A little seasonal paint job...

So I don't always just work on my computer! Sometimes I actually paint stuff too! I painted the snowman theme and deer for Christmas at my son's school  (I've been going along with the seasons. I started with a big yellow bus, some flowers and fun stuff to start the school year) then I did a fall theme with pumpkins on a white picket fence and a cute scarecrow. I knew that I could keep snowmen around for several months  (we are in northern michigan lol) so I erased the trees, presents, bulbs and garland greenery,and replaced them with hearts and twine!

Hope this brings you a smile! :) the kids love it~and my boys are so proud that mom is a "well known artist" haha
I hope it teaches them to use their own gifts to serve their communities and inspire others.

Jen

Online market for AFK brand and other children's design...

I've been operating on Etsy for a long time...six years now! I can't tell you how rewarding it is to be able to do what I love in my pretty office (at home) I truly feel lucky. I know that sounds cheesy right? Right now your like " whatever b----!" Lol but seriously if I made more money it would be ALOT cooler!!! Hahaha...I've been dreaming about having a retail shop and studio for literally EVER! So now the time is right to make my move. Right here on our property is a small house we've been abusing and using for storage and such. It's long been my plan to renovate this little gem and transform it into a retail shop where I can sell my work and other related home goods and have a place where people can find me to do custom things and help them with their decorating needs! So I'm happy to say the journey has begun. Check back periodically on the AFK blog or 13101 blog for updates on The Summerhouse project!

The Summerhouse project...

Working on lots of stuff...nursery art is going out and canvas pieces are coming in, along with pillows and other goodies for my retail business The Summerhouse! It will feature art and textiles under my children's brand  Area Fare Kids...as well as painted furniture, rugs from Dash & Albert, Surya and The Rug Market, home accessories items, lamps, florals, art, cards, wallpaper, textiles and lots more! Coming in June 2016!

Check the blog on our progress here...

Thesummerhouse13101.blogspot.com

Thanks
Jen ♡

The passing of fall and what lies ahead...

I love fall. Have I mentioned that before? Oh, I'm sure I have! We live in Northern Michigan and the spectacular colors have passed their peak and I'm sad about that. However, now I'm starting to receive all the Christmas catalogs from Ballard, Land of Nod (my fave), Pottery Barn and a host of others so I'm feeling like I have something to look forward too as far as decorating goes! This year they are filled to the brim with little woodland creatures as holiday decor~or that stuff is just catching my eye for some reason. I've already decided to decorate the tree with cute plushy foxes, squirrels, acorns and of course owls! You can't go wrong with a bit of owl here and there right? Anyway I was inspired to create this little barn owl art this afternoon as part of a collection I'm featuring in my home. What do think? Maybe he'll just end up in my Etsy shop too one of these days! Happy Fall and beyond....

STARRY NITE BARN OWL~AREA FARE KIDS  JEN SNYDER

custom crib bedding on Etsy...

Oh my gorgeous! Check out these super cute patterns for crib bedding from Lil Slumber on Etsy... Buy premade sets or customize your own....it's love!

customize your crib...

adorable!

can't go wrong with this color palette for a boy or a girl...

this one has a mid century modern feel

awww~nautical theme

 

rugs with graphic punch...

Ok~I'm nutty over rugs! I'm not quite sure why but I just love a great big colorful statement piece underfoot. It's amazing how the right rug can change the look of a room or pull it all together for that finished look!

Check out these lovelies with a little graphic punch from Xavier & Me...

pretty right~HOT SPRINGS OMBRE $835

Can't go wrong with Chevron~ CHEVRON STRIPE $730

COASTAL STRIPE $705

SOUTH BEACH STRIPE $705

Imagine this in a little boys room...TARTAN $750

HOT SPRINGS

RECIPES FOR THE KIDS...

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I found over at the blog High Heels and Grills~ Sarah and Zachary's blog is super user friendly with tons of great recipes the whole family will love! These are sure to be a hit with my first grader and his class this Halloween! 

LOVE...

Ingredients:
Cookies:

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Orange and yellow food coloring

Frosting:

• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract {I used clear vanilla, so the frosting would be more white, but any kind works}
• A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. FOR THE COOKIES: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add egg and combine well.
4. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.
5. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
7. Separate the dough into two equal parts and color one half of the parts orange and the other part yellow.
8. Press the yellow batter into the greased baking dish and spread out to the edges with your hands. {If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness. Also, it may seem like it's not going to cover the bottom of the pan, but don't worry, it will.}
9. Spread the orange batter over the yellow batter evenly. {I found it was easier to roll the orange dough out a little with a rolling pin before putting it on the yellow batter.}
10. After it's all spread out and ready to go, bake it for 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.
11. Set aside to cool completely.
12. FOR THE FROSTING: In a medium bowl, cream powdered sugar, butter and half and half until light and fluffy.
13. Stir in vanilla and salt and combine well.
14. Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly.
15. Cut into triangles and serve.

Cuties from the Etsy universe...

how cute are these kids infinity scarves from the Etsy shop Poncho Dean...

giveaway from Area Fare Kids...

There's still time left to enter the contest to win any 8x10 print from my Etsy shop Area Fare Kids. Just head over to Sarah's lovely blog~Just the Bee's Knee's to enter until Thursday March 7th (psst that's tomorrow so don't wait) Don't forget to check out her blog too-she has great little DIY tutorials regarding decorating and sewing-you'll love it!

Jen

MLB LA ANGELS ABC...CUSTOM TEAMS ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE!

HOCKEY ABC'S...

DECORATE YOUR NURSERY WITH YOUR FAVORITE NHL TEAM FOR YOUR FAVORITE LITTLE FAN! CUSTOMIZE YOUR ABC FREE!

NHL ABC'S FROM AREA FARE KIDS

A Little Construction ABC...

Here's a little construction abc I'm adding to my Etsy shop...it was a custom piece for a client and I thought other moms and dads would dig the big boy designs!

Check it out...

 

 

I haven't quite started my construction and demo project at the AFK house down the hill. We have so much to do up here on top of the hill that I've been too busy! Right now all of the kitchen cabinets have no doors and they are strategically placed around the kitchen in what I like to call an organized mess. I've sanded them and they are ready to prime...I'll keep you posted! :)

 

Jen

snuggle friends...

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Just a quick pic today of this cute little pet~around here they're called "snuggle friends" lol When all the plushies are piled up together the boys call it a "snuggle pit"...isn't that the best? xo




buy one of these cuties or a custom piece from the modern and indie threads site...here



 

new logo and other stuff...

I've been getting back into the game lately. Letting my brain dream about things I haven't even thought about in what seems like forever! We moved over the summer and I'm still settling in. Everyone tells you it takes a year to really get your stuff into position-lol. I believe it because I'm still organizing and reorganizing and cleaning out closets etc etc... The upside is that this is finally our "forever" home. You know what that means-I am never, ever, moving again! You don't know what it means for a home loving Taurus like me to be able to say that! It is a large home with tons of possibilities and ample space indoors and out. We bought the gorgeous 16 wooded acres next door and behind us. Seriously ~I walk through the property and I can't believe it's ours-it's hilly and beautiful. Part of the acreage deal were 2 more houses. One was trailer (it was newer and pretty decent) that we sold and they're coming for it in the spring. The other is an old 2 bedroom home with a large 2 car garage, old barn and various sheds. The older house sits right on a main highway almost at an intersection with a good amount of traffic (and tourists) Do you see where my mind is going here? So, my new project is setting up Area Fare as a home/art/kids stuff/accessories shop filled with new modern pieces, updated furniture treasures I find and rehab and of course canvas and art prints! Wish me luck! I'm kicking off this adventure in retail beginning January 1 and I'll be blogging lightly about everything I'm up to so be back to check that out!

Here's a look at the new logo...

Wow-I came to visit my blog today and it's all different! lol I've been totally out of it lately. We have so many people looking at our house (it's for sale) that it's getting crazy! Don't get me wrong I'm thankful we have alot of interest but I'm constantly fussing about keeping it clean and ready for anything!

