Etsy find!

So I think I should tell you guys about this Etsy find that I found. You will like it. Pieces & Chloe is a very sweet company that fashions "dainty, modern, simple, wristwear"  I say sweet because it is just that. They are threaded bracelets; very delicate and feminine.

Di is very thoughtful in her work and presentation, going so far as to include a personal handwritten note discussing the jewelry she'd made for me. I like the fineness of her pieces and you can mix and match all the pretty styles and color offerings which are very tasteful and muted.  I picked six styles and six colors and asked Di Kim to use her creative judgment on the combinations :) The company has a neat story also.. 

"Pieces & Chloe is named after [my] two furry loves: Chloe, a Jack Russell Terrier, and Reeses, a red Doberman Pinscher named after the PB-&-chocolate candy. Inevitably, "Reeses" became "Pieces", and the rest is history. Each "piece" has been named after one of the many canines who have brought joy, laughter, and inspiration to [my] world." 


You should definitely check it out. 


best,
jayteewo. 

I want Wednesday.

Dammit. I found some good stuff. I seriously am quite excited about the following two artists I found on Etsy! Etsy will be the death of me, I swear. Days at a time are lost on that website. It's a very excellent place to spend hours.. I wouldn't really consider them lost :)

Ok so whoa. Numero Uno is Concrete Polish by Angela Monaco out of Philly. THIS woman knows what she's doin. Girlfriend knows her way around a ring! Dig. Here are a few items I want (need) real bad.

Pink Gold Pineapple Mineral Massacre Ring

Gold Fox Ring with Enchanting Sapphire Eyes

Concrete Polish Double Finger Ring with Tiny Sapphire

Segundo es Coco de Paris by E vdArend. It's all original watercolor on French 1920s vintage magazine print. The imagery is bizarre with an element of whimsy, or maybe vice versa. Either way it's a winning combo.

I'm from Horse Country and only recently have I begun to appreciate these humongous-but-not-as-scary-as-previously-thought animals.

Elephants mourn. 

Music is color. Color is light. Music is light?

Deer are so pretty. I also enjoy guns.

If I were to smoke, I'd definitely use a holder and wear a long strand of pearls at all times. Maybe in my old age. Fuck it. You're already old. You and I both know there'll be no tobacco.

If you ever see a zebra close up their pattern has surprising contrast. It's just black to white. No noise. I also like Fruit Stripe Gum. Where'd that go? 

I don't mind telling you that I have a birthday coming up,

jayteewo.

New York ♥.

Today I thought I'd show a little New York ♥. I come across all sorts of items relating to my fondness of The Big Apple. Here are a few of them.

This image is one I've admired for a while but just haven't gotten around to purchasing. I don't really have room for it presently so I might a wait a while. But it's real cute. I may have recolored it the way I want it to be.. 

Somewhere I really love in Manhattan is Chelsea Market (a whole other post on how much I love this place). In Chelsea Market is a yummy place called Fat Witch Bakery which makes brownies. Like, the best brownies you've ever had in you life. Holy moly. Luckily one can buy these brownies online by either having the finished product sent to you or by buying the mix. I have made the mix before and they do turn out wonderfully. However, there is something to receiving an individually wrapped parcel of deliciousness. I want one right now.

This vintage NYC/MTA subway token necklace is really cool (I'd request a longer chain). I love the retention of the old token and the asymmetry of the bead addition. Very cute!

hasta pronto,

jayteewo.  

Etsy find.

How cute are these?! I just found this shop called elloh that does "odes to" pop culture via paintings, specifically to television shows. She has great taste (same as mine) in entertainment so I am of course dying for the Arrested Development and Mad Men prints. These would be great gifts! A cool way to show your support and a piece of artwork to look at in one. I love the element of humor, too :) I wish she had some originals on there as well.

regards,

jayteewo.

My own way.

["Today I went this way instead of that

because I go my own way."]

regards,

jayteewo.

Project.

I painted this for my friend, Shelly. She's a nice friend and I don't mind sharing my art with nice friends who bring me champagne and make me laugh. She needed something for her room, which she's redecorating. I hope it makes her smile ♥

later,
jayteewo.

Look how pretty.

Look at how beautiful these new Gap visuals are for the 1969 Legging Jean. Aren't they pretty? I love the style and tone. It is so different but at the same time, relatable. Also here is the film and the story to go along with The GAP 1969 Denim Studio. You can get 30% off your entire purchase right now. Hop on it.


bye,
jayteewo.

Project.

This is a project I did with a really cool Etsy shop called Hobbie Horse Designs out of Texas (love). The woman who owns and operates it is very nice and PATIENT. Gosh, I change my mind so much. She responded promptly to my message about custom work and communicated thoroughly afterwards. She went the extra mile to make sure I got what I wanted. I wanted the word "DELISH" to put on my kitchen wall. I chose the word, size, font, and fabric (she sent me tons of swatches) and they did the rest.

I went with Storybook font on eight-inch letters. The six individual prints are vintage-y bird motifs of my choosing. This is how she comes up with the final product:

1. paints the top of the letters white so that nothing will show through the fabric.
2. decoupages the fabric onto the wood so "it will last forever."
3. applies several coats of sealer to keep the letters from turning yellow.

* these can even be spot-cleaned if I happen to fling some marinara over there.

I like them a lot.

P.S.- you can get my poster from here, my pepper mill from here, and mixer here.

bye,

jayteewo.

Resist the urge..

..to overdecorate. I have a real problem with this. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am very affected by my surroundings, especially as far as color goes. I always want pretty surrounding me. I HATE plain walls. I'll say it again: HATE plain, white walls. God, it was so depressing living in New York where I wasn't supposed to paint the walls in my apartment (I like all the other aspects of living there, though). Finally I decided it was worth it to paint my second apartment yellow. Wow, did that make a difference. If you're going to live in a 400 square foot studio, you best have some decorative interest on the walls.


I am constantly pulling in the reigns on wanting to add just one more thing to a setup I have going. Like the above sideboard. It looks perfectly fine with just the dancing couple and vase. But I so want to fill up the entire surface with some kind of arrangement. That can work, too, but sometimes simplicity is the way to go. Here are several surfaces in my present living situation where I have resisted the urge to overdecorate. It's looking more adult. You have to keep that in check. It's okay to have feminine things and artistic things, but let's be a big girl, too. It's about balance, ya know. I can really get carried away with non-relevant tchotchke (never written that word before, took me forever to find the spelling) stuff.





And if you do put a lot of stuff on a surface, it's important to make it look like there's a rhyme to the reason. An order, if you will. I do that by putting like objects together to give continuity or using a color theme. For example, I have a lot of jewelry and accessories and I like to be able to see it all. Here is how I arranged my dresser. It's not perfect, but it looks less cluttered than it could look.


I am in love with color. BRIGHT! color. So when you only have a bunch of colorful pieces, one must arrange them in a logical way. Thus, I've gotten pretty good at layouts for gallery walls. Gallery walls are also a good way to get some cohesiveness if you have a lot of wall art, like me. I put them all together so it looks like they're a family and then use a lot of neutrals as far as the furniture and other miscellaneous items go so it doesn't look like a rainbow threw up in here. It kinda still does, though. But I'm into it.


bye,
jayteewo.

I want Wednesday.

I want this peacock print (by Eleanor Grosch with PushMePullYou Design, $40). But to be honest, I haven't any more wall space so it'll have to wait. I love Eleanor's art and have been following her for a while. Most of her work depicts animals in a unique, graphic way. She's got a really cool way of looking at things. She's always updating her blog at justeleanor.com.


These glasses are shmancy. I'm lovin a cat's eye frame. (Look Sharp Shades in taupe, $24) The pair I really want are Chanel and they have sparkles in the lenses! Sparkles!


see ya,
jayteewo.

Things I'm into right now.

Full refrigerator. i.e. directly after thorough grocery shopping trip.

Painting. Acrylic. Whatever I feel like painting. I didn't say I was good.

Rising early. Trying to get a routine going.

Sweet tea. Just learned how to make it. Very easy. Here's how. (credit to HVC on this one)

1) boil about 4 cups of water.
2) remove from heat.
3) add desired amount of sugar: stir and let dissolve. (I add 1.25C for a gallon of tea)
4) add 3 Family Size Lipton Iced Tea bags
5) let the tea bags steep until water is room temp. (usually a couple hours)
6) squeeze out all liquid in bags, disgard.
7) poor liquid into gallon pitcher. fill with water.


kind regards,
jayteewo.