At the Gunkles/ 40% off in the Boutique/ and a May Day announcement

Any trip we make to Florida has to include a visit to the Gunkles.  (Gay Uncles)  They have a home filled with magical decor, vintage treasures, sweet puppies, and lots of love.

Plus great food and laughter!

The guys are such good cooks, we never take them out to dinner as a thanks for having us stay with them. Instead we get fresh seafood for them to fix for us.  This time lobster!  Last time we were there, we had lobster tail on the grill with some fish too.  When Sugarwings saw it cooking, she asked what the fish was and Gunkle Kevin told her it was flounder. So, she looked at the lobster tail and asked if that was Ariel. 

Gunkle Randy sets up elegant dining in the back garden.  This year, they'd had a freeze and told us that it looked awful.  To me, they were wrong, any time there is something blooming and some green left in January, its quite beautiful to me! Plus the layout and design of the yard is so interesting and full of little surprises stashed amidst the plants.  Its always a treat to sit out in the gunkle's garden. 

Even better when there is a big plate of fresh seafood in front of me.

He makes a mean mac and cheese too.  With chopped peppers, onions, white wine and dijon. 

This little guy didn't care for Sugarwings, but the other dogs cuddled up to her.  Bella, the Bichon especially took a liking to her.

So much so, that the two girls decided to draw with markers on each other's heads. Well, at least that was Sugarwing's story. That Bella drew on her head too. They both did it to each other.

We'd brought WASHABLE markers that were supposed to be invisible unless used on the special Color Wonder paper that came with them, but the Crayola company needs to change the label to say that the colors will show up on dog fur too. And that they don't wash out.  At least not all the way.

Just ask Yella Bella.

Ollie managed to avoid any of the marker play.  He's not a puppy like Bella, he was interested but kept his distance while the two girls drew on each other.

One of the best things about the garden was the fruit trees. 

Nothing tastes better than fresh orange juice and lemon-aide that you get to make yourself.

 I ate way too much good stuff while staying there.  After the holiday treats and the vacation food, I'm afraid to wash my jeans. You know, how you wear them a couple days and they stretch out to fit nice and comfy, but if you wash them, they shrink up and become way, way too tight?  It might be a while before I can wash mine again, if I want them to zip.

Christmas goodies were everywhere we went on the trip.  And decorations were still up all over. I was so glad that Randy and Kevin still had theirs up, they have such a flair with decorating, and their house is so festive.

Its extra special to get to be at a family member's home while it is all decked for the season.

Although, I am sick of my own holiday foof and ready to see it go, I loved being at my bro's home and seeing his. 

When I got home from the trip, I walked into a house still overflowing with not only my Christmas decor, but the holiday mess from opening gifts and having lots of company.  I didn't have a chance to clean before I left, and it was a shock to come home to such clutter after staying at Randy and Kevin's perfectly clean and decorated house.

(all of these photos are from their lovely home)

Not only was my house messy, it was dusty and just felt deserted. I vowed to never go out of town and leave a dirty house behind again. Its worth the extra effort to pick up and spiff a bit before leaving. The end of a vacation is sad enough without being depressed about coming back to an unwelcoming house.

And it hasn't helped that my furnace bit the dust while I was gone.  The house was freezing cold too.  There is a repairman here now, and I've got my fingers crossed that its a simple repair and that we'll have some heat soon.

Luckily, the studio has a separate furnace, so I'm staying out here till the main part of the house warms up. Its a good excuse to avoid cleaning it or taking down the Christmas decorations too.  I'm not ready to face all of that yet.

So,I'm hanign out in the warm and toasty studio and I'm slowly but surely packing up all the purchases made during my BIG clearance sale. Thanks so much for shopping with me!

I'm going to extend the sale  for a few more days. If you want anything for 40% off in the Boutique, please use this link to go there to shop.

There are big plans for redoing my Boutique and the less I have in it, the easier it will be to redo. I'll be making new labels and categories, so will be starting from scratch.  

I'm also working on setting up the sale site for my "Bird Song" art gathering on May Day weekend. I've had lots of inquiries and promise to have the sign ups ready soon.  Sadly, we've lost Dawn of the Feathered Nest, she had to drop out as a teacher.

But, the timing was good for asking my friend, Debbie Dusenberry to join in her place. Her fabulous store, Curious Sofa, is closing this weekend, and she will be branching out into different ventures (and you can still shop online with her).  I'm so thrilled that she agreed to do a class at my workshop!!!! 

Things are really hectic for her at the moment, so I told her not to worry about photos of her project yet, just a YES was all I needed from her. I have a feeling that anyone who signs up for the classes will agree with me.  We'll all be happy to learn from her, no matter what she teaches!

Thanks for all of your interest. Its going to be the BEST, with Lisa and Carol as teachers too, I'm feeling pumped about the weekend!! Plus, Beth and Mary Green will be setting up vintage goodies for sale.

As soon as I get project ideas settled and menus priced, I'll open it up for enrollment.