Jennifer's Views

2008-06-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

New Pimp My Blog Header...

I am trying to get my other blog up and going, cuz I don't really like the name Jennifer's Views. I think I was trying to make a statement (whatever that was at the time). I do like my new pimped header. Mike Putman took some photos for me last week with his aawesome camera and I have been editing them. I really like this one. It's not exactly what I want for my new blog, but it really fits this one! I have it so close to fitting up there within the border, but I think I need to make it a tad smaller. That's it for now.

2008-06-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tucker & Donté...

Here's a few photos of Tucker with his cousin Donté, who is about 18 months old. Tucker had a great time with him, but was glad to come home to play with all of his friends in the 554 hood.

I know that Tucker will make a great Dad someday. His is very nurturing to all small children and his friends. He might be a tad bossy, but he is just following the rules (very important to Tucker).

Aren't they so cute? They both have some major Wyatt & Callaghan genes goin' on.

2008-06-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

One of My Favorite Things..

Magnolias!
This is a photo I took walking around my sister's neighborhood in Johnston, SC. They grow like weeds there and almost everyone has them in their yards.

When I was a very small child in Northern California we had a large Magnolia tree in our front yard. I was always infatuated by it's big RED seeds. I used to walk around the yard before church and pick up the seeds an carry them in my dress. I'm not sure that my mom was too happy about the seeds all over my church clothes.

I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers. I love how huge they are, I love they way they smell, I love the scary looking seed pods, I love the texture and color of the leaves. I guess what I'm trying to say is I still love magnolias!

2008-06-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

A little bit of the South...

2008-06-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

Pink Ladies...

Have you seen these is the stores yet? I saw these dolls last week at the big W store. They are SO CUTE! To my shock, this summer marks the 30 year Anniversary of the movie Grease!
Can I even begin to tell you have much I LOVE this movie? When it first came out in the theater I saw it 7 times. Wait...does that tell you how old I am?

They also have dolls from the Dance-Off competition. I love Frenchy and her pineapple doo.

Okay...I confess when they had the 25 year anniversary I bought 2 Sandy dolls. One is wearing her super sexy leather outfit and the other she's wearing her little yellow skirt and sweater. I'll add photos later, if I remember.

Grease is the word...

2008-06-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Miles...

Doesn't he look so happy without his little cone?
I am VERY HAPPY that he doesn't have to wear his cone anymore.
He seriously has been wearing it for 5 months, it's almost odd to see him not waddling around.

This past week I have been in South Carolina at my Newphew's HS graduation.I will post some photos as soon as I get them developed, yes...developed. How archaic is that? I just love my slr camera, someday I will get a digital slr. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon." What movie is that line from? For some reason Casablanca is in my head, or at least Humphrey Bogart!

2008-05-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Vintage Books...

Are my latest obsession! Let me tell you about my problem with vintage books. I have found out recently that I love them! This one is from 1964. I grabbed it thinking I could take out the pages and use them in some bird kits I have been working on at Mystic Paper.

It's full of great bird images, as you can see.

When I looked in the back of the book, this was tucked in a pocket-how cute is that?

It is full of little records that you can put on a turntable (remember what this is) and it plays bird calls. Seriously! So if you ever see this book, I recommend picking it up. I saw two of them on ebay, but one without the record booklet.

I also found a couple of books at my last visit to the thrift store- The yellow one I thought I'd make a little altered book for Tucker...get it, the author's last name is Tucker. The Singing Teenagers I thought that I'd tear it up for kits.

This book is full of songs along with the music, isn't this so cute?

My next find was a Disney book with non other than Herbie the Love Bug on the cover. It has a little story in it along with pictures from the original movie. Of course I had to buy this one for Tucker-he LOVES Herbie. (He's watching a Herbie movie as we speak)

All the Little Golden Books I have been buying lately is completely Ellen's fault- If you scroll down to "Oh the Things I Love" on the class examples page of Mystic Paper's website you will see her incredible creation. Since she taught this class I have been completely obsessed with them (I think Kim is too)

It has also overflowed to Rand McNally books, the illustration are just so cute, I can't handle it!

Ellen is teaching her class again in June. I have made a very watered down version on my own featuring Thomas the Train and Tucker. Last year my Mom and I took Tucker to see Thomas in Williams, AZ. It was so fun to see his little face, so excited about seeing Thomas in person and taking his first REAL train ride. This book I actually took off of Tucker's book shelf...along with a Thomas the Train Viewmaster thing (I have no idea what those things are called), that I put in the back of the book in a pocket.

Now that I have actually made this book I'm hoping that my Little Golden Book obsession will subside, but I doubt it. I keep hitting the 50% off sales at Goodwill, and I keep finding all of these great vintage books!

2008-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Flat Cats & Flowers...

Here is what's happening at-

In Arizona, it's difficult to grow anything but cactus and bougainvillea

This is just one of my two blooms on my Gardenia plant, I know it needs a nice place in dirt, but I just haven't planted it yet.

A couple of months ago, Tucker and I planted some seeds in the front yard. I'm shocked that they are growing!

The last few days has been incredibly nice here in AZ. It has been raining! 3 days straight- how often does that happen? I don't think I have ever experienced that in all my years in AZ. I felt like I was back in Nothern California again. At the beginning of the week it was HOT- 110 degress hot! Here is what the cats did to survive. They became as flat as possible on a cool surface.

First is "Pappa" Frenchy...

Cool and flat on my bed

This is my poor cone head cat..."Baby" Miles, flat as can be on the kitchen floor. He has food allergies that we have been trying to clear up for months now. Doesn't he look pathetic?

And this is Herbie, named after the one and only, Herbie the Love Bug.

Cool and flat in the bathtub!

Today everyone is cool and dry in a safe place- 554

2008-05-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Lucky Me...

How lucky was I to find this beautiful book last weekend at the thrift store?
A first edition book from 1912. At first I was attracted to the book because of the blue spine and the green checks, then I pulled it off the shelf and saw the title and the font and I knew I had to have it. I was thinking it might be a good book to alter. It was also 50% off day at Goodwill that Saturday. I brought it home with my other finds, but didn't really look at it.

My Mom came over to visit and I showed here the book. She found a picture of the author that had been cut out of a magazine, she also found a four leaf clover.

not one...

not two...

not three...

but four!

It wasn't until this morning while taking pictures that I discovered the fourth of the 4 leaf clovers!
In the back of the book was yet another find, a magazine article from Women's World dated May 1925, most likely for Mother's Day.

Now that I am curious about Kathleen Norris, I googled her and found out that Mother was her first book of many. She was born in San Fransico and died in Palo Alto- (my hood)

Here is the dedication in the front of the book:

To J.E.T and J.A.T.

As years ago we carried to your knees
The tales and treasures of eventful days,
Knowing no deed too humble for your praise,
Nor any gift too trivial to please,
So still we bring, with older smiles and tears,
What gifts we may to claim the old, dear right;
Your faith, beyond the silence and the night,
Your love still close and watching through the years.

I am sure that this was dedicated to her parents, her maiden name was Thompson. She was born in San Fransico in tht 1880's, so she must have been in the 1906 quake. I will find out more about her and keep you posted of my findings.

2008-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Homey Kitchy Kitchen...

Do you have those little nooks where you just stick things and they all just somehow work together? I love my little shelves and window sill in my kitchen. I have a crazy collection of stuff that I love, so I stuck all kinds of miscellaneous things together. All kinds of glass on the window sill, so all the colors will show when the sun hits them. Ah...pretty colors.

I also have been somewhat of a perfectionist most of my life, but when I but my scrabble letters up on the window sill I didn't notice that the I was upside down until at least a day or two later. Maybe I have grown out of my perfectionist stage. Ah...growth and change is always a good thing.

Is it obvious that I have a little bit of a rooster thing going on? And who doesn't have a sock monkey in their kitchen? I hear that sock monkeys are the new kitchen witch!

I also have a thing for pink gooseberry pyrex-love it! Oh, and fiesta ware...and red...and...

2008-04-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Spring Sing...

Tucker has been very busy these last couple of weeks. Last Wednesday he had his Spring Sing at school. Here he is ready to go, minus a tie (we just couldn't find it).

Before the concert I had to take some photos of Tucker and his friend Allie.

During the concert, Tucker got to stand by Karen, and his was in the front row. How often does that happen?

I love a bunch of unruly first graders. They are so cute!

2008-04-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Such Pigs...

And such cute little pigs at that! Just look at those little snouty bums.

Last week I chaperoned Tucker's class on a field trip to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, it's the first time I've ever been there. It is really a cute little place they have tons of things for the kids to do there. They have a petting zoo, rides, an organic farm where they let them go into the field an pull up some vegetables. They also have a Peach Festival starting in May with all the rides fired up and spinning.

Here is a photo of Tucker and his friend Karen. We lived down the street from Karen for a few years and have known her since she was born. They are going to the same school and they also stood next to each other at the school's Spring Sing. So cute. One of my favorite photos of them together is from Halloween a few years ago. Karen is dressed as a princess and Tucker is Darth Vader. The epitome of Good & Evil. (and it's Dark Vader according to Tucker)

To sum it all up. I liked Schnepf Farm, and I'm glad I drove waaaay the heck out there because I also got to visit Family Scrapbook Studio! I have been wanting to go out there ever since they opened. They have such a fun selection of papers! If you go out that way, or live out that way-drop by to shop and tell Barbara, Shirley and Aimee Hello.

2008-04-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Half Hippie, Half Island Boy...

Many times I feel like a hippie. I'm vegetarian, and I consider myself a heck of a recycler, but I definitely don't like patchouli. I do like Bob Marley, you'd think that I was the one to purchase this awesome t-shirt for the boy. But it came from my lovely niece Heather. (I'm sure she bought it on Haight Street somewhere when she still lived in the city) When Tucker first got the shirt he told me-"I'll wear it the next time we go to the beach". Well now--who knows when that is ever going to happen? I really like the shirt and I wanted him to wear it. I finally had to bribe him and paid him $1 to wear it. Sheesh!

I'd wear a Bob Marley t-shirt if I had one. Well, maybe not, because of my fear of wearing pattern.

The other half of the Half, the Island part is that his biological father is from Trinidad.

The end...

and tell me, who doesn't like reggae?

2008-04-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is...

WOW!

Having Tim Holtz come to Mystic Paper last Saturday was absolutely incredible! You know many times when you own a business, you don't always get to play with everyone else. But Kim and I were lucky enough to be able to take one of Tim's workshops. I took the Vintage Trinkets class. I loved it, I miss making things and especially jewelry! I haven't made any jewelry in years, I think I should break out the soldering iron and get to work (even though these beauties required no soldering).

A huge thanks goes out to Tim and his wonderful crew, Mario, Sharon and Michelle. The day was more than inspiring!

p.s. Happy Birthday Katrina & Kim T

2008-04-06T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sunshine came softly
through my window today...

I have been haunted by Sunshine Superman this past week. I heard it on the radio 2 days in a row. This morning I was laying in bed at 6:30 and it was going through my mind, so I thought I should do something about it and maybe it will go away. This morning I put together a new play list and alas...Donovan!

This photo is of the back door in my kitchen. I took it a couple of weeks ago while I was thinking about a new Somerset magazine- they sent out an email awhile ago and now can't find it on their website, but it has to do with APRONS! I love me some vintage aprons. I have a collection of them and while I was struggling with what to cover the window with--it hit me!

There are tons of blogs out there featuring vintage aprons...here is one of my favs.
http://apronista.blogspot.com/ feel free to tell me about your favorites.

One of my favorite magazines Mary Jane's Farm, last year a whole issue was devoted to aprons.

Look I have blogged and it isn't even a holiday...I'm so proud of myself.

2008-03-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Easter Eggs, Tucker Style...

Tucker (and I) had a great time dying and coloring Easter Eggs. I love the fact that he still believes in things like Santa and the Easter Bunny. Growing up, Easter was always one of my favorite holidays. Chocolate and baby ducks are involved, what's not to love?

