Betty is ready for Halloween!

TGI-almost-F!!! It's been a loooong week & I am ready for the weeeeekend!



I got this cute little Betty last year but never inked her up. She comes in a set of 2, with a sentiment. I got mine from 7 Kids College Fund -- HERE is the link. I used the other image on THIS CARD -- wow, has it really been almost a year since I made that? Time sure does speed on by!

Anyhoo -- I colored Betty with my pencils & Goo Gone -- the papers are Basic Grey Eerie (look, 7 Kids still has this paper!) -- the fence is a Sizzix die -- lots of Nesties & punches -- the sentiment is a dollar stamp from Michael's from a few years ago --




This was actually my second attempt -- the first one went into the circular file after I completely messed up the clouds. I hate when that happens! I'm pretty skillful at covering up my errors (only to point them out in my blog posts) but there was no saving this one! So I colored up Betty again, & very gingerly added some clouds).


Speaking of clouds --- here's the reason my pictures totally stink! Can't blame the camera this time -- but I can blame the lack of natural light --





Crazy crazy weather here in SE Wisconsin today. Wind advisory --- sunny, then cloudy, then sunny, then DARK clouds, raining, no, wait -- it's hailing --- oops wait it's sunny again --



One more thing before I go -- you may have heard of a little team called the Milwaukee Brewers ---




Sorry Dawn.

Strawberry Zucchini Bread

It's that time of year again --- too much zucchini on our hands! Time to prowl around for new recipes. I found this one a couple of week ago & made some over the weekend -- it was a HUGE hit, I highly recommend it!



STRAWBERRY ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
1 pound fresh strawberries, cut into 1 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl combine flower, salt, baking powder, baking soda & cinnamon. In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, vanilla & sugar. Fold in shredded zucchini. Add dry ingredients & mix well. Gently fold in strawberries. Transfer to pan (I used mini loaf pans). Bake 45-50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan before removing.


I prefer to use the Pampered Chef mini loaf pans -- love love LOVE all their stoneware. I love to freeze the mini loaves & give them as gifts - I always wrap mine in 2 sheets of foil, then place them in a freezer bag. Can't even tell they'd been frozen :)

Let me know if you try this recipe. And if you have a bread recipe -- or any recipe for that matter -- feel free to share. I'm always looking for new ideas!

Happy birthday!!

It's my co-worker's birthday tomorrow & I wanted to make her a little something. I don't really talk about my obsession hobby at work, nor has anyone seen anything that I've made. But I've decided to start spreading the love a bit -- & I'm starting with my friend Lou. Turns out her daughter also makes cards & so I figured she'd be a good one to start with :)



Can you believe I've never ever altered a frap bottle? I've *saved* the frap bottles -- about 22 of them -- but this is the first one I actually did something with. The sentiment is from SU's Oh So Sweet -- one of the few SU sets I own. Basically I own any set that has food or hedgies, lol. So yes, the hedgie on the card is also from SU, he belongs to the Hedgehog Happiness set. The papers on both are K&Company McKenna. Lots of seam binding & dies & punches -- oh my!




Close up of the card...I added some shine to the balloon...





I stamped the chocolate from that same SU set for the top - used lots of Nesties & seam binding - & filled it up with pretzel M&M's. I sure hope she likes it!

Thanks for visiting -- have a super week!!

Sundays with Crissy - Lenny

Oh, how I am loving being on the Sundays with Crissy team -- so talented & so darn sweet!! So it seems appropriate that the challenge this week is FRIENDSHIP.



I used another High Hopes image for my card - shocking, I know. This is Lenny's Love Me Nots. I stamped the image onto SU's Naturals Ivory -- which I love but always forget I have -- & colored it with Prisma pencils & Goo Gone. The papers are K&Co McKenna, I added some Stickles & used one of my newer Nesties for the frame. The sentiment is also from High Hopes.





Come join us in the fun at Sundays with Crissy -- what's so extra fun about this challenge blog is that instead of everyone posting at once, we are all scattered throughout the month. So there's something new to look at every couple of days :)

I hope you've had a great start to the week. My Monday was pretty ok, as far as Mondays go. Still trying to get back into a routine with the crazy early hour that I'm up. I'm SO wanting to make fall & Halloween cards -- my very favorite to make -- & I just haven't found the time yet. Hoping to before the season comes & goes, lol!

Scarecrow Mudzie

Well I hope all you peeps had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! It sure went by fast -- I still have stuff on my list that I didn't get to!

I have been so anxious to get this card done & there has been so little time with the hullabaloo of school starting. I had to work on it 5 minutes here --- 5 minutes there -- & then I rushed through the photographing of it -- it's not quite as clear as it could have been --




This is Mudzie Plays Scarecrow, a digital image from Squigglefly, created of course by the fab Crissy Armstrong. That's 2 whole digitals I've downloaded & used now, how proud of me are you?? I colored Mudzie with pencils -- still not sure about using Copics with digitals since my printer is kind of cheap, I'm afraid the ink will bleed. And I just haven't had time to experiment! The papers are Basic Grey Boxer -- I thought they were rather "fall-ish" -- I added a Prima leaf & some raffia. I really wanted to keep it simple since the image is so detailed.





And how cute is his little birdie friend? FRIEND? Oh crumbs -- I could have used this card as my card for this month's theme at Sundays with Crissy! It happens to be friendship -- go check out what the dt members have posted so far! Such cute stuff! Ah well, good thing I have another idea in my head :)

Back to work & school tomorrow -- & back to early early wake up -- poo :(

Happy Labor Day!

Oh, to be young (or a cat) & have no responsibilities ...... I have a list a mile long of things I need to get done today. I may have the day off of work, but that doesn't mean I get to do nothing! Elwood is definitely happy that Michael is home today!!



It's a beautiful day --- 60 degrees, sunny, a bit breezy -- ahhhh to have the windows open & not be sweating is heaven. Makes those chores a little easier to get done!!!

Have a super day :)

All fixed!

Thanks so much for your guidance regarding my background!! I knew I had the old background lodged into my html somewhere --I just couldn't find it! So I went to each html widget separately & finally located it & deleted that baby!! This looks much better :)

SOS!!!!!

Ok --- so as you can see I've changed my blog design. Well, ALMOST. I'm using a template from LeeLou Designs ---my last one was also from her. I remember this issue from last time too --- I downloaded the template using her instructions -- & I got the template but not the background. The background is my OLD old background, the one I had when I started my blog. A few months ago I decided to download one from her site & it did the same thing, & I remember agonizing over it. I did eventually figure it out -- I just had to change or delete one little thing -- but for the life of me I can't remember what I did! I could understand it happening last time -- since I was just changing over -- but now that this is the second time I'm changing that background should be on there at all. Anyone have any ideas??

Then I went to the site of someone I had chatted with a few months ago about creating a design for me -- she was really good & really affordable -- today I went to her site & OF COURSE she's not doing custom designs any more. So sad :(


I am really trying to get a card done -- the last week has been crazy with trying to get ready for school, all the supplies, the forms, the open houses. My kids started Thursday & while they are sad to see summer end, I think they are glad to be back in a routine with their friends. Matthew started middle school & is doing well, except NEITHER of us likes the early early hour -- Thursday I was up at 4 because I was just so darn excited for him, Friday I was up at 5:15 which will be my normal wake up time from now on. Bleah ---

Anyway, I do have an image colored & OH what a cute image it is :) Can't wait to share!

Hope you all have a FAB Labor Day weekend & hopefully someone will come to my rescue regarding the blog. Actually, the background doesn't look too bad -- the color sorta matches -- but when you first come to blog the real background that is supposed to be there blinks on for about 2 seconds, then it switches to this one. Which is just annoying -- sorry :(