Must Share

One more thing... I keep forgetting to share one of my favorite blogs.  I love things that are colorful.  I have always loved looking at (and arranging in color order) a box of crayons, colored pencils or markers.  I pin colorful, beautiful things on my Pinterest inspirations board.  And about a year ago (maybe a little longer) I found a blog that is devoted to sharing colorful photos - it is AMAZING!  So if you enjoy colorful things as well you must check out Plenty of Colour.

Winter...

Apparently, I spoke too soon.  Winter decided to remind me that it is still here and in Dallas that means ice.  I would be more upset about it, but all the icy roads and cold temperatures (-2 with the wind chill) mean we got a day off school!  As much as I prefer warm, sunny weather, this ice day came at a time when I could use a day of rest (recovering from being sick), so I will be grateful for my day off, bundle up in my warmest coat and remember that it will be 60 degrees by next weekend.

Sadly, I did not get to break out the art supplies today - everything is all packed up in boxes in preparation for my move.  It is my hope that in my new house I will slowly convert one of the rooms to what I am calling a "real, live art studio".  I have big plans in my head!  But until I have photos to share of what I imagine will be a wonderful, colorful, arty studio, here are some pictures of some of the ice Dallas had this winter.

Spring!

I know that most of the country is buried in snow and having lived in places where it is cold and windy and snowy until almost May, I feel bad for you.  However, it is spring in Dallas!  It has been sunny and in the 70s this weekend which makes me so happy!  Now, it is Dallas, so this could change any day now, but usually this is the time of year it starts to stay warm and sunny and makes me love living here so much.

Enough gloating, onto art things!  Once again, it has been a while since I posted (but less than a year, so that is progress).  I was in my first arts and craft fair this fall which was very exciting!  I loved putting my booth together and figuring out how to display my jewelry.  It could still use some tweaking before the spring fairs, but I was satisfied with it as a first attempt:

I also got new business cards from moo.com which I LOVE!  You can use as many different photos of your work as you want, so I didn't have to choose just one necklace to put on the front.  It was funny to watch people flip through them and choose the card they wanted to take.

I am finally adding my big, "wearable art" necklaces to my Etsy shop.  I really like them because they are so colorful and bright, but since they are polymer clay, they are not heavy.  I need to take a few more photos with models, but I already put a few photos on my facebook page.  I have not made anything new in a while, but over the Christmas break I did my first big experiment with printmaking.  I loved it!  I am just using styrofoam from restaurant to-go containers, but it is working really well.  I will try to post some images of my favorite prints for you to see.  Until then, here is the most artistic thing I have done lately: (Settlers of Catan cookies for my brother's birthday)

Earrings!

I have finally put some earrings in my Etsy shop!  I have made a few pairs but I wanted them to look a certain way... I just couldn't make up my mind what way that was.  After a few trials and errors, I added a crystal to each pair and finally go the look I was going for.   I have four pairs that are ready; two are already in Etsy and the other two pairs need to be photographed, but should be there later this week.  Check them out:

Pinterest

As you may know, I really love Pinterest!  However, now that the novelty has worn off, I no longer spend hours upon hours on Pinterest, pinning tons of things everyday.  There are some days that I don't even look at Pinterest (if you can believe it!).  I still enjoy it a lot though, and these days there are three main areas I pin in: 1) lesson plan/classroom ideas, 2) recipes, 3) art/inspirational pictures.  Now, I have a personal pinning policy that I started use. I read a blog post (I really can't remember where or I would link to it...) about a woman who was no longer going to use Pinterest because she felt that it was not ok to use other people's images without their consent and without giving them credit.  Well, I was too much in love with Pinterest to stop using it, so I decided to only pin images that take you back to the original source (disclaimer: I may have a few lingering pins from before I implemented this policy - I am not perfect... but I try).  This is harder than you may think.  Many images are links to nowhere or just to another site that has several pictures.  Others are links to people's blogs who tried a recipe or project they saw on another blog, so I follow their link back to the original and pin from there.  I feel that this is my best pinning policy because this way, my pins link back to the original author (giving them credit) and I am ok pinning their images because I know it is possible to block pinning capabilities if you do not want your images pinned.

Now, all that was to say that I recently pinned a chocolate berry tart recipe.  It was originally very disappointing because I saw a beautiful, mouth-watering, delicious-looking picture of one on Pinterest that was a sad case of it being a link to nowhere.  But after seeing it, all I could think about was making a dark chocolate berry tart, so I did some googling.  I did not find the source for the beautiful, mouth-watering, delicious-looking chocolate berry tart, but I did find another recipe for cute, little, yummy looking mini-tarts.  So I pinned that instead.  I happen to have cute tart pans that I have been waiting to try out, so this is the perfect recipe for me!  Here is my link in case you want to check it out: http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2012/08/no-bake-blueberry-truffle-tartlets.html.  I will let you know how they turn out!

(photo from loveandoilveoil.com)

Light Switch Covers

I have been making a few light switch covers.  I started because I wanted one for my room, and then I thought I would try out some different designs.  They are fun to make and it is nice to have a bigger space to work with.  However, they can take a really long time to make!  I will have to figure out what to charge for them and add them to my shop.  Here is my favorite so far:

Hello again!

Well, if anyone is still checking this blog after almost a year of no posts then you are an amazing optimist and I am awed and impressed!  I am using this summer to dive back into blogging and tweak my Etsy shop, so look forward to more posts about my escapades in art making, cooking and whatever else comes up.

For now, I wanted to share the new line of necklaces I am working on.  I decided to use my drawings as inspirations, so I made a intricate purple necklace and a greenish, turquoise paisley necklace:

After that I decided to try and make large necklaces that were either parts of my drawings or mini versions of them.  Here is how they turned out:

 black and white checkered background with swirls and yellow daisies 

colorful circles/mini mandalas 

funky hanging balls on a streaky pink background

I think I like the purple doodle necklace best, so I am going to try a few more in that style and see how they turn out.  Look for all of them in my Etsy shop this summer! 

In case you are interested in what I'm cooking these days, yesterday I made chocolate banana bread that is wonderfully delicious!  

Pie Night!

I am on summer vacation, so I apologize (again) for the lack of posts.  I am visiting my family and someone had a stroke of genius and we had a pie night!  We made three savory pies and four sweet pies.  I finally got the chance to try two pie recipes that I found earlier this summer, but I discovered something sad.  I really don't like fruit pie.  I have never been a big fan of apple pie (I know, it is unpatriotic!) but I eat it sometimes, so I always thought I just needed to be in the right mood.  Well, I made fruit pies, I was in the mood for pies, but I really didn't care for them.  Luckily, everyone else seemed to love them, so if you like fruit pies then these are for you!  

Our Pie Night Pies: 

 

Chicken Pot Pie - made by my Dad and really, really good!

 

Egg Pie (also know as Quiche, but changed for the purposes of Pie Night) - made by my Mom and full of tons of veggies, her homegrown garlic chives and topped with cheese. Yum!

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie - made by my brother who had a recipe that he apparently didn't really follow.  Luckily it turned out amazing!

 

Chocolate Cream Pie - made by my Dad.  Each slice was topped with his homemade whipped cream - really rich, but very, very tasty.

 

Key Lime Pie - also made by my Dad who thought the pie was a pale ugly color, so he added food coloring to brighten it up.  Despite the funky color, it tasted good!

 

Jelly Pie - made by my friend Mary.  It is a pie her grandma used to make and if you like pie crust (like my family does) then this is the pie for you! 

 

Peach Cream Pie - made by me.  This was also topped with my Dad's whipped cream.  It was a big hit!  I got the recipe here: http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2010/08/peach-cream-pie/

 

Blueberries and Cream Pie - made by me.  This was actually made the day after pie night for dinner with our friends, but it was also a big hit (with everyone but me - I really wish I liked fruit pies!).  Here is the recipe: http://gingerbreadbagels.com/2011/06/18/blueberries-and-cream-pie/ It is very easy to make and really great if you like blueberries. 

I should probably confess that none of us made our crusts from scratch.  My dad is a big fan of the Pillsbury crusts that you just unroll and put in the pan.  They are so easy and really tasty, so we all used those... don't judge us too harshly.  You should all have you own Pie Night and if you make way too much (like we did) then you can enjoy leftover pies for the days to come! 

Broaches

I was in the mood to make something today so I made two more tear drop necklaces and then made some crazy looking broaches.  They are colorful and fun and I really like looking at them all together.  As will all the things I make, I hope other people will like them too and even better, be willing to buy them! 

Yay Pinterest!

I have to share something cool I found through Pinterest.  My friend pinned a beautiful leaf drawing from this website: http://www.art-is-fun.com/search-this-site.html.  I loved the picture, so I looked through the website a bit to see what it was all about.  It is a site that gives you drawing and painting lessons.  While browsing through the pages I found some things about Prismacolor colored pencils (which are my favorite drawing materials).  The site recommended that when sharpening Prismacolors you should hold the pencil and turn the sharpener instead of the other way around.  I had never done it that way so I started giving it a try.  It has worked so much better! The lead breaks much less frequently and seems to give a nicer, sharpened tip.  So yay for Pinterest and yay for the Art is Fun website!

Sporadic

Apparently, I am a sporadic blogger.  To anyone who still checks and reads this blog, thank you!  I have intentions of posting more often, but it does not seem to happen yet.  I will continue to try and get better!

I worked on a drawing this weekend and was not pleased with it, until I realized that I wanted a more zoomed in version of it.  So here is how it turned out:

And this is a zoomed in photo which is more like what I had in mind:

I guess I will have to try again and experiment with the background some more.  I also have been meaning to share a photo of the new necklaces I have made.  They are not baked yet, but I really like them and I want to make some more in this style:

I am kind of into paisleys right now.  They seem to be showing up in my drawings so I figured I would see how they looked in necklace form.  I have to say I am pretty pleased with the results!

Easter

I decided that this year I wanted to do something amazing with Easter eggs and try drawing on them with wax like the beautiful Russian and Polish eggs that I keep seeing on the internet (...Pinterest).  So I lit a candle and got some eggs and then discovered that without proper tools, drawing on eggs with wax is really hard!  I ended up using a knife and made some simple designs on three eggs.  They were far less beautiful and amazing than I had pictured, but until I figure out where to get wax egg drawing tools they were the best I could manage! 

Then I dyed them along with all the regular, not wax decorated eggs and here is how they turned out:

I think they are not bad for a first attempt and I definitely learned a thing or two.  Next year I plan to be much better prepared!  Here are the rest of our eggs:

I hope you all had a Happy Easter and enjoyed dying eggs of your own! 

Wales

I just got back from an amazing wedding in Wales.  Not only was the wedding and everyone there beautiful, but Wales itself is lovely and full of sheep!  I will have some new art work to share tomorrow, but for today here is the beautiful beach in Anglesey:

 sandy beach full of weird seaweed stuff and lots of tide pools

sheep!

Busy, busy

February turned out to be quite a busy month!  But I did manage to do a little art along with planning a friend's bachelorette party :)  I also got back on a bit of a Pinterest kick, which led me to a ton of new recipes, which got me on a baking kick.  I have to say, I found some really great recipes (particularly the cinnamon swirl banana bread) but I have satisfied my baking itch for now.  You can see my cooking board on Pinterest if you are interested! 

The idea for this painting has been floating around in my head and I finally put paint to canvas! 

close up of the top

New Necklaces

I have been trying to use some of the drawings I have been working on and put them on a necklace.  It was a bit harder than I thought and I am not entirely sure if I like the result, but they are kind of funky. 

I sat down yesterday to try and make some Valentine's necklaces.  I think they look fun as a group.  We will see if anyone in the land of Etsy likes them! 

I was also in the mood to bake this weekend, so I made a delicious frittata (if I do say so myself!).  And then, wanting something sweet, I made lemon cookies which I decided to decorate:

 I used potatoes, red pepper, red onion, thyme and rosemary

Happy New Year!

Hello again :)  I got lost in the business of Christmas and the wonderful, inspirational, time-wasting, fantastic website known as pinterest.com.  If you have not seen it yet, you should, but be warned: you may end up spending LOTS of time looking at all the amazing things on it.  I have been trying to get away from just looking and pinning things and start actually trying to cook some of the recipes and make some of the crafts.  To that end, I made 35 origami balloons today!  

 

They were easy to make once I stopped creasing all the folds.  I had a few unsuccessful attempts of blowing up my balloons before I figured that out.  Once they were all made, I put them on a string of white Christmas lights and hung them in the kitchen.  I think they look great!  

It adds some nice color to my kitchen.  I have several other things from Pinterest that I am eager to try - I will keep you updated on how they turn out! 

Success!

Well, I did it.  I cooked and hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner!  There was plenty of food, nothing burned, and only one plate of deviled eggs tipped and spilled onto the floor (luckily I had two plates).  It was a LOT of work but it made Thanksgiving feel like Thanksgiving and it was much easier to be so far from home. 

A table full of empty plates is a good sign!

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately.  I have also been thinking of a lot of new projects, but have not started any yet.  I also discovered Pinterest, which if you have not yet checked out, you totally should.  I am thoroughly enjoying it!  I suppose I am spending my time looking at other peoples' projects instead of making my own.  It is time to get creative! 

The Turkey

Ok, I have officially cooked my first turkey.  I would like to say that raw turkeys are disgusting.  Totally and completely disgusting.  That was my least favorite part of this whole thing.  But it did smell great as it cooked, and it looks all golden and crisp and exactly like its supposed to!  I think that is a good sign.  I will warm it up tomorrow before dinner and it should be perfect.  So now the eggs are made and the turkey is done and all the chopping that can be done in advance is done.  I am as ready as I can be for dinner tomorrow.  Aside from the fact that my apartment has not been cleaned...

My turkey!

Rite of Passage

Hello again!  I took a bit of a break from my blog due to the busyness of life and the fact that I was out of town for two weeks.  However, as this Thursday approaches, it seems the appropriate time to begin again.  I am about to have one of those stereotypical, American rites of passage: cooking your first Thanksgiving dinner alone.  Since I am living in Germany, it is just another Thursday here.  This means that after working all day, I will come home and frantically cook for a few hours and then lots of people will show up at my house expecting that I have not burned the turkey and have plenty of food for all of them.  I really, really hope that is what happens.  I have planned out things to do to prepare everyday this week, so that Thursday is not too stressful.  I also bought a 14 pound turkey that I will be cooking alone.  We will see how this goes...

Soup

Fall is officially here.  The weather is cold and rainy and it is dark for most of the day.  On the upside, the leaves are beautiful! All this cold make me want to eat soup and sit by the fire.  We have not bought firewood yet, but I have already started making soups.  I tried a new recipe tonight, Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Whipped Cream and Fried Shallots.  It was delicious!  I found the recipe on the Food Network website.  It took a long time to make, but it was worth it! 

If you want to give it try here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/butternut-squash-soup-with-cinnamon-whipped-cream-and-fried-shallots-recipe/index.html.  Happy Fall :)