Hello Again, it's me.

Hello everyone! 

I remember when I first started this blog and how exciting and new it all was. This is the first time since I started blogging that I haven't written much. But that's ok.  Life threw a few curve balls - as some of you may know I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer back in February (2017) & my life has gone through some major changes. Not only did my diet completely change but the food that feeds my soul needed more attention & so I went ahead & tended to it. I had surgery to remove the cancer & thank the Lord I am doing well. It is a day to day thing ....sometimes fearing the unknown and whenever I get a strange pain I think "What if?"  But I know I need to always remind myself of the blessings that God has already given me & that is what keeps me moving forward. 

As for blogging I'm not sure where it's headed or what direction I will take. But what I do know is that I've learned to be more present in my life. That social media along with blogging takes away from the beauty of 'real life'  - as difficult as it may seem sometimes. 

So with all that said, thank you for visiting once again & stay tuned photos of my newly decorated apartment!

-post by jen ramos

Read More

Real Life: Balance

Being a mom & running a business is HARD work. There aren't enough hours in a day to do both as well as I'd like. I admit it. There are days I wish I had my nanny even longer, but then I'd never spend time with my son. It's all about perfecting balance I guess.....& that, I am still working on. Today I looked down at my little guy & he was wearing this t-shirt I designed. Says "mom & dad are my heroes" .... It made me smile. ...that maybe he thought I was doing just great... That in his eyes, I was HIS HERO.  

It made all this hard work today...feel a little better.

Follow more on my instagram.

T-shirt from my shop -  Cocoa & Hearts

Read More

Made By Girl News

Hello everyone, Happy New Year! WOAH it is super cold today in NYC! -  Like 14 degrees. Good reason to stay in & write this important post.

I've been in the process of selling a few things in my home & making way for some BIG changes. A baby-space/office (if you can believe that).   Our son is growing quickly & needs a little more space to move around.... so, I've decided to sell a few things including my white leather daybed. (pictured below).  In the process of all this... we are also working on a new blog design + new site design....and I've been painting a bunch of new ART to add!

Now for the BIGGEST news....after 10 years in business as Made By Girl, a portion of my business will be partially closed down.  What I mean by that is - the prints/poster section of my company will no longer be available.  So basically, 98% of the ART on Made By Girl from that point on, will be original paintings.  I've thought about this change long & hard & contemplated on many things. To be honest, it feels like the RIGHT CHOICE for me at this time.  Perhaps this is the beginning of something more meaningful?? I don't know.  But what I do know, is that new beginnings make room for others things to grow.

THANK YOU for all your support throughout these years with my art-prints portion of my business.  I can't even begin to tell you how HAPPY it made me & how much I learned from it.  Unfortunately, the ART PRINTS business has become terribly saturated & EVERYONE is now a designer of prints/posters CREATING prints with every quote in the book!  Sadly, the uniqueness has died.

So, on I go to the NEXT THING.....to innovate & create new work. And in the meanwhile, my Original paintings come with me.  That +  a bit more is what I will be showing you with the new site (for the most part).  Stay tuned, as we will have a HUGE sale soon .....on... ART PRINTS.

-image & post by jen ramos

Read More

Experience A Cup Above

Coffee is my thing.

I used to be a coffee-shop fanatic, until I discovered Nespresso.  I realized how much money I was spending on coffee +  time wasted in-line waiting for my tall decaf soy latte with a splash of mocha on top! Oooh, long name!  Nothing wrong with name brand coffee shops but there's something magical about making your own cappuccino in the comfort of your own home.  After receiving my first machine, citiz & milk  as a gift from a friend,  I was HOOKED on Nespresso.  The ease & the taste of the coffee was way better than the coffee shops I had visited.  For the last few years I've been a loyal customer of this amazing brand.  So, Nespresso asked me to share my daily coffee routine & to try out the newest machine in the VertuoLine range, Evoluo.  The new machine launched last month and is featured in their new “Experience a cup above” campaign with George Clooney.

To those who don't know me, I work from home. Working from home is definitely an interesting & challenging experience. I tend to work on turbo-mode and then take a break during the daytime to spend time with my son for a few minutes.  I usually hang out with him while I make myself a (much-needed) cappuccino & pair it with Sprinkles cupcakes or a gluten-free bagel + pumpkin butter spread.  I eagerly look forward to these moments & feel relaxed & at ease being a work-at-home-mom.

