photojeanie

Googling for Internet Gold

jeanie engelbach — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:31:15 +0000

Ain’t Google grand?! Although I have alerts on apartmentjeanie, partyjeanie and photojeanie rarely do I receive any relevant information. Usually someone named Jean has been photographed or another woman named Jeanie said she was going to party like it’s 1999, but nothing that is germane to me or the biz. Today, I decided to search my name – something I haven’t done in a few years and lo & behold there were loads of entries quoting me. I seem to be very popular with the Northern New Jersey real estate & design blogging community.

But it was a recent article from Parents.com that made me consider the consequences of my verbal charity. I had been asked to answer the question of how to create a memorial and unique memento for children. I willingly obliged with a few stellar ideas to a random woman who didn’t identify the publication or that she would be quoting me. She didn’t even present herself as a writer, but gathering information on behalf of someone else who may or may not have been a journalist. At this stage of my career, I certainly don’t mind sharing ideas & suggestions, but I do appreciate the acknowledgment of the aforementioned.

I guess the lesson learned is that I should become completely self-googling obsessed so I don’t miss an opportunity to remind you all how talented & creative* I am.

xxoo,

jeanie

* that’s is a direct quote from my mother, so you know it is accurate and unbiased.

happy valentine’s day

jeanie engelbach — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:00:19 +0000

If you’re are regular reader of my irregular posts, then you’ve probably surmised that I’m a sucker for candy, hearts and anything that is red or pink which for no other reason is why Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. Even the years I’m without a sweetheart (but with 2 Bulldogs, am I really?) I still get excited about the aesthetics of the holiday. Since I love a vintage Valentine, almost as much as I love popcorn, I am sending this to you with the hopes your day is filled with love and happiness.

xxoo,

jeanie

see the light

jeanie engelbach — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:06 +0000

The past week I have been working on a MASSIVE move for a suburban client (read: huge home with many many rooms in which to store stuff). The packing of their home of over 40 years required 4 large moving trucks that were crammed, professionally, of course with more cardboard boxes than I care to count and fortunately that was not my job to do so. However, this excessive use of cardboard got me thinking about this amazing pendant lamp I had seen at ABC Carpet & Home. Although I don’t have the knife skills in which to replicate one – I imagine a ton of ways to create mindful, yet exhilarating light installations with a range of sizes and shapes.

Add another one to the “I wish I had thought of that!” file.

xxoo.

take a Time Out, New York

jeanie engelbach — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:43:43 +0000

Many years ago when I was a student in London, Time Out magazine was my bible. This indispensable city guide was my ticket to culture, cuisine and cool. I still feel that way about the magazine – especially when they feature something as awesome as this…

yep, that would be me! well, really my apartment, but we’re are somewhat one & the same. I am incredibly thrilled and humbled by the experience. The support of friends, clients and basic strangers has been overwhelming. I love you, social media!

I highly recommend you grab a copy while it’s still on the stand or you can peruse the article online.

xxoo.

my butterball turkey

jeanie engelbach — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:20 +0000

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest staff member here at photojeanie HQ. Tater Tot the bulldog puppy was handpicked by our senior social director, Little Bit. An excellent addition to the team, we are still fine tuning his role in the company. We believe Tater Tot has a bright future in the pr department as he has taken a dozen meeting since arriving and really commands a crowd. We expect great things from this feisty young hot shot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xxoo.

tis the season

jeanie engelbach — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:00:35 +0000

Now is the busiest time in a visual artist’s calendar year – October’s prep for holiday has segued to November’s installation. While I may be hip deep in glitter and fairy dust that doesn’t mean I should shirk my blog writing responsibilities. Very early this morning when I was rolling out of Bergdorf Goodman‘s employee exit, I was thrilled to see the Halloween windows were still intact and with my sub par Android camera I snapped a few shots. I know this is slightly tardy, but in a visual stylist’s mind it’s already mid December.

According to Ministry every day is Halloween.

candy corn kisses,

xxoo.

totally awesome toy photography

jeanie engelbach — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00:14 +0000

I’ve been buying a lot of photography of late (damn you, Fab!) which is awesome, but problematic as there is zero available wall space in which to feature it. Recently, I stumbled upon Ryan Roberts‘ brilliant and hilarious photo work. I could have easily purchased the entire collection! Since I want to acquire (another) brother for Little Bit, I need to be prudent with my art allowance.