I've been busy in my Etsy shop too, which I love! I can't even tell you how gratifying it has been to sell my artwork. I've been selling lots of baseball ABC's lately-tis the season I suppose! My 5-year old started t-ball this year and he doesn't really want to do it. Well, he says he wants to then gets nervous about doing new things and starts acting up a bit! Meanwhile I've been reading like crazy about self esteem and getting kids to try new things and whether or not to force them-hahaha Jeez-we are such a crazy generation of people! Kids used to WANT to go play all day and parents used to let them. Oh well, it'll all work out right?

I've been trying to find time for a collection of animal art with letters. So far I've completed a giraffe and zebra. I've really enjoyed the process involved in creating them. They are completely digital. I don't know if I should leave the backgrounds white or add color or add a background design-I really kind of like the simplicity of the white. It seems to showcase the art of the animal itself better. I'm getting some use out of my graphics tablet and have been experimenting with all kinds of stuff. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts...

cute and colorful idea for mini storage...

I just love this and had to share...

captured from Cush and Nooks

You know you can find these little animals all over- I just spied bins and bins of them at Toys R Us-but even places like Tractor Supply carry these cute critters. Glue them on, give em a coat of glossy spray paint and you're done! Super Cute!

Back to the blogosphere..

Wow-I haven't written on here since March 5th? Sorry-guess I needed a little vacation. Well I wouldn't say it was all that vacation like. Just wanted to update anyone who was wondering about our little guy who had surgery down at U of M in February-he is doing fabulous! He has two long scars on each side of his lower abdomen and a barely noticeable one above his belly button. The one good thing that came of this experience was that with all the laying around he had to do-he got totally sick of video games-lol. Now I'm like "you better do your gaming while your brother takes a nap buddy" and he says "No mom, I'm not really into that right now." He is 5 so this conversation makes me laugh.

Well-we put our house on the market officially on Thursday. I will miss this little place, but it's time to move on. It's a cute, cottage style, city home with lots of charm and character. We've outgrown it though and I can't park in the garage. It's not such a big deal until you have to scoop a foot of snow off your car and start it 30 minutes before you leave! lol that sucks right? We did so many (long overdue) projects last week. Why is it always like that? We've lived here for 2 and half years now and did every single thing I've wanted to do in here to improve the aesthetic quality of the overall space, in one week! I guess it's nothing new-that's what I did for every single paper I ever wrote in college! ahhh but alas, it feels good to have it all done. 

I painted every piece of trim and every door in this entire house a glossy coat of BM Atrium White. It's my go to white for everything- I love it! And the old door handles (original to the house) I painted those with an awesome product from Martha Stewart I picked up at Home Depot. It's part of her textured collection and it's called-Vintage Gold Metallic-you gotta try this stuff-it's amazing!Of course I'm including pics of the staircase I've finally-kind of have finished-it needs retouching now-I'll tell you why some other time-haha...here's a few pics...

remember my year long staircase project? It needs retouching now but that is another blog post all together! :)

doors and trim before- painting with BM Atrium White semi gloss with primer added...

After- most of the white trim and doors you see around the house, I painted in the last week-whew!

still a work in progress in here...

roo needs a haircut, but mama is toooo busy! lol-he's happy about it believe me...

before the beat-up door handles...

painted with Martha Stewart Metallics in Vintage Gold

Another project we completed (in a day) was replacing the old crappy, peeling, perma-dirty floor in the kitchen with those groutable vinyl tiles. Have you seen these? I was slightly skeptical at first. I was like "whatever, just get something and lets go-anything is better than the ghetto stuff we've got going on in there now!" But I have to say-I really like it. It looks really good, it's warmer than ceramic tile, was super easy to install, you can lay it over existing vinyl as long as it's clean and flat, and it was cheap ($85) for the entire project!  Have a look it if you are in the market for a quick and easy fix that you can live with.

Wow-I was long winded today. Making up for lost time I guess! Talk to you soon....