee:) I'll keep you posted of the exact time super soon. Meanwhile...ENJOY your long weekend. Happy Memorial Day! (((UPDATE...YES I DO KNOW IT'S LABOR DAY NOT MEMORIAL DAY...THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET NO SLEEP!!! THANKS TO MY HUBBY FOR POINTING THAT ONE OUT!!! I AM SUCH A DORK!!!!)))

xoxoxoxo...jenn

p.s. as you've more than likely noticed;) i've changed the blog around a bit. it took me FOREVER and if you ask me how I did it, I will never be able to tell you because I don't even know how on earth I figured it out. I also put my music on shuffle mode...because as much as I love that Sia and Beck song...I'm kinda tired of hearing it everytime I click on my blog;) tell me what you think!!

happy NieNie day!!

((((BIDDING IS NOW CLOSED)))))

thank you soooo much!!!!

Okay everybody...here we go!!

First off, thank you so much for stopping by.

there are literally TONS of auctions

celebrating NieNie day today and I can't

wait to go check them all out.

there is a full list of participants on

design mom's blog.

introducing my little contribution...

one of my original wall sculpture lulettes

created just for NieNie day!!

"happy NieNie day" measures 8 inches tall.

she is hand sculpted from polymer clay,

painted in acrylic paints and

finished off with a satin glaze.

her style is very primitive and oh so funky!

she holds a lovely little house that

has a snippet of vintage text saying

"love"

there are a little bunch of red balloons

as well! She has a hanger attached to her flat back,

so that she hangs on your favorite wall!

one thing that touches me so

much about Stephanie is her love of home

and family. I hope that you might

want to have this little piece of art and hope

for your home...thank you oodles for stopping in

you guys!!!!!

photo of the Nielson Family

the rules...

1. auction will be open until midnight (EST), thursday august 28th only
2. please enter your bids through comments in this post.
3. i have enabled automatic comment moderation for this post...so you will be able to see your bid immediately.


4. place your bids in whole dollar increments. bidding will start at $20.


5. at the close of the auction, I will notify the winner...they will send their payment directly to the Stephanie and Christian Paypal Fund (I'll help you...don't worry!) and you will email me the confirmation of your payment.


6. "happy nienie day" will be shipped off to live with you!!
   

need help or have questions?? just ask you guys! I'll be checking my blog all day long!! I'm so excited:):) thank you all!

xoxoxoxo...jenn

a day at the zoo

happy tuesday everyone:) thank you to everyone that has responded about the silent auction on thursday!! i feel such a strong need to help Nie and her family in whatever teeny eeny way i can!! i'll also be contributing some items to the Etsy NieNie Benefit Sale Shop ...for a sale on September 23 and 24.

So, how were your weekends?! as planned, we enjoyed our weekend with mr. noodle and little lou. saturday was a "clean up the yard" day. little bit (okay, maybe alot) of whining about heat and no fun and who drank all the lemonade...but the backyard looked quite lovely after all was said and done:) i even saw a hummingbird buzzing about my fuchsia plant. can we talk about HOW excited i was!? what an amazing teeny miracle of a bird. i wanted him to stay all day!!! speaking of backyard friends...we've also seen baby bunnies, big bunnies, a huge hawk walking around (probably looking for those sweet bunnies) and chipmunks. Jake is in heaven. if only there were bunches of frogs...

sunday, we went to the Brookfield Zoo . it was FABULOUS! tons of animals and so much to do! the boys loved it to pieces.

i wanted to take that little monkey home with me. he could share a room with the boys...right?? speaking of the noodle and lou room...here are some peeks at their new digs:) (click on the photos to see them ginormous)

i hung some shutters on either sides of the windows to make it a bit cozier. also framed a grouping of their artwork...so cute. yay for something being finished!!! the boys' space was a priority so that they could feel settled and be excited for a new room:) jake has been feeling a tiny bit better about school. each day will get better. i'm proud of him for trying!

See you guys right here on thursday! i hope it will be a huge success:):):)

xoxoxox...jenn

love for nie...

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

update: there is a new blog/website...Nie Recovery...where you can find links to etsy sellers and blogs that are selling items to benefit Nie. You will also find info. about these young parents and their 4 small children. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers:):):)

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

I was just over at Beth's blog and read about Love For Nie. (Please click on the link to read more) Stephanie Nielson and her husband Christian were involved in a terrible plane crash last week and are currently being cared for in a burn center. You can also read more details at Stephanie's sister's blog...cjanerun.com. I'm just really touched by their adorable family and the amazing love they share. I've added a "donate to nienie" button over on my side bar. Her family has set up a paypal fund to help with their tremendous medical bills.

Thursday, August 28, I will be taking part in a silent auction...thought up by Design Mom...to benefit the nienie fund!!

Here's the plan: Thursday morning, I will post a picture of ---- (I'm not telling you what yet!) and through your comments you can bid on the item! At 11:00 p.m Central time...the auction will close and the highest bidder wins my item and all proceeds go directly to the nienie fund!!

Sending you all an extra little squeeze tonight. I'm so thankful for my family and friends.

xoxox...jenn

pedaling backwards

well, sometimes you have to take a few steps back to be able to take a few steps forward. Jake had the WORST morning yet today. It was so horrible. I'll spare all the details as I'm sure he would kill me anyways. Let's just say sobbing was involved. I just don't know what to do. He says all the kids in his class are so nice...he loves the teacher...he is just way too anxious...it's just going to take time. But as his Mom...I just want to make it all better NOW. We'll concentrate on a fun weekend and the joy of having a couple days off!

Just added 2 more paintings to the shop...

I'll leave you with those and the wish for you all to have a FABULOUS weekend filled with tons of fun!!!

xoxoxoxoxo...jenn

"spending the day with friends"

"spending the day with friends"

new in the noodle and lou etsy shop!!

(oh my gosh...my little gals sold in the blink of an eye!! THANK YOU!!!!)

hope everyone had a great day. in between cable company visits and moving furniture around...henry and i made a trip to ikea. i snatched up some of the cutest lamps and a wardrobe for the boys room (they don't have a closet). jake had a better day today...you guys are all sooo sweet to keep him (and me!!) in your thoughts!!! i'm off to clean up before bed. night, night!!
xoxox...jenn

new in the shop...

it took me 1 hour and 47 minutes exactly and i need a glass of wine and an anger management class...but i got 4 things listed in the shop:):) yippppeeee! my computer is so slow, i am losing my mind. maybe i need a new hard drive???? grrrrrr.

hope you guys are having a happier wednesday! jake had a hard time this morning...i think his nerves got the best of him. we're just takin' it one day at a time!! now that song will be stuck in my head the rest of the night;)

more paintings tomorrow:):):)
xoxoxo...jenn

back to school

Jake started 3rd grade today! How on earth is my teeny little baby a 3rd grader!? I was so nervous for my big guy...I know how hard it is to be the "new kid". I knew he felt shy and uncertain of what the day would hold. Would his teacher be nice...would he make any friends...who would he sit with at lunch...

But Jake took on the day with a brave smile on his face. We all walked him to school and he walked right through the doors without looking back! I just can't believe how much he's grown up....we are SO proud of you Jake!!!

and when Henry and I picked him up after school...he was playing with boys in his class!! yipppeeee!! I almost cried when a boy shouted "jake, come be on our team!!" The day was a success:):):)

so...I've been spending alot of time painting the past couple days and I am having SO much fun!! So far I have 8 new paintings!!! yippeeeee:) It feels so good to paint again and I'm oozing with ideas!!! I scouted out the local craft and art supply type stores around my neighborhood and found a Hobby Lobby...LOVED it! I've never been in one before! Then I went to Michaels hoping to restock on Sculpey and they were OUT! I'm freaking out without any clay. Dick Blick...you're next! Don't these stores know I have Lulettes to make!!?? :):):)

I'll start listing new goodies in the shop tomorrow, Wednesday the 20th! As I have time through the day, I'll get some new paintings up. If you miss out on any of the originals...I will be offering prints of almost all of them. Those will be in the shop next week:):):) I'm too all over the place with all the chaos in my house right now to plan an actual update...I hope you understand!!! BUT...I promise to keep you posted on what I'm listing so always check my blog for the latest info!!

I'll leave you with a few photos of the crazy move...

Here you have the boys "helping" me fold the 8 tons of paper from our move for the recycling center...