During the middle of my work day on my break, I'll  enjoy my coffee with a bagel.  It's one of my favorite things......but my son loves colors, so cupcakes get him EXCITED!  He then goes back to his sitter & I get back to work, checking email, posting photos on social media like instagram & painting.  Being an artist, my home studio can get a little messy.  Even still, I'm not afraid to bring my coffee into the mix... I'll even use it as a prop for photo shoots.  Of course, I'll drink it afterwards.   I love painting & sipping on my cappuccino, I feel like the two things go hand-in-hand.  Working at home has it's challenges & the one day my sitter isn'tt working, it's hard to leave the house & walk into a coffee-shop with a stroller etc. (even if I wanted to).  So having a high-end machine like the Evoluo, which brews espresso and large-cup coffee, is VERY helpful.

Below:  Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair in Pewter

In the last few days, I've really enjoyed my work breaks, because the new Evoluo machine has been wonderful. You see,  I love milk (soy milk) in my coffee, so I got the bundle with the Aeroccino (milk frother).  This machine is quieter & more beautiful than my previous one.  It also maintains the gorgeous crema, which is what you see in my glass cup in the photo.  Nespresso machines use Nespresso capsules and brew high quality coffee , they are easy-to-clean & offer some great varieties in their Grand Crus like the new Limited Edition Swiss Chocolate for the holidays, yum!!!   One thing I learned while trying the new Evoluo is that Nespresso only selects the top 1-2% of coffee from the finest coffee-producing regions for their Grand Crus! Nice.

I love my coffee at home & drinking an iced version on the weekends with my husband after dinner is like my dessert sometimes.  He'll even add a scoop of coconut milk ice cream on top!  I swear.  So now you know how I  "Experience A Cup Above."

Above: Infant Nuna ZAAZ convertible high chair

-post + photos by made by girl
-this post was created in partnership with nespresso - thanks!

Read More

REAL LIFE: Iced COFFEE, dirty looks & spit up.

I used to love sitting quietly at Starbucks sipping on a soy cafe mocha & reading a book. Watching the people shuffling in & out with their coffee cups, listening to the annoyingly long names for coffee and everything else that happens in a big-city Starbucks.  Yesterday, I walked into Starbucks with my son Noah, who is now 7 months old.  We were alone and he was in his stroller. We stopped because I was hungry & figured it would be a quick way to get a breakfast sandwich & iced coffee. 

Ordered & then sat down while Noah sipped on some pedialyte next to me.  He is now holding his own bottle at 7 months, not perfectly coordinated.... but pretty darn good!  He started at 6 months, so I let him try when he wants to.  Anyway, all of a sudden his 3 ounces were finished & I was still eating my sandwich.  He needed to BURP, so I got him onto my lap.  My meal was now on hold...NORMAL occurrence when I'm with baby.  As I'm burping him, he spits up onto his pant legs, then all of a sudden throws up the pedialyte & it lands on the bench we're sitting!

My thought was "ugh, where is the napkin I had?" I scrambled to find a napkin, and noticed one under my sandwich!  Ummm, I realized I couldn't reach MY DIAPER BAG within the tight quarters we were in to get a washcloth, so I had to make due with one napkin!  The girl a seat away from me SAW EVERYTHING.  She even had 5 napkins or so on the bench next to her.  She looked at Noah & gave me a "not-so-nice look" then turned away.

Of course, for 2 seconds I wanted to tell her how "crappy" that was!   I mean, would it have killed her to offer one or two napkins?  BUT,  I kept my cool.  After that, I also had to change his pants in the middle of all the commotion around us......THANKFULLY, I managed to reach my bag and take out his emergency outfit.  So, there you have it.  That is what my Starbucks experience looks like as a mother.

It used to be me, my book & my cappuccino - now, it's me trying to juggle several things in my hands.  Every day that passes and I fall more & more into my role as a mom... & I realize why mothers are so tired by the end of the day.  Zzzzzz.

Oh, Starbucks.  I kinda miss our quiet time.

-post by jen ramos
-please excuse my punctuation, I am obviously not an English major.

Read More

Super Woman

New Year's was SERIOUSLY a great time.  How about for you? 

I got to be creative (what I love) by putting together a FAB gold glitter DIY 2014 sign & spend some much needed time with my husband & friends.  However - this new year will be a time to reflect on my business, my marriage, my health & more.   In the midst of everything,  I've been trying to listen to God's voice.  Like anything else, with so much going on, it's easy to miss a beat & end up doing the opposite of what I know I'm supposed to be doing.  I've made a few quirky goals for myself such as working out at least one more day a wk. & longer workouts. I'd like to get those 4-6 pack abs I had back a few years ago.  Why not?!  I'm aiming to stay healthy & maintain a stronger core, which means less back pain for me.  Another thought was painting larger paintings, I know that I tend to do a lot of little 8"x10"'s - but with the lack of time, they're easier to get through.  However, I need to focus & figure out when I could just drown out & paint. Noted.

Another thing was our on going journey to having a child.  I'm not going to lie, it's been a long road & certainly an emotional one.  There are days, I smile in public while quietly yearning for a child. I know it's a part of life to feel pain, but I'm learning that the way we deal with that pain... is what matters.  And, although I'm not ready to fully speak about this, I hope to soon. Until then, we are trusting that God is working behind the scenes for us.

Let's see....is that it?? Hmmm - now Marriage. It's not easy. Ups & downs are constant - but this year we are working to tip the scales, so that we could see more ups THAN downs. Trusting God - having family, good solid friendships & always picking ourselves back up when we fall...that is where we both want to be.  All in all, I AM blessed, and the blessings I see every day are reasons to celebrate.

My hope is to keep on inspiring women all over the globe..... to be strong, courageous, to be loving, kind, caring & to not be discouraged.  Even when I'M A MESS,  I somehow find my SUPERWOMAN vest & I put it back on.  To quote Alicia Keys....'I'm a Superwoman, yes, I am"- and we HAVE TO believe that... despite what others feel or view us as.  This year, I will strive to constantly see myself the way God sees me & I hope you ladies will do the same.  Happy New Year!!

-images by  jen ramos

Read More

Pieces of my Life

fave new lacquer "slapper" by butter london & ring is the michael kors chain ring

personalized flatware from the loving spoon

clear spiked tray from the way we are

darla

my fave hot chocolate by mariebelle and some great reads in our bedroom.

-images by jen ramos

Read More

New Year + New Sofa

Happy New Year everyone! 

Ever since we moved to our new apartment (about a month in a half ago) - we've been sitting on the floor. My back has been KILLING ME & watching tv was a hassle.  Amazing.... the things we take for granted. 

Now I know how BLESSED we are to say, we FINALLY have our sofa! It's a gorgeous tufted gray velvet beauty from Jayson Home & Garden. 

Aaaah, what a great New Year's gift! If you recall, I posted about it here & even ran a poll on my blog for a few weeks asking YOU to choose a color. Even though the charcoal won the poll, I ended up choosing the 2nd favorite - gray! The sofa is called Rockefeller sofa - and it comes in many colors. I've always wanted a velvet sofa & so did my husband, so this was an easy choice. I'm debating on whether to replace the painting over the sofa, to something a little more muted or to match the rug? Hmmm.

What do you think? Of course, I would have to S-E-L-L the painting that's already there if that was the case. Below are some resources for most of the items below.

I know, the kitchen looks BORING, but we like it clutter free.

 

By the way- the large abstract painting below used to be the large lipstick dots painting- remember? You can see it in my las vegas home.
 

Please leave a comment - let me know what you think. It's amazing how much can fit into a 975 sq foot NYC apartment! I'll say it before & I'll say it again, we are very blessed & I thank God for the home we have.

Python X-Benches via Zhush

Gray Velvet Rockfeller Sofa via Jayson Home & Garden

8"x10" Rug Madeline Weinrib 

Skull (gift) similar here

Lucite coffee table via CB2

Jonathan Adler Meurice floor lamp

Floating shelves via IKEA

Black zig zag tibor via Emila Ceramics

Both Large paintings via my shop Cocoa & Hearts

The print "Cougar Friends" - click here then search for "cougar".

-images by jen ramos

Read More

Bits of My Week

above is the Forbidden fruit my guy made for me....scroll down & you'll see what I'm talking about!
 

 people bringing donations of all kinds for the Hurricane Sandy victims.

This line for the bus went around the corner & around 2 more corners - it was sooo long. Never seen anything like it.

The people down in the Lower East Side had no electricity & no water in their homes. It was HEARTBREAKING....

SENIORS who lived on high floors in apt buildings couldn't get down all the stairs & onto the streets to get water. We went out there with our church to HELP some of these people. We brought food, water, candles & more. Many people were standing in line at fire hydrants waiting to get water so they could bathe. On this particular day they had been WITHOUT WATER & ELECTRICITY for almost 3 days!! 

Lychee iced tea

President Obama giving his last speech as a candidate. The president's eyes teared up, it was touching. Fired up!

blue roses!

Taking my art down- getting ready to move mid month!

Below:

Forbidden Fruit - this place is down on MacDougal street here in the city. It is awesome. Those dark chocolate covered with coconut bananas were delicious!

The leather pants I'm wearing are by Adriano Goldschmied, you can buy them here.

 
-images by jen ramos

Read More