Here is Tucker showing some mad coloring and egg hunting skills.

2007-12-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

From Tucker and Santa.

2007-11-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Some things I truly miss...

My favorite Vintage Jewelry store in downtown Burlingame All That Glitters! As many of you know, about 98% of the time I wear vintage earrings, so I truly love and miss this store. The woman that owns this store always goes all out in her displays. Look at how incredible the windows are. I used to live just three blocks away and would walk down to her store to drool over all the jewelry.

Look at all those sparklies!

Here are a couple more photos of downtown Burlingame everything from Pottery Barn to Ann Taylor, was I spoiled there or what? I could walk 5 blocks through downtown Burlingame and take the Caltrain to the city to work.

Tucker in front of a cute fountain, it reminds me of a Spring painting by Botticelli.

And just a couple miles toward San Francisco (from Burlingame) is the world famous Millbrae Pancake House. Well, it may not be world famous, but it should be. When I lived in Millbrae I would take everyone who would come to visit to the Millbrae Pancake House. Despite the one guy who gave MPH just 3 stars, they have the absolute best Swedish Pancakes and serve them with Lingonberry butter. Can you say YUM?! Needless to say My Mom and I couldn't wait to eat breakfast there, we were so close! So we drove down the 101 from San Francisco to Millbrae for Swedish Pancakes and a waffle for the Tuck man.
Here's Tucker with Grandma and his new Beanie Baby puppy.

2007-11-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Foofala...

I have loved Foofala ever since I first saw Foofabets about 5 years ago. I love the Happily Ever After line, so much so that I couldn't help myself from making yet another fresh baby page of Tucker! The Foofala along with our vintage seam binding is well...it's just yummy.

So what if I only blog maybe once a month. Kim says there is such a thing as blogging without obligation.

2007-10-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tucker's First Music Lesson...

I think kids need to decide for themselves what instruments they want to play, so of course Tucker picked the DRUMS!

Here's some photos of his very first music lesson.

2007-09-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

A Not So Good Day...

For both of us!

On Thursday morning at school, Tucker got a flailing foot to the face. I had to take him to the emergency room at Banner Desert-(I love that they have a pediatric emergency room there)
Tucker ended up getting five stiches along with many inventive ideas to contain the little girl at school with the flailing foot! We both like the idea of a hamster ball.
Here is Tucker's sad pupy dog eyes.

This one is pretty icky, a close up blur of Tucker's injury.

2007-08-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tucker's First Day of First Grade...

Here's my little guy outside his classroom door. Tucker chose his outfit to wear. Not my first choice because what scrapbook paper is going to match monster trucks and khaki?

Does he look excited to go into his class? I think he might be trying to hold himself down so he doesn't float up into the air!

Another picture of Tucker so excited I think he might LOVE first grade!
Okay, maybe not.

2007-07-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Kittens...

At last month's "Night Out in Mesa" one of the antique dealers at RJ Peddler's had brought in some wild kittens that she has been taking care of in her neighborhood. I am a HUGE sucker for kittens and Tucker and I took home two, and Tucker is one HAPPY BOY!

2007-06-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

All American Boy...

This is the latest page that I did a couple of weeks ago. In honor of the upcoming holiday I thought I would post these. The photos were actually taken on Easter Sunday when Tucker got his new shirt dirty. I asked him to take it off and I thought it was very funny that his little underwear was sticking out of the top of his jeans. He is starting to look like such a boy! I thought that him with his Ford Truck and American Flag were perfect for the Rusty Pickle papers.

2007-04-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

How Sweet...

Is this picture just adorable or what?
This past week was Tucker's last Kindergarten performance of the year. Along with the first graders, they preformed "BUGZ" The Kindergartener's (is that even a word?) were fireflies. I love the antennas! The first graders were lady bugs and army ants. This is Tucker with his pal Jumani.

This is Tucker being the crazy little bug boy that he is! Not much different from his mother. That's it for now from the bug front.