It Shouldn't Be So Hard. . .Croptober #21

Okay, so what's with preschool costumes being gory and teen girl costumes being slutty?  There's practically nothing cute and cuddly once you get beyond 12 months old, and absolutely nothing "clean" if you're a teenage girl.  My 4 y.o. wants to be a doctor, he loves Doc McStuffins and Peso (from Octonauts).  Can I find a doctor's white coat?  Nope, unless I want it Zombie-ized.  Sorry, I'm not sending my cute little 4 y.o. out with guts and innards hanging off him.  My daughter wanted to be a hot sauce packet, that's great if I want to see her in a dress cut Daisy-Duke short, tight-fitted, pushed up in front with fishnet stockings.  Really?  I finally found a doctor's coat at Target, and my next shot was dress-up clothes from a toy store.  My daughter - she's going a different way, but I'm not sure I'm any happier with the option.  GRRRR. 

Pretzel Rolls recipe search #1 - check.  I did get to these yesterday.  They actually went together easily - I'm not sure why this surprised me, but it did.  My only issue, was the baking.  They burned on the bottom, though the rest of the roll was perfect - and tasted great.  I rose the dough and put the boiled dough back on the same parchment paper, and I wonder if I should have done fresh paper before popping in the oven.  Maybe the water caused the burn.  I don't know.  I'll play with the recipe or the baking thereof, before I move on to another one.

A little inspiration from Maria Swiatkowski today, using the Bigger than a Breadbox October kit - the October Afternoon line.  I'm a huge OA fan, so naturally I love this layout for that alone, but I love how she dealt with the photo she took at a distance (the circle photo on the right side).  I always crop these down way too small, or leave them out altogether, but sometimes there's so much story in that photo. 

 

Your Croptober challenge/inspiration comes today via Apron Strings Pinterest board, Color Theory.  I really like the wide variety of colors in this scheme, from hot pink to grape.  So yummy and so seasonal, too.  The rooster reminds me I have farm photos to scrapbook.  I love all the texture in his feathers - makes me think of embossing (dry or glazed), patterned paper with a textured look, or even embellishments with texture like canvas or burlap.  Even the layering on this guy pushes me to try layering on my own layouts (something I can not seem to master.)

 

 

Upload your layouts or cards by Sunday evening for your chance at this week's prize, the October '11 All Year Cheer Card Kit.

 

Be on the lookout tomorrow for a one-day ONLY Blue Plate Special.

 

Happy Tuesday.

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