How Sweet is This???

Can you stand this?? How creative is that? I haven't a clue who these people are or who took this photo, but those little baby feet are soooo adorable!!

I was stalking Etsy this morning in search of Valentine's Day treasures and found a few "Good Things" (yeah, I'm still in Martha mode) I'm totally drooling over this and these. 

And then there's a ton of goodness at my friend Ann's store, Digital Paperie. 

And how cute is this idea?  And how about tucking these cuties into a card for someone special.

Would you look at what that sweet girl Nicole has in her shop. Everything she does is soooo pretty!

Moth To A Flame studio always catches my eye. Look at this old-fashioned Tussie!

Here's some Sweetheart Tinsel  and sweet images to use in your projects.

Although she's not on Etsy, Trish's idea of a Valentine's Day tree (or two) is giving me a ton of inspiration for my home next month. I just wish she would show us pictures of the whole tree!

OK..I better take care of those dirty dishes in my sink.  Let me know if I missed any of your etsy favorites. I'm always on the lookout for great shops! xoxo...

Guess Who I Met Yesterday!!

My friend Jennifer and I were part of the studio audience at the Martha Stewart Show! And guess what? There's an "Ask Martha" segment at the beginning of the show and I was one of the five people chosen to ask her a question on camera!  I was shaking in my boots but thank God she was very gracious and did not embarass me (I almost forgot to say my name!).   

Let me tell you, this place ROCKS. When we walked up the stairs and into the studio, it was electric. I can't describe it any other way. A million lights above us, lots of people scurrying to and fro moving props, setting things up, checking camera angles.  It was unbelievable.  There was so much going on and I was trying my best to take it all in! You see the people sitting on the floor? They are part of the audience and we were on the risers behind them.

This is Joey -- it's his job to keep the audience entertained, and believe me, he's very good at it! He coached us on what to do and when to do it...and he was really, really funny. I think he mentioned that he's a stand-up comedian, and has opened for a few other shows.  He was so funny -- and he kept cracking jokes and throwing free items into the audience during commercial breaks. It got to the point where we were chanting his name and clapping to get his attention during breaks! I didn't catch anything, but we still received some awesome goodie bags for attending.

After the show Jen and I had lunch at Saks, visted American Girl Place (it was right across the street!) and then went shopping in the garment district for some trims and ribbon. Oh my sweet goodness!!! I've never seen so many rolls, and rolls, AND ROLLS of ribbon,trim and fabric in my life....I was going ga-ga over this stuff...tomorrow I'll post a pic of everything I bought. Very cool stuff..

OK, now it's back to reality...I'm trying to finish a few sewing projects (yes, you heard me...SEWING! Can you stand it? I haven't looked at my machine in years!) and I need to start my Valentine's Day items for our boutique next month! First the laundry, then dinner, then a meeting at my daughter's school....oh, and I forgot about that closet with all the boxes falling out of it...I'll catch you later!...xoxo

This ATC is for Danielle's Itty Bitty White Book project.  White is such a cool theme. The possibilities are endless.  When I sat down to make this ATC I had so many ideas floating around in my head...but when it came down to executing the plan, I couldn't make any of them happen! This was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be. It''s a real balancing act -- how much color should I add?...do I add any at all?   It was mind boggling!!!  Anyways, here's the final result. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I actually loved the challenge! I used Basic Grey background paper from the Scarlet's Letter colection, an image from my stash (I think this was from Lunagirl -- she's an Ebay seller), rub-ons, Swarovski crystals, gesso and oil pastels. Now I'm off to make 26 color copies!! That's a whole other challenge...Thanks for visiting...xoxo

Bonne Annee..Happy New Year!

Well, here we are. A brand new year...a brand new start. I don't know about you, but I've resisted the temptation to make a list of resolutions and goals, well...almost. I keep thinking I'd still like to drop a few pounds, learn how to sew, and finally pursue a few art-related projects I've put on the back burner.  At the moment none of that really matters (I guess because I've been cooking, cleaning and wrapping non-stop for the past week!). I'm counting my blessings and am content taking this year one day at a time. I hope you all take time to enjoy the new year and all it has to offer. My best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008!!!

Joyeux Noel...Alleluiah!

   "For to us a child is born
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isa 9:6

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: "God with us." We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!

John F. MacArthur, Jr.

From my house to yours, we're wishing you all every blessing this holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year. May every day be Christmas Day for you in 2008!

See you in January...

Sean, Cris, Mandy and Allie Cunningham

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A Thanksgiving Day prayer:

"O Lord, with humble hearts we pray
Thy blessing this Thanksgiving Day
And ask that at table place,
Where grateful folk say words of grace,
That Thou will come to share the yield
Thy bounty gave to farm and field.
We pray thy love will bless, O Lord,
Each hearth, each home, each festive board;
And that Thy peace will come to stay
Where candles glow, Thanksgiving Day. "

Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you and yours!

Hey

Summer is flying by -- we just spent two glorious weeks in Maine and Cape Cod. Now I'm back home and knee-deep in laundry! It's that time of year again...we're gearing up for back-to-school and I'm trying to get my mojo hopping for a big project I'm undertaking that will be published next year. It's been a very busy summer and I really enjoyed taking some time off to tend to things that needed to be done around the house, and enjoy some quality time with Sean and the girls. I'll be posting more art-related pics beginning September 1, but in the meantime I'll leave you with some awesome peeks from our vacation. 

While in Rockport, Maine we splurged and stayed at the Samoset Resort. Our room was the one in the middle with the flower boxes. While I am not a big fan of these big, fancy resort-type hotels (we prefer to rent a cottage or condo, but made our decision to travel too late to make the appropriate arrangements), I LOVED this place. They are very casual and had lots of activities for the kids. We could literally do as much or as little as we wanted. The staff is very friendly (I mean, they really go out of their way to make you comfortable), and the property is beautiful. Our room was actually a parlor suite with a direct view of the lighthouse and golf course. It was HUGE with a private balcony, lots of windows and an enormous marble bathroom...sweeeeeet.

A look at the very busy Rockport harbor in Maine.

Our room afforded us a wonderful view of the Rockport Breakwater Lighthouse. In order to get to the lighthouse we had to walk 1.5 miles each way over these granite slabs (collectively called the "breakwater"). As you can see, in a few spots there are huge gaps between the stones. Took us a while, but we got the hang of it and made it there and back in just under an hour. Those are Mandy's very long legs expertly negotiating a particularly tricky section of the breakwater.

Another view of the breakwater leading to the lighthouse.

I fell in love with the amazingly beautiful Maine coastline

I have always been intrigued with the beauty and history of the Atlantic Coast lighthouses. So needless to say I made sure Sean drove us to as many lights as we had time to visit. This is a pic of the Chatham Light on Cape Cod. Chatham is a very sweet little town with a bustling Main Street jammed with quaint shops and outdoor eateries (and the best ice cream shop on the Cape!). We loved it there!

Check out these surfers. They were so fun to watch...I also caught a quick glimpse of a baby seal that washed up near shore, but couldn't move fast enough to get a pic!

The sunsets in Maine were just spectacular!

Ok -- thanks for looking. See you next month!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxo