the pursuit of scrappyness

A layout that proves just how classy I am.

2011-09-09T22:39:00.001-06:00

So at the crop Adrienne and I attended last month, we challenged each other to try at least one page apiece that was out of our comfort zones.  I actually did two.  

I win!  I mean….ahem.

Here’s the first of those pages:

The journaling says, “Real friends will pose in front of a flying donair with you in a skeevy dive at 2 am in downtown Edmonton.”  Which shows you just what a classy dame I am.

Anyhow, there are a couple of elements here that are out of my comfortable little scrappy-box.

***Editor’s note:  Plan for future project:  Comfortable little scrappy-box.  Copyright 2011.***

First, the misting:

 I defiled an otherwise-pristine piece of paper with splatters of random ink and no regard for the paper’s dignity. Again with the classiness.  

The second oddity is the use of American Crafts stickers for the “photo mat”.  Usually I’d go for paper, but here, the muted colours helped me to tone-down the otherwise obnoxious colour palette in the photo.

I’m also still working on the mixing of do-dads, and I used another of Jen and Susan’s embellishments here.  Isn’t that flower so cute?!

I think the flowers and other little do-dads help to downplay the fact that I’m posing with an onion ring.  Don’t you think?

Mmmm...horchatas.

2011-08-30T19:02:00.000-06:00

When Cliff and I visited my sister in northern California several years ago, they took us to a Mexican restaurant that served liquid gold wrapped in sunshine and sprinkled with a little heck yes.

I mean, they served horchatas, a cinnamony ricey milky drink.

And aside from a Mexican vacation a couple of years ago, we haven't had them since.

Until I found a recipe on Pinterest.

People?  You need to make these.

I'm not going to bore you with my un-appetizing looking photos.  Instead, here's one of David's from his original recipe post:

This is David Lebovitz's photo! Not mine!

Yum, right?

Next time, I'm going to cut down the sugar slightly, but other than that, this recipe is perfect.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, my glass is empty.

A layout. I made this.

2011-08-24T17:28:00.002-06:00

So I went to a crop with my dear friend Adrienne in July.  And in one day?  I completed six layouts.  Six.

That’s a new record, dude.

One was the “Blending In” page I showed you the other day.  

And to continue with the animal theme, here’s another:

That’s my dad with his dog and mine last summer on the trails near where I grew up.

This one started with this sketch from Creative Scrappers:
I even included some Jennifer-style scattered do-dads, stitching across my letters, and random cross-stitches.

Seriously, that woman has affected my scrapping in a big way.

Oh, and in a little way, too.  Those clouds up there?  Are from this kit I won from Jen and her sister Susan who are wicked embellishment-makers.

Wait.  I mean the they are wicked at making embellishments.  As in cool.  Not that the two of them are somehow wicked.  As in nasty.

Anyhow, it’s a layout.  And I made it.  And Jen and Susan helped.

“Installing a cat door” or “How to temporarily reverse your cat’s litter training”

2011-08-22T20:08:00.003-06:00

Hello, dear friends.  It’s been awhile.

And as such?  I’m going to teach you something.  Like how to install a cat door.

Or, how to make your cat relieve herself on the floor for the first time in her life because she’s so afraid of a cat door.

Remember camo-cat?

 She was trying to blend in this day.

Incidentally, I recently scrapped this photo:  

Based on this sketch:
And fell in lurve with these little clear bobbles (and tried to position them a la Jen!)

But I digress.

Let’s say you move into a new house.

And this new house has a basement.

And you have a dog with some strange issues because she was a stray.

And you’ve never had her in a house with a basement before.

And apparently she likes to poop in the basement.

Yeah.  Let’s say that.

And then let’s say that you have a cat whose litter box needs to go in the basement.  So you have to leave the door open for the cat and closed for the dog. 

It’s quite a conundrum, but never fear, friends who are following me on this hypothetical ride!  I have a solution!

Enter: the interior cat door!

It was super cheap.  Like, $10.17 or something at Home Depot.

Plus?  It was really easy.  And fun.  ‘Cause I got to cut through a door, y’all.

Let’s begin, shall we?

First, take the plastic rim of the cat door and put it where you want it.  You may want to measure this part, but since I’m badass, I didn’t.  That’s right.  I said it.  My cat door may be slightly askew.  Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?

Then, drill through the door at the corners.

Next, take a Skil saw (I think that’s what they’re called – the handheld one with the jigsaw-type blade), insert it through the holes and cut from one to the next.  And no, I didn’t take the door off the hinges.  Just more evidence of my badassity.

You may need to cut the back side of the door a little if your cuts weren’t totally perpendicular to the door.  That’s where I freehanded it a little.  Did I mention I’m a total badass with no regard for proper power-tool usage?  Then, fit the plastic into the hole and attach it with the screws and foam tape.

And there you have it.  A cat door of epic proportions!

Excellent!  Check out that plastic flap with all its dog-keeping-out-ity!  This is going to be awesome!

And now to teach the cat to go through it.

I tried coaxing.  I tried treats.  I tried shoving her through.  

But you know that phrase, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out?”

Yeah.  Apparently neither did she.  So I woke up the next morning to cat poop on my kitchen floor.

So now we have a flapless cat door.

But at least everyone’s pooping in the right place again.

Dear Self, I've been busy.

2011-08-11T19:46:00.001-06:00

Ok. Maybe not "busy" in the normal sens of the word "busy".

But you know that phrase "pics or it didn't happen?"

Well, here you go:

We spent a really rainy day at a rock music festival.

And an evening at a pub for a local music contest.

I installed a cat-door which the cat promptly avoided like the plague. Or a really large dog.

We went to a Brazilian barbecue that had a phenomenal buffet...

And sideways waiters, apparently.

We went to IKEA and laughed at this parts machine.

And to see a very blurry Jerry Seinfeld live.

I bought a boatload of scrapbooking stuff, both new and pre-loved.

I saw Molly and Maggie for the first (and only) time in the year they've lived together.

I made brownies.

And installed shelves.

I scrapped at a Saturday crop.

And when to Cliff's favourite restaurant with friends.

I reconnected with my best friend from high school.

And had a barbecue where we played Quelf, the funnest game I've ever played.

I went to my grandpa's lakeside memorial.

And played with my niece and nephews.

We visited Cliff's family.

And I painted some birdhouses that Cliff's nana gave me.

And, I made this Chocolate-coconut bar dessert, as well as Donut Muffins, and they were delish.

So. It may feel like I've done nothing this summer? But trust me, self. I have.

Sincerely,
Teri

We be pinnin'.

2011-07-23T22:33:00.001-06:00

People? I think I have a sickness.

Seriously.

I have been pinning so much lately that I have lost track of time. And possibly thought it was Thursday two days in a row.

Neither of which was Thursday.

Oh. Sorry. Guess I should back the bus up a little. Have you heard of Pinterest?

It's like an online bulletin board where you pin images of stuff you find online that you like, and the photo you pin to your board is a hyperlink to the original source of the image.

The result is a visual compilation of the awesomest stuff on the internet.

Here are a few of my favourite pins of late:

Made these last night. So yummy.

I shall make many of these.

Save the books, people!

The Doors? Plus stairs? You had me at "hello".

No she wasn't.

How are people so clever?

Oooh. Gettin' deep on ya.

Oh, the irony. I must make this.

So, what do you think? Do you pin? Or are you disPINterested?

Ba-dum-dum-CHING!

Bathroom reorganization.

2011-07-19T22:01:00.000-06:00

Or, should I say, "organization". See this "before" picture?

There's really no "re" about it.

In our bathroom? We just have one big cabinet.

No shelves. No drawers. Just one big space of the throw-it-in-there-and-shut-the-door-as-fast-as-possible-so-nothing-falls-out variety.

But then? I got smart. This cabinet needed shelving, I say!

Plus, I wanted to use my drill.

Oh...did I not tell you about my drill? See, when we first moved in here? We had to put up a shower curtain. And I wanted one of those snazzy curved ones.

So we needed a drill.

In this house, I tend to be the tool-wielder, although the shower-curtain-rod turned into a two-dude job.

Why wouldn't this picture turn upright?

And people? This started a love affair. I was looking for things that needed a hole in them.

Anyway, back to the cupboard.

I went to Totem and had them cut me a couple of shelves based on my very precise and mathematical directions.

Yeah. Basically guesstimated using a little pocket tape-measure.

Then I put them up using 3/4" L-shaped brackets. Clearly I don't know what they're really called. I used five of those thingies for each shelf, because they are only held up on 2 sides. Keep in mind, though, there isn't much weight on them.

I recently switched to flat storage for my cosmetics to help free up some space in the ole' water closet. That office drawer-organizer on the upper right holds all my girly goo.

Also? I figured out that there are special screws just for particle-board. Go me!

Three cheers for crappy iPhone photos!

And then I made them look a little less homemade with the plastic edging that goes on particle-board shelving. Hopefully that will distract from the very homemade cussing that trying to drill into awkward places produced.

Et voila.

It looks better, n'est-ce pas?

Now, I want to add a couple of these to the doors to add a little storage for my curling iron and other hair-tamers:

A great idea from The Suels! Click the picture to head to their post!

I'm linking up at Anything Goes over at Type A.

I saved this shower curtain from lifelong trauma.

2011-07-12T20:02:00.000-06:00

So, my blogging's been a little irregular. As in, underwear-from-the-bargain-bin-at-the-Super-Save irregular.

It needs some Metamucil. Or at least some prune juice.

Anyway, I've found a stash of photos on my computer from before my computer cord went missing (again!) and sent me on this most recent hiatus.

Thus, I give you...my new shower curtain!

Yes, the photo sucks. That's my iPhone for you.

Anyhow, see that green strip across this bottom? That's how I overcame the "floodpants" effect of the curtain when I first hung it.

See? Floodpants. If this was junior high, my shower curtain would be getting beat-up right now.

So, here's how I did it. I measured the gap from the bottom of the curtain to the floor, and then I made a strip that height by the width of the curtain plus about eight inches. I also added some for seam allowances.

Here's me sewing:

(Why do I think I have to take pictures of everything?)

Since the fabric was too narrow to stretch the whole width of the curtain, I had to piece together two widths of fabric.

This is where the extra eight inches comes in - I made a couple of basic pleats to cover up the seam.

Et voila. A shower curtain worthy of a long, hot shower.

Or at least not getting shoved into a locker at lunch.

This one's on the hot list.

2011-06-24T17:27:00.000-06:00

Last month (or was it the month before?) I jumped in on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

I made a coupla' things.

Here's the last one:

If only I could take better pictures of it. Stupid blurry photos.

Since the kit is counterfeit, does that mean I could dabble in other kinds of crimes, as well?

Like, say, DSLR camera theft, for example?

Just a thought.

pleasebefunnypleasebefunnypleasebefunny

2011-06-18T12:11:00.000-06:00

Umm...hi.

So, uhhh, I've been away for awhile.

*Bright, Teri. Don't you think they know that?*

It's been busy here. A couple of unpleasant vet visits, company, end-of-the-year school stuff. You know how it goes.

*Excuses, excuses.*

So I, uhhh, haven't had much to say.

*Ok, Teri, get to the funny stuff already. You've kept these people waiting for a month. This better be good!*

Umm...I made this:

*Oooh, scintillating. Bravo, you comedienne extraordinaire.*

Ok, you. I've had just about enough of your sass.

*You do realize we're the same person, right?*

Well, uhhh, yes, but you're much to curmudgeonly for my liking.

*It's not my fault you can't think of anything funny to say. You're supposed to entertain these people! No one's laughing!*

Hey! Cut a brother some slack. I've had a lot on my mind, yo.

*And you smell funny.*

Ok, now you're just being rude.

*Am I wrong?*

Well...maybe not...but still. Besides, you're making everyone think we're nuts. Not only am I talking to myself, but I'm answering. There's some old cliche about that being the definition of crazy, isn't there?

*Yes, well, perhaps that will get them laughing. If not in a funny-ha-ha way, then at least in a what-the-freak-is-up-with-this-woman way.*

...Well that's something, isn't it?

Another counterfeit layout. Please don't turn me in.

2011-04-29T08:00:00.002-06:00

This counterfeit kit thing? I'm seriously loving it.

(This one's based on Sketch #150 from Creative Scrappers, by the way.)

I mean, how awesome is it to be able to see new combinations in the stash you already know and love?

Plus, the layouts seem to come together in record time. Not that I want my scrap time to go too fast, but lately? If I want to scrap at all? I have to economize on my time.

If any of you figure out how to counterfeit time? Please. Pass it my way.

This one's counterfeit.

2011-04-27T08:00:00.002-06:00

Here's one of the first layouts I made with my counterfeit kit:

I love that this challenge gets me to try colour schemes I might not otherwise try and to use up some of that lovely paper that I
hoard
covet.

