JCasa BLOG

goodness gracious - no. 7

Goodness Gracious ::: a collection of things i've happened upon and completely loved recently - projects, interviews, music, kid stuff, and other amazinginess.  ENJOY!

[01]  MOVE

i adore this wee little summer house in Sweden.  *sigh*

[02]  RENO

have you seen how abbey's house is coming along?  i love having a peek into their farmhouse restoration, and watching as their dreams and design visions are becoming a reality for them.

[03]  KIDS

scavenger hunts are always a big hit.  leave it to jean/the artful parent to put an interactive twist on things.  check out her most recent scavenger hunt + make.

[04]  BLOG

love love love the new look over on sfgirlbybay.  it's like a breath of fresh bubbly air.

[05]  CUTE

seriously now.  as if little miss davy wasn't cute enough, you've got to check out davy jr.  yet another an extra scoop of awesomeness from the mom.

[06]  YUM!

rainbow cake is all the rage these past few years.  and push-up pops never go out of style.  but it never has occurred to me to make them, not to mention have them join forces.  yes.  rainbow cake push-up pops.   go make 'em.  (found via ohdeedoh)

[07]  MAKE

it's a safe bet i'll be customizing pins with shrink plastic very soon.

[08]  HOME

i love all the colorful home photos + interview with Ellen Giggenbach on bloesem living.  there are so many interesting nooks and bits of inspiration there.

[09]  TAPE

love love love washi tape.  it's so pretty + useful + kid-friendly + doesn't mess up your walls.  here is a roundup of cool ideas of what you can do with washi tape.  or what about this paper plate basket?  would be perfect for favors or snacks.

[10]  BOOK

there is so much to love about dottie angel, and now tif has has created an ever so lovely book of dottie's antics.  i especially adored reading her thoughts on how it evolved from an idea to a most beautiful creation she now holds in her hands.

:

and you?  if there's a little slice of goodness you've happened upon this week, please share it with everyone in the comments.  xoxo

thrift report : right place right time

over the summer, i got into a nice monday morning routine of stopping into a few thrift stores on the way home from dropping the girls off at camp.  i have a few favorite spots (don't we all?) that tend to specialize in certain things.  not that they market themselves as having the best selection of vintage sheets, or vintage tablecloths, or milkglass, or furniture, but like any of you who enjoy thrifting, you just learn to know who's got the best ____ that you fancy.

this was my first trip since camp ended in july, and i will confess i have been jonesing for a good thrifting trip.  all i could think about monday morning while in the dentist's chair being drilled and filled was that after two more errands, i could pop into a certain goodwill i haven't been to in years.  partially because it's out of the way, but more so because i have never had any luck there.  not even a semi-cute pillowcase.  nada.

but this time people, with a half-numb-post-dental-appointment face, it seems that i was in the right place at the right time.

a housecoat made of the most fabulous print + a very cool mid-mod canister.  you may be thinking, "big whoop."  but that C is for Casa canister is destined for my someday-soon studio.  and you'll probably see that very fabric on some list-takers + bibs + wrist cuffs and other new goodies i'm making for the shop.  (hooray for making again!!)

but the story doesn't end there.  hold onto your knickers, betty sue.  as i rounded the final row heading toward the cashier, this little beauty caught my eye...

well helloooo there, gorgeous.  what do we have here?

let's take a closer look.  great lines.  solid maple.  can this be true?  how about i try the drawers to make sure there isn't something scary inside...

gasp.

a planner group desk by paul mccobb.

at.  the.  thrift.

no price tag.  curses!  this must be a trick.  where's the cashier - i'll ask her.  oh.  she's talking to another woman about some guy.  this could take a while.  wait, jennifer.  wait.  be patient.  and for pete's sake, don't look overly excited...  what's that?  the manager just put the desk out 10 minutes ago and i should ask him for the price?  thanks.

oh kindly mr. manager... be cool, jennifer.

be.

cool.

what's that you say?  $9.99?  um... OK.  yes, please.  and thank YOU.

and one day soon, when i move into my studio in the village, that desk will be there with me.  and if you're ever in town, you can visit us - me and the desk - and spill your greatest thrifting scores.  i'm all ears.  xoxo

oh yeah, did i mention it was 50% off day at the thrift?  (slap me.)

music monday : the soundtrack of our lives

TSOOL are brilliant brilliant brilliant.  you may be familiar with their single from a few years back - sister surround - the video is awesome.

check it.

because they are superamazing, i thought it best to share another gem of their making (below) which i came across this weekend.  what a find!

pretty pretty music + great storytelling = so good.

happy monday, friends!  xoxo

music monday : a pep song

our girls both start first grade in a few days.  oh.  my.  

i'm putting together a new playlist for them.  a sort of soundtrack for the school year.  and to kick it off, we need a pep song.  hmm...

just the right song to prepare them for their new school, and all the new adventures that lie ahead.  a song to empower them, reinforce feeling brave + strong + confident.  something full of adventure and a bit of whimsy.  something that reminds them that they are superheroes.

.

.

.

[wait for it]

.

.

.

that'll work.  xoxo

still am

cape cod.  *sigh*  i was SO ready to up + move there.  still am, to be honest.  someday, perhaps.  until then, we have pictures, memories, and an impressive rock collection to help us remember a most wonderful week spent with the dearest of friends.  xoxo

music monday : mild mannered

hello, friends!

today, i am thrilled to share a bit of what my band - mild mannered - has been working on the past year+ of late nights in our big city.

in true DIY fashion, the little engine that could just did.

[cover design by T. Kellers]

BELIEVELAND = Mild Mannered’s debut tour de force, a 10-song testament to hard work and perseverance, believing in something and making it a reality.

quite frankly, we're pinching ourselves.  incredible limited edition letterpress artwork + CDs are finally in hand as we prepare for its release on 27-Sept-2011.  it has been a long journey:  songwriting in the basement, recording in cleveland, mixing in los angeles, manufacturing in milwaukee, letterpress + printing in portland, and then back home again.  we are so very happy and excited to launch it into the universe.

and... our shiny NEW website has launched - check it out HERE

• listen + download a FREE mp3 of "The Demand"
• watch a promo VIDEO featuring snippets of all 10 tracks
• keep up-to-date about all things Mild Mannered
• order the album the moment it's available  

tell everyone you know!

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!  share it on facebook, follow us on twitter and RT to all your people, play it in your car, on your iPod, belt it out in the produce aisle + in da club.  we think you can.  we know you can. 

buckle up.  xoxo

two projects to share!

while we were on holiday this week, i was honored to have had a full-page feature in The Plain Dealer (Ohio's largest newspaper, woot!) as a part of their Back-to-School section.
and featured in the article were two projects from my book, TYV Crafting with Kids:

[origami paper beads and interchangeable add-a-button barrettes]

and now for the fun part - BOTH projects are available online through The Plain Dealer's sister-site, Cleveland.com.

GO TO THE PROJECTS NOW

enjoy + happy making!  xoxo

goodness gracious - no. 6

Goodness Gracious ::: a collection of things i've happened upon and completely loved recently - projects, interviews, music, kid stuff, and other amazinginess. enjoy + feel free to add your own goodness gracious link in the comments.

: 01 :

dear golden vintage is one slice of pretty after another.  the hits just keep on coming, as they say.   if i were to have a 32" bust and 25" waist, i would immediately buy this dress and throw a fancy party with finger sandwiches and lemonade and we would blow bubbles.

: 02 : 

i am SO over the moon excited for malka's fabric line for moda.  check out her sneak peek and start saving your pennies.  having used malka's hand-dyed fabrics in the past, i can speak to the fact that the colors appear to be really consistent with her work and brand.  so happy for you, friend!

: 03 :

granted, it looks like a lot of work to do when you could simply fork over the dough for a moleskine, but this tutorial on making your own sketchbooks from composition notebooks is incredible.  and i've put gesso + matte medium on my art store shopping list.  love.

: 04 :

i would quite like this cocktail right about now.  after you click over - you know you want to - prepare to get lost in a food coma in tastespotting.

: 05 :

now that girlygirl has started fingerknitting, i thought i might dangle a crafty carrot in front of girly to see if she might be interested in sewing a bit with me.  how about we make some sleeping bags for her many stuffed animals?  apparently i know my audience, because she is already picking out fabrics.

: 06 :

or we could make a suitcase habitat for one of her pets a la this dolly suitcase that is so so very fabulous.

: 07 :

just added the imogen tee to my queue.  i love ravelry for cataloging everything for me so that when i do have time to knit something for fun (and for me!), i know just where to find all those patterns i happened upon and fell in love with.

: 08 :

i love seeing kitchen renos pop up here and there.  we're hoping to knock down a wall and redo ours in a little over a year from now.  in the meantime, i have a pinboard of inspiration to which i am constantly adding pretty pretty pictures with lots of light and white.  this one in particular makes me swoon.

: 09 :

we love larabars + we love to cook = we're really happy to find all the larabar recipes out there. have you tried any?  nom!

: 10 :

i am so super excited about ECHO, the new fabric line by lotta jansdotter for windham fabrics (coming in november).  it's no secret, i adore just about everything she does, but her doodles + textiles in particular are really wonderful.  if you hear of a pre-order opportunity, do let me know.

xoxo 

- jennifer  |  JCasa -

 

tap tap...

i've been giving the blog a bit of a lift lately... 

...you know, updating the look, consolidating this + that so my readers enjoy themselves, shiny new navigation, adding buttons linking to popular projects, making it easy for you to find something to make, updating my FAQs and press pages.  all that good stuff.

if you're a JCasa *handmade reader, how about you click on over and check things out.  and while you're at it, say hi.  it'd make my day.   xoxo

photo shootin

in the city doing publicity photos for mild mannered.  the streets were quiet, and yet there was a surprising amount of foot traffic for a sunday night.  i snuck my iPhone out of the hub's pocket and was able to snap a few pics of things from my perspective.  i'm really looking forward to seeing which of the 800+ photos came out.  xoxo

if you are local - or fancy a trip to Cleveland...

september 24th.  live show.  buckle up.

details + new website soon.

xoxo