Sunlight ... Please!

I feel like I have been trapped in the house for the last month. If it hasn’t been the beautiful weather keeping the kids home from school it’s been the flu. They were even sweet enough to share the flu with me last week. It was horrible; I wish I could get my energy back. Doing the smallest chore makes me want to crawl into bed and take a nap. Between the next looming winter storm and being exhausted I’m starting to get a little grouchy, ok very grouchy.

This is a sunny, warm, happy, piece of art I created this past week. Think Sunlight!

My Vintage Barbie Magazines ...

Four years ago when I found out I was having a baby girl one of the first things I did was have my parents go onto their attic and get down my toys. I couldn’t wait to share my Barbie’s with Abbey even though she was years away from being able to play with them. My sister and I played Barbie’s a lot when we were kids. We had a house, cars, a pool, a horse, the McDonald's, The Rocker Stage, a boutique, a bicycle, the kitchen that smelled like vanilla and furniture for every room in the house.




When I started unpacking my childhood things I found my Barbie Magazines. I remembered looking at them when I was little. The first issue I have is from the spring of 1984, I was 5. Looking through each magazine is a trip back in time. The magazines are full of fashion, health and beauty tips, celebrity interviews, advertisements, girl power, and of course Barbie.

Every magazine started off with a little message from Barbie.






This particular issue had an interview with Punky Brewster, I had her sneakers!








( We girls can do anything ... right Barbie!)

This iron decal was a little gift that came with one of the magazines. Today I finally ironed it on a t-shirt, it only took 27 years. I was surprised it still transferred. My three year old took this fabulous picture of me in my new tee.

I love this advertisement. The bright colored stickers are great. I had a sticker book filled with those when I was little.

Towards the back of each magazine there was a little “Barbie Drama”. I used to enjoy reading them. I loved how they staged all of the pictures. This was my favorite Barbie story. I loved the pumpkins and the costumes.

Today I am sharing my fabulous vintage Barbie magazines with Coloradolady for Vintage Thingie Thursday. Take some time and stop over and visit more childhood memories. Oh, and next Thursday I am planning on sharing a few more vintage Barbie thingies from the 80’s.

A Rooster, an Owl, and a little Love ...

Here is a little peek at some colored pencil and pastel drawings I have created. I will be incorporating them in a couple of upcoming projects.

A colorful Rooster.

A blue Owl.

and, green Love birds.

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

All the Pretty Colors ...

It’s a cold cloudy winter’s day that is in desperate need of some fabulous color. The landscape is painted in whites, grays, and browns. It’s pretty and peaceful but, it is also a little sad. It really could use some vibrant blues and greens or some warm oranges and pinks. Here are a few colorful pictures that make the gray a little less gray.





The kiddies and I were playing with Play-Doh yesterday. I made a little house scene and then edited on the computer, it’s bright and fun. I love Play-Doh.




This is a close up of my "Good Morning Rooster" painting.




My colored pencils.

Meet my "Owl Love Birds"!

Orange and lime green are my two favorite colors.

Ah, and finally vibrant blue, red, yellow, and orange beach umbrellas in the bright morning sun. Summer looks so good today!

Have a warm Monday!

I Heart Snow ...

This morning we woke up to a beautiful white world. Here are a few lovely photos I took looking out my backdoor.

Here is a little of snow art.



A beautiful female cardinal.



A pretty red House Finch.



Finch silhouette.

Metal basket with red flowers.

White Throat Sparrow.

Another pretty red House Finch.

I love this picture.

I love how the Curly Willow branches look when the are covered with snow.

If you want to see some more pops of red stop over and visit, It's A Very Cherry World! for Rednesday.

My Grandfather's Putz ...

Every year my grandfather transforms one of the bedrooms in his old farmhouse into an exciting train display. He creates a multilevel set up featuring bridges and tunnels with adorable town scenes throughout. On New Year’s Day we stopped in to see this year’s creation. It is amazing all of the time and effort he puts into his hobby.

While we were there we found out some very interesting information about my grandfather’s passion that goes back nearly 74 years. We learned that he still has the first train that he received as a gift when he was 6 years old; my grandfather will be 80 next month I thought that was pretty amazing. He has the complete collection of Plasticville and every piece still has their original boxes. We also learned that every tiny little person on the train display was hand painted by him and he has a lot of people.

My favorite part of our trip to my grandparents was watching my grandfather acting like a kindergartner at show and tell. He was so excited to share his knowledge and love of trains with all us. He was getting out books and sharing stories, it was fun to watch. I should mention that my grandfather is usually very quiet but when he gets going he is a pip. My sister and I have agreed that we get a ton of pleasure out of watching him laugh, it is something that when we kids we rarely saw and as adults gives us so much joy.

These are a few of my favorite images from our trip. I really want to get up to their house to get more pictures before my grandfather tears it down and starts all over again. Today is Vintage Thingie Thursday so stop over to Colorado Lady and see some more fabulous family vintage!

Love ...

Today is my husband and my 7th wedding anniversary. We met almost 16 years ago. For some reason the day we met has been frozen in memory. I remember what he looked like the first time I saw him, his blue hat, and his beautiful brown eyes. I remember what I was wearing, red gym shorts and my basketball sweatshirt, I remember what the weather was like, damp and overcast, I remember that I had just come from taking an English final, which I got an A on. I remember that day 16 years ago like it was yesterday.

I can’t imagine a life without him. Every memory we have made together, the good and the bad has helped shape our relationship and marriage. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.