Paint By Life

2011-05-30T20:16:00.003-05:00

I'm alive! I promise! So, since my last post I've moved, passed off a semester of school and pumped out a few projects that I neglected to blog about. Life is tough sometimes. BUT I found this great blog that does an awesome crafty gift exchange that I'm participating in! I'm very excited about it and maybe it'll get me re-amped in posting more often here at Paint By Life!!

Why I need Craft/Sewing Room and New Fall Bag

2010-10-30T10:58:00.003-05:00

It's come to my attention (thank you honey) that I need a space of my own. I've only been saying that for two years. Currently, our little two bedroom house isn't spacious enough for me to branch out much creatively. My kitchen/dining room triples as my artistic domain as well. Mainly because my dining table so so big that I can spread out yards of fabric and various other supplies while I'm working. My sewing machine and serger usually sit on the counter on the left of my table there where I can work on them standing and not get that uncomfortable hunch back feeling from trying to work sitting at the table. Thank you perfect height counters! It also makes it useful when I'm crafting with a friend cause we can both sit at the table and work on our projects simultaneously without getting in the other's way. However, my projects usually DO take over the entire kitchen/dining room for long periods of time (sometimes I'm a little lazy on the clean up) much to my poor husbands chagrin (he's a good sport though.)

This is what the chaos looks like at the moment. And no, normally I don't have beverages out while I'm sewing, these were set there between projects and I was too lazy to move them before taking the picture.
Another look at the crazy. Tool box not necessary, just there because I needed to use the screw driver for some other project...

Anyway, the point is that while my kitchen/dining room is working just fine as my artistic domain, it's not working so well when you try to actually have guests over for dinner, cook, or do anything else that you're SUPPOSED to do in a kitchen/dining room. Our second bedroom right now houses a twin bed, a dresser and a computer desk/computer. It doesn't get used very often other than the occasional guest and whenever hubby or I decide to go play on the computer in there. I had battled with the idea of tossing out the twin bed because we are hoping to actually have children someday (via adoption...and NOT a newborn). However, that time hasn't come yet, and I'm holding on to something that I can purchase again fairly cheaply when the time comes. So, hubby and I discussed it, and it looks like my "guest room" will turn into my "sink hole of creativity"....or "Craft Room". It will involve a bit of work to transform the room, including finding tables that meet my requirements, purchasing more storage/organizing shelving and bins and planning a layout that will benefit my insanity most. Then, perhaps my dining table can be set with a center piece and actually LOOK like a table, rather than just host itself as a large flat surface where I work. Plus, I can shut the door on the craft room and no one has to know what a messy project worker I am. =D

In other news...have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE ArtsyCraftyBabe's bags?! No? Well, I do. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Her patterns are so easy to follow even if you aren't a proficient sewer (newbies welcome!) and the end result is always a bag that fits comfortably and does exactly what a bag is supposed to do! I've made several of her "Phoebe Bags." The base bag design is simple to assemble and I LOVE that it leaves room for you to embellish and design as much as your heart desires! The Phoebe Bag is a free pattern, but she has several other bag pattern designs that you can purchase for a great price and they can ALL be printed from your own home printer. The Phoebe Bag has three pattern pieces. That's it. Three. 1, 2, 3. And one of those can be eliminated if you don't want a flap to close the top of your bag. You can also add and pattern pieces of your own to your bag to customize it to your specifications. I have an organization problem (you couldn't tell from my previous pictures could you?!) so I wanted pockets to help me hold items that I need quickly from my purse without having to dig around a lot....and so that I don't randomly purse dial people on my cell phone. So I made my own pocket pattern (just a large rectangle sewn to the inside lining of my bag with a seam down the center to make two pockets.) I also decided that I was in love with the idea of those giant ruffle flowers and I wanted a HUGE one on the face of my bag, so I added one of those. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
See how easily accessible my wallet and my keys are now?! And there's plenty of room in the bottom of my bag for all my junk...er other necessities!
Look at that flower. I know you're thinking, "That is SO cute!" That button is antique! That ruffle was the easiest thing to make...though next time I think I'll go with a thinner fabric so that my poor inept sewing machine can handle the thickness. It was grunting and groaning like a work horse.
The finished product is exactly what I wanted for this fall. Something simple, pretty, and functional. Check, Check, and Check! I used my bag last night when hubby and I went to see "Red" (which by the way, is AWESOME!) and I was so pleased with how easy it was to pull my wallet out pay for tickets and put it back in without having to take it off, dig around the bottom, randomly dial someone's number on my phone, cancel said call, keep looking for wallet, etc. etc. So nice! I'm working on another of these Phoebe Bags with more of my own style embellishments as a gift for someone I love and I have to say, it's coming out just DARLING! Even if I did break four needles on it in about an hour! =D That's a post for another day...how much I need a new machine.

Your Style Rocks!

2010-10-07T23:07:00.004-05:00

I've recently discovered this great new website called, Your Style Rocks! Every month they host a themed based contest for you to design your own piece of clothing and then they pick one winner and MAKE the item and provide the pattern for free! How awesome is that?! So I missed out on the past two contests...since I didn't know about the website until today...but entered this months! The theme this month was Sophisticated Skirt. Hop on over and check out their website and the contest submissions and vote for the one you like! (hopefully mine! =P) I'm also posting my submission here with my description for those of you who just wanna see the goods. I know the image is small. Sorry about that. If you check out the website they have a slightly larger version. Enjoy!

This pretty skirt could be sewn in a heavier weight material or a linen. I picture this in my mind more in the linen look, slightly fitted, with a pretty ruffle that just grazes the knee. The flowers on the side should be made of the same material as the rest of the skirt. With these sort of fabric flowers popular at the moment I thought it would be a pretty touch. The waist will not have a band rather it would simply be sewn with a folded edge with the lining so that it flows nicely with the simplicity of the rest of the skirt. I picture a side seam zipper for this skirt. Lace detail could be added above the ruffles for a little more romance.

The Royal Treatment

2010-09-01T11:24:00.006-05:00

My adorable pup-pup, Sable (a Border Collie/Belgian Shepherd mix), is in need of a new bed. He's been sleeping in a kennel since we adopted him last September. Since his birthday (well, his adoption birthday) is almost upon us I've decided that perhaps a new bed would be a great gift for him! So here are a few that have caught my eye for one reason or another. What do you think? Which is your favorite?
I love the shape of this bed. It would fit nicely in the corner of any room we chose to put it in. (Let's face it, he'll be in our room...he's got us wrapped around our paws.) I'm not too crazy about the fuzzy trim, I can see him trying to eat that. but the fabric they've got on there isn't too bad and I like that it's raised off the ground slightly.
While I don't have a kitchen island at the moment, I couldn't help but post this bed too. What a great idea! Sable is often my kitchen helper (he likes to help cleanup...he he)
Here's a whole selection of beds that I think are just adorable! I particularly like the middle top row bed and the first bed on the bottom left row. Both would fit the bed cushion he's already using.
This is my particular favorite. What better way to make him feel like royalty than his very own throne?! Also, that existing mattress he already has would fit fine in this.

So, what are your thoughts? Random tidbits? Rabid monkeys?

My Crazy Life

2010-01-09T09:05:00.001-06:00

I'm going to put this blog on hiatus for now (as if I've kept it updated). Life is a bit busy at the moment and I need some time to revamp and get things in order to make more regular posts. So what's going on? Well, I recently switched jobs and I'm also finally going back to school to get my teaching credentials. Between those two things and regular life I just haven't had the time to keep up with my blogging. I WILL get back to it, maybe in a month? I dunno, we shall see! Until then, Happy New Year!

Redwork Ornaments WIP

2009-11-19T09:35:00.004-06:00

I've been working on holiday gifts lately. My husband and I are doing a 12 Days of Christmas thing where we adopt a family (or in our case, two...cause we're gluttons for punishment) and anonymously leave them gifts and little messages and stuff the 12 days leading up to Christmas. One of our families is an older single man who doesn't have a tree or anything, so we're going to surprise him with a little table top tree, a tree skirt, and table runner to match and of course, ornaments for the tree! I wanted to do something really special with the ornaments, so I pulled out my old embroidery hoop and some red thread and searched through a packet of stuff I had acquired from friends and family of embroidery patterns. I found this little set and it just screamed perfect for this particular project. I've been plugging away at them all week and have just started working on number 6 this morning. 6 more to go and that set will be done! I've got another idea of some ribbon ornaments to accompany these, will post the finished product when it's completed! I think I'm having too much fun making these, and might find myself wanting/needing a set for me!

Fall Fun

2009-10-28T15:46:00.002-05:00

Fall has begun! While the weather starts to change and I start to dig through my storage to pull out fall and winter clothing the leaves on the trees have already turned brilliant shades of orange, red and yellow. Time to start pulling out those favorite fall recipes! One of my favorite things to do in fall is bake (I know, that's my favorite ALL year long!) In fall, however, apples are plentiful (and cheap) and I honestly can't think of a better scent for my home than cinnamon apples baking in the oven. This fall I started off with my favorite basic, apple pie, as a gift to a friend for his birthday. (I'd promised him a few weeks ago, but botched the recipe cause I yakking on the phone instead of paying attention to what I was doing.) I'm told the pie was pretty yummy. It was a fun one to make!

Pretty "Phoebe" Bag

2009-10-17T19:31:00.003-05:00

One of my passions is sewing. This weekend one of my friend's daughters celebrated her 11th birthday. She's a big time bag and purse collector and so I thought it might be nice to give her something that no one else would have. One of the blogs I watch, Artsy-CraftyBabe, has some great bag patterns and I've been dying to try one of them out. So, thanks to her great FREE online pattern for the "Phoebe" bag I've managed to put together this little adorable bag for her. She opened it today and LOVED it! The directions for this bag are pretty simple and straight forward and even a novice sewer could probably manage to assemble this bag. No tricky stitching with this. My total project time for this (WITH TV watching) was about two hours. There are only really two pieces to the pattern and the majority of my time was spent picking out two fabrics and fussing over my interfacing which was having fuseability issues. I liked making this bag so much I think I'm going to make another one for another birthday I have coming up, only I'd like to add a bow or some sort of appliqued flower or initial or something to the outside to personalize it a bit more.

Projects Projects Projects

2009-10-12T22:37:00.002-05:00

Summer is over and Fall is in full swing! The leaves are changing colors and the air has taken on the chill that comes as winter edges closer. All around our neighbors have started to decorate their homes for the season with pumpkins, corn stalks and all the bright colors of fall leaves ringed in wreaths. With the changing of the seasons my project list changes from personal projects to gift making for the holidays! Here are just a few of the things on my To Do list:

Bedside Tables Remake
New Christmas Stockings
Cat Toys/Dog Toys
Fall Table Runner
Christmas Table Runner
Fall Placemats
Christmas Placemats
Purses/Totes
Dog Kennel Cover
New Christmas Skirts
Aprons

That's the short list...I'll probably be adding more as I go. We've finally purchased a new camera so I'll be able to upload TONS of great pictures to accompany my future posts! In other exciting news, a friend of mine and I will be hosting a booth at the Altrusa Bazaar here in town this coming November to sell our homemade wizard wands! If you'd like to take a look at our craft you can view our gallery at www.OrderedChaos.etsy.com Hope you're all having a great season!

Quilt Bag Inspired by Moda Bakeshop Tote Tutorial

2009-08-27T20:55:00.003-05:00

This adorable bag was inspired by the Moda Bakeshop Tote Tutorial found here. I thought it was the cutest tote bag I'd seen in quite a while and fairly simple to assemble. I'm all about quick sewing projects. Now, I didn't feel like making a whole tote bag, so I shortened the measurements and made a small handbag instead. The whole project took me about 3 hours off and on while watching TV. Here's how "I" made my bag, which isn't too different from the one at Moda Bakeshop, but just incase you want the short version only.
Step One: Pick out your fabric palette. I chose jewel tones for mine and grouped it with some pretty yellow flower fabric I got in the discount bin at Walmart. Anyway, I cut my strips to be one inch thick before sewing leaving a VERY thin seam allowance. I wouldn't reccomend this to someone who is new to sewing as it can be very tricky to keep the stitching straight and even. I stitched 18 thin strips twice for the top of the bag on both sides. Then I cut out a 6" piece of fabric for the bottom of the bag. Sew this to your strips.
Now you're ready to free hand machine quilt the fabric! This part is fun if you've never done it before. I suggest practicing on a scrap piece of fabric and batting to get the hang of it first. Also, tape down your feeder so that you don't have to fight it while quilting. (The YouTube video above is basically how I did it without the taped pattern and without that octo thing.) Also, remove your presser foot for easier viewing of what you're doing.
You can see that I just did a very simple free hand curvy line throughout my bag using a light cream cotton thread that blends into the yellow but stands out subtly against the jewel toned fabric strips on top.
Next you're going to sew on your center ribbon. For the back just sew straight across on top and bottom.
On the front you'll have two different ribbons. Sew to about an inch from the center on either side so that your ribbon ends are loose enough for you to tie into a knot.
You should not have the sides sewn yet, so your bag should look similar to the one above.
When you are done with the ribbon, insert your bag liner and sew on your latch. I just used that same yellow floral as the from for a cohesive look. Attatch your straps...sew on a cute button to make use of your latch and enjoy! Hope you enjoyed that! Drop into Moda Bakeshop for other cute quilting projects!

August In A Minute

2009-08-24T19:12:00.002-05:00

Something strange has happened when I try to upload pictures now. I get a message saying I need to download Image-Do.jpg and then my computer just sits and sits and never uploads the images. I'm completely baffled. So, no pictures this post, sorry. But here's what you've missed:

August is a crazy month in our family. Everyone has a birthday or anniversary this month and we've just added one more to the list! My husbands little brother, last to leave the nest, has tied the knot with a very sweet girl. Hubby and I were blessed to be there at their sealing in Nauvoo and to participate in all the post wedding stuff. Hubby actually gets home from Colorado Springs tonight around 10pm from the reception there.

We also celebrated no less than 5 birthdays in one sitting at the worlds largest birthday party in under 15 minutes. That was...an experience. lol Fun, but definitely odd. I don't know that I'd want to repeat that, I'd rather go to all five on their own dates...well four, cause we can skip mine. =P

Then there were other fun things that happened. Hubby and his brother playing with hubby's Star Wars toys. You've never seen Star Wars till it's re-enacted in your dining room doorway between Darth Vader wearing plaid and some random tall handsome guy with Yoda's light saber. Good times, good times. I wish I could upload the pictures cause they're quite funny.

While hubby was away in Colorado my mom and sister came down to visit (keep me sane) for a few days. That was fun. We've discovered a new game called Settlers of Catan. For anyone that likes strategy games, or just enjoys having a good time, this one's for you. Hey, someone want to trade me one wood for three ore?! he he Anyway...it's a great game that you can play with the kiddos.

I've also discovered my kitchen. After moving a month ago, I've finally unpacked the last box of kitchen items and re-arranged everything to my liking. Yay! I can't tell you how nice it is to have a "cooking" counter and a "dish washing" counter. I can actually leave my mixer out next to an outlet now without having to lug it halfway across my kitchen! If you've never hoisted a Kitchen Aid, let me tell you, they're not light. Actually, carrying it back and forth a few times would probably be a great workout for your biceps and triceps!

So that's the news from the Paint By Life homefront. As soon as I get this image uploading issue fixed I'll post pictures for you, untill then, there may not be a post for a while. Who really wants to listen (read) all I have to say anyway right? I only look at the pitures most of the time too. =P Later Guys n' Gals!

Paper Carnation Blossoms

2009-07-25T15:08:00.003-05:00

My husband's brother is getting married this August and we had the chance to go up to Chicago to meet the bride over the fourth of July weekend. We all hit it off quite quickly and when I found out that she didn't have anyone hosting a bridal shower for her I jumped up and took the opportunity to volunteer! Though I could have gone the way of wacky crazy fun, I decided that she should have something more sophisticated and "pretty"...cause that was my first impression of her. So I've started planning and without giving away too much the theme for the party is loosely based off the quote, "Bloom Where You're Planted." Having grown up in another religion and then joining the LDS church later in life, I understand her position in her family as the only member as well and the great adversity that comes with learning the truth about the Gospel and overcoming all the trials along the way to becoming the daughter of God that you're meant to be! I guess I just gave away more than I wanted!

Such a theme needed some pretty awesome decor, and I've just completed about 250 of these little paper carnation blossoms that will adorn several items. My camera is on it's out, but I hope you can see that these little flowers are quite beautiful! I found the tutorial to make them on PlanetJune.com This website has easy to follow directions and the results look even more amazing in person than they do in the pictures! I plan on using a variation of this to make some daisies as well and will post those when and IF I've succeeded in designing them. Hope you enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

2009-07-18T20:37:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning with a craving for blueberry pie, and so made a run to the market to pick up some cartons of blueberries while they were still cheap (Aldi, I LOVE you!) After rolling out the dough for the top crust I thought to myself, I bet those pretty butterfly cookie cutters I bought at The Cookie Cutter Shop would look amazing on this! So I pulled them out, cut several butterflies out and came up with this pretty pie! The sad part about pies that look so pretty...you don't want to cut into them. I'll get over it later tonight when it's cool enough to eat! Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Pie

1 recipe double crust pie pastry (I'll post below)
5 cups blueberries (about 2.5 cartons)
3 tbsp flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnimon

1. Prepare double crust pie recipe as directed.

2. In a large bowl, wash blueberries and drain. Coat with flour, sugar and cinnimon. Pour into pie pan.

3. Place top pie crust layer over top of blueberry filling and seal edges as desired. Be sure you have a center vent. Decorate as desired. Brush with milk...may add extra sugar to top if you'd like. I chose to use my butterfly cutters for the center vent and all decor. Place foil around edges of pie to prevent over browning or burning. Place on foil lined cookie sheet to protect oven from any bubbling over.

4. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil edging. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until blueberries are bubbly and tender. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve with scoop of icecream. Enjoy!

Double Crust Pie Pastry

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 2tbsp shortening
4-6 tbsp cool water

1. Combine flour and salt into large bowl.

2. Add shortening and blend until pea sized lumps form.

3. Add water 1 tbsp at a time and blend until moist but not sticky. Should stay together when squished in a fist, but still be crumbly.

4. Divide dough in half. Set aside one half for top of dough. Roll out one half of dough for bottom layer, rolling 1 inch larger than pie pan. Place in pie pan, insert filling.

5. Roll out second half of dough. Cut out center vent with decorative cookie cutter. Place over pie filling and trim 1/2 inch overlap to bottom layer. Tuck under first layer pie pastry and "pinch" edges closed. Decorate trim as desired. Cut slits in top next to pie vent.

Butterfly Cookies!

2009-07-14T21:32:00.003-05:00

I disappeared for a while there, sorry about that! Hubby and I just moved into our new place and are still working on unpacking and getting settled in. However, my kitchen is open for business and I've already started working on some yummy treats! The inspiration for this latest one came from the beautiful butterfly cookies at Sweetopia. I'm new at the whole cookie decorating thing but I think mine turned out fairly well! My biggest excitement upon getting moved in was the arrival of my beautiful new butterfly cookie cutters from The Cookie Cutter Shop! As soon as I opened them I got to work on my first batch EVER of sugar cookies. The purpose for this particular batch of cookies: to say THANK YOU to all the great friends from our church that helped us move and clean our last apartment. So without further ado, I submit my cookies for your viewing pleasure!

The Cookie Cutter Shop sends a little card with their sugar cookie recipe, which is what I used. You can use your own recipe. For the glaze on top I used the following recipe:

2lbs confectioiners sugar (aka icing sugar)
1tsp lemon juice
2 egg whites

1. Beat lemon juice and egg whites in a mixing bowl, slowly adding sugar. Beat until soft peaks appear. Icing is ready for piping at this stage.

2. For liquid icing, add enough water to soft peak stage icing after piping that it remains slightly thickened. When a spoon drizzle blends easily into the mix it's ready.

So there you go! I'm hoping to make some more yummy decorated cookies in the future!

Summer Fresh Strawberry Pie

2009-06-21T08:31:00.004-05:00

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well! We've had some very crazy storms here as well as unbearable humidity, so my kitchen ventures have been few so as not to add to the heat. However, in lieu of Father's Day, I whipped up my favorite strawberry pie to celebrate! This is a quick easy recipe and you can make it too!

Ingredients:
1 baked pie shell recipe (posted below)
2 cartons strawberries
1 package strawberry flavored jello
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Step One: Prepare baked pie shell recipe.

Step Two: Wash, hull and half strawberries. