Summer in a Bowl....

I don't know about everywhere else, but we have a had a hot and muggy week so far...

And as I shared awhile back, I have taken on a new, healthier lifestyle (these two things will connect to the post title in just a sec, hang with me)...think I will talk about it occasionally just to keep myself honest. So far, though, it has been a pleasure to eat a little healthier and treat myself a little better.

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.

There you have it! Easy-peasy, no cooking summer goodness that's good for you too....Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

New on Etsy....

Well I haven't been painting too much lately, but the stamping and tag making is keeping me busy on Etsy...

And since most of my posts lately have been about critters or show-n-tell, I thought I would share some photos of bonafide, honest-to-goodness work I have been up to...

Something new for me...stickers!

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

Show and Tell Sunday...For Real this Time!

Allrighty then...here we go....Show and Tell Sunday...this week's topic: Trash to Treasure.

And Oh, do I have trash (Mr. Sunshine has another name for it, but we won't go there...he loves me and humors me for the most part)! I tend to want the things at the thrift and flea that no one else does...Allot of them don't change too much before I find a new home for them around the house. Clean 'em up and keep the patina is the way I like it!

Let's start at the front door...

No good, self-respecting military household goes without a bit of Americana at the front door....the chair was my best t2t find in this pic. I picked this up junking while we lived in Germany (the best junking I've ever had the pleasure to take part in- a couple times a year they would have bulk pick up and folks were encouraged to take what they wanted from the curbs- the funnest way to recycle!). If I were a little more on the ball this year, I would already have my galvanized wash tubs (that I also got junking in Germany) planted and would be showing you pics of them. But the weather in upstate NY really hasn't been great for planting...think that will be next weekend's project...

Anyway....the green Chippy paint came with and I have done nothing to this chair in the almost 15 years I've owned it. It always sits next to my front door with something decorative on it. The copper milk can was also a german flea market find. Those sweet little red galoshes? Ebay...

The t2t in this picture is this step ladder. Picked it up at an auction (I think)- couple of bucks, if that. But it matches my rustic style and looks great with small pots of flowers filling the steps (again...next weekend)...

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...

Running a bit behind this weekend! Show and Tell Sunday will be posted as soon as possible! This week's theme: Trash to Treasure. Hope you'll come back in a few....I'm working on it as I type.....

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sunshine!

Just in case the obnoxious 80's tune and the picture of Marilyn and the title of this post didn't tip you off, today is my Mr. Sunshine's Birthday!

A lucky day for me, for sure, 'cause I don't know where I'd be if he hadn't entered my life 21 years ago. I'd be fine, I'm sure, but not near as happy...

Since I can't be with him this year, this is my birthday hug...

Happy Birthday, Sweetie....

I LOVE YOU!!

(And to everyone else, I promise that annoying song will be gone tomorrow! But what a blast from my 80's past!)

Show and Tell Sunday....

It's been a long while since I have been able to participate in a Show and Tell Sunday.

As a matter of fact, I haven't showed or told since the very first week: Analise's (of Sugar*Sugar - what a great blog!) Show us your Buttons Challenge.

If you are unfamiliar with Show and Tell Sunday, hop on over here to see Cerri at Little Pink Studio and check it all out. She's hosting this week's Show and Tell and has links to all of the other blogs participating.

This week's topic is studio storage.

Since my studio is currently attached to my kitchen (ugh), creative, somewhat attractive storage is mandatory. And since it's in the main part of the house, I couldn't go too girly this time (rats). I have always, always been attracted to old utilitarian storage. It's always what I gravitate towards at auctions and thrift shops: old containers, wooden metal, wicker. You name it, if it can hold something else, it's magnetic for me.

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.

I made a shoe box to hold all of my glitter, but then I just couldn't do it! Glitter makes me smile every time I see it, a bit of crafty sunshine in my work area....Having it sit out like this isn't the best use of space but it makes me smile....

An old lunch pail given to me by my in-laws. They know how much I love junk! And the separate tray sections happen to be perfect for various wires and jingle bells....I used an old-fashioned label maker to label everything in the bookcase- it makes for quick retrieval....


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....

Wish you were HERE...

OK I lied (unintentionally, of course) in my last post.

I have painted just a bit and I want to share.

Sometimes you create because you want an item to sell. Sometimes you create to express something important to you. This piece falls in the latter category....it very much reflects what is going on in my personal life right now...

I call this one "Wish you Were Here"....

If this is your first visit, scroll down a few posts and you will understand....

Only 429 days until the yellow ribbon comes off my tree...sigh....