Jen Bowles Design

Detective Inspector Cuyler

My boys, in disguise.
These pictures crack me up.  We turned in Cuyler's summer reading log today at the library.  He received his prize pack and big fun ensued...

Paper Mache Projects

Now that summer is winding down (and I have to believe it's winding down, that the first day of school is on the horizon and that I might get some of my sanity back soon), I am ready to re-focus my efforts on my Etsy shop.  I've filled an entire (oversized) post-it with ideas for items I want to create.  And I've been browsing and drawing in my sketchbook. 
I started yesterday with some paper mache creations.  Oh, and a giant potential shadowbox.  I did a bit of research on paper mache paste and decided with the humidity here my best bet was slightly thinned down Elmer's glue.  I cut shapes out of cardboard--luckily we have plenty--and set about covering them in layers of drippy newspaper.  I worked at the kitchen table which prompted the husband to ask why I couldn't work in either the garage (too humid), the playroom (too far removed) or my studio (glue and carpet don't mix).  I'm currently working on 3 shapes:  birds, houses, and cupcakes.  I did the final paper mache layers today--that means sanding and priming tomorrow. 
Maybe even paint if I crank up the a/c.
I'm aiming to have the shop stocked as it's never been stocked before by Tuesday 8/21.  Stayed tuned for some sneak peeks!

Best Buds mini album

This is a mini album I made for Ebby's friend Danielle.  They spent nearly 2 days together when we were in Massachusetts a few weeks ago and just before their tearful farewell, I took a bunch of pictures of the two of them together.  They turned out very cute and of course I couldn't just sent copies of the pictures to Danielle and her mom.  I had to make a mini album!  Trying to get my creative juices flowing again, I love summer but it seems to be throwing my mojo off.  That and a few other things...
Anyway, more pictures of the album are posted on Flickr.
  Best Buds mini album 
  Originally uploaded by fertree33

Bird Love

I love the work of Melissa Sweet .  I love how she uses watercolors, her lettering, layering and subject matter are all enchanting to me.  I am lucky enough to have 2 sets of her cards from eeBoo.  One set is an animal alphabet set, several of which are hanging in the boys' bathroom.  They were a gift from my mom and I will be holding on to them long after the boys outgrow them.  I also have a set of Flowers Alphabet Rummy cards.  I stumbled across them in Tuesday Morning one day, a steal at $3.99.
While in Wilmington last week, the grandmothers and I were browsing in a local garden gift shop.  They had a wonderful display of kid themed merchandise, replete with eeBoo items (I don't think they make anything that isn't adorable--Fairy Checkers anyone?!).  On my second pass, I spotted these Counting Birds wall cards.  They are wonderful!  Unfortunately, they were also $21.99--for only 10 cards.  I picked up the box, admired the packaging, noted the excellent weight of the cards in my hand and even carried it around with me for 10 minutes.  In the end the price was just too much and I had to leave them. 
You can bet I'll be stalking Tuesday Morning though--I wonder how long it will take for them to appear there for say, $9.99?...

Spell with Flickr!

                        This is such a cool thing!  Saw this on Nikki's  blog.  Do not delay-- go try it out now!  Spell with Flickr

               

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

 

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

 

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

                                        

               

Sweet Peas

When I was out thrifting with Mom last month in MA, we happened upon a very upscale, stuffed to the brim thrift store in Wellesley.  The place was chock full of stuff--very overwhelming.  How lucky did we feel when we found several issues of Mayflower, a gardening magazine from the early 20th century.
The engravings are quite lovely, so much detail.  The funniest thing though is going through and reading the old advertisements.  Things like 'all the money you need easily made growing mushrooms' and 'Money in Poultry' and 'Invest $1 and secure an income for life'.  I mean you  just don't get opportunities like that anymore!  I wonder why...

Morning Glory

This spring I found I had a bunch of leftover morning glory seeds from last year.  I love morning glories, especially the blue ones.  Yes, they come in colors other than blue;  some years I've had pink, white, even purple.  I don't really like purple--though I'll make a slight exception in Nature.  The seeds I had were blue (phew).  I decided to start a bunch in a pot on the deck and stick a few in the window boxes on the front porch.  The seedlings on the deck did very well. Before we left for Massachusetts I transplanted them to the small bed around the mailbox.  They grew nicely while we were away and are climbing up the mailb0x post along with a remnant from last year's climber, a passion flower vine I didn't pull out of the ground quite as much as I thought.
The seedlings in the window boxes started out strong but seemed to lose momentum over the past few weeks, only getting about 6-10 inches long.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I went out to water this morning and saw this:
I can hardly wait until the entire mailbox post is covered in heavenly blue blooms!

Under the Eaves

We're back from a week at the very lovely, peaceful, nature-filled Sunset Beach.  While most of our activities were low-key and beach related, I did manage to visit a few shops and snap a few pictures (I did not, however, actually buy anything).
First, from Southport, NC a charming shop called Under the Eaves:
I loved the juxtaposition of the starfish with the plant material in the  window box. Inside they had a delightful collection of items, everything from shell encrusted mirrors to soaps to clothing and handbags to children's gift items and designer pajamas.

Sunset Beach!

'We're spending the week at Sunset Beach, NC with the family and 2 grandmothers.  Though we're still trying to figure out the sleeping arrangements two nights in, things are just so peaceful and relaxing here (with the exception of the children...).  The water is warm, the surf is churning, the sand is perfect for building and our house has the most wonderful view of the marsh and Bird Island.
I could get used to this...

National Gallery of Art

We spent nearly 3 hours here on Saturday during our quick visit to Washington DC.  It was such a cool place!  I minored in Art History in college but I never made the connection that so many well-known paintings were in this one place--and we saw just a fraction the collection!  Here are a few of my favorites...