Ryan Robert‘s photography encompasses all that I love – bright colors, graphic paper backdrops, cheeky titles and TOYS! Once I had committed to the photo titled, ‘Now Where’d I Park?’, I couldn’t stop looking at it on-line and giggling. This piece in particular is reminiscent of a William Eggleston photo. His work may appear irreverent, but it is not without social commentary.

Ryan Roberts’ photography is the ideal gift for anyone with an appreciation for pop culture, happiness, joy and a sense of humor. I foresee my nephew building a sweet collection over the next few years – til he tells me that he prefers cash and then he’ll still be receiving original art.

Buy now, pay later.

xxoo.

paid in praise

jeanie engelbach — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:00:55 +0000

My Etsy shop was never intended to be a money maker, but rather an opportunity to further market the apartmentjeanie brand while simultaneously ridding me of my ornate frame hoarding practice. Recently I had been approached by a potential customer who really liked the epoxy resin frames that fill the shop. She wanted the silver art deco frame to be converted into a mirror with a custom finish. Until you have sanded, cleaned, painted, glittered and covered something in epoxy resin – you really can not appreciate the amount of time & patience the process requires. I gave a price quote based on something blind of expertise - none of the projects in the shop factor in the cost of time.

Knowing there is an expectant buyer raised the level of attention and made me 2nd guess the overall design direction. I continually examined & scrutinized every single coat of paint, flake of glitter and potential air bubble. When the finished piece was ready to ship – all I could see were flaws. As I carried the oversize & awkwardly pristinely packed box to fed ex, I did the final calculation of cost to conclude that I was actually paying the customer to take this mirror – shipping included!

The real concern was that it wouldn’t be what she expected – although photos had been emailed, or that it wasn’t as polished and professional as she had hoped. My fears were assuaged when I received this email 2 days later:

OH MY GOD! i got the mirror and its SO FREAKIN AMAZING! i am totally obsessed with it. you did the most fabulous job i cant even thank you enough. its so much more beautiful in person. i adore it. thank you x a million!!

Today I had to checked for transaction comment as I knew she was a compulsive supporter of Etsy sellers having racked up 45 purchases in less than a year. I was completely wowed by her glowing feedback:

by far the most amazing shop owner ive had the pleasure of working with. jeanie is kind, hard working, personable, professional, AWESOME! the custom mirror she made for me is over the top incredible. her work is outstanding and the pictures in her shop don’t do it justice! SO AMAZING IN PERSON! best thing i have ever purchased off of etsy! SUPER fast shipping, and packaged my mirror EXTREMELY carefully. i cannot say enough nice things about jeanie and her shop! xoxox

So while I may have been exasperated by the process and perturbed by the time invested – I did learn a lesson about how to handle future custom orders and made one lady in Chicago very happy so I guess I was paid in full.

basking in the temporary glow,

xxoo.

back to the business of blogging

jeanie engelbach — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:00:48 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The other night I was awoken by the sound of a beer bottle breaking and a melee of voices that could best be described as auditions for Jersey Shore. From my 2nd floor opened window perspective there was a lot of posturing and zero punching. The antagonist, who could easily be a voice double for Ronnie seemed to be removing himself from the skirmish only to keep shouting at the ~~wasted~~ hysterical protagonist, “walk away son, walk away” which was ironic since he seemed to be the one leaving the scene. This beauty sleep buster lasted for 15 minutes with a Pauly D wannabe bellowing into the pre dawn air, “ah yeah!” as he sauntered off in the direction of Artichoke Pizza.

The promise of a post closing time fight wasn’t so unusual given my bedroom hovers above the fray of 2 well trafficked fratty bars, but that no one received an actual beat down – not that I am condoning violence, although this pathetic protagonist certainly seemed as though he deserved one. In my hazy state of disrupted REM, the first thought I had was, ‘take it like a man’. Then I turned the notion on myself and realized it was time to stop silently whining about blog writing and actually do it.

So here I am – back from my extended and protracted holiday ready to take on the task of creating and composing compelling content for my charming readers.

Getting back in the ring,

xxoo.

gone fishin’

jeanie engelbach — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:48:57 +0000

Well, technically no fish will be caught, only sun rays. The hardworking staff of photojeanie, apartmentjeanie & partyjeanie will be taking an extended re-mix summer holiday to ensure fall freshness! There are clients to meet, surfing to watch and actual book reading to be done.

Hope the rest of your summer is hot & cool.

xxoo.