Thursday, June 26, 2008
And you think it's HOT where you are?
Where's the Sunshine??
Yours truly, has become the world's biggest soccer MOM, or so it seems....
That's my son Connor in the photo...between him and his sister I am at a practice, scrimmage or game five, sometimes six days a week...
Phew!
I'm not used to that....life is much easier when there are two parents home to share the bus driver duty...
One season is winding down, however, and then we have a few weeks before soccer camp season starts...
SO I should be blogging more often.....hopefully...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Show-n-Tell Sunday...
How much is that Doggy in the window? Only $1.50 for a lovely assortment of 15 all occasion cards-what a deal!
Hmmm..this could be a dud...looks like lots of tiny gift cards....keep digging....
Wait! My own personal invitation....must be a sign...
YES! Adorable little buzzy bees....next...
A whole set of pretty pastel note cards...
....and a nice snowy landscape inside...perfect if you were born in January....the opposite page was blank with a horizontal slit. I suspect it was to hold a pad of paper or something similar, long since gone... I love finding a date on things....and the always elusive "made in the USA", that's always a treat to see....
Ahh....MORE poodles, this time with Santa....
Not too hard to date this box, is it?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
It's Create and Decorate Time!
Ahhh....nothing says "summer" like the beach....these are my favorites this issue, one of my all-time favorites actually. I love the colors and the simplicity and the great vintage barrel staves I used...If you are interested in these, I have a very limited number available on the site....
It's a great issue...check it out if you have a chance....
Til next time (and Show-n-Tell Sunday, woohoo!)....
Friday, June 13, 2008
FRONT PAGE!!
I came home this afternoon (from a very productive "Barn Sale" shopping adventure, which is what I planned to share with you this afternoon, but that can wait until tomorrow-this is important-lol!) to a couple of orders (been a slow week, so I was excited, can you tell?) and a slew of new hearts...
I can see why this collection made the front page- jenmenkhaus gathered a beautiful variety of one of my favorite colors-robins egg blue.
If you'd like some clickable links, head on over to Etsy and check it out!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Summer in a Bowl....
I don't know about everywhere else, but we have a had a hot and muggy week so far...
It's just too hot and muggy (and stormy) to turn the stove on today, so I decided to try a new, no stove needed recipe from YOU on a Diet (the book I have been following the past several weeks): Lisa's Great Gazpacho.
Don't know who this particular Lisa is but her gazpacho really hit the spot on a hot afternoon....added bonus: this recipe uses canned tomatoes, not fresh, and given the recent salmonella scare across the country, that's a good thing...
SO here goes...
Lisa's Great Gazpacho
4 servings (about 1 cup each) * 120 calories per serving
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1 Can (28 oz)crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup tomatoe juice (I had V8 so that's what I used)
1 cup each: diced (1/4 inch) red or orange bell pepper, unpeeled cucumber
1/4 finely chopped red onion
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 dashes (or to taste- I like it spicy, used more) hot red pepper sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, diced avocado
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Place all ingredients except salt, pepper, and garnishes in large bowl and combine. Coarsely puree about half the mixture in blender or food processor (I like it a little smoother so I put it all in a food processor) and return it to the bowl; stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours before serving. Garnish as desired.
Monday, June 9, 2008
New on Etsy....
Well I haven't been painting too much lately, but the stamping and tag making is keeping me busy on Etsy...
Beach themes have been calling me lately...
Do you hear the sea?
Spice up those bland hostess gifts!
Who doesn't love a Kewpie? And when they are offering "x's" & "o's", how can you resist?
Until next time....XOX (*wink*)....
Steph
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Show and Tell Sunday...For Real this Time!
Now in to the house...got a few comments last week about the clocks on top of my work bookcase, so I thought I'd share a close up. The shutter in the background is another auction/trash find. I got a pair of these pretty blue shutters that day for a buck. Can you believe no one else wanted them? Maybe it had something to do with the 50-odd coffee mugs you also had to take with the lot...
This little vignette sits on top of my painting hutch, which sits right next to the work bookcase. The globe, the shutter (can you tell I have a thing for shutters?) and the little chalkboard are all flea market finds.
The toy clock was mine as a child. I have always loved that clock....
More Shutters, a tarnished coffee pot that is dated 1862 on the bottom, a pretty old tin, a container of old glass beads, and a brush holder that my step-Mom saved for me when she was clearing out a relative's house. Just recently made enough room for that brush holder, so it's not full yet....The most expensive thing in this group was the coffee pot, coming in at a whopping $3.75...
A close up of the coffee pot and Helen Harrison Candy tin....Just call my house the island of misfit antiques...I really tend to gravitate towards the pieces that aren't in the best condition....these cutter quilts are a perfect example...
Folded just right, you can't see the bad spots and the faded colors are something I just love....
I picked up this window in Ohio last year. I LOVE it! It's probably today's most expensive feature. I think I paid (gasp!) $30 for it. Have cleaned it up a bit, but have yet to figure out what I really want to do with it....until I do, I want to see it every day. So it sits propped against the wall in my living room.
And here you go, shabby cottage gals....this one is for you! The rest of my house tends towards American Country with some cottage sprinkled here and there but my bedroom is all girly! Unfortunately, my bedroom is very messy right now, clean clothes everywhere (I hate to fold!)... but this little display is in my bathroom. I got this great old frame at a thrift. It was a very tacky gold (not the good gold patina), so I painted it dark brown, used a candle to run over all of the great moulding details and the painted it a creamy white....took a little sand paper, sanded off the white where I had applied the wax and ....waaaalaaa....faux chippy paint....
The ironstone pitcher is in horrible shape. It's cracked and chipped in a few places, but I loved the line of it, so I just had to have it (and it was a steal!) ....
So there you have it....my trash to treasure....There are quite a few things I didn't show you, but we will just have to save that for another Sunday...
NOW...go visit Analise and her eye candy blog Sugar*Sugar (and if you have never visited her before, scroll down beyond Show and Tell Sunday and ENJOY!) to get your fill of trash-to-treasure....a whole afternoon's worth of t2t blog surfing goodness!
'Til next time....
Show and Tell Sunday...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mr. Sunshine!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Show and Tell Sunday....
This is the storage workhorse of my "studio". A cheap discount store bookcase and quite a collection of photo storage boxes.
I used various scrap papers to prettify them just a bit.
These boxes are the perfect size to hold all sorts of loose "smalls"....including...
No, not the title of a naughty cooking show, just storage for all of my as yet unpainted (naked) flatware. I paint tons of vintage silver during the holidays (they make very unique ornaments). This is where they stay until they get blinged up...
Looks like a regular old metal file box, right? This one is slightly unique though....
It opens from the side instead of the top, with little shelves inside (reminds me of an oven). Perfect hiding place for acrylic stamp sets!
I love this old cigar box! I use it allot as a product photo prop. When it's not being used for pictures, it's home for my rick rack trims....
An old cheese box is the perfect size to hold standard shipping tags (the kind you get at Staples), and it keeps them at my fingertips for quick access.
An old berry basket filled to the brim with chipboard letters...
Smaller Chipboard letters, shells and sea glass look pretty in these clear jars...
What do you suppose is in this small vintage box/trunk? Look really close;there's a hint peeking out....
A portion of my ribbon....I cannot pass the bargain ribbon bins at craft stores....you just never know what you will find.....Hang with me we are almost done...
Last but not least, I keep all of my thin satin ribbon in this old cash register drawer...
It holds the rolls neatly and looks kinda cool too....I love the way the "arms" that held bills in place also keep the rolls nice and snug...
So that's it for me this week....can't wait to see what next week's show-n-tell is....
'Til Next time....