Walmart Fashion.

People of Walmart continues to entertain me, no end.

It's possibly because that's all my brain is capable of conjuring up for a post just currently. (Copy and paste is the fast food of blogging).

You know how reality television was born out of a writers' strike? People of Walmart and Awkward Family Photo are brought to you by me currently working a seven day week and feeling a little bit tuckered out at the end of the day.

Anyhou, it's self inflicted so I shall put the violin away. Instead! Behold these beauties.

Oh yeah. Giddy up. And below I think is her spiritual sister.
However I shall save the best till the last.

The Australian Office saw it and thought of me, bless her. And it was inspiration for this entire post.
I am without words. But I'm think I'm right when I say she's only wearing a pair of shorts.

She's only wearing a pair of shorts.

Which is okay if you're a hot bloke, or a wee ankle biter.

Otherwise it's wrong in so many ways.

Papertake Weekly - sketch week!

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I've got to tell you I am sooooo excited!!! I bought tickets for my daughter and grandson to come spend Christmas with us this year. They'll be here for two full weeks and that's the only Christmas present I want! They get here in two weeks and it won't get here fast enough for me.

So anyway, with it being Tuesday, that means it's time for a new challenge at Papertake Weekly, and this week it's sketch week. We're being sponsored by the fabulous Simon Says Stamp!

And here's what I came up with for the sketch

I chose to use #3039 Longing Tilda along with #457 Noel both from the amzing Diana over at Magnolia-licious. They're stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with Copic Sketch markers. I used oval Nesties to cut out the word Noel. Cardstock is Bazzill, PP is Nitwit Collections, and the hearts were cut using my Cricut Expression.

I truly wish I could remember who's blog I recently saw the buttons and attached string on so I could give credit where credit is due. If you know, please email me so I can link to them! The ribbon is May Arts silk from Stamp and Create. That's it for me today! Please be sure and visit Papertake Weekly to see what the rest of the fabulous design team has created, and then we'd love it if you'd grab your paper and glue and play along with us! Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! Hugs!  

Pumpkin Muffins, two ways

It's still November, so it's STILL pumpkin season, right?

I've confessed my love for pumpkin already...let me share with you two of my favorite muffins. One savory, one sweet.

These Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins come from the Baked Explorations cookbook.  I am IN.LOVE. with these muffins (I would happily eat all 12 in one sitting).  Even though they are listed in the breakfast section of the cookbook, they are wonderful with a cup of butternut squash soup or a bowl chili.

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins
{adapted from Baked Explorations}

1 c. canned pumpkin
3 TBSP sour cream
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cooled and melted
2 c. flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 & 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 & 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 & 1/4  c. grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat oven to 400.  Use a paper towel to lightly coat the insides of 12 muffin cups with vegetable oil.

Whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream.  Whisk in the eggs and cooled, melted butter until combined.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, pepper and brown sugar.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients into the well and gently fold until combined.  Fold in 3/4ths of the cheese.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out the muffins to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.

{{*sigh*}}

Next up....the sweet.

These muffins can also be called "cake muffins."  They're SO easy and SO delicious.  Yes, they are made from a cake mix...and you know, a cake mix now and then comes in handy.

{And that pumpkin makes 'em healthy. Trust me, I'm a blogger.}

If you are one of the crazy pumpkin-haters (and I know you're out there), never fear, these don't taste like pumpkin, they taste like CAKE!

Vanilla Pumpkin Muffins

2 egg whites
1 box French Vanilla cake mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
sanding or sparkling sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly coat 15 or so baking liners with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  Place in a muffin tin.

Lightly beat the egg whites. Stir in the cake mix and the pumpkin.  Stir until combined.

Spoon into the prepared baking cups and top with a bit of sanding sugar for a little sparkle.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when gently pressed.

Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.

How do you like your pumpkin?  Sweet or savory?

Brutal.

Australian readers will already be aware of this ad.

But, as I'm currently doing a lot of work with the police, I am now getting my head around just how important these messages are.

And, boy, this one packs a punch.



Sadly, the people it should be punching may still think they're six foot ten and bullet proof. I really hope not.

Kraftin Kimmie winner!!

Hi everyone! Hope you've enjoyed your weekend and that all of my US friends had a fabulous Thanksgiving!! A big thanks to everyone that commented on my Kraftin Kimmie card, and I pulled a lucky winner for that adorable penguin, Oliver! So without making you wait any longer, the winner is....

And #24 is........

Yay!!! Congrats Sharron!!! I will get your stamp out to you right away! Thanks to everyone for all your continued support and kindess! Have a wonderful week!!! Hugs!

Peggy Loves Vintage Christmas Cut Outs

Ok, the rush is on! Do you have all your Christmas cards made? Don't panic! With images from Peggy Loves Vintage, you can crank out those cards in no time at all! This precious image is from a set of her Christmas Cut Outs. I simply printed the image, cut it out with my circle Nesties, and popped it up with some dimensional tape. All cardstock is Bazzill and the PP is from Bearly Mine. I machine stitched the large panel, and while I was stitching the smaller panels, I noticed I had ran out of bobbin thread. I didn't want double holes, and it's so hard to get them lined up perfectly again, so I just continued stitching around it with my needle for the holes, and then used a white gel pen for the stitch marks. Not bad, huh?

Added a few Kaiser pearls, some paper lace courtesy of a Martha Stewart punch, and that was it! Please be sure and visit Peggy Loves Vintage to see all the fabulous Christmas images she has available to help you in your quest to get those holiday cards done and in the mail! And don't forget to follow her blog too. She loves to give away free vintage images!! Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! Hugs!

Wags 'n Whiskers - Wrap it up!!

Hi everyone! For all of my friends that celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, I truly hope you had a wonderful holiday with lots of food, friends, and family! And so the hectic shopping season begins! Did you get up in the wee hours of the morning to attend Black Friday events? Not me! I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole! LOL! I like my sleep way too much. If you braved the weather and the crowds, I hope it was well worth your time and effort, and that you found all the deals you were after. 

It's time for a new challenge from Wags 'n Whiskers, and this weeks challenge is hosted by the sweet, wonderful, and extremely talented Nikki!! She is asking us to "wrap it up". So make either a bag, box, or tag.  I worked with one of my favorite images called "Say a Prayer" in both rubber and dgi form! I miniaturized the digital image so she'd fit perfectly on my tag. I love being able to do this!! They're both colored with Copic markers and cut out. The bag was cut using my Cricut Expression and the tag and scalloped edge were cut with Magnolia Doohickey dies.  Please be sure and visit my Design Diva Sisters to see the fabulous creations they came up with for this challenge, and then we'd love it if you'd grab your paper and glue and play along with us for a chance to win your own Wags 'n Whiskers image!

Chris, Tracy, Michele, Karen, Angelique, Tina, Jeanette, Debbie, Melanie, Mariska,  Carolina, Barbara, Kristen, Vicky, Lacey, and Nikki

Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and hope to see you back again soon! Hugs!!

From Planet State the Obvious.

The Pike Mine Disaster.

If one more newsreader asks a journalist in the field, 'What is the mood of the town tonight?' I will hurl a brick at the television.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are are getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving....full of family, friends and PIE!

If you're in the mood to whip up some cookies to take to the feast, here's a simple idea for you.  This turkey doesn't require a special cutter....it's a combination of a few shapes you probably have already...or can cut by hand. 

I used a flower cutter, a small circle, and hand-cut a small rectangle.  A video of the process of putting them all together is on University of Cookie.

This turkey shape idea came from Paper Glitter's free Thanksgiving printables. Printables and kids' coloring books are great places to look for cookie inspiration.

Make your cookies, break out the royal icing along with Americolor food colorings in Super Red, Orange, Chocolate Brown, Egg Yellow and Super Black.   Have fun!

Happy Thanksgiving, you guys!  I am thankful for each and every one of you....except for you spammers, but other than that....each and every one. :)

Gobble, gobble!
{ps...to my cousin, Maura, currently in labor with her first little one...we are thinking of you! Can't wait to meet your little turkey!}

Papertake Weekly - Cut it out!

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's time for a new Papertake Weekly challenge, and this week it's "Cut it Out". So you can use your punches, die cuts, or just cut your image out with your scissors! We're being sponsored this week by the fabulous Wendy over at Digital Delights by Louby Loo! I chose to use this absolutely adorable penguin from Kraftin Kimmie called Oliver! I fell head over heels in love with this little guy as soon as I saw him last year and had to have him. Well it just so happens that Kimmie sent me another Oliver stamp in my Guest Design Team package, so some lucky person out there is getting ready to win him! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm Friday night, November 26th, and I'll pull a lucky winner sometime next weekend!

Oliver is colored with Copic markers and then cut out and popped up for dimension. The hearts were cut from Nesties and the icicle punched border is from  a Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is computer generated. I used Bazzill cardstock for the base, Kraft cardstock for matting, and the PP is from Nitwit Collections. The red pearls are Kaiser and the ribbon is May Arts. That's it for me today! Please be sure and pop over to Papertake Weekly to see what the rest of the fabulous designers created for your viewing pleasure. And then grab your paper and glue and join us in the challenge! Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and for those of you that are in the States, I wish you and yours a Very Happy Thanksgiving! Hugs! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win Oliver!

