giant stuffed mushrooms...

So, this seems to be the year of giant fruits and veggies!  {remember this and this?}  Our latest monster-sized bites were in the form of mushrooms.  Jon spotted these at the grocery store, and we knew we must buy them!  We were giggling the whole time just thinking about the giant stuffed mushroominess that awaited us. 

check these babies out! 

We stuffed them with crab meat, shrimp, cream cheese and spices and then breaded them with italian breading.  {by "we" I of course mean Jon did the work while I stood there and tried to look pretty}

mmmm...

Note how freakishly small my hand looks in this last picture.  This was our conversation regarding this photo:

Jen:  Whoa!  Why does my hand look so freakishly small?

Jon:  I don't know, but doesn't look like you wanna eat a Whopper any time soon!

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

I love my husband's lame jokes!  I guess it's a good thing I find him so funny.

Ah, love.

Oh, don't forget about the giveaway!  I'll be drawing a winner Thursday evening, so make sure you enter!

100th Post Giveaway!

I can't believe that I've made it to my 100th post!  When I started my blog, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep up with it, but now it's just part of what I do!  I want to say thanks to all the wonderful bloggers that I've met over the last 9 months.  This really is an amazing community and I'm so proud to be a part of it! 

As a thank you, I'm giving away one of my new brooches! 

Made from re-purposed fabric, this fun brooch is perfect for fall and looks eaqually fantastic on a blouse, jacket or even a tee!  {I made one very similar for myself that I plan on wearing as much as possible this season.}   

This givaway is for followers of jdavissquared in the U.S. and Canada only, so if you're not already, please become a follwer!  Just leave a comment below to enter.  I will give you an extra entry if you post a link to this givaway as well.  Just leave a second comment letting me know! 

****This giveaway has been extended through Sunday October 4th at 9:00 p.m. central****

I will choose a winner at random on Thursday after 5:00 p.m. and announce it on Friday.  Good luck, and thank you! 

Overland Park Fall Festival

Our show was yesterday!

There were tons of people there, but most people seemed to be just looking not buying.  We sold some things, but not as much as we were hoping.  I guess that's the current economy for you.  It was a blast anyway, and a great experience. 

I do think we'll do it again, but right now I'm looking forward to having our life back for a while! 

setting up before the show...

paintings on display...

{you might remember these from here}

my sweet husband helping run the booth...

{thanks sweetie, I couldn't do it without you!}

re-purposed fabric brooches...

some of my favorite fall paintings...

We were up at 5:00 yesterday morning to go set up before the show.  We got there a little after 6:00 and had til 9:00 to get ready.  Let me tell you, we used every minute of that time! 

We saw lots of people we know.  Our families all stopped by to say hi, there were a few people from high school, and I even saw my high school boyfriend wander by.  Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got home!  I went to bed at 8:30 last night and was out to the world until 7:30 this morning!  Much needed rest, I suppose! 

I'll be listing some of my fall items in the shop over the next week or so, so please go take a look!

One last thing, my next post will be #100!!!  To celebrate, we will be hosting our first givaway!   So make sure you're a follower and check back on Monday! 

Happy Fall everyone!

oh, how lovely!

So, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you remember how much I'm yearning for a cruiser. 

Well, I just recently found the loveliest of lovely blogs, The Lovely List, that gives away a cruiser to one lucky reader every month!  How lovely is that!?  Go check it out! 

I'm also adding a button to my right side bar.  I'm a new reader, but it certainly promises to become a favorite.

Oh, and everybody cross your fingers that I win one!

{doesn't the one in her picture look eerily similar to the one in my post?}

the perfect cowboy boots...

Yes, I am doing another post about shoes...but look at these beauties!  I couldn't help myself.  Aren't these just the most perfect cowboy boots for fall!?  And...they're my size.  Oh, how I'd love to make them my own, but I can't justify the buying them right now.  They'll just have to live happily here on my blog. 

You can find them here in mfvintage on etsy.

I stole borrowed the picture from there too...hope ya'll don't mind.  Yep, that's right, I said ya'll.  See how perfect they'd be for me!

happy friday!

photo credit:  Stephanie.....

So, yesterday I went shoe shopping over my lunch break, and the strangest thing happened....I didn't find a single pair to buy!  I know, weird, right!?  I was on the search for some comfy, cute flats for fall.  {that I can wear to work} Now, don't get me wrong, I saw a few pairs that I'd like, but they completely missed the mark. I was on a functional mission and nothing was doing it for me.  Maybe next week.

This weekend I will be finalizing my booth for the show. {one week to go! eek!}  Lots to do, but I'm very excited! 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend planned!  See you Monday!

coming soon...

just a little sneak peek at some of my new work to be unveiled at my upcoming show.  I will have new items in the shop sometime the week of Sept. 28.  Stay tuned!

pantry...

Our new house has an awesome butler's pantry that I just love.  However, when we moved in it quickly became a catch all for all sorts of non-food items.  {candles, cleaning supplies, etc.}  I always think we have a "fully stocked" pantry, but upon closer examination, I'm only using about half of it {if that} for food.  One of these days I'll reorganize and get it in order.  Hopefully before winter sets in so we can stock up for those long snowy spells. 