A little corner of my life shoved into boxes... I was pretty excited about that little path I cleared to the right of this photo!!!

and lastly a photo of a very special commission piece I was working on up until the day I left NY! Seriously!! I painted this HUGE 80 inch round table top for some dear friends. Here is a photo of the final piece waiting to be sealed with lots of varnish...click on the picture to make it larger. It's really hard to photograph something this big, but there are 15 angels surrounding the outside with flowers and birds and cakes and tea...and 2 angels in the center surrounded by special sayings. I was just thrilled with the outcome and love the thought of their family and friends being together around my little angels:):):) Thank you Melanie and Andy!!!

xoxoxoxox...jenn

p.s. Thank you for all the sweet thoughts and prayers for my family in Florida! Except for a roof leak...all is well!! yay!!!

hurricane fay

sending tons of hugs and prayers

to my family and friends in the path of

the hurricane.

be safe...love you all!!

xoxo...jenn

a final farewell to the past and then onto the future...

oooooh i missed you guys so much! have you given up on me yet!!?? it feels like i've been gone FOREVER!! what a wild and crazy few weeks....but we are official residents of Illinois! my parents returned home to Florida today. we are all so sad to see them go. they were HUGE helps and it was so fun to have them here!!! thanks mom and dad!! almost everything is unpacked...not necessarily in the correct places...but unpacked;) the kitchen has been DE-GREASED...i can't even begin to describe the disgustingness of that horrid task...but let's not go there because that is over and i'm just gonna let it go and try not to have nightmares of huge gobs of grease attacking me in the night. let's just say the prior tenants really, really, REALLY didn't like to clean.

movin' on...

my desk is set up and the boys just went off to see the new Star Wars movie. i am going to PAINT!!! yippppeeeeeee!! I have missed working at my little desk so much!! i know lots of you have been emailing me about when the shop will be opening back up. definitely within the week! i'm going to get some new FUN things ready for the big "re-opening" and then it's back to regular updates! i have sooo many ideas for halloween and christmas and it's really time to get rollin' on them!!

thank you so much for all your messages during my move. i really wish i could reply to each of you personally...but please know that each comment meant the world to me and i'll work on visiting you all super soon!!

my pesky camera cable is playing hide and go seek again...so i can't upload any new photos right now...so let's take a last little peek at the OLD noodle and lou house:) our sweet little long island cottage. marvel at the wonderment of a family of 4 living in this teeny house:) we will miss you lil' home! (click on the photos to enlarge them!!)

front door into the living room

living room

views of living room from kitchen

...loved that pointy house shaped arch:)

teeny kitchen

the hall

the ONLY bathroom

please note the width between

the door and sink!!

our "master" bedroom:)

noodle and lou's bedroom

and you've seen lots of pictures

of my studio space/boys playroom

that was in the upstairs loft...

but here's 1 last peek at that LOW
sloping ceiling:):)

wasn't it just the cutest little house!? it was so small and we just loved it! it totally worked and we really enjoyed it!

stay tuned for pictures of our new house in an upcoming post!! we love our new home and especially the wonderful neighborhood we are in!!

here's to the future!!!

xoxoxoxo...jenn

i made it!!

Hey sweet friends!!  Just wanted to let you know that we made it!  The move was LONG and soooo CRAZY and soooooo stinkin' hard.  Moving is the pits.  I'm totally exhausted and am so tired of dirty, yucky filth and other people's messes and hotels and dryers breaking and scrubbing floors on my hands and knees and couch legs breaking off and my favorite tables' leg breaking off...grrrrrrrrrr.   

The good news is that once I get through all this disgustingness...we will have a nice clean home that I can have fun decorating.  Yes, I am trying to find the bright spot people:):):)

Thank you for all your emails and comments!  I've had NO access to email and the only reason I am writing this now is because I'm "borrowing" someone's signal in my neighborhood!!!   I feel so lost without my computer you guys!!!!  My cable/internet is not being hooked up until the 14th!!!!  double grrrrrr.  

More good news is that my parents are arriving tomorrow to help us!!  YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!! 

So...I'll catch up with you all as soon as I can!!  I just wanted you to know that we are alive and in Illinois:):):):)

Love and miss you all!!!

xoxox...jenn