Did She Say FREE??

A few weeks ago, on a whim, I threw my name in the hat for the Etsy "Weekend Deals" post...

What the heck, think positively and all that stuff...




Well, I got an email from an Etsy admin yesterday afternoon...

That meant burning the midnight oil last night (and that's OK, because boy child's birthday sleepover was last night. I still went to bed before they did!)...tidying the shop, sweeping the floors, adjusting shipping info...

I looked like this by the time I went to bed last night...

But the great news...
These stickers were chosen to be one of the featured items for this weeks' "Weekend Deals" on Etsy....


In exchange for this lovely, free PR, I am running a sale....a pretty darn good sale...FREE (yes, she did say free) shipping all weekend long!
Anywhere I ship (which really is anywhere), the shipping's on me, if you order and pay this weekend (through 11:59 EST, August 16).


And if you are a fan of my FB page, make sure you head on over there....I've got a little bonus "thank you" for you!
Heck, even if you become a fan this weekend, you're still eligible ('cause I appreciate you too!). Check it out!


So I hope to have a busy weekend, printing all sorts of FREE shipping labels....

Until Next Time,

my {only} sunshine

I think I jinxed myself last night.... made this bright sunshine-y treasury.

L-O-V-E it! I even love the alternates (which, I may be the only one, but sometimes when I curate treasuries, the alternates can be difficult), so I included them in this screen shot. Give them some Etsy love, please!

Top row (L to R, every time):
*LemonsLittles
*blendastudio
*urbanbabybonnets
*yellowdogvintage

Second row:
*uniquedichroic
*moxy
*GemGourmet
*rumandrubies

Third Row:
*lbrodar
*farouche
*swanmountainsoaps
*lakenandlila

Fourth Row:
*sarap
*sissysoap
*sosovintage
*opart


But...I wake up this morning to such a gloomy day! It was even too dark to take pictures this morning...my little photo set-up is situated in an are that only on the darkest days is it too dark to get a decent shot...

So I will share some Target love in the meantime. Went to my fav-o-rite big box store yesterday. It had been awhile. I spent too much. Of course.


Doubly dangerous for me is this time of year at Target.
I always love their fun (and cheap) picks
for dorm rooms.

Had to have this very very cute pink lamp for my studio desk (boy child tried to talk me in to apple green and it was tempting, but girl child won this one with her vote for PINK). And it was only $7.99...I am happy.



Also picked up these very cute little tins, on clearance (yes!), in the dollar aisle. I love little buckets this size. They are so great to hold all sorts of little loose things. And I have little loose things everywhere. Organization is not my spec-i-al-ity.
Now that should elicit a comment from Mr.Sunshine...wait for it, 'cause I'm sure at least a snort is sure to follow from his general vicinity... note to the Mr: you better end it with "but I love you!" cause I love you too! (o;

Most of my Target money went to back to school necessities...yawn. But I thought you might like my little studio pick-me-ups...

Make sure you pay my treasury friends a visit...give 'em some Etsy love- they deserve it!

Until Next Time,

Dum Dum De Dum...

...as in "Here Comes the Bride"...

Since I started making and selling paper stuff, I have repeatedly gotten requests for wedding stuff...

...gift tags, save the date cards, thank you's, table markers, etc....


I'm not quite sure why I have never really pursued this...pretty thick-headed of me, I suspect. Not necessarily because I think brides will now be beating down my doors, keeping me busy forever. Honestly, I should have done this earlier because it is fun!


I am enjoying thinking a little bit outside of my usual cardboard box...not too far, not yet. I don't think I could handle doing invitations at this point (and I suspect that because of the time involved, I would have to charge an astronomical price- wouldn't be able to compete with printers, who make one proof and start the machine rolling), but I do like working on the little touches.


Items like these beach-y "save the date" bookmarks are more my speed for the time being...


Even though I am now officially in the wedding biz, I have been making custom tags and stickers for the occasional bride pretty much since I opened my Etsy shop. Brides and Babies have always been my favorite custom clients. I love the fact that they are celebrating life...just seems like some of those good vibes always make my day happier. And who couldn't use all the happy thoughts that they can get these days?


So if you're getting hitched or you know someone who is, let's talk...

Until Next Time,

A Few New Things...

Got a few new things to share with you.

Not too many..sorry. I have recently started going to the gym right after the kids get on the bus...still adjusting because morning is usually my most creative time. The trade-off is worth it though, because I feel so much better!

I've also added a new music player...cute, isn't it? With a few new songs and a few accoustic versions of some old faves...

But anyway...on with the photos....


I think my bowhead lollapalooza from a few weeks ago "girlied" me out (say it ain't so!)...been drawn to very vintage, graphic images with not so much femininity to them (but there's always a touch- I am a girl, after all).


Right before the big move, I got a huge order of stamps that I had been waiting on for what seemed like forever. This particular company makes your stamps to order and stamps are not their primary product, so you have to be patient. My bowheads were part of that order and so were these vintage cat and dog toy images...LOVE them!

