Meet Jen! founder & owner

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...jen o'connor's...Artful Adventures & Daily Inspirations

I Love Art, Adore the Handmade and Treasure the Vintage. I am the Fun Mom, the Silly Friend and the Writer who wants to make more room for beauty in the everyday.

Visit my shop

Thursday, November 28, 2013

yes, it's our Black Friday SALE 25% off...

Yep!!!
 It's time to shop the site at 
25% OFF
(11/28 and 11/29)
order and use code BFriday25 
at checkout and save big time.

(Sorry to say, Debbee Thibault's items are excluded from the sale.)

Enjoy the treat and thanks for shopping with us! 
xxoo Jen


Monday, November 25, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving and Hello Monday

...as this beautiful holiday approaches...
please know just how thankful I am for you.

So hello Monday and HELLO THANKSGIVING!!

I am so very thankful for my family. 
They are everything to me...

Hello to all my wonderful friends, you are a treasure in my life.

Hello
 and thanks to you...I have a business I enjoy, a wonderful circle of interesting and artistic friends and the very best customers on the planet.

... let's give some hellos and a shout out about the SALES that go as side dishes to Thanksgiving and the gifting season...

Hello Black Friday Sale that starts Thurs...order site-wide anytime on Thursday or Friday  
(excluding Debbee Thibault) 
and SAVE 25% with code BFriday25 

Hello cranberry sauce...I should eat more of that stuff year round it's so darn good.

Hello to a full table and many blessings.

Hello to all of you and enjoy your holiday....

xxoo Jen


Friday, November 22, 2013

this guy's got it going on at Galvanic...so worth the trip.

So did you ever walk into a store...one of those shops where you literally want EVERYTHING. Well "Galvanic" -- a fresh face on the Washington Street Pedestrian Mall in Cape May, NJ is just that....

But even better the 24 year old owner -- Ryan Platzer --  bought and gutted and restored the building that hosts his shop with funds earned working as a fisherman and licensed sea captain. Really.

Interviewed in "Exit Zero" here's what he said:
“I have no interest in a basic, generic shop with chrome racks in the center,” he told us. “I want a shop that’s going to excite people when they walk in the door. That’s where the name, Galvanic, comes from. It means to have an electrifying effect.”

And it delivers...
 
Here's a peek. 
I can only encourage you to make the trip if you are in the area. The racks are filled with American brands and fab gear and clothing from small design houses.  Yes, perfect for all my 20 and 30-something nephews, but so classic and so well edited -- and well-made -- are the offerings that when the 65 year old gent donned a shirt and jacket off the rack, he looked fab...and Micah nabbed a shirt that is sure to be his very fave.

With brands like Iron & Resin, Third Army, Rewined, Woolrich and Stanley, this little nugget of a men's wear store has a lot to share...I have mentioned this shop and the pioneering young owner to the editors of FOLK magazine...
he's a natural for a profile and a more in depth look.

 


Ryan also hosts artists for gallery events...here's hoping we can make a trip and celebrate his style and entrepreneurial spirit.

We met Ryan's Mom on Sunday...we told her she has a great kid. He works hard and I can wish him every success...it's a rare thing to meet someone so young, with such innate talent...

xxoo Jen

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

our next event...please join us...

Sure hope you can join us at our next event 
12/6, 12/7 & 12/8 in Tarrytown, NY...
See the pages of the magazine come to life in this inaugural Holiday Event at beautiful Lyndhurst Castle.
More info, event details and tickets available at StellaShows.com and on our EVENTS page...
 
This is a special shopping event presenting a unique selection of 100 vendors from the Country Living Fairs selling gifts, jewelry, art, home decor and more. Indoors on the grounds of the Lyndurst Mansion overlooking the Hudson in Tarrytown, NY. 

Friday noon - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm


Shop so many wonderful holiday treats!
Hope to see you there...

xxoo Jen

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

hello Monday...thanks Cape May, thanks Ocean...thanks fresh air

Hello Monday. The week is here and I am ready for you. I feel liek I have finally caught my breath...just a little bit, but enough to see and think more clearly.
We ran away for a 3 day weekend to Cape May, NJ...it's the best of what a town by the sea can be.  It also hosts the largest collection of Victorian architecture on the East Coast. It's one of our favorite places on the planet. Rory says he wants to live there...Charlotte says she wants a house by the sea...love that they love it. Micah and I have been going there for 19 years and adore everything about it...especially off season when we have it all to ourselves.









Hello new week...sigh...the holidays are creeping up on us and I definitely do not want to catch the Christmas Crazies...I hope I can remember to slow it all down, breathe and enjoy...

Hello running away...every once in a while you need to.

Hello happy kids playing in the sand, even in the cold and the rain, the mist and fog...

