Off to Art and Soul - Virginia Beach

I depart tomorrow morning after an hour at the 'ol gym to workout.  Looking forward to a great week of new classes.  I have a mixture of mixed media and jewelry.  I am so looking forwards to seeing friends, drinking wine and laughing until we pee in our pants!  My fellow Tribes women are the best!

New Art work

Where has February gone - only a few more days left.  Well maybe more than a few, but for me it's over.  Next Wednesday I leave for Art and Soul.  I am so looking forward to seeing my other Tribe members; oh and the classes as well. 

I finished two pieces of Artwork this month. 

This piece was for Donna Downey's Canvas Create 2012 for February.  I used DAP for the textured background rather than molding paste.

This weekend I need to pack my supplies for Art & Soul, Virginia Beach.



January doings combined w/Feb

It has been a long time since I posted.  I just do not seem to find interesting things to blog about.  January was a slow month for me with getting back to work after the holidays and not really interested in art or jewelry.  But then some new online classes begun and that was the push I needed to get motivated.  I only completed one project from the online classes which is one more than I usually complete.  It was a painting from Donna Downey's Create Canvas 2012 monthly workshop.  What I like about this workshop it is only once a month and one project to create.   Here is my paining for January:

Oh by the way - I sold it!  How cool is that.  I posted it on facebook and a friend of mine saw it and wanted it.  Also in January I learned how to make a humikimo braid - so hence two necklaces was the outcome from that experience.  Here they are (not the greatest pictures).

And one last project for January:  A small handcrafted journal.  I just love the texture on it.  I used a product I purchased last fall called Kroma Chrome.  I am so in love with this product! 

That's it for January - what have you been up to?

Now on to February.

We did have a small snow fall.  I hate to admit this, but I am missing a good snowstorm for this winter, but I know winter isn't over yet.  Here are some pics from my deck on the last snow fall.

I also have been working on two projects - one is almost complete.  Here are the backgrounds:

The one on the left is almost finished - here is a peek:

Let me know what you think.  I call this Key to my Heart.

New Car

Last Friday, Friday the 13th, I joined the world of hybrids and purchased a brand new spanking Prius IV.  I'm glad I am not superstitious - I had a fleeting thought whether I should actually buy it or wait until the next day.  Naw - I didn't.  My intention was to just test drive it - yeah right.  I am excited about the gas mileage I am suppose to get considering the news reports keep saying gas prices will be going up.  It is almost 1 week old and I am still lovin' it. I hardly miss my Lexus SUV.  My first long trip will be to Art & Soul - Virginia Beach here I come.

Goals and word for 2012

I am not one for making resolutions since I can rarely keep them.  This year I want to reach "for the stars" as the saying goes and reach out to others.  I want to take my art business to the next level and to discover, by trial and error, new ways to add to my own techniques data base and share this with the art community.  My word for 2012 is reach.  I want to push my self beyond what I think I am capable of and reach out to others whether this be in the world of art or just helping others in need.

My second goal is to finish, yes FINISH, all my unfinished projects, which there are many.  I have books to hand bind and many pieces of jewelry to finish in all areas; beading, PMC and metalsmith items to name a few.

I also have a third, to actually complete a project in at least one on-line class I have signed up for!  This will be a challenge.

How well are you at completing your goals?

Catching up and saying Good Bye to 2011

It has been a whirl wind December right through Christmas Day. (I always take the last 2 weeks off in December.)  We celebrate Christmas with my husbands daughters and their families on Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day is suppose to be a very relaxing day for us, sleep in, open presents, have our signature breakfast followed by a movie and then just relax and do nothing.  This year we skipped the "just relax" part.  We were invited to a friends for dinner and hoopla, so after the movie we went directly to my friends home.  Lots of people were there, food was great and the games were fun.  The following day and the remainder of the week I pretty much did nothing but relax, read a book, picked and choose what to do around the house.  I did absolutely no art work, no jewelry making, no book making, no paper design, just pretty much nothing to write about anyway.  It felt good.  Maybe I needed this break!  I could get very used to retirement and this life style.  Maybe 2012 will be the year.  I decided I will know when it is time.  I told my husband he would be the first to know, then my employer and then my financial advisor, who has said for the past 2 years I am good to go.  I am back at work and still pondering how nice it was to do nothing for a whole week!

Now to catch up.  Below are pictures of the finished gingerbread houses my husband's grandchildren decorated.  They were not as elaborate as in the past but a good job was done by all.  I had trouble with the first batch of royal icing, which did cause some problems at first, but was soon corrected.  I believe the youngest grandchild ate more icing and candy while decorating than he put on his house.  LOL

In process....

The girls finished houses.

The boys finished houses.

Every year I make caramel chocolate pretzel rods and caramel triple dipped chocolate apples.  I made 14 dozen pretzel rods, plus a bag of gluten free pretzel twists.  First the rods are dipped and coated in caramel, then dipped and coated in chocolate then rolled in either sprinkles, nuts, peppermint, heath bar or peanut butter cups.  Yum yum.  The apples are dipped and coated in caramel, dipped in milk chocolate, dipped in dark chocolate and then drizzled with white chocolate.  I had a hard time fining very large apples this year but one of the local grocery stores finally came through.  After all this making and packaging I only took pictures of the pretzels and not the apples and did not make any for myself.  Such restraint.  Over the years friends who receive these are now indicating which coating they prefer on the pretzels.  I have to keep a list of who likes what and what not.  I chuckle every year over this.

Wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy 2012! 

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us."   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Almost Christmas + Recipe

Yikes - Christmas is almost here, can you believe it?  Seems like we just got over summer.  No snow yet in this part of Maryland - just cold then warm then cold again.  Actually I am not in a tither yet - tree is up and decorated, presents wrapped, gingerbread houses baked, wheel of fortune game ready to go, Christmas Eve menu done; handcrafted gifts done, just caramel chocolate pretzel rods and apples to go.  I know I am forgetting something because I am never this organized this early.  Last night I baked 4 gingerbread houses for my husband's grandchildren to decorate this Saturday.  (I'll post pics next week)  The grandchildren have been decorating these houses since they were 3 and now they are 15, 14, 12 and 10.  Needless to say when they were younger they needed a lot of help, now they are on their own and do come up with quite some elaborate creations.  I have taken pictures over the years and you can definitely see the differences.  As for wrapping presents, I usually wait until the last minute but this year I wrapped as soon as the gift was purchased or arrived from the big brown truck.  I think I like the wrap as you go, doesn't seem so daunting. 

Here is a quick and delicious recipe you may want to try over the holidays.  It always receives great reviews.

Dip

1 can shoepeg corn

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 container Feta Cheese (plain)

1 yellow pepper chopped

1 bunch green onions chopped

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup olive oil (or vegetable)

¼ cup sugar

Mix first five ingredients together. Then mix the last three ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Mix all together and chill about 1-2 hours before serving.  Serve with Frito or tortilla scoops.