Someday, I want to put everything in pretty glass jars an baskets with pretty labels like this.  Isn't it lovely?  It would feel like shopping in an olf fashioned general store every time you went to retrieve something. 

via Design Sponge

the biggest loser...

The new season of the biggest loser started tonight!  They got off to an action packed start:  Jillian was dropping the f-bomb every couple of minutes {which was hilarious!},  this lady's story had me crying, two contestants were rushed to the hospital, and they all had me feeling motivated as always.  I love this show, not just for the workout/weight loss factor, but because I think it's awesome to see people take control of their life and decide to reach for their dreams. 

This was the first episode, so of course they were all trying to make profound comments.  Seemed kinda cheesy to me.  Here in a couple weeks they'll all be crying like babies from all the exhaustion and hunger.  Can't wait! 

I'm so excited that my favorite shows are finally back.  The new season is upon us!  What show are you most excited for this fall?

yummy...

giant cookies are fun to share.

can't stop...

thinking about this dress that Christina at Down and Out Chic posted about today. 

So cute, and you can't beat the price!

Now I just have to figure out how to convince Jon that I need to buy it!

Chai goodness...

I am in love with this...

I love a great cup of chai tea in the fall.  I recently found this Yogi blend of Chai Rooibus, which is even better!  Rooibus is high in antioxidants and natually caffeine free.  Find more about it here.

I've been keeping a pitcher of concentrated tea (brewed 8 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water) in the fridge.  In the mornings before work, or whenever the mood strikes I can either pour over ice and add milk for a refreshing iced chai, or add milk and heat for a hot cup.  It's come in really handy since I'm always running late in the mornings. The best part is that I'm no longer drinking the sludgy coffee at the office! 

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Mine was too short, as usual. 

I was a painting machine, though!  Got alot done for my upcoming fair. 

Happy Monday everyone!   

Transformer Coat...

I'm loving this Transformer Coat by Rachel Roy. It can be worn 4 different ways! {With or without the sleeves and long or short.} How cool is that!? I'm diggin' the purple for fall, too.

This is going on my wishlist.

hope...

Look what I came home to! 

My sweet inlaws left this beauty on our front porch.  It's a belated birthday present for moi!  They're so sneaky, and so FABULOUS!   

I cannot tell you how much this lifted my spirits.

I've had a rough afternoon.  I have been feeling attacked and disrespected by someone who I thought of as a friend.  I'm still trying to figure out how to handle it. 

But this!  This is what I needed!  {There are also two giant cookies. Jon and I will share them later...mmmm!}  Thanks George and Cindy! 

locks...

This is so romantic...

found on Naturally Nina. 

On a bridge in Cologne, Germany, lovers have started a tradition of affixing padlocks with messages engraved on them to the fence.  It's kinda like the new initials carved on the tree thing. Much more modern and sophisticated, and no trees get hurt in the process! 
My high school boyfriend carved our initials in a tree.  I'm sure they're long since grown over {I certainly hope so}.  At the time I thought it was way cool.
 
I hope you all have a weekend filled with love and romance!   Happy Friday!

Color...

I found this flickr set of objects grouped by color via Jordan Ferney's Oh Happy Day! They are just so lovely. Remind me to try this someday when I'm bored...um, if that ever happens again! Aren't they gorgeous!?

09-09-09

9 vintage buttons from a grab bag I bought yesterday. I'll be using them in some new projects I'm working on.

Hope you all are having a lovely week. I'm afraid I've been spending every free moment working on new items for my upcoming show, and that my blog is suffering. Please forgive my scarce posting. I'll be back in full swing soon, with lots to share!

swoon...

I was going through some photos and realized that I never posted my teeny gallery art from this year!

The company I work for has an employee art show each year, {remember the skull baby?} and one portion of it is the Teeny Gallery. Each artist is given a frame to start with, so they are all identical, then creates something within that frame. The end result is always quite interesting to see how we all venture in different directions from the same source.

I was shocked and honored that this year....I WON!! I was the proud recipient of a glorious ribbon and some movie passes! Horray!

I am in the process of making more collages along these lines for my etsy shop, and the Overland Park Fall Festival craft show that I'll be doing at the end of the month. I'm hoping to even get in some halloween themes!

I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day if you're in the US, or just a plain old great weekend otherwise! Here's to the end of summer! Cheers!

chicken soup and scarves...

Jon is feeling under the weather today, so I made a pot of chicken noodle soup this evening. Hopefully the soupy goodness will help him feel better...

Also, I wore my new purple scarf today...not sure if I'm pulling it off or not. What do you all think? Do I look like a cowgirl? Be honest...

Looks as though tomorrow is going to feel even more like fall. We aren't even supposed to get to 70! Time to break out the autumn clothes!

so glad...

for the memories of our vacation...Can't believe it's already been a month.

Funny the things that I remember...

Dad's "drafting", Brenda's "hale bays", the snoring {and subsequently the earplugs}, never getting our food at the same time in restaurants, "Dave" the GPS guy, hearing crickets, our ice cream dinners, and long talks.

I could go on, but this really won't mean much to anyone but the three of us. I guess that's what makes it so special. The three of us have this inside club thing now, something that only we share.

I'm so glad we were able to take that trip. I get a little teary just thinking about it.