Hello playing hooky...and now goodbye and back to work and the week and the chores with a better outlook that's for sure.

Hello event in 2.5 weeks...we'll be in Tarrytown 12/6-8...
I better get ready for this big time fab Country Living Holiday Bazaar! 
(see the site's event page for details....) Hope to see some of you there.

And hello to all of you...what are you each up to this week...say hello in a comment and let me know...

xxoo Jen

Sunday, November 17, 2013

...in case you need to shop...

...we're offering free standard shipping until 11/24 with code SHOPNOW at checkout.
Thought you should know....
since it's time to see what's new and start shopping for those gifts...
Take a peek at some of our latest arrivals
CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW



Enjoy!
xo Jen

Monday, November 11, 2013

Debbee Thibault closing her workshop in December...

...it is tough for me to even write this...
Debbee Thibault is retiring.



I just received an email from Debbee letting me know that, after 18 years in business
she has decided to close her workshop doors.
I am so very sad...but please join me in celebrating her amazing contributions to the arena of folk art and handmade. She and her art are in my heart. And it will be so tough to say goodbye to working with her on a daily basis...

This is a LAST CALL FOR ORDERS
on ALL of Debbee's Creations...
CLICK HERE TO SHOP THEM NOW

Orders are being accepted from us for our customers until the end of December...
it's time to make your wish lists
and order so you don't miss them...
xxoo Jen


sooo pretty, paper & cloth and noticing the little things...hello Monday

HELLO MONDAY!!!
Wait a minute...I feel like I need it all to slow down...
I feel like life is on "fast forward"...and I want to be on "play".
(did someone say Christmas is coming soon...EEEK!!)
Hello Monday...hope I can catch my breath a bit this week.
It's chores galore and I want to take a moment to breathe...and breathe again.

...sigh...

Lisa Leonard has a wonderful spirit, a great business and a new line I am proud to share. She seems to know that the little things -- like pretty paper and cloth - sweet sentiments and tiny moments are those that need to be shared and treasured...(See more from Lisa's paper & cloth line HERE...)Thanks to Lisa for sharing what she does with Earth Angels Studios....I adore working with her...

I couldn't agree more with these good and positive thoughts...




Hello Monday. Listen week, you netter move a bit more slowly for me...

Hello chores, hello to putting some aside for the more important things.

Hello letters to a friend and some cheery hellos and the 
"I love yous" that mean so much.
 
Hello to the last crisp days of fall...I know winter is coming and I want to get outside with the kiddos as much as I can...

Hello to all of you!
Hope the week goes really well for you too...and that it's low enough for you to enjoy the small joys and daily doses of good things that come your way.

Have a fantastic day...week..and more... 

xxoo Jen

Sunday, November 10, 2013

saying goodbye to Kitty and Ashley

It's sad when our favorite artists stop creating, but we want to give them a merry send off and offer you a chance to purchase their creations at special prices...
 
So Here's to 
Saying Goodbye Forever & Saving 40%
Kitty Babendreier & Ashley Carter
...this is it...
and I will truly  miss them

SAVE 40% today until 11/15
with code ByeBye40 at checkout
(or while supplies last)

CLICK HERE TO SHOPKitty's "Calico & Buttons" creations NOW

 

...but saying goodbye gives us room to add new artists...so stay tuned!  xxoo Jen

Friday, November 8, 2013

woo hoo for Early Shoppers take 25% off today only...

Ok Early Shoppers...

 
Let's Get the Jump on all that 
Black Friday Jazz
~~~
Take 25% off TODAY Fri, 11/8 ONLY
ANYTHING ON THE SITE
with Coupon Code Early25

Don't miss this...
CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW

Enjoy  xxoo Jen


Monday, November 4, 2013

it's SIS-BOOM time...

Hello Monday...you are a shiney new week and I am ready for you...

If you love bright, happy things and pretty textiles, don't miss my friend Jennifer Paganelli's SIS-BOOM open-house at her home in Connecticut this weekend....
 
 
Jennifer has been featured in the pages of so many glorious magazines spreads... 
and her style is inimitable...
What a great chance to step inside her world and shop for her fabrics, crafts and more...

I'll be there to do just that and to visit with Jennifer, she is such an inspiration....I adore her current crafting books...
 
You'll also catch talented folk painter,
 Barbara Strawser...she'll be there as a special guest.

Fingers crossed you can make it....
 
Hello nice plans with gal pals, we need those little outings, even if they're just a stolen hour...
 
Hello thinking about Christmas lists, gifts and more.
 
Hello busy, bright week...I cannot wait to see what's in store...there's a lot of catching up to do around here!
 
Hello to all of you...what's your week like?
xoxox Jen


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