saying goodbye to mazzy

we had to say goodbye to our dear mazzy last week.  she was with us for 16 years.  rescued from a dumpster after a bad storm...all her little siblings had drowned except for her.  she fit in the palm of our hand when we first brought her home.  chris and i had just moved into our first apartment together.  she was our little baby:)  she was there for every huge event in our lives.  our wedding, buying our first home, bringing our 2 babies home, birthday parties, graduations, holidays, hurricanes, blizzards... 9 different houses in 4 states, plane trips, cross country car rides, hotel stays...

she was always there.  she was fine one week and then sick with crummy cancer the next.  we know she had a happy and long life and i truly believe she is in cat heaven... flying free.  it will just take some time to get used to her not being around.  not hearing her purrs. not seeing herr cute little personality.  i wanted to share some of my favorite photos of her...mostly old ones.  going through a bunch of our old photos was fun...seeing the boys so little, all our different homes.  i wanted to find a few pics of mazzy with the boys...but i couldn't get into the hard drive where they are stored.  (so much easier when you just printed your photos)  henry took it especially hard.  he wanted everyone to know that she was the best cat ever and that he'll miss playing checkers with her in the closet.  how sweet.  we sure loved you mazzy.  thank you for spending your life with us!!   xoxo

vintage tuesday...the winner is...

time to announce the winner of the vintage valentine banner giveaway!  and the winner is......

summer of artfulife! hooray for you!  thanks so much to everyone that entered.  it was lots of fun, don't you think?  let's do it again next week!!  see ya then!  xox...jenn

peeks for you

i'm down to the wire...getting the listings ready...1 hour to go!
hooray hooray!  here are some peeks for you sweet people:)
all items will hit the shop at 9:00 p.m. EST.
just refresh your browser to update the site.  make sure to
check all the way out with your items.  if you leave them
in your cart, someone else can snag 'em:)  big xoxo...jenn

puppy lou and the saturday update

well, where did that week go!?  happy, happy friday you guys!!  for starters...the shop update is still on for tomorrow.  know i mentioned it quickly the other day...but here are the details!

january 21
saturday 
9:00 p.m. EST 
(that's new york time)
at the noodleandlou etsy shop

i won't have everything i had planned...but there will be houses, 1 or 2 dolls and some more fun things.  there will be a "valentine part II" update next week. and hey! don't forget to sign up for the vintage valentine giveaway!  (see the post before this one!)  now... here's why i got barely a thing done this week...

 my baby lou was sick.  again!  it's the saddest little thing when a puppy is sick.  like a baby totally.  poor little guy.  this time it was his stomach.  he just wanted to be held.  i felt so bad for him...but was also losing my mind with the upset tummy cleanup.  we'll leave it at that.  you know...in case you are eating.  so gross.  thankfully all the meds kicked in today and he's on the mend.  it is so sunny and beautiful here today...he was pretty excited to go sit in the sun:)  well...see ya'll tomorrow!  thanks for poppin by!  xox...jenn

vintage tuesday...giveaway!

i love old valentines.  their darling graphics and kitschy little sayings.  i think it's so sweet when they have the original writing on them...but what a treat when you can find them blank.  hidden away for all those years...never given to a sweetheart.  here's a fun little project to display these vintage gems.  you just need a few items to make your very own valentine banner.  and guess what? there's a giveaway for you too!  noodle and lou vintage hearts you all so much!  read on...

all you need is some twine or fun trim,
nails. vintage valentines,
clips and papers
to decorate your clips.  (you could
also use little red paper clips,
tiny clothespins, etc)

i had these ugly plastic clips, so
i just cut some old bingo cards to
size and glued them right on to the
fronts.  you could further embellish
with a little ribbon and button too!

hang your trim up with nails...
my trim had wire in it so i just
simply wrapped the ends right
around the nail to secure.
you could also just tie a little
knot around the nail.
these little banners look so
great over a bed or book shelf:)

now just clip your valentines up and 
pat yourself on the back!  you just 
made the cutest valentine banner 
around!  and as a special treat for 
you my lovely readers...

