Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Yay for NEW Joel D. Prints!

Taking a mid-week "weekend" off with my husband?

Don't mind if I do.

So the blog is a little neglected for the next day or so, but just wanted to let you know that...


Prints from  JOEL DEWBERRY's HEIRLOOM Collection are now in the Fabric Shop!


1. Tile Flourish in Amber//2. Blockprint in Amber//3. Blockprint in Dandelion//4. Marquis in Jade

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Joyful Life Library Project Giveaway




Hey Friends!
Today you'll find me over at Katy's blog, participating in a birthday giveaway she has going on!  There are 30 fantastic prizes & 6 winners!  If you are any good at math, you should realize that means that at least one winner is going home with A LOT of loot (25 prizes to be exact!).

The best part about this giveaway is that the requirement to enter is to buy a book for the joyful library project, which aims to create as many libraries in pediatric intensive care units around the world as possible!  These books are super cheap @ amazon.com...we are talking like $3-5 books that make kids smile.  And for that small amount of cash, you could also take home a boatload of SWEET prizes!

I just bought a Curious George book & entered the giveaway myself!  I am hoping to go home with the big win ;)  
Check out the details here!  Whether you win the giveaway or not, it's an awesome cause :)

Monday, June 20, 2011

A Carter Weekend

As some of you know, Ben's mom & brother came to visit us last weekend.  It was such a blessing to have family come visit us in our new home.  The weekend can pretty much be summed up in three words: 
 Lighthearted. Relaxing. Coffee.
Ok, a lot of delicious food was involved too, so maybe I can't sum it up so easily, but the combination of all these things for a very memorable visit :) 
Hope you enjoy a few pictures of our weekend fun! 

my three tall family members. we walked pretty much the whole trip.  it's a must when you eat a lot of good food.

our first coffee pit stop...one of many :)

sweet pictures of the reflection of an airplane in our siphoned cup of coffee.  yes siphoned.  look it up.


Sweet Shot Day




garden browsing.

fountain hopping.  

my favorite flower in the garden...i wonder if this is easy to grow? hmm...

ben next to his favorite backgammon sculptures...can't remember what those things are called. 

cam being a bad boy.  

tree sculpture.  photo courtesy of cam.

sleepy bob.


If you haven't already surmised from the picture of that tired pup, it was a pretty fun & event-filled weekend.

A few highlights:  tasting all the best coffees in the area, homemade eucalyptus mint candles, priceless & sweet time with family, good bbq, finding a toms store, long walks & movies at night, finding a local restaurant & tea shop that makes my heart {and tummy} happy.

Giveaway Winner + Recycling Ideas

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the giveaway!  It was loads of fun AND for those of you who didn't win, you still have an sweet opportunity to take advantage of the the blog reveal celebration :)
 THIS WEEK, MONDAY-SATURDAY, take 20% off My Little Sunshine Handmade
 with the code: Giveaway20

that's a pretty stinkin' awesome deal!

Ok, now for the winner of the pleated hobo satchel!
 Congratulations to...


Calikisses, please email me at mylittlesunshineshop@gmail.com to claim your prize!




Today I thought I'd ask around for some creative & thrifty recycling bin ideas.  Here are some I've found on Pinterest lately...you can follow the link below to get a closer look.

Ben & I are trying to find a crafty & neat looking solution for storing recyclables.  I take them about once a week to the bins in the neighborhood, but need some kind of portable storage solution for organizing them until my drop off day.

Any thoughts?? 
 I think my favorites from this group are the modern looking outdoor ones (not so portable though) and the ones hanging on pegboard...that would be a nice garage solution!

via my pinterest board


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Happy Saturday

Hello there! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!  Ben has funny weekends here, so ours doesn't start until Monday.  Business as usual for us today.

I am guest blogging over at Reviving Remnants today as a part of Piper's "Be Made New" Series.  

You can check it out here. 



Also, don't forget TODAY is the LAST DAY to enter the giveaway for a Hobo Satchel!!  Enter here.

AND all weekend long you can take 10% off your order at the fabric shop with the coupon code: MLS101 

Hasta luego :)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Impromptu Family Pics

Ben & I had a GREAT time with his family this weekend {more on that later}. As it was one of the few times when we actually looked semi-coordinated AND had someone around to even take a picture, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.  I think the last time we actually took posed pictures together was for our engagement over THREE years ago! yeesh.  

So, enjoy a few of our "impromptu" family pics, compliments of Cam Carter. 

Oh & its REALLY hard to get a dog to pose for a picture.  Bob is definitely not meant to be a doggie model.  










Of course, this is how most of the pictures turned out. :)  

Bob kept wanting to show us his behind, rather than his face.  Silly pup.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Blog Reveal Giveaway

****GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, THANKS FOR ENTERING!****

Hey there friends!!  What do you think about the blog's new-do?

Personally, I am LOVING it.

A huge THANK YOU to Ms. Savannah of Maie Dae Graphics.  

She's amazing.


To celebrate our now final, cohesive "branded" look I am hosting a handmade giveaway!!

Ready for this?

The winner will receive their choice from one of these three Pleated Hobo Satchels! A $38 Value!!



{Details}

The giveaway will run from Monday, June 13th thru Saturday, June 18th with the winner announced the following Monday.

Winner will get to CHOOSE their favorite of the three handbags pictured above.

AND Here's how to enter (Leave a separate comment for EACH entry)

1.  Check out the shop & leave a comment telling me your favorite item.

2. Follow the blog (leave a comment letting me know you're following)

3.  Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway (leave a comment letting me know you have done so!)
Feel free to use this tweet:  "I just entered to win a  SUPER CUTE HANDBAG from @sunshinefabric on her blog! a $38 value! http://tinyurl.com/3ms65ge"
4.  "Like" us on Facebook OR post about the giveaway your blog! (and of course, leave a comment telling me you've done so)


That's FOUR super easy ways to enter! 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Product Pump :)

The handmade shop is gearing up for summer with lots of fun new products & styles!  Here's a little peek into some of our newest items {in case you missed any!}

{Windswept Wristlet in Slate}

{Kindle/Nook cover in Turquoise Rose}
{Beach Tote in Starburst}

{Pleated Hobo Shoulder/Messenger Bag in Damask}

Enjoy 10% off in the handmade shop with the coupon code:  JUNE10   
Now thru June 16th!


Oh & P.S.  the blog will be getting it's much anticipated facelift on Monday!  Stay tuned for a sweet giveaway to celebrate!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Thai Chicken Tacos

(credit)
Ben & I have been enjoying this fresh & delicious summer recipe for the past couple of nights.  Its SO yummy, quick, easy & healthful too :)  Enjoy!


Thai Chicken Tacos

1 lb chicken breast (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup cilantro, shredded
1- 2 cup napa cabbage, shredded
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 TBSP asian chili sauce
1 TBSP lower sodium soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper
12 corn tortillas

Preheat grill or grill pan.  Grill chicken for 5-7 minutes  on each side or until done.  Let cool & shred.
Meanwhile, shred cabbage, cilantro & carrots & toss in a med. sized bowl.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, garlic, sesame, chili sauce, soy sauce & red pepper.  Mix well.  Drizzle over cabbage mixture & toss well.  
Heat corn tortillas over gas stove or grill (or in microwave according to pkg directions).  Assemble tacos with shredded chicken & cabbage mixture.  Serve with Jasmine Rice.   

Friday, June 3, 2011

I loooove maps (via Pinterest)

Hope you are having a fantastic Friday!  Mine has been off to a nice start: sewing, coffee w/ friends, shipping off orders, more coffee w/ friends, and HOPEFULLY I'll get some time with my hubsy later today!  Oh & I know Bob is hoping for a walk today.  Unfortunately, the summer heat has hit so he has to wait until it cools off a bit in the evening for his adventures.

ANYWAY

Today I am in a traveling sort of mood---maybe it's time for a vacation?  So I thought I'd share some MAP LOVE with you via my Pinterest!      I am thinking of incorporating some of these ideas in our home as Ben & I both love world geography, old maps & tend to do a lot of traveling around the country w/ the good ol' military.
wall of maps..love this idea!
this one i MUST do.  with all our moving/traveling I'd love to document it in a fun way!

I love how the map in this picture provides the color scheme for the entire room




What are some map ideas that you love?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

DIY Wednesday on a Thursday {Craft Show Display}

If you remember from a few posts back, I recently had another craft show where I needed a simple, affordable & CUTE solution for hanging purses.  Oh yes, and it needed to fit in my Camry.

I have always loved those chicken wire framed jewelry holders, but have never owned enough jewelry to make it worth my while to have one.  But I do have a lot of handbags & as I was dreaming up display ideas, the thought of making a GIANT chicken wire framed {handbag} holder made me super excited.  I drew up some terrible  visually striking blueprints for the display, with two framed chicken wire panels hinged to each other.  Thankfully I have a husband who is willing to look past my poor architectural/engineering skills & who is able to make my plans become reality.

So here is a peak into how we he did it.

First, we built two large frames from 2x4s.  The height and width requirements were determined from the largest possible height and width that would fit into my car.  So I think it ended up being 6' tall x 3.5' wide.

Once the frames were made & painted, we unrolled our chicken wire & used a staple gun to secure it to the back of each frame.


The frame on the left is turned right side up, with the chicken wire already secured to the backside & the frame on the right is waiting to be stapled.


Once the chicken wire was stapled to each frame, we used wire cutters to cut of the excess.


We hinged the frames at two places & were able to fold it up and load it into the car with care.  The hinging also provided stability, so that the frames could stand up on their own beside my table.   I used simple S-hooks & clothespins to hang my purses from the chicken wire.   

And the final product:

{Thanks to my hubby}

Overall we were really pleased with the affordability & ease of this project.  It was done in basically one day & I think the most expensive thing we had to buy was the staple gun, but that will be used for many projects down the road.  I want to say that the 2x4s were about $3 a piece & the chicken wire came out to about $6.  I bought sample paint from lowes for another $3 and the S-hooks were about $2 per package.

It was much cheaper than buying an actual purse display rack {and much cuter, if you ask me}.  And cuteness goes a LONG way in craft show displays.  People are really drawn to a booth by not only the products, but by how they are displayed.  Your display will either add to or take away from the products you  are showcasing, so here's to cute & simple displays!