This one also gave me the opportunity to use one of the little embroidery-floss butterflies that I crocheted whilst sitting in a packed-up house waiting to move.

Ain't it cute? I started with a tutorial I found online, but I altered it a little. I'll post a tutorial soon.

These little guys are too cute to
hoard
covet all to myself.

Printable Pantry Labels

2011-04-25T12:15:00.000-06:00

Remember the pantry label project I shared a couple of weeks ago?

The ones I made from a vintage pharmacy label from The Graphics Fairy?

I figured out how to share them. Click here to download. And if you use them? Let me know!

By the way? Definitely attach them with eyelets and zip-ties rather than hot glue. Otherwise, you'll wind up with a floor full of lovely upside-down pantry labels.

Don't ask me how I know.

Cliff says I stole this from Buckingham Palace.

2011-04-24T22:06:00.000-06:00

When I realized our taps were dripping, I decided I had to do something about it.

And by "something", I mean hastily run to the store to buy a new one and then take it home and rip out the old one with my bare hands and then look at the holes that are left and realize that the new taps won't fit because there are only two holes drilled and Cliff doesn't think drilling into the countertop is such a good idea so I go back to the store and spend two hours picking between the $30 tap that requires holes and the $130 tap that requires two holes because there are only these to choose from.

Ya. It was pretty much just like that.

Here's those two stupid two-trips-to-Home-Depot-causing holes:

Yuck.

On the plus side? After two hours staring at the taps in Home Depot? A wonderful, friendly salesperson will come over and teach you all about plumber's putty and teflon tape.

So I got out my putty, put on my best "I know exactly what I'm doing" face, and filled in the empty spaces:

And I taped her up:

And now...

Ta-Dahhhhh!

Cliff says either I raided Buckingham Palace's kitchen, or I'm planning to let people bathe in our kitchen sink.

I don't care. I think it's pretty. And I did it myself - Cliff only had to loosed one nut for me. And after two hours in Home Depot?

It's staying whether it matches the rest of the kitchen or not.

Cards. The fun kind.

2011-04-19T20:41:00.000-06:00

Here are some cards I made from my counterfeit kit:

A week ago, obviously. Because today, I'm writing report cards.

And since it's "cards", it sounds like it's fun, but it's not.

Back to the cards, of the "report" variety.

Pantry labels. It's organized, yo.

2011-04-14T23:04:00.000-06:00

So here's the first project I jumped into.

Before. Blech.

If truth be told, I was thinking, nay, dreaming about this project for weeks before we finally moved in. I had a plan that this was going to be the cleanest, neatest, most organized home I've ever lived in.

Enter these pantry labels

I started with a vintage label from The Graphics Fairy.

***Editor's note: If I ever figure out how to attach a PDF to a blog post, I'll surely share.

Then I laminated 'em and hot-glued zip-ties to the back:

And when I affixed 'em, my pantry looked like so:

And then I found out the hard way that hot-glue does not like laminated plastic.

I see eyelets in my future.

Updated, finally.

2011-04-10T19:53:00.000-06:00

Hello, all. I'm back. As in, I'm-making-a-comeback back. As in, where-the-hell-was-I-in-the-first-place back. As in, baby-got-back back.

Let's see. I tried to avoid The Pile. I moved The Pile to the new house. I dismantled The Pile. Then I tackled the smaller-but-equally-terrifying Pile-O'-Essays that needed to be marked.

This latter pile may or may not be fully dismantled at this time. I am leaning toward "not".

***Editor's note: Here's the picture of Molly in the recycling bin high atop The Pile that I promised. No actual dogs were harmed in the making of this post.

It is for this reason, as well as because I (finally!) found my camera cord (which may or may not have been in the trunk of my car all this time along with all the other odds and ends that we haven't had the energy to unload into the new house...I'm leaning toward "may") that I would like to provide a quick update.

Yes, we are in the new house. Yes, it is glorious. And yes, we have been working on all sorts of little bloggy-fodder house projects since we got here.

But since I need to edit the photos that are newly uploaded to my computer? Here's a little scrappy-update instead:

I decided to jump on board with Jen from Scrapping Daze for the Counterfeit Kit challenge. Isn't this an awesome idea? The Counterfeit girls choose a current kit available online and challenge you to make one from your own stash.

Here's mine:

Seriously? So much fun.

On Saturday I made 6 cards and 3 layouts from this kit, and I still have a tonne of supplies left.

Here's one of the cards:

Counterfeiting is quick. It's fun. It uses up your stash. It makes me feel pretty bad-ass, like I'm money laundering or something.

Wanna join in?

(More to come, my friends. I promise.)

Things to do while avoiding The Pile.

2011-03-13T11:37:00.000-06:00

The other day, I showed you The Pile.
Everything fun thing I own is in this pile, people. Scrapbooking stuff. Books. Whoopy cushions. Possibly a pet or two.

***Editor's note: No pets were physically harmed in the making of this blog post. They may, however, have been slightly shamed by their inability to thwart Teri's need for humourous photos.

So, in my attempt to avoid boredom-induced insanity, I have compiled this short list of things to do while avoiding The Pile.

1. Place pets into humourously-compromising positions. Photograph as needed. Then, realize that you must have packed the camera cord and you cannot do anything useful with these photos.

2. Curse your infernal packing.

***Editor's note: Suffice it to say that said photo involved a wiener dog in a recycling bin. Hilarity ensued.

3. Watch your favourite SNL skits on YouTube. Don't even care if they're crappy quality.

4. Rewatch everything you've saved on your PVR.

5. Remind Americans that a DVR is called a PVR in Canada.

6. Clean.

7. Add items to list just for comedic value, such as number 6 above.

8. Teach yourself to crochet flowers using this tutorial:

and butterflies using this tutorial and dishcloths using this pattern.

9. Adjust the patterns a little and plan to blog about them soon.

10. Drool over all of the projects you wish you were doing, like this one guest-posted by Lovey Crafty Home at Tatertots and Jello:

11. Ask blog readers for other suggestions of things to do for the next five days before we officially become homeowners.

And now, my bloggy friends, I am off to do number 6.

Ha! See? It really is funny!

Do you see what I see?

2011-03-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

A whole bunch of crappy pictures?

Ok. Just checking.

So we're moving in two weeks, and this is what my living room looks like.

Yes, that is my bed blocking the door. Hello to you, fire hazard.

Here's something that's a little less chaotic looking...
I gave you the "after" picture first. See how I mixed it up a little?

'Cause, yeah. I don't even want to think about the "before".
So I've been decluttering and boxing and taping and scraping and draping. Or at least the first three.

Oh - and dreaming about doing this in my new house. *Swoon*.

So, yeah. Chaos, decluttering, and dreaming.

And taking crummy iPhone pictures. That about sums up my life right now.

Fun new website!

2011-02-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Whoopdwhoop?

You get to trade cute handmade stuff for cute handmade stuff! No money required - you use "whoops" instead. Seriously. It sounds scandalous, but it's not.

What could be funner? Funn...ier? Funn...erest?

I'm not sure what I'm going to post to trade...but in order to get stuff, you have to post stuff...so I better get on that.

(Shameless plug: you can also earn whoops by getting others to sign up...so if you happen to feel generous, send me an email at teritodd_at_hotmail and I'll send you a wee little invite along with my undying gratitude...)

If you decide to sign up and post some things to swap, let me know. I would love to bask in your talent!

Winner! And a secondary prize!

2011-02-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my giveaway. I'm glad you all like free stuff as much as I do.

I wrote out your names...
Drew one (BY hand, WITH no tracing!) at random...
And I pulled out...
Yay! Here's her story:

"I have endured a lifetime of embarrassing moments. I am as clumsy and ungraceful as they come. They freshest embarrassing memory is from two weeks ago. The cold had finally broke and the snow was melting making the sidewalks mini lakes. I set out on the two block journey to pick my kids up from the school bus stop. It was a treacherous walk trying to avois the puddles but I was almost there. Just one more puddle to get across and I would be safely at the bus stop with the other parents who were already gathered waiting for the bus to arrive. Now this last puddle was a big one so I decided I would have to step in the middle of the puddle to make it across. Not such a big deal, my boots were already wet anyway. The only problem was I didn't realize that this puddle was actually a huge ice patch covered in water. I stepped in the middle, my feet slid out from under me, and I landed with a thud in the puddle. There were more than a few giggles when the parents at the bus stop turned to see what the splash was. I then had to stand at the bus stop for 10 more minutes, soaking wet, waiting for the bus to arrive. "

By the way, I loved reading all of your embarrassing moments. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not alone in my klutzdom.

One of your stories stood out, though. Thanks to Patty for this little gem:

"Embarassing moment???At my age, mostly I embarrase my kids. My daughter was over to my house to borrow the stand mixer. As I walked around her--And Her Boyfriend- I did the OLF! (If you don't know that is the Old Lady Fart!!) the one where when you take a step and you make a noise. got to laughing and it sounded like a machine gun. They didn't come back for a week or two and I was glad. "

I laughed till I hurt, people. I only wish I was an OL to blame for my Fs.

So, I've put together a little prize pack for this most hysterical of stories:
The book pages are from an encyclopedia, an old children's book, a dictionary, a German book, and a Ukrainian book.

Patty, please send me your mailing address to (teritodd_at_hotmail) and I'll get this little package into the mail for you! Hopefully these suit your style. Or could be used to line a bird cage or something.

A layout and one last giveaway reminder!

2011-02-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

One last giveaway reminder: Go here! Now! Do it!

Now, look at this layout:

It's Cliff! Blowing bubbles for the little ghosties! Look, I say!Boy, I'm demanding. I'm lucky you put up with me.

Giving away cool stuff is apparently making me a little bossy.

An un-blogged page. I think.

2011-02-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

First of all, there is still time to enter my giveaway! The only catch: you have to tell me your most embarrassing story...and let me tell you, they're all hilarious. I may have to add an extra prize for the funniest story.

Second of all, here's a page I made a while back but never posted about:
At least, I think I haven't posted it before.
Is it bad that I don't remember?

Third of all, I may be experiencing memory issues.

Fourth of all, there is still time to enter my giveaway! The only catch: you have to tell me your most embarrassing story...and let me tell you, they're all hilarious. I may have to add an extra prize for the funniest story.

Fifth of all, I may be experiencing memory issues.

My Most Embarrasing Moment...and a Giveaway!

2011-02-21T15:20:00.001-07:00

Hello, all! Happy Family Day!

Yes, in Alberta, today is the day we celebrate families. Immediate families. Extended families. Annoying families. Colour families. All in the families.

So, my bloggy family, I am celebrating with a giveaway! Today, I reached a milestone - 60 followers - and since my bloggy family has grown so much, I figure I should randomly show one of you how much you're my favourite.

Kind of like I treat my own family.

Here's the little kit I put together from my stash...
Oooh, Little Yellow Bicycle, Cosmo Cricket, and Making Memories!
Oooh, random bits and bobs!

Oooh, free stuff!

But we have to make this interesting, peeps. In order to enter this giveaway, you must share with me your most embarrassing moment.

Dun dun DUUUUUUUUNNNNN!

Or at least, share with me something kinda embarrassing.

In other words, make me feel better for the story I am about to tell you.

Picture it: Langley, BC, 2007. A young teacher must move her office to a building across a parking lot. She has one box. She has no tape. She has an office chair, but no dolly.

She's just a girl with a dream - a dream of one day having an office bigger than a shoebox and of moving into it without having to ask anyone for help.

She fills her box to overflowing, using the box-tops to hold in the bits and pieces of office-clutter that threaten to jump overboard. She loads it onto her office chair, and she begins her trek across the parking lot.

If you haven't yet guessed, that girl was me. And that man was Pablo Picasso.

***Editor's note: If you get that reference, I think I love you.

I could have taken the sidewalk, but sidewalks are for the weak. I was young! I was ambitious! I had complete faith in the rolly-box-carrying capabilities of that office chair!

I don't know why I took the speedbump.

Of course, the next car to come by was the vice-principal, who sees me collecting pencils and pens and paper and hole punches and books and other miscellany that have now been scattered across the roadway. Of course, he gets out to help me, like a gentleman.

Of course, this is the exact time that several other people decide to leave the parking lot.

Of course, I have now caused a traffic jam.

Of course, I have put my idiocy-in-the-name-of-independence-and-poor-impulse-control on display for all to see.

And of course, I still have to put the box back on the office chair and inconspicuously push it across the parking lot.

Did I mention the classrooms all had big windows facing the parking lot?

And that, ladies and gentleman, is the most embarrassing spectacle I've ever made of myself.

