We hope you enjoy this back to school themed treasury!  We took a little old, a little new, and collaborations of the two, to bring you a grouping that is both nostalgic and current.  I personally think the Pink Pearl USB drive is genius!  The "Where the Wild Things Are" globe and National Parks checklist map are super high on my wish list too.  This treasury makes me miss the smell of old library books!  What little things do you remember about going back to school?

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

xox

P + E

This morning, we woke up to rain.  Rain!  It was so lovely to see, I can't remember the last time it rained.  We had been planning some DIYs, and decided to put our blog writing on the back burner and be crafty today!  Rainy day crafts are the best, don't you think?  We ventured out to the store to buy some acrylic paints, then home, then back, because I forgot to pick up gold paint, and Judd knows how Jessa gets when she doesn't have just what she has in mind.  Haha!  What a great guy!  Before coming home, we trolled the alleyways of Tower Grove looking for some scrap wood.  Totally unrelated to the DIY project, but we had a blast, and found a great palate that actually fit in the trunk. And the dogs loved the car ride, so I thought I'd mention it!  

Finally we returned home, and sprawled everything out on the floor, turned on some Elvis (I LOVE me some EAP), and got down to business... I mean, TCB!!  Judd is a very clean painter... I, on the other hand....

Yin + Yang

Saturday morning, our friends Brigham + Lucy picked us up and we piled into their Fit, ready for adventure.  We were headed to Grafton, Illinois for our very first taste of the Riverside Flea Market.  The drive was beautiful, and as we pulled into town, we all felt a strange sensation of being somewhere else, more than an hour or so outside of the metropolitan area.  There was the sweet smell of kettle corn in the air, and the attached restaurant and it's sprawling deck out to the river conjured the illusion that we were seaside.  The decks were painted with bright yellow umbrellas, shading clusters of laughing, carefree people.  We knew right away that the picnic we had planned would be replaced with a frosty drink and a riverside view.

The little things in life mean so much. My fondest memories are made up of things like walks on Jones' beach with Judd and our pups, sharing ice cream with friends I hadn't seen in ages, and running through cool rain on a hot summers day with this man of my dreams. One of my very favorite feelings is the excitement of tearing through a brown paper parcel, and as luck would have it, today I was greeted by a lovely little package from a thoughtful friend!  Inside I found something beautiful, made with love, care and tremendous skill.  I was so ecstatic I'm sure I squealed!  I couldn't wait to photograph it to share with you!

Judd and I have been diehard Etsy shoppers for a few years now, and we love sharing our favorite finds. We've gushed about handmade bow ties and the miracle that is tooth powder.  We've swapped stories and sent our loved ones to our most prized shops. We've picked favorites, made treasuries, and even began to post them on our blog. Last year, we had an Etsy Christmas. But there is one way we haven't supported Etsy. We have not had a giveaway. That's right, a giveaway!

So guess what we're going to do?  We've talked it over with our new friends, and we've got some goodies coming your way!  That's right... we're hosting giveaways!!! I can't disclose the super secret details just yet, but there will be some surprises in store for friends to the P + E blog.  So come back and check us out, daily if you so please, and get excited for a good chance to win something truly unique and selected just for you!  There are going to be some Etsy seller features up here too! 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to support small business, handmade, and local.  With Etsy, you can be sure you are doing just that ♥    

I'm Excited!!  You should be too.  Until then, here's a treasury courtesy of Judd + me!

“My philosophy, like color television, is all there in black and white” -Monty Python

xox

P + E

Well everybody it's that time of year again. Time for the fifth annual World Naked Bike Ride! If you've never had the pleasure of attending this event, you have no idea of the fun you're missing out on. There are dancing bears, body painting, snacks, guitars, and a whole lot of naked people. Ok, so the dancing bear part is an illustrious ruse to get you there, but still, it's without a doubt one of the best times you could have in St. Louie. 

The annual ride promotes acceptance of your body, and everyone else's, and alternative means of transportation. Not to mention, it's a fun ride through the city that always ends with a gigantic party. It's happening this Saturday, July 28th, at 8 p.m. The ride will depart from the South Grand Parking Lot, more specifically, 3500 Hartford Street. As always, before the ride you can partake in live music, body painting, an expo for local businesses, open mic, and an awards ceremony for the best decorated bicycle.

I participated in this event two years ago and I cannot remember ever having so much fun. After the initial shock of being naked in the outside world wears off, which happens rather quickly as everyone else in naked, you really have a chance to absorb the atmosphere of this wondrous event. Even if you're shy I recommend checking this out. No one ever said you had to participate, in fact, a lot of people that show up just come for the laughs and memories. Hope to see you there!!!

