First entry of the year..and a GIVEAWAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been so negligent with updates and therefore I have to stretch way back into 2007 and recap our night in the city for my sister Missy's birthday. We have fun pics and I couldn't stand to let them rot! Our tradition as Heid kids is for all of us to get together and make a whole day of each other's birthdays. This year for Missy we did NYC at Christmastime. We started out at the famous Vincent's restaurant in Little Italy. You may know Vincent's from their sauce on your super market shelves. It's one of the oldest restaurants in Little Italy and it's probably no different than it was 40 years ago. Black and white tile floors, older Italian waiters, autographed photos on the walls, pasta with sauce on basic white dinner plates, bread and oil. We got STUFFED. After that we did Rockefeller Center. The tree was gigantic and noticeably different looking because of the new LED, energy saving lights. None of us skated because there was very little time left but we did all pose like break dancers. You can tell it was COLD by how bundled up we are in the pics. We looked at the amazing department store window displays...of which I have no photos...And then we went to Yaffa Cafe for dessert. It's this open all night place on St. Marks that we've been going to for a decade. Wild decor, leopard print, garish floral patterns, kitschy bric-a-brac, beads, candles, exaggerated victorian style. Way back when we used to decorate similarly but without the irony. We actually tried to pull it off right...and I think we did...now all that stuff is in the closet.  Anyway, just so you know who's in the pics: that's Missy with the blue streaked hair, her boyfriend Charley with the mop top hairstyle, my little bro Walt in the leather (his current purpose in life is to attain the perfect wardrobe),  and the other handsome devil is my other little bro Jay. We had a blast and we kept Walt out way too late on a school night. Ok, recap over, must press on!

 

 

 

 

I'd mentioned previously that I was in a Vintage Stocking Swap and here's my contribution. My partner Mary Ann had the patience of a saint. I was super late but she was so gracious all the way. See, I do not sew. So my handmade stocking had to made from a material I deal with very often...paper. Lot's of glue, mod podge, a vintage photo, sheet music, patterned papers, glitter, and frilly goodness. And it's equipped with a small pocket. The previous pic is the assortment of extra holiday cheer I sent her way. The Charlotte ornie fit perfectly in the stocking pocket, so she had to be included. The glass glittered WISH is so lovely. I got myself one too.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess our new wall color inspired this year's gift wrap. We generally tied in more aqua and turquoise in all areas of our life. And gift wrap ain't gift wrap without custom tags. This year I got 'em from my two favorite tag making gals: Amy Elise Designs and One Ripe Peach. I love them both! I will not do Christmas without getting tags from these fab fabricators.

 

Pop over and visit these lovely ladies...they are already in Valentine's mode! Be sure to tell them that Jenny sentcha! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ok, this is our tree with the new walls. I mean, it's the same tree with almost the same ornaments, but to me it looks waaaayyy different. This year's new additions: the Charlotte ornie, some glittery gold stars, that fab piano ornie I showed a few posts back, glittery lolli pops from Pink Rose Pastries ,Cari Kraft  goodness, Betsy ornaments from Sadie Lou ,beaded satin balls from  Snowflakes on eyelashes and probably more stuff than I even realize. Aar says it looks fuller than last year but I'm not too sure. Overall, we love the new wall color and do not foresee a change anytime soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And some other Christmas decor around the apartment. The mantel shot this year is so much more blue.

  And this JOY banner I fashioned from old and new papers and bits.

  We needed to change some things in the apartment and our parents helped with some generous gift giving. Aar's parents got us the faux wood blinds we'd been coveting, as well as a new curtain rod and some balloon shades (the apartment now glows in the daytime!) And my parents got us some new slip covers for the couch and chair (they so desperately needed a makeover!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  And that leads me to the parade of fabulous gifts: That big gigantic Betsey Johnson Bag is from Missy. The amazing Betsey Johnson necklaces are from Aaron. And those turquoise Cody Foster Mercury Glass candlesticks as well as that fab cake platter are also from Aar...He snuck off to this beyond amazing little shop in our very own Red Bank called Bodega Shoppe and picked those up! Bodega is too perfect to sum up here in a blurb. I promise to give this shop it's very own post with lots of photos. Me and Aar never get out during business hours, so we often window shop very late at night. When I first spied Bodega I thought that someone secretly took the contents of my brain and built a store.  The owner is a dazzler of a guy named Michael Buess  and I just can't wait 'til all the magazines splash him and his shop all over their pages. Ok, back to the gifts...You see that big jar with the most perfectly colored lid? well, that's from Martha's line at Macys...I also got her recipe card holder in that same perfect color. Hmmmm. what else?...a Kitchen Aid blender from Missy (but you don't need to see a pic of that) and a whole workout wear set-up, sneakers and all...I think someone is sending me very unsubtle hints!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Years Eve was a blast. We did the Weird New Jersey trip which took us to an abandoned insane asylum  (ewwwwww) and way down into some reeeeally scary dirt roads in the south Jersey pine barrens. Nothing real scary happened because the most scary part of the legendary road was inaccessible due to the combination of deep mud and the tiny non-four wheel drive Nissan we were in. But a creepy/fun night nonetheless. I think next Year we'll set out earlier and do Weird New York.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, the Valentines issue of Romantic Homes magazine is out, with our stuff in it, but we do not yet own a copy! I buy most decor mags from the newsstand because I found that when I subscribed I'd end up with very ragged and torn magazines in my mailbox. Aar's New Yorker's seem to show up unscathed but all my decor mags were beat to heck so I stopped subscribing. But now all you subscribers out there are getting to see the spread that I so desperately need to see and I'm stuck calling Barnes and Nobel every day asking if the new RH arrived yet. Anyway, can't wait to see. And while I'm on the topic...I promised a give-away! And so in celebration of their magazine debut...I'm giving away a set of four of our Valentines Cupcake Nutcups! Just leave a comment on this post and I'll pick a winner at random this Sunday.  And for those of you who want these and aren't gamblers, or feel generally unlucky, you can get them over on Etsy and eBay !

  Ok, that's it for now. Glad to be back and hope to post doubly in 2008! Good luck with the give-away...and thanks for visiting! xoxo, Jenny

Love you!

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Ooh Ohh ohh.....before I go...Would you get a load of this AMAZING garland that I received from the over the top, ridiculously cool Kimberlee Edgar??? Vintage cigar labels, mercury glass beads, and seam binding in the most perfect shade of red?? Is she genius or what?? LOOOVE it!