Saturday, August 24, 2013

Wholesale Gift of the Month Club

                                              Wholesale Gift of the Month Club

Markets of Sunshine has been offering handmade gift sets for over two years.  We began our humble business in the spring of 2011 and have grown by leaps and bounds.  After, many months of market research we have determined that our gifts are mainly loved by women who enjoy handmade and something useful in the age group of forty to seventy.  That's not to say that any woman younger could not enjoy our products as well, they do, but the majority of our customer's are more experienced and appreciate the value of handmade over commercial retail goods.

To show our appreciation to our loyal customers we are offering an exclusive pilot program called, wholesale buying club called our "Gift of the Month Club."  You will be able to sign-up and receive a monthly package of handmade useful gifts for just $20 a month, including the shipping!  So, you are getting approximately $60 worth of products for just $20!

The first six to sign-up will be honorary members of our Buyer's Club and receive exclusive freebies all year long from our vendors!  Hurry!  These spots will fill up fast!!!

Please, sign-up on our website,  Markets of Sunshine to help support handmade gifts, made in the U.S.A.  We thank you in advance for your continued patronage!  Want to support our website and get a handmade gift every month for one low yearly subscription fee?  Now, you can by joining our Buyers Club here!

Featured Artist of the Week!
 
Now, on to this week's featured artist, Cindy Williams of CJW Design Village.  She is sharing a wonderful recipe with you this week.

Potato Soup

8 cups water
5lbs Idaho potatoes
1/2 tablespoon chicken bouillon ( I also use liquid broth instead)
1/4 tablespoon white pepper (optional)
1/ 2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon black pepper
1 can cheddar cheese soup 
1/2 lb margarine (2 sticks)
3/4 cups flour
1 cups half and half
Chives, bacon bits, or parsley for garnish. (options)

In a large kettle, bring the water to a boil. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Add to water, along with chicken bouillon, white pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook about 12 minutes or until potatoes are about half cooked.
Add the cheddar cheese soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the flour to form a roue. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir into potato mixture. Simmer an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
Add half and half. Heat just to serving temperature. DO NOT BOIL. Pour into serving bowls and garnish.

This is a recipe O'Charley's restaurant published in my local paper.
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Stitchin Hip Chick Featured Artist & Giveaway Contest

This week we have one of our newest members in the spotlight as featured artist of the week, Stitchin Hip Chicks, mother and daughter team from Markets of Sunshine.

Sara and Lorraine are the duel team of Stitchin Hip Chicks featuring handmade products for women, teens and children.   You'll find them on our "Meet the Artist" page of our website and they also have a shop on Etsy.  We're happy to feature them this week in our blog post and hope you will enjoy browsing their shop and entering our contest where you can win a $20 gift certificate to their shop.

They are also offering a coupon code to be used in their Etsy shop; use the coupon code AugustBlog for 15% off your total purchase good through 09/15/2013at Stitchinhipchicks on Etsy!

We want you to get to know more about our great artists so we have asked them to share with our reader's some great tips that you can use around the house.  Here is what they had for us:

Ten great uses for eggs and egg shells!

1. Plant Water:
Don’t get rid of the water you used to boil eggs. Instead, after it has cooled, water your plants with it, which is packed with nutrients.

2.Leather Cleaner:
Whisk egg whites and apply a thin layer on the affected area of leather. Lightly scrub the egg white away. It will leave the leather both clean and shiny, as egg whites cling to residue and help to pull it away from leather.

3.Plant Fertilizer:
The calcium in eggshells promotes plant growth. Crush eggshells and mix them into fertilizer.

4. Band-Aide:
Apply a thin layer of whisked egg whites to a minor cut. The egg whites will dry, creating a thin film that protects your cut as well as provides nutrients to the skin that will help it to heal easier, sans a scar.

5.Jewelry Enhancer:
Eggs contain sulfur, which oxidizes commercially-sold jewelry with sterling .925 or lower, helping to enhance jewelry’s design. Hard boil 1-2 eggs, crumble the egg yolk, and place the the egg yolk at the bottom of a container. Top the crumbled egg yolk with 1-2 paper towels, and then place the jewelry atop the paper towels. Seal the container and let it sit at room temperature for a few days. Remove the jewelry, rinsing it enough with soap and water to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

6.Edible Paint:
Isolate the egg white from the egg and whisk it with 1 tablespoon of water and food coloring of choice. Paint pastries and cakes, or any appropriate food item, for a decorative, edible, and easy way to bring color to your creations.

7.Unclogged Sink:
Leave crushed eggshells in the strainer of your sink and it will help to break up anything that passes through to prevent clogging.

8. Compost:
Eggshells are packed with calcium, which helps plants to grow. Crush eggshells and add them to your compost.

9.Arts and Crafts:
Prick a hole with a pin in one end of the egg and let the egg white and yolk slowly drain out. You are essentially left with an empty egg. Decorate the eggshell to your liking and admire your creative ornament! This is also a creative arts and crafts experience for kids, as it is both challenging to keep the eggshell in one piece and fun to do.

10. Shampoo:
Eggs are packed with protein and thus a welcome treatment for the hair. Whisk an egg and then run it through your hair with your fingers and massage it into your scalp. The egg yolk will treat distressed and damaged hair as well as moisturize it, while the egg white will clean the hair by sticking to dirt and pulling it away. Once fully applied to the hair, wash the egg out with lukewarm water.




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Monday, August 5, 2013

Mystery Gift Bags for only $8!!!

Mystery Gift Bags For Only $8 While Supplies Last!

This week Markets of Sunshine has a super deal for all our reader's! 

We are making room for our Fall collection of handmade gifts of sunshine bags and passing the savings on to you for our summer bags.
You can now get up to five handmade products for only $8 while supplies last.  Visit our Etsy shop to pick up as many as you want before they are all gone!  click here! 
We are so excited to announce our 'big' deal for the summer!!!  We have several promotions happening for you to take advantage of over the next three months, July, August and September.
First, You can earn a free Buyer's Club membership with everyone membership you purchase.
Second, You can earn free Advertising on our blog and in our monthly newsletter when you sign-up for our latest and greatest Advertising option.  Email us for details at: marsha@marketsofsunshine.com
Third, You can earn a free 'Gifts of Sunshine' bag with everyone you purchase during the next three months.  Simple tell us in the comment box at check-out which two themes you would like to purchase.

Summer means weekends at the BBQ, Pool Parties, Beach excursions, theme park outings and more!  Why not have a mid-week party with Country Gourmet Home!  We have so many fun and yummy food party themes to choose from, like our Taco party, Ice Cream Sundae party, Crazy Salad party and Chocolate Lover's party just to name a few.https://www.mycountrygourmethome.com/FSIMAGES/cart_landing_pages-01.jpg  Contact me today to book your party!  We do online parties, catalog parties and in-home parties!  So, pick your theme and pick your party and give us a call!  

Visit us on Facebook and find out where we got these great recipes and gardening tips from!



       This week's featured shop is WoodstreamDream            owned by Nicole Meyers
Contest Gift 
 Find her creations at http://www.woodstreamdream.etsy.com and https://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodstreamPapery.  Use coupon code VANZANT to get 10% off your purchase and Nicole will donate 15% of your purchase to the Van Zant Elementary School in Marlton, NJ, to help fund elementary school programs.
Your support of small businesses is greatly appreciated!
Nicole shared this healthy side dish recipe that her husband loves and that takes less than three minutes to throw together!
5 Ingredient Quick Spinach Sauté
Serves 2
Heat in a skillet over medium-low heat for 30 seconds:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 organic garlic cloves, pressed in a garlic press or finely minced
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (depends on how spicy you like your food)
Add:
16 ounces fresh organic baby spinach, rinsed
Cover skillet with a lid to wilt the spinach for 1 minute.  Use tongs to turn the spinach until it has all wilted about 1 minute more.
Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, toss once more and serve immediately


Beet and Arugula Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
Serves: 4
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  



Ingredients
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 2 medium beets
  • ½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbs. lemon juice
  • ¼ cup champagne vinegar
  • 1 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
  1. First, make the vinaigrette: combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, dijon a pinch of salt and pepper in a mason jar. Close the lid tight, and shake vigorously to blend.
  2. Peel beets, then cut into ½ inch cubes. In a bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, roast in oven for 35-45 minutes at 400 degrees.
  3. Wash and dry arugula.
  4. In a large mixing bowl toss vinaigrette with arugula, roasted beets, sliced tomatoes, goat cheese and salt and pepper.
  .
What's New!
Two new pages on our blog!  Baby Gift Registry and Wedding Gift Registry!  Check them out!  Please share them with friends and family.
Exclusive New Offer! See what we have added new on the Weekly Specials page. Try before you buy offers! Get them while they last!
Ready to show off your handiwork to the world? Become a vendor of our Marketplace here! We are also launching a new coupon book for our vendors to advertise their products in at the beginning of August 2013!  Contact us for details to have your business included for one low fee!
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Being Green Is Not Easy!!! 
But Someone Has to Do It!!
Who Better Than Markets of Sunshine!!!
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