Above you'll find some optional naked bike riding attire.

cheers,

earl

It's come to our attention that you haven't seen much of us here on the P+E blog.  So here's a quick little how-do-you-do!  I'm Jessa, and over there is Judd.  We are artists, designers, photographers, laughers, criers, crafters, pranksters, (bad) singers, thrifters, animal lovers.  Oh and we don't eat meat either.  We live in St. Louis, and have two dogs: Neko and Alabama, and a kitty: Isabey (named for the best paint brush brand in the world of course!)  It's almost impossible to spot her in the picture below, but I promise, she's there.   The five of us can get pretty rambunctious!

So I do quite a bit of the cooking around our humble abode and Jessa will vouch for me when I tell you, that I'm a Jackson Pollock when it comes to food. By no means are my measurements precise or even well thought out. Like Mr. Pollock's art work, I tend to throw things together and see what our taste bud's think of it. Sometimes good, sometimes really good, and occasionally I ask Jessa what she thinks of it and she just gives me a loving smile... and I know to never make that again. Jessa's my canvas and she lets me throw whatever colors I want on her and if she doesn't like the combo she'll throw it right back at me. It's a relationship an amateur cook dreams about. After all, every good cook knows, you cannot create delectable eats without making some disastrous doozies along the way.

We debated for while what we should feature as our first official food post. When we were done debating, we continued debating, then, it was like someone pulled a chain and a light bulb lit up above Jessa's head. Instead of breaking out the big guns right away, why not start like everything in life... small! We thought it best to let the proverbial flower blossom. We went back to the roots of our relationship and decided to share with you, what Jessa had once shared with me. Jessa has been a vegetarian for most of her life and I have been a practicing vegetarian for a little over four years. When I was a carnivore  there was one thing I could never turn down... a burger. I had missed them so much until Jessa shared her recipe with me. 

Being an ex-carnie (pun intended) I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into her vegetarian sliders. I was delighted. I was hooked. I was in love. Not only are these little treats quick and easy, their perfect for anyone who only has what seems like moments for lunch, and in today's world I'm guessing that's almost all of us. These are my go-to treats for BBQ's, social gatherings, picnics or anytime I feel the need for a burger. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. And remember, cooking in the kitchen is meant to be shared with the person you love, no matter what you're making. So get in that kitchen with your other half and have some fun and please, don't be scared to throw some flour at each other  while you're in there. You never know, you might just make some memories while you're making dinner, or lunch in this case!!!

Here's what you'll need. Don't be scared to experiment. Create these to suit your own personal tastes. These are suited to ours!!!

This recipe comes with a disclaimer though... once you eat one, you're just going to want one more!!!

Judd and I made our monthly pilgrimage to the Belleville Flea Market today, and as usual, it did not disappoint! We saw some friends and made some killer finds.  I was able to score two darling bakelite pieces for my collection, and we also grabbed up some materials for a few upcoming DIY tutorials, so be on the lookout for those!  

It was wonderful having a quick visit with my friend, Cindy, who has the most beautiful bakelite collection I've seen east of the Mississippi.  Apparently she only brings a sampling of her collection to her booth- can you imagine?!  Judd was eager to snap some photos of her bangles.  FYI, I call the deeply carved yellow one as soon as I can scrape up the cash!  I think she's got it on mental layaway for me :)  

Cindy introduced me to a lovely woman named Joan who has her own gorgeous bakelite stash and I am happy to report that I snagged two bangles in my favorite colors- cherry and butterscotch.  I was already wearing a cherry twist bangle I got from Cindy on our last visit so I was excited to rock the trio for the rest of the day.  Joan was so friendly and sweet-  any of our local readers must go visit both her and Cindy!

To my retro-loving ladies: I really encourage you to collect and wear Bakelite!  It is really something special.  I wear it daily, not only because it is beautiful, but the thought of wearing and preserving history is so exciting!  And let me tell you, these puppies go up and up in value.  Wouldn't it be nice to collect something that you can treasure and hand down to your children? Something that is rare and valuable and that none of their friends will have?  I, for one, won't let Bakelite be forgotten. Wear it proudly girls!

So here are our finds!  The mason jars are from Chicken Coop Antiques.  Look for them in our upcoming DIY hanging mason jar lamp tutorial.  We'll be using the wood crate as a new home for the cacti that we will pull from the large terrarium described in the DIY post found here.  We'll share that story on the blog when the transplant goes down!

The Belleville Flea Market is at Belle-Claire Fairgrounds on the third Saturday + Sunday of each month, and trust me, St. Louisans, it is well worth the trip!  

xoxo

P + E