So, once again: If you would like to enter this giveaway, please comment below. Tell me something embarrassing. Make me feel better! Make me laugh! Make me believe I'm not the only one dumb enough to take a speed-bump with a piece of office furniture!
The draw will close at midnight MST on Friday, Feb. 25, at which time I will very scientifically put your names into a hat and draw one at random. At this time, I have to limit this draw to only Canada and the US, as Canada Post won't give me an international discount for having publicly embarrassed myself. (Please feel free to take that up with them, though. I think this story should be worth something.)

On a serious note, thank you, everyone, for following me in my Pursuit of Scrappyness. It really does mean a lot to me, and I appreciate you for reading, for commenting, and for making blogging worthwhile. You should know that you are my favourite follower. Yes, you.

Don't tell the others.

SOS!

2011-02-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

If there was any doubt that Mom's Winter Village really is a red light district...
Clearly, this woman is being held against her will.
A rescue party has been formed. Wish us luck.

Scandal!

2011-02-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

People, I am all agast. Agog. A-stunned.

My mother -- my sweet, lovely mother -- has turned a good-natured, wholesome Christmas craft into a thing of vulgarity.

Behold, the ceramic Christmas village I painted for this woman, once-upon-a-procrastination-from-studying-for-university-finals:
Awwww. For sewing teeny-tiny pants!
Oooh! A teeny-tiny fire hydrant for that teeny-tiny doggy!Eeek! For teeny-tiny candies!

She's kept this on her mantle since November and nicknamed it the "Winter Village" so that she can revel in its lighthearted joy throughout the winter months.

However, dear readers, you are about to discover a shocking secret. Shocking.

My mother has turned this teeny-tiny delight into...
A red-light district!!

I know. I know.
Pet Shop? I'll bet.
Ooooh, what a creative innuendo.
Blasphemy!
Ok, I have no joke for this one.
I suppose that broom is used to keep this fellow's ladies of the night in line. For shame, sir. For shame.
And this gentleman's red and bulbous nose belies a history of hitting the sauce.

It shall take some time to recover from this blow, though I shan't let this prevent me from engaging in joyous and innocent Christmas crafts in the future. We shall overcome.

But in the meantime, I think I need to have a talk with my mother.

2011-01-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

Three things.

One: after one epic headband-fail, I successfully made this one:
Yay!

Two: One of the major reasons for my lack of blogging recently is this: we just became homeowners for the first time! We take possession in March. Which means that I now spend 16.5 hours a day thinking about how to arrange my new cutlery drawer and where to put the dog food.

Yay!

Three: This is how cold it is here...

Umm...not so yay.

Errrrgh.

2011-01-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

I have a scrappy bee in my bonnet.

The other day I took this:
And a free svg download from that I cut with my SureCutsALot software, and folded into this:
And then I filled it with this:
And added a couple of these:
And on the back I put these:
Why oh why won't this picture turn upright?

And then I gave it to a friend who was having a bad day.

And now, tonight, I am itching to make one of these:
Or these:
Or these:
But this time, I don't have the materials just lyin' around ye olde crafte quarters.

So I have to wait. With my bonnet in a bunch. And I gave away all my cookies.

Errrgh.

Uppin' the cheese factor

2011-01-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I teach high school, right? And I've noticed a little somethin' about teenagers.

As much as they're "young adults who want to be taken, like, seriously, ok?", they're secretly just big kids.

And so, when you give them cheesy teacher prizes, it helps if you play up the cheese factor. It saves them from having to play it cool in front of their peeps.

So I took this:
***Editor's note: I swear we don't buy our sour cream this way. Last year a couple of my students organized a taco party for their class, and the Taco Time people sent the condiments in this. I swear.

And I turned it into this:
And I filled it with this:
***Editor's note: I had to ghost-out my name because I know that some of you are big kids, too, and would like to get your hands on my cheesy teacher prizes. The last thing I need is my grade-ten English class filling up with 30-somethings. I'm lookin' at you, Adrienne.

Clearly I need some more stuff. Like erasers. And stickers. And secret decoder rings.

They'll love that. They just won't say so.

Diversions

2011-01-16T11:13:00.001-07:00

So it's snowing. It's been snowing for days. It doesn't show signs of stopping, and I have no corn for popping.

Seriously. I'm afraid I'm going to turn all Jack-Nicholson-in-The-Shining up in here.

So I am compiling this list of important diversions whilst being snowed in.

First, one must scrapbook.
("PAH" is the spitting sound my nephew made while he was practicing (pretending) teeth-brushing).

Second, one must shop. Be sure to check out the wicked deals from Ninabrook Designs $7.99 for a double-pack of Easy Runner? Super-cheap shipping within Canada? Don't mind if I do!

Also, OhMyCrafts has some smokin'-hot deals on Cricut cartridges. Adrienne and I recently found this one for $30 plus shipping when it was $119 at Michael's.

Third, one must delight in funny emails from one's mother. Luckily, mine's been working through boxes and boxes of family photos. She's not exactly scrapping - she's just tackling the enormous task of getting them into albums. (Way to go, Mom!) Here's what she sent me this week:

Subject: Questions for you about paper and glue

Hmmn, now I feel like the rest of the note needs to rhyme too LOL! OK here goes!

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Here are my questions

about paper and glue.

When trying to put photos in albums

The little ones are a pain in the @$$

I want to stick them to paper

but somehow do it with class.

Your Scrappiness, pray help me

with these questions so new:

Can I stick them to scrapbooking paper

with some kind of easy glue?

Can I do them two-sided

or are two papers better?

What kind of glue do I need?

and where is my sweater? (sorry, I could not think of a rhyme)

Thanks Teri! I love you, SOOT! Love, Mom

By the way, SOOT stands for "stay out of trouble". To that end - in other words, to avoid a meltdown a la The Shining - I better make my way into my craft room.

Excuse me.

Mom
wheelafortune@shaw.ca
SendFind em

Vacouver's hottest club is "Caitlin's Stagette"

2011-01-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

This place has everything...backwards bowling...fruity umbrella drinks...spookaccini...

It's like that thing where ghosts dress up for parties and eat pasta...

Uh-huh.

(And if you get the reference, I think we were meant for each other.)

Fewer words, as promised!

2010-12-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

A layout of older ghost-nephew playing with my Ma.
I've decided to start calling them "ghost-nephew" and "ghost-niece".
It's like "god-nephew" and "god-niece" only spookier.
Hence the owls.

Here's the sketch!
In (brief) summary, I am still being haunted. But I'd say naming the ghosts is a good first step, wouldn't you?

Wall Art Tutorial

2010-12-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

This here is a too-toe-real for this super-deluxe wall-art:
I think this might be my favourite project yet. Or at least, it ties with this one. And who could forget these?

Anyway, I'ma gonna show yous how ter make one. Here we go.

Here's watcha need:

picture frame with a "back part" (mat is optional)
sheet music, either cut from a book or printed from the internet
ModPodge and a brush
at least one piece of cardstock
white tissue paper
tape
a printer

Ok. So first? Get yourself a frame. You can use any size, but I used a big 'un. Take off the particle-board-backy-part, and ModPodge the sheet music directly onto it.
(Ignore the top part that already has the writing on it. That comes later. Don't get ahead of yo-self!) Oh, and by the way...
...it's helpful to strategically cut the sheets apart in order to make them go farther on the "canvas".

Once you have the entire canvas covered, add a fresh layer of ModPodge over the whole thing, cover it with a piece of tissue paper and paint over it with another layer of ModPodge, thusly:
Add as many layers as you want in order to get the level of transparency you want. There will be lumps and bumps. That's a good thing.

Now, it's time to print out whatever words you're looking for. Something that truly expresses what's in your heart. Like, "Happines, not in another place, but this place...not for another hour, but this hour." Or "Teri is the boss." You know. Whatever.

Now, here's my technique for printing on tissue paper. Wrap an ugly (because you'll be tossing it afterward) piece of cardstock in tissue, like it's a present. If your tissue has a glossier side, put that side face-down. Be sure to tape down the edges well.
Next, set up your Word document with your sentiment in your desired font and size. I found it worked best to put one line per page, with the page-orientation set on "landscape". Now, in your print-menu options, choose the option that lets you print "backwards" or "mirror-image" or "flip horizontally". You might have to play around with it first and print some test pages to make it work.

Here's what the printed pages look like:
To remove the tissue without tearing it, cut along the edge of the cardstock. I managed to reuse (what-what!) by adjusting the feed-guide-thingies in my printer's paper-feeder to accommodate the ever-shrinking paper.
Be sure to peel off the tape and paper-edges before reusing the cardstock.

Okay, are you still with me? Wake up! I know this is a long post. I promise to make the next one shorter, okay?

I SAID WAKE UP!

That's better.

Anyway, the next step is to decoupage the sentiment onto the canvas in just the same fashion as the previous layers. Be careful when laying down the pieces to make sure they are straight and positioned the way you want them. As long as your sheet music is straight, you can use the lines as a guide.
***Editor's note: If you do make a mistake and wind up with a crooked sentiment, re-layer the affected area with music paper and tissue, and try again. Don't ask me how I know that.

If you want to add a graphic, open one in Word, resize it, and print and apply it in the same way as the sentiment. I got this fabulous bird image from the Graphics Fairy.

What? You've never heard of the Graphics Fairy? For shame, blog readers! Go! Reconcile this terrible crafting faux-pas!

Ok, once it's dry, it should have some lovely lumps and bumps, like this:

Now, it's time to distress. I used Tim Holtz' "antique linen" Distress Ink. Holding the ink pad parallel to the canvas, lightly rub it across the canvas so that it just touches the raised parts of the paper. See the difference?
This will give it that lovely weathered look.
Let that dry, put it back in the frame, et voila!
Dee-luxe, made-to-order wall art, on the cheap. The only way this could be better is if it really did say "Teri is the boss."

I have some work to do.

I am conflicted.

2010-12-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I love this picture. Me, chillin' with my homies. Goofy faces. There may have been some spit and eye-crossing involved.

And the sentiment is true:

And so's this one:

And by "you", of course, I mean "me". It's a little ego boost every time I look at it. "I'm sweet." "Ooooooh, why thank you! I try."

***Editor's note: Do you see that absolutely darling little hand-crocheted flower? I won a bunch (ha! Bunch!) of them from Susan at My Paper Passion a while back, and I've just been waiting for the perfect project for them. I adore them, Susan! Thank you!

But I'm conscious of putting photos of my sisters' kids online. So I had to "ghost them out".

But here's something I've never told you. I'm afraid of ghosts.

And little-kid ghosts are the scariest kind.

So this layout doesn't so much tell me I'm sweet, as tell me I cheekily stuck my tongue out at two little ghost kids.

I think I'm going to sleep with the light on.

(Thanks for the awesome sketch, though, Aphra. It's not your fault I'm being haunted.)

Christmas-vacation math.

2010-12-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

So I had these boy-pictures. You know. Ones that don't exactly say "flowers" and "ribbons".

Seriously. How do you scrapbook these things?

I'll tell you. Basic Grey + Cosmo Cricket X the square root of a whole lot of time on my hands =

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that I had to solve for x, which turns out to be equal to this awesome sketch by Michelle Fowler:

And then I think I had to plot it all on graph paper or something, and that's where I got lost.

Anyway, it's a layout. And it's about boys. And I'm scrapping again.

What I'm trying to say is that life is good to the power of 9.

Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful.

2010-11-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

And here we have SnobbyDog looking stunning in Teri's fall line.
She carries herself with such grace, such poise, such...je ne sais quois.
And of course, by "je ne sais quois", I mean that "why do you insist on humiliating me for your own amusement?" look.

You can find the debut of both Maggie and the scarf here.

Card-making tutorial

2010-11-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

{{{This is a repost of my video from November 21. Thanks for letting me know about the problems with the videos, Mandi! I think it's all fixed up now.}}}

Hello, world!

This morning, I put together this little card tutorial as I was making a get-well card for dear, sweet, sick friend. A while back, Mandi from Tidbits from the Tremaynes asked me to put one together, and here it is.

By the way, if you haven't read Mandi's blog, you are dead to me. Go. Go now.

It's, uhhhh, a little long. Apparently I like the sound of my own voice. The first part is basic preamble about making cards, and the second part (starting at ) is the actual creation of the card. The last part is putting it all together.

Please excuse the craptacular lighting. Ahem.

Also, just for future reference, do you prefer video or written tutorials? I made a video this time because I forget to take "during" shots...and it would take me forever to write all this stuff out. I'm lazy like that.

A little video of me scarfing.

2010-11-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'd like you to watch this little video I've made for my dear friend Adrienne from Happenscraps, etc., starring my dog Maggie, my slippers, and my scarf-in-the-making.

If you'd like to see the tutorial for the spool knitter, the video tutorials of how to use it, or if you'd just like to check out a great craft blog, you can find Etcetorize here.