this one can be one of yours!
just leave a comment
on this post.  you don't have
to have a blog to enter...just make
sure you leave your email or a way
for me to reach you if you win:)

you will get 4 vintage (blank!)
valentine cards, 4 clips and
the pom pom trim.  the
giveaway will be open until
next tuesday...2/24.  i'll announce
the winner then!  good luck and
have fun making one yourself maybe!

xox...jenn


p.s. oops!  almost forgot!  
noodle and lou update is 
scheduled for this saturday!! 
i'll let you know the time soon!

fRidAy!!

happy friday everyone!
so excited to be feeling a bit better and
for a 3 day weekend ahead of us!

sharing a few pics of my buddy with you guys:)  louie never leaves my side (unless he is following chris around) and is such a sweet little pal.  faithfully waiting in the car line every day with me.  hanging out in the car..taking instagram pictures:)  so happy when he sees the boys heading towards the car.  and 2 different schools equals twice as much excitement:)

the rest of his time is spent soaking up bits of sunshine when it's not too cold.  (he will only wear a sweater if we are on a walk!  silly willy) and digging for badgers.  yes, of course there are no badgers...but we won't tell louie that.

xox...jenn

spoOkytime jiNgles tonight

time for the spookytime jingles update.  and it's the first one of the year!  how fun!  it's the usual drill... when the clock strikes midnight (EST) and the date turns to the 13th...the site updates with all new original holiday art.  this month we are celebrating valentines day as well.  so here's a peek at my pieces for you...

yep...just the valentine girl and the halloween painting (love her expression!! makes me giggle).  if you are looking for valentine houses...not to fret!  i'm working on an update for next week and there will be some there.  i've been under the weather this week and just haven't been productive in the studio.  check back here for update times...i'll announce in the next couple days.

xoxo...jenn

here's a direct link to my halloween page and one to my christmas/valentine page!  happy thursday!

vintage tuesday

hello there!  it's the first vintage tuesday of 2012 and i'm so happy you are here.  the new year has me itching to purge and clean and organize...how about you?  for me...life is just so much easier and happier when everything has it's place.  it doesn't necessarily mean things are always actually in their place....but you get what i mean:)

a great way to organize your home is by repurposing your flea market / thrift shop / vintage finds.  enjoy these vintage picks from etsy...

i adore using old farm rake heads for
jewelry storage! (my photo...)
organize all those necklaces and have
them right within reach...awesome.

use darling old metal baskets like
this one for storing blocks and toys
in your child's room.  they look so cute
lined up on a book shelf.  

vintage boxes like this one are pretty
easy to find and make great storage for
everything from bills and notes to art
supplies for the kiddos...

old wire crates...i can't have enough
of them!!!  i use them everywhere...but
particularly ones like this in my closet to
contain scarves, bags and hats...etc.
they are perfect because you can SEE
what's inside...but a zillion times cuter
than plastic bins.  see this one here.

i use old metal buckets for storing magazines
and towels in a fresh, "industrial chic" way.
this one  is so darling with that label.  so
good for a nursery or child's bathroom.

use antique drink crates, like these ,
 in the kitchen to store...well...drinks!
your water bottles or soda cans/bottles
stay nice and tidy.  perfect for parties
too.  you can also hang them on a
wall for clever book shelves and
knick knack storage.  (the dividers
can usually pop right out)   

love this old divider box to use in the
studio or office.  store stickers, envelopes,
stamps, bills, cards...all happily organized
and easy to find in their own little slot.

vintage hangers like this one make the best
display pieces!  organize all those little piles
laying around...clip important papers,
business cards, favorite photos, the kids'
doodles...  stylish and super easy to change
out. 

and my final pick for getting organized...
more baskets!  this time round ones.
old wire ones are my faves...like this one.
hang them in groups on your wall...
(bottom side to the wall).  cutest
storage and display for stuffed animals,
and toys.

hope you enjoyed!  tell me what ideas you have!
how are you getting organized in 2012?
xox...jenn

vintage for 2012

just updated the vintage shop with a few new goodies and made some markdowns.  check out the sale section here for $5.00 items!  yep...$5.00!  having fun getting back into my vintage things.  but i'm also creating lots of new valentine art!  the holidays just keep rollin' right in, don't they!?  happy friday to you all.  enjoy your weekend!

**the collage is of some of the $5.00 listings!
    yahooo!**

xox...jenn