It's MONDAY.....

I'm on time this week...mark the date...

Time for another installment of Monkey-in-the-Middle Mondays...if you are complete lost click here to read an explanation of exactly what M-i-t-M is...

Much can happen in a week....and over the past seven days, I discovered a new playground...

Been trying to think of some more portable forms of creativity. I am looking at a long fall full of kids' sports practices. Sports practices that are just far enough from home that it's just not practical to do the "drop and run home" and then go back. Just long enough that the amount of gas used would make me cringe if I were to do that, not to mention the fact that I'd be home a mere fifteen minutes before I had to turn around and go back.

Soooo...I started playing with colored pencils last week....dove in head first and invested in some good colored pencils. And so it began. This picture in different forms has occupied all of my free time this week.

Home, very SWEET home...what girl wouldn't want to live in this confectionary cottage? I tend to be quite taken with houses....like to paint and sketch them in all forms...this is just the latest...

What do you think?

Still not completely there. Had some ink smudging issues (and for the life of me could not get a great picture-the colors are WAY off... sorry about that). If you look very closely you can see them. I think I will have to do at least one more version before I am completely satisfied. But the end goal here (in addition to a more portable studio) is to move more into prints and notecards of my work....

So what are you working on this week? What is your Monkey-in-the-Middle? If you'd like to join in the hoopla, send me an email or post your link in a comment. I will make sure you are duly linked and praised for being a brave soul willing to bare all (or just a few WIPS would do)....

Until Next Time....

Mary Engelbreit/Etsy Co-Op Ad....

Finally got my hands on the new issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion....

Right near the front, adjacent to the Table of Contents....my first ad space in a big national magazine....

I paid for it, but it still feels pretty darn cool!

I'm right HERE (look down NOW, top row, far left). If there was a way to do an

arrow with the keyboard, I would have had one pointing down where it says "look down".

Like I said, I paid for it but it's still sweet. Mary Engelbreit is a personal hero of mine...love her whimsical, optimistic style...Someday, when I grow up (shhh!), I want to be like her, but with my own style, of course....

Now I am off to explore one of my favorite magazines...

Til next time....

Good News Potpourri....

How cool is this?? I am this week's featured seller for the Cottage Style Street Team on Etsy!

Just click on the button above to visit and see the very nice write-up Sadie Lou gave me...I'm blushing! And after you're done reading all about me (yawn), take a look around...some very talented artists belong to CSST....

My friend Lisa (again! She rocks!) Blessed me with this very adorable award...blush...I am honored, Lisa....Thank you!!

Always happy to share the good juju...I'm passing this one along to a few good bloggers.....

Kathi of Out on a Whim Studios ....my "secret Sister" who's really got it all going on...I love to see what she has come up with...

and Cassie at Mockingbird Hill ...first because her banner and blog name are centered around my favorite book ever, To Kill a Mockingbird, but most importantly, her blog is always a fun read....

Let the Festivus Begin....

The Monkey in the Middle Festivus, that is...

Home from the dentist (have a cavity,dang it!) and a very expensive trip to Sam's Club (I have a true love/hate relationship with that place).....

And now it's show-n-tell time, Monkey style (scroll down and read the post from this morning first if you are completely confused)...

This is what I have been working on the last week or so...and this just proves how much slower things move for me in the summertime....Yes that is a Patriotic, 4th of July inspired bell. I meant to have it done early last week (and seriously, I should have had it done a month ago).

Sometimes good intentions just don't cut it, but like a good worker bee, I am going to finish it this week and get it on Etsy....Patriotic is good year round, right (work with me)?

Let Freedom Ring...get it?

I'm not too proud to admit I did not come up with this....I told my friend Roseann that I was doing a patriotic bell ...she is already the proud owner of several of my other bells and she suggested "Let freedom Ring".....clever girl....

Couldn'tr resist some "fireworks" either, in the form of some sparkly German glass glitter...every girl needs a little bling....

And on the paper end of Sunshine & Ravioli, I have been doing some custom work....

These sweet tags are for a baby girl....a variation on my collection of blue bird tags on Etsy. We went eco-friendly with this one, using recycled pink card stock and cotton ties (not to that step yet).

Sweet birdies on ballerina pink....I am loving these! So much so that I think I may start offering this option in my Etsy store....

And there you have it...back in the saddle again....

Now hop on over and visit my good friends Kathi and Lisa, because they are back on the Monkey Bandwagon with me...it's good to have friends! :0)

If you'd like to join Monkey in the Middle Mondays (Next week will be Monday-promise I'll plan ahead), create a post on your blog and let me know about it. For the time being I will add a link here so everyone can see your WIPS (that sounds a little naughty doesn't it? Not really, Works In Progress, for those that don't know)...

Come on, it will be fun....

The Monkey is BACK.....on a Tuesday....

Well, after a much-needed trip around the world (this is my story and I'm sticking to it!), the Monkey is back...

Come on, I know you've been waiting with wringing hands and anxious thoughts...r-i-g-h-t??

Where oh where did that Monkey go?

Now if I have lost you, please hang on (seriously, I have not lost my mind)...I am about to explain....

Last Spring, we started a little weekly feature called "Monkey in the Middle Mondays"...and it was starting to catch on...A very simple idea, but scary for allot of us....show me your "Monkey (on or off your back-heehee) in the middle, the project you are in the midst of, on any given Monday. It can be anything, any medium, just something you are working on with your own two hands....

I love to watch the creative process (And there are some great blogs out there that share step by step). I think it is awesome to watch a creative crafter (or even an arteeest) take a lump (whatever that lump may be) and turn it in to something beautiful (or cute or clever or all of the above)...it inspires ME to look at things with a new perspective...

Another thing I loved (And hated) about the monkey was that HE NEVER LEFT MY BACK...he kept me creative and creating, because I had to have something to share on Monday morning...

Back in the good ol' days, a few folks join me (My friends Kathi and Lisa for starts)...things were headed in a good direction for a solid weekly feature. And then Mr. Sunshine left for Iraq. That kinda threw a big ol' monkey wrench in the well oiled Sunshine family (wait a minute, I think the Sunshine family were toys in the 70's....I thinkI had that set...they were crafty, if I remember correctly) machine. Needless to say, allot of things (including the Monkey) were put on hold until the kids and I could find our groove again.

We *think* we have a decent routine now....things move a little slower (orders don't get processed and things don't get created quite as quickly when you're doing everything else to keep two kids healthy and happy). This is not our first deployment, but it is always a HUGE adjustment when Dad leaves...there's a different rhythm every time and we have to find it....sometimes it takes awhile.

But enough from me, the main point is that Monkey in the Middle Mondays are returning and I am formally inviting you to join me...PLEASE!?!?

I promise to share the good the bad and the ugly, and I won't even make you do that. Show me your prettiest project, something you know is going to be spectacular when it's done and hide the duds (but I am showing it all)....

If you are willing to participate in my craziness, post a response or shoot me an email. If I get enough interest, I will put one of those cool link thingies at the bottom of every Monday's post So we can visit each other's Monkeys...if not, I'll keep chugging along and you can visit every Monday for a very cheap form (FREE!) of entertainment (because I am going to show it all, I promise!)....

And with that being said....I have a Dentist's appt. in an hour....I will post MY Monkey for the week this afternoon....

Until then....

FRONT PAGE, Baby!!

WOOOHOOO!!

My treasury made the front page of Etsy!

And while I have already shown it to you, I think I got a better shot of it, so I will share one last time....

And how do you like my new look? Very chipper, don't you think?

One more time, if you have a little bit of HTML knowledge (not too much, I managed without pulling all hairs out) and a yen for a whimsical blog, check out Shabby Miss Jen!

Treasury on Etsy...

Got a Treasury going for a few more hours....It's very....polka dotty....

Thought I'd share....

Just click on the pic to see a bigger version...Or better yet, visit and click on links on Etsy....

There's some very cute stuff....I had fun picking this one....

Tinkering with Stuff...

Well it has been a while since I have written a real post and, quite frankly, I was in need of a "blog-iday"....

but then I ran across this website....

I could not NOT purchase one of her very FUN blog templates... thinking all along, "I can do this", because installation is NOT part of the package....

So things will be "Under Construction" for a few days...

Just make sure you don your hard hat before you visit, becasue things could get a little scary.....

Until Next time....

And you think it's HOT where you are?

A cropped version of a photo Mr. Sunshine mailed home a few weeks ago (don't know how much of the actual photo I can share, so I will err on the side of caution, although I would love to show you his handsome face)....I will never complain about the heat again, because this isn't even the hottest day they have seen in the six weeks or so they've been gone....

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...

Show-n-Tell Sunday...

This weeks theme is Flea Market Finds....sharing your favorite find from the flea...

This week's "hostess-with-the-mostest" is Heidi (thanks!) at Birds of a Feather and this is how she describes this week, perfectly (make sure you visit her to see what she's sharing and then hit the links list for your Sunday afternoon blog "drive"-it's always a scenic route):

You know, the one that made your heart skip a beat when you spied it out of the corner of your eye, the one you slowly meandered towards hoping not to draw attention to, then casually asked the dealer in your calmest of voices, "what's your best price on this?" Which was quickly followed by, "I'LL TAKE IT!"

Well, my favorite find is always my latest find as well...I have mentioned my love for boxes before, but when those boxes come full of pretty little pieces of the past, I tend to swoon.... just a bit....

Imagine my excitement when I spied this hot pink box sitting amongst piles of drab old junk Friday morning...it just screams fifties kitsch to me. Now I'm not a huge fan of poodles, but I just had to see what was inside....

Sweet!

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...

flutterby.....

The little birdies are my favorite...buttery yellow and....

Peachy pink....

Another blank note card...love the faded colors and simplicity of this one....

Instead of a birthday card, how about a birthday folder, protected forever and sewn into sheets of plastic (just like Grandma's couch!)...

Such pretty colors....

....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?

And last but not least....

our cover girl- think I shall call her FIFI....the original owner of this stationary box must have liked these cards....only two of the fifteen sat at the bottom of the box...See the sparkle? YES! Glitter!

Fifi spent all of her bling on the front, however. The inside is a very simple "Get Well Soon" wish in black and white....

So there you have my current, latest, favorite find....don't ask me what I will do with all of this paper goodness (suggestions, anyone?)...I'll get back to you on that one...in the meantime I will just enjoy.....

Now, go forth and explore Show-n-Tell in Blogland!

Oh yeah, and a very HAPPY Father's Day to all...

'Til next time....

It's Create and Decorate Time!

Look what I got in the mail today...

My copies of Create and Decorate (designers get two copies, one to use for portfolio, possibly?)....All about SUMMER this issue!

These basket tie-ons are just fun....they can be used on canning jars as shown, tied to baskets or my personal favorite, attached to gifts in lieu of the traditional bow (A bow they want to keep!)....

If you want to try your own, visit my web site for blank lids (I use reproduction zinc canning lids and they are available on the site under "DIY-Supplies")....

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!)....

FRONT PAGE!!

Look WAAYYY down there in the right hand corner....that's ME! Or my "Nest" tag, to be more specific...

WOO HOO! But I missed it! So this screenshot isn't of the 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!

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

--------------------------------------------

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

------------------------------------

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!)