De-fuglified sewing-machine table

2010-11-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

So I've had this retro sewing machine table since I was in college. My mother gave me one of her old sewing machines that came in this lovely candy-coated shell:
Oh wait...did I say candy-coated shell? I meant to say poorly-painted-this-awesome-baby-poo-colour shell.

And not only was it an awful colour, but as you can see, the paint was all flaky. As in, chunks-come-off-all-the-time, Pillsbury-pie-crust, told-me-she'd-meet-me-at-the-mall-but-then-that-trollop-went-on-a-date-instead flaky.

So then we were having company. And I thought to myself, "Self? You surely should fix this fugly specimen before introducing it to your friends."

And then I chuckled for talking to myself that way. I mean, let's get serious here. I don't call myself "Self". I call myself "Queen Consuela of Craftopia."

But I digress.

Anyway, I figured I couldn't possibly make it any uglier. So, I took a sander to it...
This paint came off way too easily. Seriously. It's like I did the original paint job myself.

Anyway, I had neither paint nor time to paint (everyone was about to show up, remember?). So, I sanded off the flaky parts and then sanded a little more for good measure and then scuffed up the edges and then put down the sander because the whole process of de-fuglifying was starting to make me a little lightheaded.

Then, I mixed a few tablespoons of acrylic craft paint in teddy-bear brown with a few tablespoons of water and glopped the mess onto the table with a rag. I rubbed it all over, especially in the sanded areas, let it dry for a few minutes, and then topped it all off with a coat of spray sealer I had lying around.
Now of course, it does help that my living room has low light. But, it's better, right?

Total elapsed time: 10 minutes. Total effort: minimal. Total cost: free. Total reduction of ugly: infinite.

Nice buns, Betty. Err, I mean, this post is about cinnamon-raisin bread.

2010-11-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, world!

I've been busy.

On the one hand, I've been so busy preparing new units for my English students that I haven't had time to post.

On the other hand, I've found a wonderful distraction from preparing new units for my English students.

TaDa!
I have made my first foray in to the world of breadmaking, and it's been a success!

Ok, so I didn't knead the dough myself. But I did borrow the breadmaker that did it from Adrienne at Happenscraps, etc. (Thanks, Adrienne!) And that counts for something, right?

Ok, fine. So it's a lazy foray, but it's a foray nonetheless.

A lazy foray. That sounds like a really bad dance move, doesn't it? (Copyright Teri2010)

Ok, so anyway, I have made two loaves of white bread, whole-wheat cinnamon rolls, and a loaf of the best cinnamon-raisin bread I've ever had.
I'm even going to tell you how I did it, because I'm all generous like that.

First, I made a dough recipe I found on Food.com. (You can find the original post here - thank you to the talented baker who posted it!) Here's the recipe:

Put the following ingredients into your breadmaker on the "dough" setting.

1 1/4 c warm water
2 tsp butter
3 c white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp powdered milk
2 tsp yeast

*****Editor's note: The breadmaker peeps insist that you have to add the ingredients in the order listed...but I may or may not have twice forgotten to add the little paddle that kneads the dough before I added the ingredients...and then I may or may not have had to dig down to the bottom of the bowl-thingy to put it in, thereby stirring up the ingredients and messing up the layers. May or may not. We can't be certain.

By the way, I didn't use breadmaker yeast - I was just guessing that you only knead that if you're baking the bread right in the breadmaker.

Get it? Knead?

Snort.

Anyway, I added all those ingredients, then turned that sucker on. Then I tried to find something else to do because I am oh-so-patient that way.

Oh look! A kitty!
Ok, so this is where it gets a little creative, because I've never done this before. After looking up some recipes for this stuff, I determined that I wanted to use the bread recipe I had tried and liked, and then just experiment with the raisin-cinnamon aspect.

This was truly an experiment, because everything I read said that add-ins make it rise more slowly, and that the sugar content, etc. causes all sorts of changes. I didn't have any issues, though.

Anyway, when it let out that if-you're-gonna-add-something-add-it-now beep, I added half a cup of raisins.

***Editor's note: Do not add "two scoops" unless your scoops are around a quarter cup. I'm just saying...if you want some bread with your raisins, do not let Kellog's clever marketing put you on auto-pilot.

Then, I let it go through its first rise in the breadmaker.

And then I waited again.

Oh look! A puppy!
Alright, so then it beeped, and I removed the dough and rolled it out to around 10" by 16".

Ok, so I actually froze the dough because I had to go out, then thawed it and rolled it out. Gosh, you're nosey.

I melted some butter (maybe 3 tablespoons) and slathered it all over the surface of the dough. Then, I used some leftover brown-sugar-and-cinnamon-concoction from the cinnamon buns of the other day, sprinkled that on, and rubbed it in a little for good measure. It was about 1/3 c of sugar with perhaps 1 tsp of cinnamon mixed in. Then, I took the cinnamon shaker and added a little more all over.

Next, I rolled up the loaf from the narrow side, pinched the ends closed, then tucked them under, and put the loaf in a greased loaf pan.

After letting it rise for 35 minutes, I baked it for another 35 at 350...

Et voila!
The most scrumptious cinnamon-raisin bread I've ever had!
Mmmmm.
"Noooo, don't eat me!"

Shut up, bread.

Here's da fibs...

2010-10-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

So we've had some guesses, but here'r the answers...

1. I once got a ticket for passing a clearly-marked Oregon state trooper. Yes, I saw he was a state trooper before I did it. No, it was not one of my more intelligent moments.
Actually, it was a Washington state trooper. Fib.

2. I am probably the only person in the world to have seen the Backstreet Boys, Eminem, Keith Urban, Hole, ZZ Top, and Weird Al Yankovic in concert. "Eclectic" is an understatement.
I've seen 'em all...except Weird Al. Although, that would probably be fun, too. Fib.

3. Though I'm not at all Hungarian, I grew up in a heavily-Hungarian area and took Hungarian Immersion and Hungarian as a second language from Kindergarten to grade 12. This came in particularly handy when I had to tell a particularly belligerent restaurant patron that no, you cannot have garlic bread without the garlic, and please stop shaking the pepper shaker at me, you odd little man.
It was Russian...and the restaurant thing never happened, though I'd love it if it would!

4. One time I was in a plane that nearly crashed. I didn't know what was going on, so when the whole plane shook and the everything hit the ceiling, I was so nervous that I started giggling. Turns out, the pre-9/11 curtain that enclosed the cock-pit swung back during the turbulence and other passengers saw us headed for the ground. Come to think of it, they probably didn't appreciate the teenager giggling at the back of the plane. Huh.
This one's actually true. I was 16. We took the bus home after that.

5. A few years back, I went on a week-long hike through the Valhalla mountains in British Columbia. Fancying myself a real outdoorsman, I used my compass and left the main trail. It rained the whole time. While traversing a huge glacial moraine, I slipped and wedged my leg between two wet boulders, breaking it severely. Because I was no longer on trail I'd mapped out for my family, I had to keep going, or risk being eaten by a grizzly bear or a sasquatch or something, so I splinted my leg and kept walking...uphill...for miles and miles. When I was three days late arriving home, Search and Rescue was called out. Luckily, in the midst of dense fog, I'd managed to hear a child calling out to hear the sound of his own voice from a ranger station near the top of a mountain. I called back, and I followed his voice to the station, where they radioed for help and I was picked up in a helicopter. I was in a walking cast for weeks, but glad to be safely home.
Nope - this one happened to my dad when I was five. Ironically, we got lost dropping him off in a seeming labyrinth of logging roads and my poor mother spent the night in our minivan with 6 kids (some her own, some the neighbours') with no food, water, or blankets. The next morning, we were lucky to come across a logger who gave us directions and enough gas to get there.

6. My pet peeves include rudeness, gum anywhere other than in the garbage can or in someone's mouth, and feet. Not feet as in hooves, but feet as in 12 inches. I go metric all the way, baby.
All but the inches, though it'd be nice if we could all get on the same page with that one.

Thanks for playing along, everyone!

5 fibs and a truth

2010-10-23T11:06:00.000-06:00

So Mandi from Tidbits from the Tremaynes is one of the funniest bloggers I've ever come across. Plus she's super inspiring and wickedly creative. Best of all, she makes Wayne's World references.

Clearly, she's my virtual BFF.

Go check her out, now. Now, I say!

So she gave me this:

(Thanks, Mandi!)

And now I have to give 5 fibs and a truth, and it's up to you to decide what's what. Everybody ready?

1. I once got a ticket for passing a clearly-marked Oregon state trooper. Yes, I saw he was a state trooper before I did it. No, it was not one of my more intelligent moments.

2. I am probably the only person in the world to have seen the Backstreet Boys, Eminem, Keith Urban, Hole, ZZ Top, and Weird Al Yankovic in concert. "Eclectic" is an understatement.

3. Though I'm not at all Hungarian, I grew up in a heavily-Hungarian area and took Hungarian Immersion and Hungarian as a second language from Kindergarten to grade 12. This came in particularly handy when I had to tell a particularly belligerent restaurant patron that no, you cannot have garlic bread without the garlic, and please stop shaking the pepper shaker at me, you odd little man.

4. One time I was in a plane that nearly crashed. I didn't know what was going on, so when the whole plane shook and the everything hit the ceiling, I was so nervous that I started giggling. Turns out, the pre-9/11 curtain that enclosed the cock-pit swung back during the turbulence and other passengers saw us headed for the ground. Come to think of it, they probably didn't appreciate the teenager giggling at the back of the plane. Huh.

5. A few years back, I went on a week-long hike through the Valhalla mountains in British Columbia. Fancying myself a real outdoorsman, I used my compass and left the main trail. It rained the whole time. While traversing a huge glacial moraine, I slipped and wedged my leg between two wet boulders, breaking it severely. Because I was no longer on trail I'd mapped out for my family, I had to keep going, or risk being eaten by a grizzly bear or a sasquatch or something, so I splinted my leg and kept walking...uphill...for miles and miles. When I was three days late arriving home, Search and Rescue was called out. Luckily, in the midst of dense fog, I'd managed to hear a child calling out to hear the sound of his own voice from a ranger station near the top of a mountain. I called back, and I followed his voice to the station, where they radioed for help and I was picked up in a helicopter. I was in a walking cast for weeks, but glad to be safely home.

6. My pet peeves include rudeness, gum anywhere other than in the garbage can or in someone's mouth, and feet. Not feet as in hooves, but feet as in 12 inches. I go metric all the way, baby.

Ok - any guesses?

I'm passing along this Creative Blogger award to...

Adrienne, the woman of a thousand brilliant ideas, from Happenscraps, Etc.
Jennifer, the woman I am convinced never makes a scrapbook page that is anything less than scrappy perfection, from Scrapping Daze
Susan, a new blogger who inspired me this morning with the most adorable little crocheted flowers, from My Paper Passion

(Thanks for inspiring me to be creative, Mandi, Adrienne, Jennifer, and Susan!)

Ignore the photo-pollution. This post is about an end table, not my poor housekeeping.

2010-10-09T09:45:00.000-06:00

We have this little end table in our living room.

See it peeking out there, beside the chair?
Ok, so it's actually a nightstand. But it holds DVDs, so whatever. If Martha Stewart ever comes over I'll be so sure to hold my head in shame.

Now it looks like this!
***Editor's Note: There's a lot of picture-pollution in this post. As in, stuff in the picture that really shouldn't be there. Case in point, the cord and dog bed above. If Martha Stewart ever reads my blog I'll be so sure to hold my head in shame.

You see, I hated this stupid thing. It's beat up. It's an eyesore. It doesn't match anything else in the room. It slept with my boyfriend.
Well, all except that last one.

So I took it outside.

I sanded it.

I spray painted it with some leftover stuff.

I scuffed up the edges.

I was so excited I forgot to put down a drop cloth.
Oops.

And then I added new knobs from Mee-Kayl's at a buck and half a pop.
And now?

A matching, dent-hiding, interestingly-knobbed, wouldn't-dare-to-even-look-at-my-boyfriend end table.
Whatcha think?

Linkin' up, cause this piece o' junk is pretty funky, if I do say so myself.

I call this one, "I Think the Graphics Fairy is my Fairy Godmother".

2010-10-04T20:21:00.000-06:00

Seriously.

'Cause take a look at what she helped me make.
I call this one, "Nest+Walt Whitman=Drool".

The quotation reads, "I believe a leaf of grass is no less that the journey-work of the stars."

But of course, you'd know that if I knew how to make Publisher save the whole works as a picture. You know. With the quote attached.

So you'll just have to take my word for it.

Speaking of home decor, one of these things is not like the other:
I call this one, "Maybe I'll blend!"

Pile o' crap turned necklace organizer

2010-10-02T08:39:00.000-06:00

See this pile o' crap? Two canvases from Valoo Villahge at $4.99 a pop, felt leftovers, scrap paper (both "un-needed" and "of the scrapbooking variety"), a nearly-empty bottle of ModPodge, some fabric glue that I never use, and (the only non-crap item) some gorgeous Moda newsprint fabric I got for a steal from Sew Dang Cute a while back.
I turned it into this:
And then I hung my otherwise unworn, forgotten, tangled-into-a-knot-only-a-small-child-with-incredible-manual-dexterity-could-unravel necklaces on it.

How? Oh, I am so glad you asked.

1. You have to find yourself two of the ugliest canvases you've ever seen. The uglier the better. It will be that much more satisfying when you cover them up. The cheaper the better, as there's no sense using an expensive canvas that you're only going to cover up.

2. Then, spread some fabric glue in a haphazard manner and cover that sucker with leftover felt from all of those felt projects you thought you were going to make because they seemed like a good idea at the time and felt is so cheap but you didn't ever get to it so now it just takes up space in your drawer and every time you look at it, you think "curses, you useless felt."

Oh wait...that's just me?3. Pat yourself on the back for already making the world a little less ugly.

***Editor's note: My apologies to any of you who may have this canvas in your home. I'm sure you have a good reason for it. Sayyyy...I've got a great little project for you! See step 1 above.

4. Spread the fabric over the canvas making sure it's straight, then flip it over and start staple-gunning that sucker. This is where you get to punish that canvas for being so ugly. It's like a voodoo-doll for fugly.
5. Reassure yourself that un-stapled staples are not a result of your absurdly-weak arms, but rather a function of this clearly less-than-adequate staple gun.
Et voila!
6. Find a design on your Cricut or other such cutting device and cut that baby out. Preferably, cut it from paper you'll never use, like that stuff that comes pre-loaded in your scrapbooks, like so:
***Editor's note: My apologies to the designer of this branch and the birds; I downloaded these so long ago that I honestly don't know where they came from. If you happen to know, please pass it along so that I can give credit where credit is due!

7. Add the birds, then hang.
8. Stick some pins in the top being sure to go through the felt and hang your necklaces or shoelaces or bolo-ties from it. (Hey, who am I to judge?)
9. And if you're incredibly fickle like me, relish in the fact that you can always remove the pins and use it as wall art. Incredibly awesome wall art.

Just sayin'.

Favourite! Like! Adore! Swoon!

2010-09-26T18:14:00.000-06:00

Seriously, people. I was taking photos like a mad woman as soon as I had it up on the wall.

And then my camera died. Curses!

But, finally, the battery is charged, and now I get to share with you a project two years in the making.

Here she is...my preeeeeeciousssssssss... (what's the html code for "creepy Gollum voice"?)

So, this is a combination of two deep and dark desires: to find/create a very large piece of art that would more substantially decorate my otherwise-boring living room wall, and to use this funky window thingy that I found at the eco-center 2 years ago and have been carting around ever since.

Now, I've taken some pictures of the process, but listen up. If we're going to be friends, you need to know that I'm hasty and impetuous and usually forget to take pictures of crucial things. Like "Befores". And "Durings". And people who say, "Take a picture. It will last longer," when they catch me staring.

Ok?

Ok.

So. here's the closest thing I have to a "Before." The frame thingy is, apparently, a lightweight grid-frame that would be put over glass to make it look like it has panes. Or "pains", if it's splintery.
I was so excited to discover that this gorgeous Basic Grey "Pyrus" paper line matches the colours in the house we rent. I'm talking excited. With a capital "Eeek".

I cut my papers down to 9.5"x11.5" to allow for a little overhang for each "window". Then, I laid them out over the grid to find a layout that I liked.

I printed some of my favourite photos of us and the critters on my printer, and then mounted them on larger scrap white paper, as they printed 8.5"x11".
I added some quotations I love printed onto more Pyrus paper.
Then I used a $1 role of tacky tape from Ye Olde Dollar Shoppe around the edges, and mounted each piece.
So here's the wall before. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Errr...I mean, to the clutter on the side table (which also got a make-over today. The table, not the clutter. Post to come.)

Boring, right? A total snooze-fest.

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....Wha? Wait, what were we talking about?

Oh, right.

So I grabbed him by his big fat head and said. "Look man, I'm not going to jail for you, or anybody!"

Oh, wait...uhhh, wrong story. Hehe...he.

Now, this frame thingy doesn't have a hanger on it. And I didn't have any hanger thingys lying around. Good thing I'm resourceful...
...because I ripped this sucker off the back of another picture frame that had a spare.

So here it is!

Doesn't that just look so much more proportional than that wright-iron candleholder?
In case you're wondering (gosh, you're nosy!) here's one of the quotations:
...and here's the other:
Sigh. I think I'm going to go look at it again.

And it cost me next to nothing. Around $10 worth of paper, plus the frame at $5, and then some scrap paper and printer ink.

Seriously, people. Favourite. Project. Ever. (What's the html code for "swoon"?)

I've been thinkin'. No, I'm not kidding. Stop laughing, you.

2010-09-25T20:52:00.000-06:00

So I have this layout to share.
It's based on Sketch #119 at Creative Scrappers.

And as I was putting together this layout, I was thinkin' to myself, "Self? You are hungry. You should have had that extra soup at lunch. Plus also? If only there was a way to share this layout beyond your own blog, and also have a little pow-wow with some fellow scrappers. Would that not be the pinnacle of online scrappy goodness, Self? By the way, you look great today."

So that got me thinking. It went something like this:

"Self? What if you could host one of those fun link-parties that you get so excited to link up to when you've done something recipe- or project-related. It'd be fun to have one for scrapbooking. I wonder if anyone else has thought of this? Ouch, my back hurts. I probably shouldn't have tried to move that anvil from the shed last night, but that's the price you pay for moonlighting as a blacksmith. On the plus side, if Wile E. Coyote ever shows up at my door, I'll be prepared.

"I don't think I'd want to use that McLinky link-up thingy, though. The Scottish are getting all the attention in the link-up world. Maybe I can use a Linkish Von Linkerstein. I hear scrapbooking is big in Germany. Aaack, is that a spider? Ohmigawd, ohmigawd, ohmig...oh, wait, it's just a black ju jube. Mmmm.

"I wonder if anyone would want to link up to my little party? What if I held it and no one linked up? That would be embarassing. At least no one would have to see my shame, though. Maybe I could create some fake blogs and link them up so it looks like people are all-so-excited to scrap-party with me. I could leave comments for myself like, 'Ooooh, Teri, that is the very best layout I have ever seeeeeen!!!!!' and 'Wow, you look great today.'

"Wow, Self. You have sunk to a new low. For shame."

So whaddaya think, peeps? Would you link up with me if I held a Linkish Von Linkerstein scrappy projects link party?

I hope so. Otherwise, I have a tonne of fake blogs to create.

3 birds, 1 stone.

2010-09-23T18:05:00.000-06:00

1. I got to scrap this adorable picture of my niece and nephew spontaneously holding hands to walk down a hallway together.

Aaaand, all together now: Awwwwwww.

2. I got to use up some stickers from a previous Paper Poppy kit that aren't typical of my style.

Aaaaand, all together now: Yesssssssss.

Wait, that one's just me? Oh. Uhhhh, right.

3. I created an entry using sketch 121 at Creative Scrappers.

Hoorah! Don't worry. I know that one's mostly just exciting for me.

I won!

2010-09-20T19:35:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Kelly from Ensemble Paper Arts!
I love my blog candy so much, I didn't even put make-up on my coughing-aching-fever-didn't-bother-to-get-properly-dressed-today face before I took this photo!

My new Distress crackle paint has probably been infected, y'all. I'd stay away.

2010-09-18T09:19:00.000-06:00

This is my brother,

Jeff has profound mental and physical disabilities and lives at home with my mom. He's one of my best friends, and one reason it's hard to live so far from home.

Today, Jeffrey turns 37. So of course, I sent him a birthday card.

A star for a star.

Tomorrow, Jeffrey's going to wheel in the Terry Fox Run, a national run for cancer research. I am so very, very proud of him.

So today,

And tomorrow, good luck in the Run, Jeff!

(If you are able, and you feel so inclined, please consider pledging TEAM JEFF or another participant in the Terry Fox Run!)

No-bake Haystack Cookies

2010-09-14T18:43:00.000-06:00

Ok, so the title isn't catchy, but it does the trick.

I had a request from Frances to share my recipe. So I thought to myself, "Self, these little pieces of heaven certainly are too good to keep to yourself."Seriously. Drool.

(Speaking of drool, you should go and check out Frances' unbelievable scrappyness. Don't worry. I'll wait.)

...

...

Oh good, you're back.

Here's the recipe:

In a medium-sized pot, combine 1 1/2c white sugar, 1/2c butter, 1/2c milk, and 1/2c of cocoa powder. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. (Seriously. Constantly. This would just as soon burn as look at you, as my mother would say.) Remove from heat and stir in 3 1/2c quick oats, 1 c coconut, and (optionally) 1/2c slivered almonds. Drop rounded tablesoonfuls onto wax paper and cool to harden.

If you're us, then you throw them in the freezer so you can eat them sooner.

Enjoy. Maybe while you're reading Frances' blog.

Linkin' up at Tuesdays at the Table and Tasty Tuesdays!

Could this be a new blog thing?

2010-09-13T17:33:00.000-06:00

Wordless Monday. What do you think?

Ok, so I know it's supposed to be "Wordless Wednesday", but it was worth a try.

Seriously. I got nothin'.

Except this card!

Yay!

Ok, so this was for a baby shower.

But I can pretend it's a "Yay, you finally have a scrappy project to post on this 'scrappyness' blog of yours!" card.

Yay!

Suddenly I'm all domesticated.

2010-09-06T12:59:00.000-06:00

Wait a minute. That makes me sound like a wild horse or something.

Anyway, it's true. This weekend, I've made:

haystack cookiesfocaccia breadand a pumpkin harvest loaf.

Mmmmmmm.

Plus also?

Behold!
I have discovered that I love fall. Like, freaking L-O-V-E it. Who knew? The smells, the colours, the new-ness. Around here, that's not a necessarily a common sentiment, because fall means that winter is coming, and winter = -40 degrees Celcius. But there's just something so comforting about it.

See? Sooo pretty.So I really wanted to put that love on my front door. To proclaim to the world, "I love fall and you naysayers can kiss my autumnal wreath."
Except that an "autumnal wreath" sounds all hoity-toity-Martha-Stewartish. Normally I'm not about that, but if it's paired with a phrase a little more bad-ass, I guess it's not so bad.

***Editor's Note: Since this is my first-ever floral wreath, I was really lucky to be at Michael's with Adrienne who helped me figure out how to put this together! I basically just cut the smaller stems from the main stem, arranged them on the grapevine wreath ($4.99 at Value Village!) and wove in the ends of the flowers since I didn't have a glue gun.

One bonus of using those long stems and cutting them apart is that you get to put the "branches" in the garbage. So not only do I look all domestic with my door all decorated and my house all warm-smelling, but it looks like I still had time to take care of a little light pruning in the yard.And with the leftovers, I made a little baby wreath. But where to put it?
Maybe the back door. Wow, a wreath where no one but us will see it. I really am domesticated.

And maybe a little hoity-toity-Martha-Stewartish.

Linkin' up here:

Things I've learned this summer, in no particular order:

2010-08-18T15:56:00.000-06:00

If you promise your sister the gift of a wedding album, you'll scrapbook day and night to make sure it's perfect in time to be hand-delivered. Even if you can't blog pictures because she's private like that. And you have nothing else to blog about. But, you'll be totally ok with that. :)
She'll be ok with the album being three years late if you make it worth it. And it was so worth it. Seriously? If I had made this book when I promised it to her? It would have contained gems like these:

There's nothing that can replace time with family.
A flatulent dog is a poor bedfellow.
Eating the tasty morsels your niece and nephew drop from their high chairs will make a dog flatulent.
If anyone ever asks you if you want to go to a restaurant-slash-pub and the only way to get there is by boat? The answer is a resounding yes.
Likewise with an offer to see Doc Walker or George Canyon at a music festival.
You'll develop a serious case of blog-envy as you read other people's blogs and dream about all of the fun projects they're doing. Your comments on said projects will become less and less creative with each new post you read.
Summer vacation will always feel like it flew by.

It's not you, it's me.

2010-07-07T11:32:00.000-06:00

Hey...so....yeah...we need to talk.

Look, I know that we haven't seen each other in a month. It's just that I've been so busy! Things were really hectic at work, and I've just got so much to do.

I mean, really, between the end of the school year and working on all of the projects at home that I've neglected, I just don't have the time or the energy for this kind of commitment right now.

So, could we, like, take a break?

No, no no! It's not permanent! I mean, it would just be for the summer. And maybe the beginning of September, until school gets going.

No, no, of course I still think you're pretty! Wait, no, slow down...it's not because you were experiencing technical difficulties that one time when I actually had a chance to post. No, it's not. It's not.

It's just that there is so much else out there in the world calling my name right now. The birds are shining, and the sun is singing, and- err, well something like that. And anyway, it wouldn't hurt you to get some sun too, you know.

Oh, don't be like that. I know that blogs can't get any sun. You have to admit though, you are getting a little bit of sun right now since I'm typing on the deck.

I am not cheeky!

Ok, ok, wait, come back. I was just teasing.

It's not like we'll have much to discuss, though. I mean, I lost the camera, and these are the best pictures I can take with my iPhone:See what I mean?

Ok, so maybe they're not so bad. But not good enough for thrice-weekly blog updates, either.

No, "thrice" is not pretentious. Now you're just being mean.

Ok, how about a compromise? If you'll agree to be civil about this, I'll promise to hit you up for a 2am bloggy-call from time to time? Deal?

No, I don't think you're "that kind" of blog. It was just an idea. How about a few afternoon-sit-down-with-a-cup-of-coffee chats, instead?

Ok...really? You're sure you're cool with this?

Phew.

Life is good.

2010-06-08T18:19:00.000-06:00

So, it's been two weeks since I last posted, and while on the one hand, I missed it, on the other hand, I was a little happy for the break. It's the end of the semester, and the work doesn't stop when you're trying to help 120 students move on to the next level. We've also got this new responsibility with two dogs instead of one. And in the last two weeks, I feel like I've met some pretty significant challenges, and come out all the better for it.

In fact, today I was offered a permanent teaching contract at my school.

And now, things are finally starting to wind down. So what I'm trying to say is, life is good.

My design team project is late, unfortunately, but will be finished tonight.

But, since I wanted to post a little somethin' tonight for y'all, here's a project I completed a few weeks ago.
Yup. Life is good.

Friendy stuff.

2010-05-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

This here's a layout about friendship.

See the dude in the picture? Known him since elementary. It was our shared birthday. His sister and his wife are also in the pic. The weird ghosty-thing is my little sister.

I love these peeps.

And in the true spirit of friendship, I thought about from friend Jennifer from Scrapping Daze while I was making this friendy-layout.

See that layering? Totally Jen-inspired. You rock, my friend.

It's made with my April Paper Poppy kit. They rock, too.

Can you feel the love?

Gettin' dangerous.

2010-05-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

So at the crop the other weekend, I busted out the April Paper Poppy kit.

I thought these bright colours matched the lights on the stage in the photos. I mounted them on black to give them some street cred.

I cut that title with a deep-cut blade for the Cricut. It's not your average sissy blade. It's a bad-ass mean blade with tattoos and a motorcycle. I cut the chipboard, then the paper letters, then grunged them up, and then added some glossy accents. But not sissy-glossy. Glossy-like-a-new-Harley gossy

But then I thought, you know what this layout needs? Some flourishes.

But not those pretty, girly flourishes. Ohhh, no. I'm talkin'......Distress Stickle flourishes, dude. Made with Stickles that didn't even come with the kit. They're kick ass.

That's right. I said it.

I even used sketch 83 from Creative Scrappers. That's like, old skool.

Oh, yeah. I live dangerously.

Don't get too close my friends.

The best part of the crop.

2010-05-16T10:26:00.000-06:00

So, it's true. I think I may have found the most awesome dog ever. That's right. Pretty much freaking ever.

Don't get me wrong. I love Molly. Adore her, really. But if you aren't already in her club, membership of which is determined by Molly and Molly alone, then she can be a collosal jerk. Luckily I'm in the club, but she's not always interested in granting membership to my friends. Or the neighbours. Or the pizza guy. Or pretty much anyone she doesn't already know.

When we got to the crop on Friday afternoon, there she was. Big, gorgeous, sniffing around, and scratching at the door to get in. Naturally, everyone thought she was a neighbourhood dog, but you have to understand that this neighbourhood is, essentially, in the bush (that's “forest” or “woods” for any non-Canadians), and so the pool of potential awesome-dog owners is relatively limited.

***Editor's note – the English Lesson Edition: Please notice that these are potential “owners of awesome dogs”, and not “awesome owners of dogs”, as indicated by the hyphenated phrase. This is called a “compound modifier” which connects two words which describe the third. (Consider the case of the “red wine glass” versus the “red-wine glass”. Without the hyphen, we don't know if it's the wine or the glass which is red.) This is essential in a case such as this, as you will soon come to realise that these owners may, in fact, be very un-awesome.

Friday evening, one of the organizers got quite a fright when she opened the door and two huge eyes were staring back at her. By the time a left a couple of hourse later, she was still there, and even seemed to be trying to get me to follow her into the bush as I walked to my car. I assumed she wanted to play, so I told her to go home (in my friendliest dog-talking voice, I assure you!) and headed on my tired-and-merry way.

By Saturday, she was still hanging around, and we were starting to worry. Turns out she was hungry, as evidenced by the speed with which she scarfed down an apple she was offered on Saturday afternoon. This prompted a canvasing of the woodsy neighbourhood, which turned out to be futile.

So, what do we do now with a very huge, very hungry, and very lost dog? Well, one of the ladies called her mom who brought out a bag of dogfood, someone put out a bowl of water, someone else named her Maggie, and at the end of the night, I decided to take her home.

As I walked out of the building, I said, “Maggie, let's go home,” and I swear to you, she trotted off and stopped right in front of my car. Like she knew.

You should have seen Cliff's face when I picked him and his friend up with a giant dog in the back seat. He'd had a little to drink, and I didn't tell him she was coming. The reaction was a pleasant one, but it was something to the effect of, “Holy *$^%, Cliff, there's a monster dog in your backseat!”

So we took her home. Molly was an arse. But Maggie just lapped up the attention and slept soundly on the living room floor.

Sunday morning, I took her to Petland, because the poor thing needed a collar and leash if she was going to be staying for any length of time. They helped me to fit her, and checked her for a microchip, to no avail. The Petland people, like us, couldn't believe that such a beautiful, obedient, and well-cared for dog could actually be a stray.

And yet, it seems like she is. We've exhausted every avenue, including knocking on doors, advertising on Kijiji and on the radio, contacting the SPCA, local animal shelter, and both city and county animal control, and sending a mass email to co-workers. We're going to try an ad in the paper, but otherwise, all we can do is wait and enjoy her company while we have her.

I spent most of this week with some students in the city at a competition, but I understand that Maggie's was living it up at home, taking car rides and going to the dog park, which are two of her favourite activities. I was so excited to get home and get in on the fun.

She and Cliff have really bonded, and honestly, it's been so good for Molly to have her around. Molly's had to figure out that she's not the king of the castle, as she once believed, and she's actually become more obedient in the last week. Yesterday, we were able to take the two of them for a walk without any incidents at all, and to be honest, I teared up right there in the park. I love Molly to pieces, but her behaviour has been so troubling in the past that I was overwhelmed at how good they were together.

It really feels like we were meant to find Maggie.

So, to sum up, she knows commands, is obedient, is very gentle, and doesn't try to eat the pizza guy. She really is the best freaking dog ever.

So, here are some questions for you.

a) What's your hunch – was she abandoned, or did she run away?

b) Farm dog or house dog?

c) How long is long enough to hang on to a stray dog before she's “yours” to make a suggestion about?

Thank you for reading such a long post about Maggie. My hope is that someone might either recognize her or have some good advice about the care of stray dogs. Please rest assured that we will not take her to a “kill” shelter. At this point, all signs point to keeping her if her owners don't turn up...but we think we need wait at least another week.

I can't wait for this week to be over. :)

Long time no blog.

2010-05-15T14:01:00.000-06:00

So it's been ages, right? Eaons. Millenia have passed. Glaciers have melted. Fish have grown legs and started to walk on land. Cliff's grown a long beard and I've seen body parts head south since I last posted.

In summary, I haven't posted in a while.

Do I have a good reason, you ask? Well, my faithful bloggy companions, it is a combination of reasons that have resulted in such an extensive hiatus.

Now, before I discuss it, here are a couple of projects I meant to post about last week.

You know. Before Mother's Day actually happened.

Incidentally, the cards arrived late, too. Shock and dismay.

I had fun with these, though. I made them at the crop I attended a couple of weeks ago. “Joy! Rapture!” said I, upon returning home from a most pleasant and productive weekend. “I shall have blogging subjects for a fortnight!”

However, said fortnight was spent catching up at work from a weekend spent at said crop. I love my scrappy weekends, but when you're a teacher, it just means that you're putting work off that will still need to be done.

So, there's that.

And then Cliff got sick. As in, sore-throat, aching, ready-to-collapse, holding-yourself-up-with-a-wall, waking-up-in-a-ditch-with-no-pants-and-a-new-tattoo sick. All of which is true except that last bit. Suffice to say, he needed attention that could not be shared with my usual habit of chasing bloggy squirrels.

Then last weekend, another crop, this time a last-ditch effort to get in some scrapping time before the summer comes.. “Self,” said I, “you must surely attend this crop or risk losing your scrappyness for months. How vexing that should be.” So I went.

Now, this post is going to get super long (oh, how I have missed you!), so I shall share with you the most exciting part of that crop tomorrow.

But here's a hint.

And that only brings us to last weekend, my friends. I shall post again tomorrow about the capital times I've had since then.

Happy Un-national Scrapbooking Day!

2010-05-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

~~Procrastinated~~ Belated scrappy wishes to you!

I did get some scrapping in yesterday, and it was a good thing, because I had to complete my DT work that was, uhh, due yesterday. Just under the wire. Mad skillz, yo.

And then I didn't photograph it before I dropped it off. Camera was dead because I, uhh, chose to put off the recharging process.

So, I'll have to show you something else I made recently, instead.
I made this layout with my April Paper Poppy kit. I spent ages trying to come up with a title, and then ~~wanted to move on to my next layout~~ decided to spend an extended period of time carefully considering my journaling to explain the title I chose. These are photos from my solo whale-watching trip last summer in Newfoundland. It was such an incredible - even spiritual - experience that I ~~didn't want to think that hard~~ just didn't have the words when I was just trying to make all of those freakin' photos fit on the page. I plan to add an envelope to the back and type out the whole story.

I'm also hoping to include the brochure from O'Brien's Whale and Bird Tours (highly recommended, by the way!) a la Ali Edwards' custom-size page protectors.

You know. Sometime.I have wanted to try making a flower from a Starbucks sleeve ever since I saw what Jennifer from Scrapping Daze does with those little throw-away gems. I'd say it turned out alright, yes? Simple but effective.

Hmmm. Starbucks. Now there's something that I can do today.

2010-04-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

So, I used to work at a local scrapbooking store. Crazy, right? But, I was only teaching three out of four blocks a day at that point, my boss was awesome and gave us a wicked discount, and besides, it was fun. Like, kid-in-a-candy-store fun. School's-canceled-for-a-snow-day fun. Gold-digger-in-a-jewelry-store fun.

Ok, so that last one doesn't quite fit, but I bet that's fun if you're into that sort of thing.

So when we got in a whole boatload of Cosmo Cricket's Mr. Campy paper, of course I bought several sheets. Because, uh, I camp a lot or something? Or, maybe because I enjoyed the "looks like you dragged your paper through the dirt" look? The truth is, the line is adorable, but it's really not a colour palette I gravitate toward. That explains why it's never matched any of my photos before.

Until this one.
Dad and Saffron. A match made in heaven. And perfect for Mr. Campy and Creative Scrappers' sketch #79.

I was so excited when I put together this combo. The Bazzil Swiss Dot paper and the scalloped-edge cardstock were in my goody bag at the crop last weekend, and I had the Cosmo Cricket alphas left over from my March Paper Poppy kit. I was also super stoked to use the cute little Cosmo Cricket chipboard dogs that have been in my stash for ages.

***Editor's note: Are we sensing a trend here? Apparently I have an affection for all things Cricket. Who knew?!?
I grunged 'em all up a bit so they look like they go with that cute-and-dingy Mr. Campy. I used a walnut spray stain on the puppies and pounced some chalk ink over the alphas. I think they compliment my dad's muddy pooch perfectly.

I'd say Saffron knows a thing or two about gold-digger-in-a-jewelry-store fun. Emphasis on the digger.

No wonder my sister never wanted to play checkers with me.

2010-04-27T20:25:00.000-06:00

So, here's a simple little layout from my time in Newfoundland last summer.

This was the only foggy day in my whole two weeks there. I was starting to think they made up all that "fog" stuff.Luckily, a friend who was at the crop last weekend is from St. John's and offered me this gorgeous map paper. I added some crystals and a journaling card from the April Paper Poppy kit, as well as a Prima flower, a Chatterbox make-your-own brad, and some Bo Bunny alphas.
Quickest. Page. Ever. But it upped my number of layouts completed this weekend.

First counting a double-pager as two layouts, and now this. I'm such a cheater.

Here's my first April Paper Poppy creation. Uhh, no joke here. It really is.

2010-04-25T17:38:00.000-06:00

I have been at my favourite weekend crop event for the last two days, and here's what I accomplished:

I finished 7 layouts. One was a two-pager. I pretty much think that counts as 8.
I made a cute card for my niece's birthday, and two other lovely cards for Mothers' Day.
I was part of a team of dedicated individuals who likely set a new record for the most "that's what she said" jokes in a 48-hour period. It's really too bad the Guinness people weren't there.
I managed to buy my raffle tickets at precisely the right moment, which meant that I won a $200 scrapbooking shopping spree! Thank you, raffle gods. I shall never doubt you again.
I laughed my tail off for two days straight.

Here's the first of those 7 layouts, and it's my entry for the Paper Poppy Kit Co.'s April sketch challenge.
Yup. That's my ma. Pickin' strawberries. She's so awesome.I made this layout with my April Paper Poppy kit, those little Making Memories alpha stickers, approximately 6.5 questionably-inappropriate "that's what she said" jokes with Adrienne, and a whole wack o' Chalk Box inks.

I especially love that Pink Paislee pleated ribbon. Everyone was asking if I made it myself. Of course, I did the honourable thing and told them thank you but it came with my kit. I also passed on my little review: it's pretty, soft, and super easy to handle but just was a little too long.

Hehe. That's what she said.

Where have I been?!? I've been looking for me everywhere!

2010-04-20T16:32:00.001-06:00

Ok, peeps. What a week it has been.

So, last week, I was so drained from having to find my inner drill sergeant at work that I couldn't post, or even read my usual blog haunts. And by "couldn't", I mean there weren't two coherent thoughts to bang together in the ol' noggin.

Then, I had an awesome weekend, but I lost the little cord that attaches my camera to my computer. (And seriously, when you see the photos, you'll know why I couldn't post without them.)

So, here's how the weekend went down.

On Friday, Cliff went to visit his parents, and so I was left by my lonesome. So, what's a single gal to do?

Go to an '80s "murder mystery" birthday party, of course! (Duh!)

My name was to be "Randy Reporter", a creatively named...uhh...reporter.

Friday was occupied by a lengthy trip to Value Village, where I bought this sexy little ensemble.

One must attend these functions in style, you know. Penciled-in Brooke-Shields eyebrows and all. Nothing says "hotty" like a shoulder-padded polyester blouse in the perfect shade of "zombie skin."

***Editor's note: I think I need to frame this photo. It clearly will make the perfect focal point of a room if I ever go through a "Designing Women/Working Girl" decorating phase.

I took my role seriously. Here I am interviewing Bailey Babble, the town gossip.

I think she's saying, "Your outfit is stunning. I must know the name of your personal shopper," and I'm like, "Who, me?" and batting my eyelashes.

And then, I gave this little gift-card holder to my girl, Leena, who was celebrating her birthday that night:
And then I went home, scrubbed off my eyebrows, crawled into bed spread-eagle right smack-dab in the middle and thanked my lucky stars that: a) once in a while, a weekend alone feels nice; and b) I don't have to wear my pants pulled up to my ribcage on a regular basis. Seriously. Ouch.

Pondering after a busy and vexing week at school.

2010-04-14T21:53:00.001-06:00

I've been tagged!

2010-04-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

Ilene, a super-talented scrapper whose blog I recently stumbled upon, has tagged me in a blogging chain. Isn't she sweet? Thanks, Ilene!

The deal is, I have to list 10 things that make me happy, 5 pieces of trivia about myself, and then pass this award along to 5 of my favourite bloggers.

So, onward and upward.

Things that make me happy:

Laughing with Cliff
When a student comes up with something brilliant that I've never thought of before or that I didn't expect them to get
When a student achieves a personal best
Starbucks grande non-fat Tazo chai lattes
My dog and cat when they're doing something funny
Uninterrupted scrap time
Finding something awesome at Value Village
Getting to spend time with my family, especially when my niece and nephews are involved
Long weekends
Road trips with people I love

5 Pieces of trivia about me:

I have literally been addicted to Labello (now Nivea) lip balm since high school. No other kind will do, and without it, my lips start to hurt within a day. I think I am single-handedly keeping that company in business.
Other people's gum disgusts me. There are only two good places for chewed gum: your mouth, or the garbage can. Anywhere else makes me want to wretch. Sitting in the cafeteria at lunch in high school was the worst for me. Why, oh why, must you stick your gum on the edge of your plate?
All my life I wanted a weiner dog, and just before Christmas break in my third year of university, Cliff brought one home for me wrapped up in a flannel blanket. I bawled.
Crafting for me began at a very early age. I remember making puppets, especially. Do any of you Canadians remember "Take Part", a kids' show that was on in the late '80s and early '90s? I basically could not get enough of their craft tutorials. Fast-forward 20 years, and I'm still enthralled by glue and paper and felt and buttons. As my mom always says, people don't change that much.
My favourite restaurant is the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. Mmm, crab cakes and creme brulee. Though for convenience' sake, it would have been nice to choose something a little closer to home.

And now, "Tag! You're it!" to five of my favourite blogging peeps whose work you must check out:

And while you're at it, go and check out Ilene's blog for a wealth of scrappy inspiration!

Happy Sunday!

This little birdy says "Thank You"

2010-04-10T17:40:00.000-06:00

When your guy's mom sends you a beautiful new blue purse for spring, you send her a handmade "thank you" card.

I think the bird stamp says "Thank you for adding a little more colour to my world!"Or maybe, "You make me so happy I poop flowers".

Either way, I think she'll know I'm grateful.

Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister...

2010-04-09T17:15:00.000-06:00

I was so excited to find that this month's design team package for Scrapbooks Made Simple perfectly matched this photo of my sisters and I circa 1998.

By the way, my sisters do have heads in real life. They're just a little more protective of their privacy on the internet than I am. Of course, I respect their wishes to the fullest. Plus, I may still have some deep-seated resentment from years of childhood torture.
Just playin', sisters, you know I love you. That's why I put you next to pretty flowers and crystals.

And why I didn't photoshop little alien heads onto your bodies.

A Not-So-Little Weekend Recap

2010-04-05T22:23:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a weekend.

Friday: I met Edwin. As in, Edwin from I Mother Earth, popular Canadian rock group from my teen years. It was an incredible show, and very intimate because there were very few people there.

Lloyd, my buddy on the right in the photo above, grabbed Edwin and was all, "Hey, dude, take a picture with my friend," and I was all "Oh my gawd, Edwin is touching me", and he was all, "Nice to meet you," and I was all, "Holy crap, Lloyd is the freakin' man."

Saturday: I was up super early. Well, early for a Saturday anyway. We drove to Edmonton, went shopping for a little while at West Edmonton Mall, and then went to a wicked Indian restaurant called Daawat. Oh, it's making me hungry just thinking about it! Then, back to the mall for a show at the Comedy Strip, but only after a photo op in front of the giant pirate ship.

Sunday: We headed to Ikea where I engaged in one of my most favourite pastimes. Oh, actually two of my most favourite pastimes. The first was getting lost and having to walk back through the whole freakin' maze of a store just because I had to use the loo. The second is this, which I recently commemorated in a layout:

I told you they were super roll-y.

Then it was back to WEM where I found these little gems:
I was seriously swooning. These shoes were giving Edwin a run for his money. (Ha! Run!) Shoe shopping is usually a dead-end for me so I had to stifle my squeals of delight when these turned out to be perfect. Then, we out to an awesome little Mexican/Salvadorean restaurant called Acajutla before getting ready for the main event.

Ladies and gentlemen, John Mayer!

We were so stoked to find that they'd upgraded out seats.
We should have been in the nosebleeds at the far end of the arena, but instead, we were in the much-closer side balcony.I agree with Jen, who said that the whole John Mayer show felt like it ended too quickly! I thought he was fabulous, and I could have listened to him for hours.

***Editor's Note: I am, in fact, quite certain that he intended to give me a private, 4-hour, extended version of his show backstage after the "regular" show, but something must have detained him. I am certain I'll be hearing from his people soon to reschedule. I'll be all "Oh, you mean John wants to fly me out to a private show?" and they'll be all, "Don't you know he's enthralled with you?", and I'll be all, "But I am happily attached", and they'll be all "That's ok, he just wants you to hear the song he wrote about your charming and witty personality", and I'll be all, "John is the freakin' man."

I loved the whole show, right down to the weirdo faces he makes when he's singing. I think it's the mark of a true artist to not care what he looks like while he's performing. (Or at least that's what I tell myself when I scare myself in the mirror after scrapbooking until 2am.)

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were hungry, so we stopped off for some late-night snacks at a grubby (but OPEN!) little dive that served some apparently majestic donairs.Monday: We slept in a little longer than intended, ate a delicious breakfast at Denny's including these delicious little devils, the Pancake Puppies:
And then, we drove home.

And that, my friends, is a weekend to remember.

It's a good Good Friday

2010-04-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

Teri's Top Ten Reasons Why Today Rocks My Socks:

1) It's Good Friday. That means I don't have to work today.
2) Cliff signed his new contract this week, which means that he now works Monday to Friday with stat holidays off, just like me. In other words, we actually got to eat breakfast together for once.
3) We had BLTs for breakfast, sans the "L". *swoon*
4) It's nearly 5pm and I have spent most of today in my craft room. Here's proof:5) Tomorrow morning, I leave on a roadtrip with two fantastic girlfriends. Ikea, West Edmonton Mall, and the comedy club await!
6) My dog is being good today. I don't think she's barked once since I first let her out this morning. I think this might be a record or something. Actually...uhhh...I think I better go check if she's still breathing.
7) Molly is still breathing. Yesss.
8) Janet Jackson is on Oprah. *I miss you muuuuch! M.I.S.S. U Much!*
9) On Sunday night, we're going to see John Mayer. Seriously, I think this is my weekend. I must have horseshoes up my...errr...pocket.
10) I was actually organized enough to complete a holiday project in time to give it to someone before the holiday arrives. On Sunday morning, I'm going to give these to my two traveling companions. I got them each a little Lindt bunny:And I jazzed 'em up like so:I've had a teacher's edition of a grade-two reader in my drawer for over a year now, and I'm telling you, it was destiny that brought this book to mind today. A single page wrapped perfectly around one little box. The papers are from Cosmo Cricket, and I popped them up with foam tape over the ribbon, and then added a little bling flourish.

By the way, one of the reasons I was so attracted to that CC cross-stitch paper in the first place is because it reminds me of this:

This is the pillow case my dear sweet mom made for me when I was little. It's too small to fit on a standard pillow, so it's been in my linen closet in every place I've lived in since I first left home.

So, I was thinking, if someone has a cool idea for how to display my most coveted of pillowcases, I could add an 11th point to my "top ten" list. Any ideas?

This is shaping up to be the best Easter weekend ever. :)

:)

2010-03-31T19:16:00.000-06:00

Last week, I entered a layout in the "One Year Old" challenge at Practical Scrappers...and I am so excited to say that I was chosen for the grande prize! Thank you so much, PScraps! I'm lovin' the "Top 3" blinkie I get to put in my sidebar! ----->

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Take a picture. It lasts longer.

2010-03-30T22:45:00.000-06:00

So, if you're a sucky photographer like me, you will love Funky Junk Interior's "Blog Photography Workshop". I lovingly refer to my photography as "craptacular", and really, I would love for it to be better. The awesome thing about this workshop is that it's based on using point-and-shoot photography. Finally, I don't have to feel like a putz for being the last scrapbooker in the world without a digital SLR!

The first installment from last week talks about keeping your camera still, either by propping it on something or keeping your elbows locked into your sides and holding your breath while you press the button.

Here's a photo of my layout from last week where I know that I moved (I think the terrible lighting may also have caused a shutter delay on this shot). I tried, but I had to breathe!

If only I was a cyborg, I would never have my pesky need to breathe damage otherwise workable shots. *sigh*

Here's one where I used the same method, but am quite certain that I didn't move much at all. It really made a difference!
Propping the camera on a stationary object seems to have worked even better...but wouldn't you know it - I can't find the photos! If only I was a cyborg, I could store all of those photos internally. *sigh*

This week's tutorial is on lighting which is a chronic issue in my photos, as I often complete my projects and photograph them in the evening. I am too tired to give it a try tonight, so I'll post about that soon. If only I was a cyborg, I wouldn't have to sleep. *sigh*

Oh well. I guess if I can't be a cyborg, at least I can learn some mad photog skills.

Sweets for the sweet

2010-03-29T19:57:00.000-06:00

Scraps of bright and cheery paper make for super-cute and simple 11th-hour Easter cards.

I have the cutest niece and nephews in the land. Hopefully they'll enjoy these cards - and hopefully they'll arrive to their far-off destinations in time! While I wish I could be there to watch the kids gather eggs...

I am perfectly happy to be in my own home when the sugar rush sets in.

Well, actually, I'll be at the John Mayer concert on Sunday night enjoying a little candy of my own with a couple of girlfriends. (Ear candy, Cliff. Ear candy.)

{These are a simplified version of the cards Frances made with her Paper Poppy kit from March. Thanks, Frances!}

I loves me some Paper Poppy!

2010-03-25T21:30:00.000-06:00

So this kit was beautiful. It was jam-packed. It had a lot of variety. It had a gorgeous, vibrant colour palette.

But guess what? It's not a palette I'm used to. So of course, when I started playing with it, I was stumped. Crud. I waited ever so (im)patiently for this kit to get here. What do I do now?

So I dug through my old photos looking for colour inspiration. I knew that somewhere, I must have some photos that would be worthy of this bright and cheerful paper. I mean, I figured out how to mix lavender eye shadow with blue mascara in grade seven. Surely, I can make this work.

Plus, I only needed one photo since I planned to adapt this March challenge sketch by Helen Croft at Scrap A Little. It can't be that hard...right?

And then it occurred to me that maybe I've just not captured "cheer" on camera. "Hogwash, self," I replied. "I seldom go a day without cheer. Surely, I have caught it on film at some point or another."

Apparently, I said that to myself back in the 90s while I still used a 24mm.

But what made it worse was that the whole time I was putting 110% (or some other superlative sports metaphor) into finding a photo that would work, the palette was taunting me. "Make cards out of me," it goaded. "Beautiful, cheerful cards. Your niece and nephews will love me. Spread the love, Teri. There are enough yellow and red goodies here to make cards for 163 of your closest friends."

But, "No!" I said. "You will not win this fight, bright colour palette. You shall be defeated."

So I tied my cape around my neck. (That cape may or may not have been metaphorical. Either way, it paints a formidable picture). I huffed, and I puffed. I used my spidey-senses and ran faster than a speeding bullet. And guess what happened?I was victorious! Take that, bright colours!The title reads, "Summer is fun at 26". In fact, I love how this turned out. It really made me step out of my usual comfy box and try some new things. I even managed to work a couple of extra challenges into this one. Apparently, no challenge is too much for Captain Cheer.
These handmade flowers are my entry for the Paper Poppy's handmade flower challenge. I used the scallop-circle-punched book pages that were included in the kit, and I used my Stampin' Up chalks to add a some colour before folding up the edges a little and adding floss stems. The chalks and the little birdy rub-on in the centre of one of my flowers are also my entry for the Practical Scrappers' challenge to use something that's at least one year old.

But none of those things sounds befitting a victorious and powerful superhero, so I left them to the end of the post.

So, to the Paper Poppy Kit Co., thank you for introducing me to beautiful new colour combinations that I never would have tried on my own. This challenge has done wonders for my creativity.

Now if only you could help me out of this comfortable lavender-eye-shadow-and-bright-blue-mascara box I've been living in for the last fifteen years, I'd be much obliged.

Checkin' em off my list.

2010-03-25T16:02:00.000-06:00

I'm just home from day one of two in our annual Teacher's Convention. I have learned so very much today that my students will be excited about (who wants to debate capital punishment??) but I am in serious information-overload at the moment.

So, here's my plan:

1. Make a list of things to do. Check.

2. Grab a drink. I shall not disclose the variety. But please remember, it's five o'clock somewhere. Check.

3. Write this post. Use it to answer a couple of queries sent my way. Half-check.

4. Scrap my little head off. (Actually, that's not true. I have a rather large head.)

Ok, so let's get to number three.

Query A) "What do you do with all those pretty ribbons, Teri? Your scrap-space looks lovely and that pic at the top of your blog is awesome!!! You ROCK!" (Anonymous)
Well, first of all, I think this was probably my mom. Who else is that nice to me? :) I use them to make pretty messes. Oh, and I use ribbon to tie around cards, and sometimes as a layer on scrapbook layouts. But lately, I've mostly been using it to tie around gifts. Especially since I found some gorgeous white-on-black polka-dot gift wrap, I can customize my gift wrap for the intended person super easily. Oh, and I don't have to hear Cliff complaining that his buddy Bob's gift is too "pretty".

Query B) "Yaya! Wanna see exactly what you got in there. . ." (Mandi)

The "there" is my March Paper Poppy kit, which finally arrived yesterday! (Ahh, the joys of living in the north!) And so, here it is in all its glory...
Except, the Cosmo Cricket "Red Line" Ready-Set-Chip alphas didn't make it into the photo. How vexing.

And now, I'm off to dive into that kit. But before I go, please go check out the "Giveaway with a Heart" at Sarah Ann's Bon Mot ! This is a cause I feel really strongly about. Here's what she has to say about it...

"Well, I have found an amazing organization called NightLight International that rescues girls in and at risk of trafficking and prostitution in Thailand. They also give them jobs to help them earn money and learn a different lifestyle. And, guess what they do? Make jewelry! Actually, they have a business and teach the girls all different aspects. Some learn to design jewelry, and some make it, and some learn the business side of it. I love this idea, because they are not only doing something to help the girls get out of terrible situations, but they help them stay out, which is so effective!"

Head on over there to help out and potentially win a gorgeous piece of jewelry. Thank you, Sarah Ann, for your big heart! :)

A little math.

2010-03-24T21:05:00.001-06:00

"Crazy in love". Or, "Crazy, in love".

2010-03-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

So my little project from the other night's not done. Boo, I say! Boo!

I had hoped to get into my craft room last night, but then it was discovered that "the secondary panel [in our furnace] has a short". That's fancy-talk for "it's friggin cold in here."

Luckily, I rent from fantastic people who are on it like rockstars. Or like glitter on everything you own six months after you've used glitter.

That being said, I'm at home sick today, and I'm hangin' out in bed 'cause dis is where da heat's at, yo.

One little space heater = one warm room. Cliff has just arrived home from work, so it seems doubtful that the aforementioned "one room" will wind up being my craft room.

So, here's a previously-made page -- and one of my faves! -- to satisfy my need to post.

BoBunny Double-Dot, Colorbok transparency, papers from a Me &My Big Ideas slab, white rub-ons of unknown origin, and craptacular photography courtesy of the incandescent bulbs in my kitchen.
Who makes that typeface paper? It was one of my favourites and I used up every last scrap. Methinks I need some more.The flocked-and-winged heart was cut from the same M&MBI slab. I curled the wings and popped them up with foam tape.

The stitching around the circle was done in a somewhat haphazard fashion. It serves me well that "haphazard" actually looks good when it comes to sewing on paper.

What a mushy layout.

I guess you could say, "I've got my love to keep me warm!"

To which I would groan and curl up a little tighter in my duvet. But I'd be smiling on the inside.

PS: Just thought you'd like this little tidbit. Cliff sings to the dog a lot. I mean, a lot. Often these are made-up songs, or versions of songs he's been playing on the radio that day, as he's in broadcasting. He also likes to sing in a particular register that really gets the dog howling.

So he's been in the kitchen, cooking and singing. Of course, Molly started howling.

To which he just facetiously responded, "Yeah, I know the words, I effing made it up!"

Ahhhh. *Swoon* He's all mine, ladies.

PPS: He just told the dog that she'll "never work in this town again!", Al Capone-style. On the other hand, he also just brought me eggs and toast in bed. I guess I have to take the good with the crazy.

Yeah, yeah. "Birds of a feather." Point taken.

This is what happiness looks like.

2010-03-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

When I got too tired to finish the project I started tonight, I found myself feeling so content and grateful.

I have so much to be thankful for today.

I went to a fantastic concert last night by the Newfoundland band Shanneyganock.
I am so grateful to have the energy and health to dance the night away. Oh, and thank you for the self-confidence (or lack of social decorem, perhaps?) to be the first and/or only one on the dance floor.

I went there with some fabulous Newfoundlanders who truly appreciate this genre of music.Thank you! I have been blessed with the most energetic and hillarious friends!

After some quiet time today, my marking is ready for school in the morning. Wow - and I don't even have to stay up until midnight to get the last few papers done! Thank you for helping me to overcome my instinct to procrastinate.

I have a scrappy project on the go and great music playing on my laptop.
My life would be so empty if it weren't for being crafty and sharing in the creativity of others. Thank you! What a great way to end the day!

And then, this happened.
Thank you, God, for giving me a sense of humour.

Thank you, Pearl, for my uber-cute bligityblog!

2010-03-20T15:18:00.000-06:00

The other day, I received the most exciting email E.V.E.R.

Actually, there were two. Apparently, the king of Bhutan has passed away and has chosen little ol' me to collect a rather hefty lump sum. I shan't be sharing the amount, as I hear that when you're rich, people start coming out of the woodwork. I don't want my long-lost cousin Ernesto showing up at my doorstep with a business proposition for me.

Let's just say, I may soon be living large.

But, even more exciting, I won a runner-up prize from Pearl over at Pearl's Paperfections for a custom blog header!

I can't even describe how excited I was. (Cliff probably can. He was giving me strange looks all night.)

I recently discovered Pearl's blog when Jennifer, my buddy over at Scrapping Daze proclaimed her uber-fan status. Pearl is a phenomenal scrapbooker, and definitely deserves a huge following! Her use of colour, texture, and layering is incredible!

Check out Pearl's gorgeous header-work above. Whaddaya think?

I was so freakin' excited to get this posted to my blog today - I feel like I've been given the most awesome gift (and I don't even have to send my credit card info to Bhutan to collect it!)

Of course, when Pearl asked me if I thought she should do more giveaways for custom blog headers, I told her that people would be beating down her door for them! Please pop by Pearl's blog and let her know what you think!

Enjoy your weekend, y'all!

Good rhyme...good rhyme...good rhyme...

2010-03-16T22:48:00.001-06:00

Maybe it's just because I'm an English teacher, but this is probably the funniest Sesame Street clip EVER.

Watch it without laughing. I dare you.

Rhyming and sarcasm and incorrect use of personal pronouns. This is comedy at its finest, my friends. Enjoy - and wish me well at parent-teacher interviews tomorrow night! :)

Bananas in pyjamas

2010-03-15T20:40:00.000-06:00

So, I've been seeing peeps post their super-yummy-looking banana bread recipes all over the web, and I thought I should throw in what I think is the easiest (and most forgiving) banana bread recipe of all time.

That's right. I've compared them all. Ask anyone.

My recipe originally came from Evelyn Raab's Clueless in the Kitchen. 'Nuff said 'bout my mad kitchen skills, yo. This book was actually a godsend when I first moved out on my own and didn't really know how to do simple things, like cook rice or a soft-boiled egg. (This book is a great gift idea for those with kids about to fly the coop...or, leave the nest...or...something. Is that first one a euphemism for "going crazy"?)

Anyhow, over the years, I have perfected this recipe, I do believe, and have tried a dozen or so variations that have all turned out fabulously ~~except when I've forgotten to set the timer and the bottom has burned to a blackened crisp~~ every time.

So, here's how she goes, a la my adaptations:

Mix together:

1 1/4c flour (feel free to use white, whole wheat, or any combo of the two - other flours are on my list to try!)
1 c sugar (this can easily be reduced up to half and any sugar will do. A full cup makes it pretty sweet)
1 tsp baking soda

In a separate bowl, use a potato masher or electric mixer (or just use your blender) and smoosh together:

3 overripe brown bananas (or thawed ones from your freezer)
2 eggs
1/2c veg oil (this can easily be subbed in part or in whole for applesauce. Tastes great and better for you. Butter will also work.)

Now, mix the wet stuff into the dry stuff.

Pour into a well-greased loaf-pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Muffins take about 30 min. Or, if you happen to have found some mini-loaf pans on sale at Michael's after Christmas for $0.15 apiece (score!), those will work too. These take an hour too, for some reason.

Some yummy add-ins: a handful of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, blueberries, raisins, chopped apples, etc. This recipe is so forgiving that you can try it any-which way.

This recipe freezes well, doubles well, and makes for a super-yummy breakfast, lunch, snack, ~~supper when Cliff isn't home~~ accompaniment to the well-balanced and nutritious supper one cooks when eating alone, or any other possible meal.

By the way, I thought Cliff was off his rocker when he suggested it would be good with cheddar cheese...but holy moley, that's some good eats!

Let me know if you try this one out!

Linkin' it up to some sweet parties...

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday