This is the last week of my 365 day blog, In the Art Cupboard. I have almost come full circle. I have a few last things to photograph to finish the week up and I have already decided what they will be, just a few things I have had my eye on for awhile.

So be sure to check out the blog this week to see what pops up. I can’t believe that a whole year is almost coming to close on this project. Something, I will no doubt reflect on in the near future, as this blog was a part of my life everyday over the last year and something that has brought my joy and at times challenges,but I have it thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our house takes on a different pace in the Summertime. The last day of school brings about a new found freedom, each year. We take the days as they come, dictating a slower pace. A pace that allows us to do whatever strikes our fancy.

Sprinkles Bakes is often a source of sugary inspiration and when I saw her post on Friday, I knew that this would be on the menu sometime soon.  I love peanut butter and surprisingly, so does Mr. Michie. The majority of British people I know wouldn’t touch a jar of peanut butter with a ten foot pole. But, Mr. Michie loves it! He even eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

After a long day at work on Monday (we each went in to clean and reorganize our spaces), we came home famished and ready for something delicious. Mr. Michie made a quick Beef Stroganof for dinner while I whipped up this:

I didn’t think we could be patient enough to wait the 3 hours for it to set up, but we made it, just! It was heavenly! I made a few changes, in that I was out of cocoa powder, so when I added the roasted peanuts on top, I also added a few chocolate chips. It taste like a Reece’s Cup on crack. If you like peanut butter this is a recipe for you! Pure bliss!

(click here for the recipe)

This made me smile when I took the photo. Just a box of pastels, in a rainbow of happy colours.

I am 163 days in to my 365 Day Project. So, please head over to In the Art Cupboard to see what I’ve been up to!

A few of my favourites so far, over the progression of the project…..

(All Images Photographed by and Copyright of: Jennifer Michie)

It is always nice, but especially, at this time of year, to bring the outside, indoors. I can appreciate that it is not always easy for some of us. I live in a very tiny cottage and there is not always space to have what you want.

This idea, however, would work for anyone. I saw it on the lovely One Pearl Button Blog. Everyone has bits and bobs laying around the house they can use. It doesn’t have to be an apothecary jar, it could be a giant old jam jar, or your Nana’s favourite mixing bowl. It could be old plastic farmyard animals that are laying around, your children don’t play with any more, instead of the cupcake toppers.

It is simply, just a little way to bring the outdoors in, to create a whimsical world and bring a smile to your face every time you see it!

Go to Alli’s site for further information.

One of my colleagues in the Art Department is a wonderfully delightful woman. She usually marches into my cupboard in the morning, singing “Hello” to me, like my own personal Ethel Merman.

She was commissioned by a county museum to create a piece about books. She used a vintage book and then began to take it apart. Drilling through it, slicing out interesting text and images, putting it back together in an accordion fold, that when opened creates the most fascinating scenes as you peer through the “tunnel” into the book. One of my favourite bits of text is the one used in the image above, “A constant source of surprise, was the joy of doing it”.

A resourceful artist and one who does not waste, she stacked the circles that were drilled out of the book on top of each other and screwed in a acrylic holder to make a resting spot for the book when it is closed.

It is a truly charming piece of work and is something that I will be photographing and documenting over on In the Art Cupboard this week, so please come over and take a look!

Have you been over to In the Art Cupboard lately? I have just finished my first month of posting all the Art Cupboard treasures I am finding and there is so much more to come, so please tune in…

Come on over and visit me at my 365 Day Blog!

Step right up! Step right up! Come one! Come all to In the Art Cupboard.

Enter through the magical cupboard door  October 1st and see what awaits you!

I’m getting ready for the “grand opening”. Entry is FREE, grab your popcorn, get your peanuts….Step right up! Step right up!

(Image: Flicker Sabine&cats’)

I have gone through so many changes with my new blog, In the Art Cupboard. I had so many different ideas of how I wanted it to look. It would be cleaner, simpler, not all the girly flowery things that exist here on Jenny Wren’s.

I mocked-up a “board”, trying a background that looked like a cork board with my designs pinned on it and lived with that for awhile, although something about it never felt right. I tried a stretched canvas background, a solid color in a variety of hues. Like Goldilocks, I just new they were not the right fit.

And, then it hit me! I was trying too hard, too hard to make it look like something it wasn’t, this is a blog about simplicity, about finding one thing a day you want to photograph and putting it up for the world to see and so, the site itself, should be just that. I lost my way for a little bit, but I found it again, simplicity is key.

I ventured into the cupboard yesterday and began to get the lay of the land. I wanted to straighten some things up, clean some things out and just get a general idea of where everything is supposed to be!

In the process I brought along my camera with me to start to get a feel for how I want to shoot things: in a collage, by item, a mixture of the two? Do they look best on my work table? My desk? With a fabric background?

So, I played around a little, grabbed a few things and started to shoot. I had so much fun, cleaning and discovering some of the items in there, like an original box of violin strings from what looks like the 50’s or 60’s, there is a handwritten note on the side stating they are 20p each.  I also found an original handheld camera from the 1960’s with the original receipt of purchase and Japanese instruction manual still intact.

These are just a few images from yesterday. Some, might be used in my new blog, others not, but I wanted to get a feel for things and how they would best work and be photographed. I can’t wait for school to start!

Visit my new blog I will be beginning my 365 day project soon…

(Tape & Tag in image are Pugly Pixel Freebies)