I kid you, not. UPDATED!

Due to my complete inability to say no, I have found myself working seven days a week for, pretty much, an eight week stretch - give or take the odd day off.

I would like a cup of tea and a lie down however, on the upside, I am learning a whole lot of stuff across a diverse range of subjects. Some of it more practical than others.

Things like; if you want good veggies - start with good soil, don't plant your Nicotiana flowers beside your tomatoes, beagles are escape artists and, if you don't want to get your car stolen in Auckland, avoid buying a Subaru.

I had heard that last chestnut of advice from the police...and then life just went ahead and reinforced it.

Yesterday morning a woman I work with woke up to discover their car had been stolen, right outside their bedroom window. Their alarmed and locked car, no less.

Even more strange was that, few hours later, stuff from their car was discovered in another stolen, abandoned car. ( I think the moral of this story is, don't try and understand the minds of criminals).

My colleague and her partner were understandably a bit gutted; they don't have the time to get their car stolen, they've got a small child, they need two cars as they both work in different directions, it's nearly Christmas and they're about to get married.

So there was delight this afternoon when the police rang to say they had found their car. And it was in one piece. Joy! Immediately her partner left work to get to go and pick it up.

But it wasn't going to end as happily ever after as they'd hoped. An hour later she got a call from her partner, he'd turned up to where their car had been found...only to discover that it had been stolen a second time.

And yes, it was a Subaru.

UPDATE: Last night my colleague's partner was driving around their suburb, SPOTTED their stolen car driving and, a police helicopter and dog chase later, their stolen car is now recovered!

Now that's a story you can't make up.

Magnolia-licious Blog Hop Winner!!!

Hello everyone! Hope you've enjoyed your weekend! I have not gotten any crafting done because of a very nasty upper respiratory infection. I'm finally feeling a little bit better and can at least sit at my crafting area for a little bit before I'm ready for another nap. I wanted to get the winner posted for the Magnolia-licious Blog Hop. So without further ado...here we go.....

The winner is.....

And #4 is....

So Beth, if you would contact me with your choice of stamp from Magnolia-licious and your address, I will get it on it's way! Thanks so much to everyone for playing along! Hugs!

More Tasty than a Chocolate Frog

*Do you have the theme song in your head yet?*

Last week, part one of the movie of the last Harry Potter book was released.

We haven't seen it, yet, but I must tell you, we LOVE Harry Potter.  At first glance, it may seem a story of wizards, but at it's heart, it is a tale of the power of love, loyalty, bravery, sacrifice and friendship.

Once I thought kiddo was old enough, we started reading them together.  Actually, *I* read them...aloud, all 4,100 pages of them (to be exact).  Snuggled on the couch, under a pile of afghans, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and Dumbledore...they became a part of our lives.  Everyday we ended our reading with kiddo begging, "more, more!"

 

 

We waited for the last book to be released and I sobbed though the entire thing.  Not only was I going to miss Harry, but I knew this had been precious time with kiddo.  Yes, there would be more books to read together,  but these were special.

Want to make some Harry Potter cookies?  Here's what you'll need:

• royal icing in Americolor copper/flesh, super black, super red, and leaf green
• disposable decorating bags
• squeeze bottles
• icing tips in #2 and #1
• round cookies

With a #2 tip, outline the face in copper/flesh.

Thin the flesh color with water until it is the consistency of thick syrup.  Let sit several minutes covered with a damp dish towel.

Stir gently, transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill in the face.  Let sit a few hours.

With a #2 tip, outline the hair in black.

 

{Forgot to take pictures of a few of the steps here, but.....}

Fill in the hair in black flood icing,
pipe the glasses with a #1 tip,
pipe the lightning bolt with a #1 tip in red.

With the #1 tip, pipe a smile.

I've said it before.....do NOT try to cheat and use a baggie instead of a piping bag.  I slipped a #1 tip in a baggie for the eyes....not wanting to waste a piping bag for a few eyes.  Yep, the bag exploded and broke Harry's glasses.  Not even a "Reparo" charm could help me.


On the brooms, I tried a trick from Kudos Kitchen.  Painting on the wood grain.  Renee is a master of this; I'm still learning.  (You can see a video of her technique here.)

{Broom cutter from Sweet!}

Don't forget sweet Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl.

Ron & Hermione sittin' in a tree....

{JK Rowling...thanks for making Hermione a hero to "bushy-haired" girls everywhere!}

A special shout-out to Diamonds for Dessert!  Her Harry Potter cookies were a MAJOR inspiration to me and the first Harry cookies I'd ever seen.  (Love that Snape!)