Studio Happenings

I woke up in the wee hours last night - not sure why, but I really didn't want to get up in the middle of the night, so instead of counting sheep to get back to sleep I created a new card design in my head.  I couldn't wait to get in the studio this morning and bring it to life.  My inspiration came from my BFF Irene.  She is a terrific seamstress and made this cute little bag a while back.  It is so cute!  But, since I don't have a clue where to start making a bag, I decided to use her bag as a starting point for my new notecard set.  One thing led to another and I now have matching address labels to go with them.  It was a productive day!

New Etsy Shop Addition - pennant notecards & matching address labels

Favorite Family Dates

As soon as I saw this project on A Steed's Life blog I knew I'd have to make it for my home.  I love graphic art like this that has a meaning for my family or our life events.  So, this morning I have the house all to myself (wonder of wonders!) since all the men have gone golfing and I decided I needed a little "ME" time to create something.  I have had this metal stand sitting in my studio for years waiting for a purpose.  I dug through my stash (which took a great deal of time because I kept finding things I had forgotten I owned - do you do that?) and found a couple of hardboards that were already predrilled with holes and grommets - PERFECT!  A little Photoshop, some paper and glue and voila!  I had enough paper scraps in my scrap file to match my Family Photos album so I decided to use that and display both things together.  I love it!

And now, I have to go do what I should have started the day doing - tackling my laundry pile!!!!

Football Food

I love football season.  I like it when the weather turns cooler, the leaves start to fall from the trees and every weekend we can look forward to the football games.  On Saturdays we hoot and holler for our beloved Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  And then on Sunday, it's the Falcons, Broncos and Colts.  With all that action on the tube, the food needs to be easy and quick to prepare.  On today's menu is homemade Sloppy Joes.

I was never a big fan of Sloppy Joes when I was a kid.  I thought they were okay, but my Mum's version of adding ground beef to a can of Manwich just didn't do much for me.  Then, I discovered this recipe for a chuckwagon version of this dish.  And I became a believer!  These Joes are yummy!  They are easy to prepare and taste great.  Serve them up with some homemade coleslaw, chips and pickles and you have a crowd pleaser.

Here's the recipe for you -

CHUCKWAGON SLOPPY JOES

1 cup each, finely chopped celery, bell pepper & onion

1-2 Tblsp. vegetable oil

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

4 Tblsp. chili powder

1 1/4 cups ketchup

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp. vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

• In a large skillet, cook and stir chopped vegetables in oil until tender, about 10 minutes.  Add beef; cook and stir, breaking up and browning meat, about 15 minutes.  Drain off excess fat if needed.
• Add brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, ketchup, beef broth and vinegar; stir to combine all ingredients.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon mixture on burger rolls and top with cheese or other toppings of your choosing. 

            Mmmmmmmmm . . .  good!

Happy Fall, Y'all

I can't believe how fast fall has crept up on me!  Last time I looked it was the middle of the summer, it was hot and sunny and my flowers were blooming prolifically.  And now here we are - the leaves are beginning to change colors on the trees, my flower pots look like they have seen better days, it's beginning to get a little cooler in the evenings - seems it's time to change out my summer frame for a fall one.  Here's my Fall frame art - I'm just printing it off to put into the frame - now . . . . what else needs a new fall touch?????

Dog Days of Summer

What a crazy summer we have had around here.  I thought without baseball this year I would have had time on my hands - NOT!  It seems we've been busier than ever.  My little part time job has taken up a good deal of my time.  The other free moments have been spent getting son #2 ready for college, son #1 ready to graduate from college and when I can fit it in I've been in the Worleybird Studio getting my calendars ready for the Etsy shop.  I'm happy to report that two new calendar creations are almost completed.  I am working on the finishing touches to prepare them for printing.  Here's a sneak peak -

Sneak Peak

Working on my patriotic frame really got my creative juices flowing.  I started thinking it was probably time to start working on my next calendar creation.  I thought it would be fun to change out my patriotic frame each month with a new graphic.  So, with that in mind, why not adapt the frames to a calendar project?   I'm still in the planning stages, but it's coming along nicely - the title of the 2012 calendar is going to be "A Banner Year" and each month will have a banner in a theme to match the month.  Here's a sneak peak at my new frame for August which I will transform into a calendar page.

Patriotic Display

Over the weekend I was doing a little blog surfing and saw a really cute patriotic frame idea on the Landee See, Landee Do blog.  I immediately pinned it to my Projects To Try board on Pinterest.  Since it was a digital project I decided to get right to it.  Here's my version.  And, for once, I am ahead of the game for 4th of July decorating.  I like this one enough though that it might just stay up year round.  After all the sentiment is true 365 days a year!

My Version - digital elements from kit by Julia Makotinsky





Landee's Version - so cute!