I want to tell you about my sister Linda. She is starting a baked goods business that is focusing on lower sugar and sugar substitute, but wonderful taste. There is so much diabetes that people have along with herself that she felt that there is a need for these products and I agree with her.
I am starting a new series of mixed media hearts. This canvas is 18 X 18. I started out with a salmon color which I mixed by adding orange and magenta. I wiped on titaniam white and watered down the salmon a bit for drips coming from the top. Other colors I am thinking about using are deep red, olive green, light sage green, possibly some black.
Custom letter blocks for a little girls name. I will need four more blocks.
Moxing bowls and the water bucket is a staple. I also am working on a black, red and white picture and when it gets finished I will share. It wasn’t far enough along to be interesting. So glad you stopped. Hope you are making something that makes your heart sing.!
I found this short poem in The Best Loved Poems of the American People. I thought it went well with my newest painting “Aim For the Moon”.
The more he saw the less he spoke;
Why can’t we all be like that bird?
A print of this mixed media painting can be purchased in my Etsy Shop.
Pavel, watching me take pictures outside. They have the best view in the house on my art table. I have that old rug there so they can be comfortable….it’s a cats life.
I am watching Spring come alive through the crocus blooming in my landscape bed outside of my studio window. These were just planted in the fall so I didn’t really know how pretty they would be. I will love it when through the years they multiply. I have really been enjoying them!
Watching the candystriped daylilys green start to sprout up through the dead leaves from last year.
So happy that the transplanted forsythia is starting to bloom. I love watching each plant grow.
I am very tickled with my magnolia tree. Look at this big fat bud, it’s going to be beautiful this year.
The whole tree is covered with these gems. I am so enjoying the development of the buds.
Pretty yellow forsythia.
Another sweet little face looking out and watching me.
Watching the field turn green behind us and wondering what the farmer has planted that had laid dormant through the winter. Also watching the storm develop off in the distance. It’s been a day of rain.
Thanks again so much for stopping by!
I want to talk a little bit about the banner I made for my art fair booth. This was so easy! It just a 10 X 10 inch square of fabric, fold it and sew up one side, turn it right side out while gently poking out the bottom point. It then gets pressed and sewn onto the rope or tape, whatever you choose. I had this video link on here recently but it doesn’t hurt to share it again. It is from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. It was screemin fun, as you will find out when watching the video.
Here it is attached to the front of the booth. I am curious what you think, does it add to the booth or does it take away from the showcase of the paintings? I have heard both points and I am just not sure. Leave a message for me if you have any feelings about it.
A 5 X 5 stretched canvas painting I finished recently. A Little Poppy. A print can be purchased in my Etsy shop.Â
The depth is 1.5 inches so I like to add a little fun to it. This was done on all 4 sides. The background is a deep navy blue.
Pavel, sitting very close while I am working at the table. I liked the way he was sitting so perfect. He was so close that my picture turned out blurry.
The booth next to ours had two gals in it. The artist was Kerri Bash and her company is called magpie dreams. I am sorry that I didn’t get a picture of them but their clothes were cute and funky. Multicolored leggings, black pantaloons made from tulle. lace up boots, denim skirts. They were very sweet to talk with and very informative also. This is one of her paintings that she put on a notecard. It is called SlugKitties digesting. Cats and books, two of my favorite things.
Another that I picked up was “Raven likes Ice Cream”. Raven was one of the girls cats who had lots of personality. So much so there are drawings of her. I do hope that we are showing at another show at the same time. I was very lucky to get beside them. Till the next time….thanks for stopping.
I walked around the house yesterday with plans to capture the start of spring through early blooms and buds. This is a fully opened crocus from bulbs I planted last fall. The wind had made it fall over.
Here is another crocus with the bloom just emerging out.
Tulips that I also planted last fall. I really don’t remember what color they are. It will be a nice surprise.
This is that same crocus later in the day.
Magnolia Buds
Redbud sprouts.
Crab apple tree sprouts.
Another flowering tree sprout. I am so glad to see this one, I was worried about it.
Lilac bush
Pretty blue water of the pond behind our house.
Wet and dry rocks along the edge of the pond.
The weather station I received for Christmas. It was windy and the spinner on the top was going fast. I really like to know the wind speed from the house.
Ripples from the wind on the pond going northeast.
Our birch tree before leaves. It has really grown in 4 years. We have had a few really nice warm days that were just teasing us. but oh so enjoyable. Spring is coming my friends and we welcome it with open arms. Thanks for sharing with me.
I want to start out with this picture of my sister Linda (left) and myself right before the show opened on Saturday morning (3/12/16). We had just gotten everything up and arraigned. We were breathing a very big sigh of relief.
We had started out Friday afternoon to get everything set up the night before. Tom and I had put the tent up in a trial run a month ago and had labeled the posts but it wasn’t coming together in my mind and they were closing the building at 7:00. We left everything on the floor to continue the next morning. The show opened up at 10:00 and we needed every bit of that time.
The booth without us in it. We got back to the event center at 7:15 that morning. All night long my mind did not rest, I was going over the instructions when I was sleeping. I probably got only two hours of restful sleep and 4 hours of no sleep. I was very irritated with myself for not putting the tent up the week before.  I had thought I didn’t have all my pieces or the labels had too many of the same words. But I was prepared and determined to get that baby set up and going. We did have another wonderful lady, Jennifer Rose, help us too. I believe it took a third set of eyes and two more hands but it got done. This show I learned a lot from. The artists around us were really nice and very informative. The next show I will be pulling that table forward because it did not get a lot of attention. I think people were hesitatn to come to the back of the booth.
I have decided that I need to:Pack the tent last so it is on top.Streamline the items that I really need to bring.Build the tent a week before the next show to get it fresh in my mind. (I do have the poles marked clearly in black sharpie too.)Be sure to have the hotel close. (We stayed 30 minutes away, and missed our free buffet breakfast.)Bring more business cards.From other artists the information that I gathered:Â Shows that they went to.( Some I hadn’t heard about)How they priced their items.How their sales were doing.Booth setup information.This show had a huge variety (56) of really nice artists. Unfortunately the weather was too nice because the traffic was not in the building. What I didn’t make in sales I made up for with information and meeting new like minded people.
This was my loaner Transit Connect that I was so lucky to use. It is a wonderful vehicle. I was able to load my heavy tent poles on my own. It has nice get up and go. The seats are comfy and there is plenty of leg room. We had frost on the windows on Sunday morning and it took no time at all for it warm up and clean off, which was good because I had no scraper. Thank you Brandon Nimmo-Sales Manager at Tom Kelley Ford in Decatur, IN. I am sure my sad face wore him down when I would ask him to find out where my new Transit Connect was at. He has a very happy customer.
This is just the start of my packing to go but the Transit Connect handled it all beautifully. The one I have ordered has many upgrades and windows and is Race Red.
My sister and I have a fun time doing this and each show will get easier. Till the next time….Thanks for stopping.
This is a collaboration between my son Kevin and myself. He cuts the boards and sands them then I paint and design
My newest work is called Aim for the moon. First I made owls with paint and paper. A Great Horned Owl.
A Snowy Owl
A Barn Owl
A little Saw Whet Owl
A baby Burrowing Owl
And an Adult Burrowing Owl
I added stars and texture on the limbs.
Leaves and tinted fiber paste on the burrow.
Took out the letter stamps to add the quote.
My finished painting…Aim for the moon, if you miss, you may hit a star….w. clement stone. I loved the journey of designing this and deciding with each step what direction the painting will go. It was great fun. My goal is to have fun and I did. Thanks for sharing this with me.
Today I had a craving that would not leave me alone for homemade chocolate chip cookies. I had to take the time and make them, that craving kept tapping me on the shoulder. Here they are, and they were delicious! I am going to share my three favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies and why. The first comes from my old Betty Crocker cookbook that I got when I graduated in 1978. It is worn, torn, pages stick together, it’s written on and one of the best cookbooks! This recipe, I believe has the best taste of any cookie I have found. It makes the most cookies also depending on how big you like to make them.
Made this new recipe today. I found it in my Taste of Home crockpot cookbook but I made it in the oven instead. Here is the recipe: 3 pound boneless pork loin roast, 1 medium onion sliced, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 3 cups of root beer divided, 12 ounces chili sauce, 1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce, I used whole wheat rolls made at Kroger. Oven 375, put roast in dutch oven, add the onion, garlic and one cup of root beer. Bake for two hours until done. Take out of the oven and let cool. In a small saucepan combine the chili sauce, two cups of the root beer and the hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened. In the dutch oven discard the cooking juices, shred the pork and put back into the pan, add the barbecue sauce. Cook for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve on the buns. Interesting ingredients and easy peasy! Enjoy!