Wicked Willemena

After two long weeks of house painting, I finally had a day of fun playing in my studio! The finishing touches have been put on this wonderfully, wicked little Halloween witch and she is available in my Etsy shop tonight. If you would like to see more of Willemena, you can click here!

We have been enjoying a fantastic dip in temps (and humidity) here in Atlanta this week. It almost feels like fall out there...could my favorite season be right around the corner? :-) I actually spend more time in the kitchen cooking and baking when things cool off. I found my Mom's Zucchini Bread recipe while I was sorting through my old recipe card file this week. I remember my Mom making this for us when we were kids and it was the most wonderfully moist and delicious bread. I thought I would share it with you...I hope you enjoy it!

Mom's Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil, brown sugar, zucchini, and vanilla; stir well. Blend in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour.

Wishing you a wonderful, blessed week...Susan

What a doll!

I had the nicest note from my new friend LindaGJ, who writes articles on www.Indiesmiles.com The main feature on this site are articles that people write all about art and artists, and I was touched to know that Linda included my sweet Maisey Mae pattern. It's worth the visit to read Linda's article if you get a chance. :-) Blessings...Susan

Oh my goodness...choices, choices!

Well, hubby and I are knee deep in paint chips. Trying to decide on a house color has got to be at least #2 on my "Things I Do NOT Like to Do" list (second only to cleaning the bathroom).

How does one decide on a paint color that I will have to live with for at least 10 years? The last time we did this, we chose what we thought was a subtle gray. Our friend, John, got the first coat on and when I arrived home after work....it was more like a silvery blue. Not that there's anything wrong with blue, but when you're expecting gray...well, it was a bit of a surprise.

This time we took the time to buy paint samples and painted squares of each color in a shady spot and in a sunny spot on the house. It wasn't easy, but in the end we chose Stream Bed for the body of the house, Black Magic for the shutters and Pure White for the trim.



I'll keep you posted on the progress! Blessings...Susan

Working on something new...

Hi there...I've been busy in the studio this week working on a really cool Folk Art Day of the Dead "Catrina" doll. She is almost ready for costuming, and I thought you might get a kick out of her at this early stage.




José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure that he called La Calavera de la Catrina ("calavera of the female dandy") as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female.



Posada's striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances.

According to Wikipedia, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.

She is coming right along and I hope to have her costumed and ready to share with you in the next few days. Blessings...Susan

Cornelia is now available on Etsy

Hello everyone! I hope you are staying cool in your part of the world. It's been hotter than hot here in Atlanta. I wanted to share this sweet new Halloween doll with you. She's available now in my Etsy Shop.

I know I've been a bit slow at posting this summer. I promise, I haven't been slacking off. Roger and I have been busy working on home projects - some new and some long overdue. Here is a picture of one of our FUN projects - Roger built this arbor after finding a picture of it on the internet. I LOVE the diamond "windows" on each side.



I can hardly wait to get a climbing rose planted and growing over it. We decided on a yellow rose in remembrance of my Gramma Jean - these were her favorite roses! Look at this beauty...



I wonder how long it takes to get this full and GORGEOUS?! A neighbor suggested planting Clematis with the rose so that the bloom time is longer..hmmmm...what do you think?



What have you been up to this Summer?

Blessings...Susan