And...finally...the black ink is growing on me again ( I willl never give up the sepia, but variety is good). I like to keep the main image simple, simple, simple, that's why most tags will feature a sepia or black image, with the highlight color in the background...

Summer is moving season...have a new neighbor? Going to a BBQ with a hostess gift? Housewarming? How fun would it be to attach one of these tags to a kitchen themed basket filled with flavored oils, pestos and crusty breads?

The background of the ENJOY photo is a page from one of the few books I did not share *here* ...it's a shopping directory from Watertown, NY dated 1880. I think this was the ephemera find of that shopping expedition...it's a whole post on its' own, but I'll share a snap of the inside cover...

Last but not least, in that same huge stamp order was a series of vintage transportation images, from scooters to sailboats. I will be doing allot with these and some of the antique books I have been rescuing (these were bound for a dumpster- obscure fiction with no prized illustrations), and here's the first- an antique convertible...love it! And just in time for Father's Day...

Happy Wednesday to ALL!

Until Next Time,

I'm so excited!

Tooting one's own horn isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but honestly, this kind of thing doesn't happen every day (not for me anyway)...

I am so excited and thrilled and flattered about this I just have to share!

My simple little Salt and Pepper Tags were picked by Country Living Magazine editor Katie Woolsey when Etsy's Storque asked her to be a guest curator.

Exciting in itself, for sure, but earlier this morning, when I did my daily run through Google Analytics, I see "countryliving.com" as a referring site to my shop...

Click here to see the slideshow on the CL website....

I am definitely not used to this kind of attention, so please forgive me while I act like a complete Yahoo...carry on...

P.S. There are some really nifty choices in Katie's story...Lots of shops I wasn't familiar with, but I have been a big fan of Yeehaw Industries for quite awhile. Their election posters last fall were the funniest things I have seen in a LONG time!

Oh well, back to the usual Manic Monday...Have a great day!!

Until Next time,

Meet the Bowheads...

Thought I'd give you a sneak peak of things I'll be working on while I'm watching the Survivor finale tonight (now that the "Dragonslayer" is gone- thank goodness- I don't care who wins, but I still have to watch) .

These girls are almost done....Remember back in the 80's when we all used to wear those hair bows on our pony tails?

I suppose it might have just been a Texas thing, but the girls who wore those ribbons were called "bowheads", for obvious reasons...so when I found these sweet baby doll stamps, the first thing I thought: "look, bowheads!"


OK...they don't all have bows.
There's a hat or two and some sort of head dress (feathers?), but they all have some sort of accesory on their noggins...


Every group has its' rebel, though. In this case she's a rebel without a dress as well as a hair bling...

I guess when you're brave enough to go to the party nekkid, you don't need no stinkin' bow...

Wonder if that's why she's my favorite?

Until Next Time,

250!

Well I'm a little slow on the draw the past few days...but I am sure you will forgive me...

Mr. Sunshine has left Baghdad and is waiting for his flights out of Kuwait, back to the states. I am thrilled to say the very least (did I mention the whole 9 months since we last saw each other?)...but I am the artsy fartsy type and I know some of you will sympathize with this...I tend to be the messy artsy fartsy type...I never did learn that "pick it up when you're done with it" thing....I'm getting better as I get older, but Mr. Sunshine likes a tidy homefront...and I kinda like him, so I do what I can to make him happy....

So I have been organizing closets, going through magazine baskets, scrubbing floors and so on and so forth...

All that happy, happy homemaker stuff....

I have been keeping track of my OWOH entries and we have hit 250! So it's time for me to add to the prize pool (one lucky winner is going to get a very nice package from their post man!)...


This little magnet will appear in this month's issue of Create & Decorate Magazine as an Artist Trading Card (with instructions, in case you are interested in making your own). I liked the results so much that I scanned the original, printed, and made magnets for my Etsy shop....

I have a couple on my own refrigerator- very cute and definitely keeping with the Spring theme we have going....


And I just got my copies of Create and Decorate yesterday...for some reason I have TWO subscriptions (not sure how I did that), so in addition to the magnet, I will include a copy of the magazine....

Not sure if we will hit 300, so this very well may be the last add on...

If you haven't thrown your name in the basket yet, go check it out here...
Enter your name and then go visit some of the other links in the gypsy caravan....and plan to spend a decent amount of time exploring...sooooo many great blogs out there participating....

And on a side note, Teenage Girl Child's Grandma has lifted my grounding...

She has given me permission to post pictures of her beautiful grandkids because she likes to see them....

So there....

TGIF, fellow bloghoppers!

Until Next Time,

Something New, Something Blue...

I knew it was coming...I took my chances...

I am officially grounded.

I am not allowed to so much as whisper the words (or even type ever so softly) "beautiful Teenage Girl Child" again until further notice (oops, did I just mention "she who shall not be named"?)...I told her everyone was looking at Molly anyway, but she wasn't buying it....If you have no idea what I am talking about, click here....

So how about some shop talk?

Something that would make every teenager on the planet stick their fingers in their ears and wail "lalalalalalalalalalala- can't hear you!"

I have been working today....working on something new, something blue...something slightly comfortable, but different none the less...


Over the past several months I have had several request for more hand stamped stationery.
Honestly, the idea scares me just a bit. My tags are wee little bits of stamping, a contained field that is very easy to keep simple (which has been part of my stamping mantra from the get-go: soft or faded colors, vintage inspired images and overall simplicity).

They are those little single bites of goodness that the contestants are always making on one of my favorite shows, Top Chef ...they are the amuse-bouche of the stamping world....(thank you Google and Wikipedia for teaching me how to spell amuse-bouche)...


Moving on to cards (to me anyway) is like taking the training wheels off. It's such a big surface to work with...that much empty paper intimidates me...

So how about some baby steps first?

How about post cards?


Perfect for short little notes of encouragement- not so small as a gift tag but not the big, full entree commitment of a note card or invitation (at least in my mind, and in that moment, that was all that counted)...


So what do you think?

Not that hard really...actually kind of fun...

Next (baby) Step: Save the Date cards....
(0;

And what would a post from me be these days if I didn't tell you this:
If you haven't entered my OWOH giveaway, what the heck are you waiting for??

Click here!
Go there and post a reply! When I get to 250 entries, I will be adding another prize...
...and I want to give away more stuff, so help me out!

Only three more days 'til Mr. Sunshine comes home on R&R Leave (almost 9 months to the day since I last saw him)...woohooo! I tried to get through the post without mentioning that but I am so giddy, I just couldn't help myself...

And that makes this a HAPPY, walking on Sunshine kind of Tuesday!
Hope it's been a good one for you too...

Until Next Time,

Etsy Love...

I have been lucky enough to be included in some truly beautiful treasuries this week...

This first was curated by Monarchdancer....

If I were forced to pick a favorite color, I think this shade of blue would be it....so soft and relaxing...
if you'd like to see the live version, just click on the photo...

Thank you Monarchdancer!
Be sure to click on her name- some adorable crocheted goods in her shop....

This one is curated by CottageInTheSun, a fellow San Antonio girl (Thanks AGAIN for the Texas Christmas ornaments, Annette!)...a more subdued color pallette, but I love it as well (and I am a BIG fan of DUDADAZE!).....

Thank you, Cottage!
I need to start curating some treasuries again- I miss it as this is how I usually do my window shopping on Etsy....

In other news, have you entered my OWOH giveaway yet?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Scroll on down (or even easier: click HERE!) and put your name in the hat. If you're not familiar with the caravan, make sure you click on the OWOH link to be taken to the official blog- I think the train is over six hundred blogs long...

Literally, bloggy nirvana!!
(0:

Happy Snowy Wednesday to all!!

Until next time,

Monday again....where does the time go? The monkey is rearing his banana eatin' head yet again...

If you're not familiar with Monkey in the Middle Monday, click here to learn a bit more.

And then go visit Kathy at Catnip Studio.

I will be sorry if you don't because this is the most awesome M-i-t-M yet! The mosaic work that Kathy does is absolutely beautiful and you will be missing some serious eye candy if you don't click...seriously!

Now what am I in the middle of this week? It's not the traditional make something, show the progress kind of post this week...

I have mentioned that I want to start offering prints from some of my original illustrations and paintings. I sent out to have some prints made, but just wasn't happy with the results. I am very much a believer in controlling everything I possibly can concerning my work (if you add "freak" after control I won't be too offended- I promise! ). The only obstacle blocking my path to complete control was a lack of a high quality printer. The short list has been compiled for months. I have been scanning the sale ads for at least half that time, hoping one of the printers that I pined for would become affordable to me.

So imagine my surprise when I went to Staples a few weeks ago for something completely different and came across one of the objects of my desire on clearance! Serious clearance...more than 50% off kinda clearance....less than 200 bucks kinda clearance. I felt like Yukon Cornelius striking gold with his little pick ax. Out came the plastic and five minutes later I was the proud owner of a professional quality, wide format printer....

...and then I had to learn how to use said printer....it's a whole lotta machine for a girl who's just a bit (Ok- a LOT) on the low side of the Computer genius scale....throw in Photoshop for editing and I have had a major learning experience recently....

See how much I have learned?

These are just a few of the rejected prints....and I have arranged them fairly neatly on my high speed printer, for your viewing pleasure. Imagine a stack with at least twice as many sheets of paper. Imagine yourself throwing it up in the air and watching all of the pages flutter to the ground, covering the floor. THAT"S what my very tiny workspace looked like almost all weekend. (And don't make fun of the duck! He's an instant stress reliever who sings the chicken dance and does a little jig for me whenever I want to scream at that high speed printer- my family knew what they were doing when they gave him to me as a birthday joke...)

BUT the good news is that I think I finally got it!

The resulting print is available on Etsy....hopefully with more to come....

Until next time,

STEPH