Snow Day...

Next time boy-child wants to do a snow dance remind me to do whatever it takes to stop him....

No school today- Yipeee!!

Remember that apple tree a few posts back? The one a certain doe would take a snack from once or twice a day? Kinda pretty covered in the frosty stuff, but I doubt my doe-friend feels that way....

The sweetest little Sheltie in the world, Miss Molly, is having fun though....note the bags of gravel she is standing next to. They were supposed to go in the bed of Mr. Sunshine's non-4wd Texas edition F150 before the first snow....shhhh....maybe he won't notice....

Speaking of Texas (Hook 'em Horns!)...one of these things just doesn't belong here....

The birds aren't real happy either....this blue jay actually yelled at me as I was taking his picture...hey, blame the boy-child, not me.....

And a few more shots, just because...

Girl-child built a snowman with a fashion-forward bandana instead of a hat....

And this is a shot from my back porch....Seriously, it's too early for this!

While the kids were outside frolicking, I was inside a warm toasty house, making more tags, because THIS tells me it's beginning to look allot like Christmas (at least until it melts by Halloween)....Just listed them in my Etsy shop....

Hope things are a little warmer in your neck of the woods!

Until next time,

Happy Birthday, Teenage Girl-Child...

Boohoo, my baby is fifteen today....

If she wasn't quite a s stubborn as her father (no, there is NO way she gets that from ME), I might share a picture of her beautiful smiling face with you all. But since cross-eyed self-portraits posted on her FaceBook page seem to be more acceptable to her (don't you DARE put my picture on your blog- how embarassing!), I will settle for this..... 

Happy Birthday, Braided Teeenage Girl-Child! 

(I'm not allowed to get mushy, either, so there I must stop....)

In other news, the boy-child's snow dance worked...big wet fluffy flakes coming down as I type...oh joy....

Flash back almost one week....that leaf pile is still in my yard....it's just a little frosty now...But we sure had fun while it lasted...

And I couldn't post fall foliage pics and NOT include this one....that's my daredevil....

Until Next Time,

Feeling a Little Frosty....

Well the weather man is saying we very well may get our first snow of the season this week....and my son is putting spoons under the pillows (please, Northerners tell me where in the world that came from???), wearing his pajamas inside out, calling on the great snow gods to cover my front yard with the white stuff. You tell him it will make it snow and he will do it...seriously...

Meanwhile, the grown-up in the house (ie...ME, as much as I try to deny the facts), has been working feverishly to clear the garage for my car (so I do not have to scrape ice off the windshield), put away garden pretties, lawn furniture, etc...and just generally dreading the winter without my very own human snow blower and night time foot warmer (ie Mr. Sunshine, who gets to sweat the winter away in the lovely Iraqi desert this year) ....

What better time to introduce some new, snowflake inspired  gift tags in my Etsy shop?

Feel like coloring outside of the lines this Holiday season...what prettier place to start than with some very frosty pastels?

Toss in just a bit of silvery shimmer and....

let it snow!

Two posts in one day....that MUST

 be some sort of record....

Until Next time (but definitely not again today),

Happy Monday....

One of my MOST favorite bloggers out there, Kay Ellen Designs, brought some sunshine into my rainy, somewhat dreary weekend...

I "met" Kay Ellen through the Shades of Inspiration Flickr group...I kept browsing the photos and every time a shot struck my fancy, I kept seeing the same name (you guessed it)- Kay Ellen...Make sure you click on that link above and visit her absolutely gorgeous blog. I tell you, this lady has a beautiful eye for photography and design. 

So imagine how surprised and flattered I was to learn Kay Ellen had chosen my blog to send kudos...

Thank you so much Kay Elllen! Can't even begin to expressed how flattered I feel....

Now, just one more time, go visit Kay Ellen ...

Maybe leave her a nice comment too...because that's what keeps blogging fun, right? You won't be sorry- I promise.....

 And while you're at it, check out the Shades of Inspiration Photo Pool....good stuff for  Monday morning eye candy....

Here's to a happy, productive Halloween week!

Until Next Time,

Silver Bella Sweets...

I have always read about and wished on a star or two to someday attend Silver Bella...

But as Mr. Sunshine's Grandma used to say; "Wish in one hand and spit in the other...."

I never get any further than that because, being the smart girl that I am,  I know which would fill up first...

But I digress...

This year I do get to go....extremely indirectly....via sunny California...

Lollishops will have a booth at Silver Bella this year and Sadie had the awesome idea to let fifty or so vendors send press kits with her. Simple, easy peasy, wrap up some of your goodies nice and pretty and send 'em on to Sadie in CA. She'll do the rest...

There are some awesome kits out there! And as I started to see pictures of all of the pretties other vendors are sending, I started to stress...

Everything had to be just right- I knew exactly how I wanted everything to look. A sampling of my new note cards: check. Some of my personal favorite gift tags: check. Stickers. Lots of stickers: check. Newly designed business cards: checkity-check-check. Everything gathered together, ready to go. But sometimes getting a project from your head to production and even more importantly, to completion, proves to be an interesting adventure. 

I won't bore you with all of the details, let's just say that me, rulers,  measuring and cutting a straight line are words that can probably NEVER co-exist peacefully in one sentence. Sometimes I forget that gem of wisdom and fail to measure twice (or more), cut once. 'Nuff said, I think....

I did eventually (at 2 am today) get them just right and off they flew this  to the post office a few hours ago. I was happy with the final results, just not the path I took to get there....

  If you are lucky enough to attend, make sure you find Lollishops and tell Sadie I sent you...

Until Next Time,

STEPH

A More Economical Mode of Transportation...

Need a Lift? 

Tired of still pretty high gas prices?

Just because I am feeling a bit silly today...

(My excuse is: it's Friday!)

I share with you...

The Ship of the Desert

 (ta-da!)...

I found this little treasure amongst my Mother's "stuff" ...she moved out of her house about a year ago and my poor sister had the "joy" of sorting and sifting through most of Mom's "Stuff"...

I did get to help just a teeny tiny bit while we were home for the holidays last year (right before we moved up here to the North Country)...

In all of my 20-something years of living with my Mother, I NEVER saw this little wind-up toy. Isn't it cute?

A camel and his boy....

He's in really great condition. The key doesn't work any more, but the fur is not worn at all....

And obviously made in Japan...not sure if that means anything or not.  But I was charmed as soon as I saw the outside of the box...been holding on to him, waiting just for a silly, just because kind of day to share....

Happy Weekend everyone!

Until Next Time, 

STEPH

A Banner Day...

Fourteen hours, multiple middle of the night, need to stay awake, cups of coffee and half a bag of Hershey's Miniatures later (oh yeah, and a couple hours sleep)...I have what resembles a banner for my upcoming Lollishop...

OK, if there are any Three Amigos fans (only the best movie EVER starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase) out there, you will get this....everyone else, feel free to pass right on by to the next paragraph (but I KNOW if Mr. Sunshine is out there, he will get a chuckle from this):

Photoshop is my El Guapo...

Notice I ended up going with the one picture no one named as their favorite...Thanks to all who gave their input, I really did try with almost every one of those pictures, but this one seemed to work the best....

Dare I ask...what do you think?

Until next time,

STEPH 

(who really needs one of those very cute signatures she sees on other blogs)

Adventures in Super Macro...

I can't give this post that title with out the first words out of my keyboard being: I *heart* my camera! 

A Canon PowerShot S5IS...not the top of the line by any means, but she (haven't gone quite so far as to give 'er a name, but she definitely has a gender!) takes a mean super macro shot...

I'm trying to come up with a new business card that I actually like...want it to be different...

want it to be mine, all mine...to reflect things I love and the style I cherish.

Not asking much, am I? It's just a business card, for crying out loud! 

Why am I obsessing so much?

Enter these extremely beat up cutter quilts that, quite literally, no one else wanted.

Just call me the Island of Misfit "Stuff", because I do tend to like the pieces shunned by others. 

That makes auctions a WHOLE lotta cheap fun for me.

I think one of these pictures will be the background

(or at least the border because they are a bit busy) of my new cards...

Of course I am having a hard time deciding...

I love the vintage, worn, and  threadbare charm each fabric possesses, but it's a tough call...

Which picture do you like the best? Tell me what you think...

Until Next Time,

STEPH

A Little Lollishops Sneaky Peak...

One month from today (give or take a day or two), Lollishops.com will have it's Beta Opening ( a test run for 30 very lucky vendors- wish I was one of them!). If you have never heard of this brand new "frou-frou" friendly shopping venue, go poke around here or here to get a better idea of what Lollishops will have to offer. 

I am very excited about this because for some time now, I have had a feeling that I didn't quite "fit in" on Etsy. I love the site, don't get me wrong, and will continue to sell there (and SHOP there),  but for the most part, I do not fit the demographic (No I am NOT old!). It never is good to put all of your eggs in one basket anyway (learned that the hard way with the the other "E" selling site), and what a pretty and fun basket Lollishops will be offering...

I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time a few weeks ago and managed to snag a spot in Lollishop's first co-op advertising effort (already!).

It's an issue of Somerset Life, available in January of 2009....January means Valentine's Day, so prepare yourself for some off-season viewing pleasure (I hope- and welcome to my world because with magazine work, I am always six months ahead of myself)....

No Monkeys anywhere to be seen (remember MIMM? Scroll down if you don't- the monkey will be back after the holidays), but a definite WIP (work in progress) nonetheless... 

Initially I thought I would send Sadie (the froufy muscle behind Lollishops) a picture of something I already had made, but I just couldn't get it out of my head...the sugary stew made up of Lollishops and my recent obsession with cupcakes plus a dash of Valentine's sweetness kept swirling around in my noggin...

It's at this point where I usually just give in and start drawing. If I don't, nothing else gets done (and I just might acquire a cavity or three)...So here it is...my sweet cupcake bouquet, with a few lollipops thrown in (of course!)...

What's Valentine's Day without conversation hearts? 

 And this little guy gave me fits...he's supposed to be a kitsch-y little 50's inspired figurine...he's much cuter in color (as is the entire picture), I hope....but you'll have to wait to see...the only peeps who have seen the finished piece are me (of course), Sadie and my mystery critic (she always gives great advice on WIPS, thanks mystery girl!)....

Everyone else has to wait for Lollishops....I'm such a tease....

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!

(and what the heck happened to Monday?? It's going to be one of those weeks)...

Until Next Time,

STEPH

Shades of Inspiration...

I haven't had time to contribute to the Shades of Inspiration Flickr Group for quite awhile...busy,busy busy.

This week the featured color is pink, in a close crop, to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Great choice....had to contribute just a few shots...

That shot above is a rare capture of the ever-elusive ("don't take a picture of ME!") creature, commonly referred to as teen-age girl-child.....a tricky beast, teen-age girl-children often swear they are NOT girly and they HATE pink, but are often spotted using

pink paperbacks (featuring VERY girly girls on the covers) as camouflage....a mystery for sure....

I will just label the rest of these photos "greatest pink hits" some of my favorite pictures from my flickr photostream....

Happy Pink Thursday Everyone!

Until Next Time,

STEPH

Saturday Afternoon Surprise

Sometimes it really is the little surprises that make us happy. About a week ago I was chatting on the phone with my step-Mom. I like to pace when I talk on the phone. As I headed towards the computer area, I looked out the window that looks out on my very small, government- issued back yard. Right behind the fence of said yard, there is a small grove of trees-big beautiful trees- one of the things I actually like about my sardine-box 1960's duplex.

This was the view through the window (standing on a kitchen chair, of course).....

Seems one of those big beautiful tree is an apple tree....

This doe had that figured out long before I did.

Now, living on a military post that is fairly heavily wooded, we have allot of deer, turkeys, all sorts of critters wandering around. It is a fairly safe haven for them because for obvious reasons, you can't hunt amongst a ton of houses and other buildings. But being the wild animals that they are, they are still skittish when they see a human. I have never seen a deer this close to my back fence.

These pictures were not actually taken on the first day I saw this doe (no, I don't know if it's the same doe, but it's easier to go with the singular). I took these yesterday afternoon after my super-hunting poochy (ha), the sheltie named Molly was going bonkers in the back yard.

See that brown haze at the bottom of the photo? That's the top of my fence. This time I was standing on a patio chair, very gingerly, as they are the types of chairs that rock just a bit when you sit in them. Yes, that's quite a visual, isn't it? I think my new "deer" friend was laughing at me too. Hey, anything for the photo...

All I can say is despite the ruckus that Molly was creating (I did put her inside before I crawled out but she was still whimpering at the back door) and the human swaying precariously on the patio chair, this doe was not leaving until she was good and ready. She enjoyed her apple lunch for a good five minutes, in spite of her clownish audience....

...And then she sauntered off. But as loaded as this apple tree is, I suspect she will be back...

I'll be waiting because for some strange reason, this made my day....

Until Next time,

STEPH

Today Is....

World Card Making Day!!

Quite the coincidence that I stayed up until 3am last night/ this morning getting these cards just right to list on Etsy today...honestly, it really was a coincidence. The email informing me that today was the big day was in my inbox this morning when I got up from my three hour nap.

Been working on these for ages, it seems (more like a month or so). I finally think I have taken control of the love hate relationship between my fancy new printer and my laptop. I am the grown up in charge now !

Woohoo!

Anyway, off to a soccer game this morning, so I'm really rushing....just had to share what a special day today is. Go have a cupcake in honor of...

 WORLD  CARD MAKING DAY!!

Happy Saturday, everyone...

Until next time,

STEPH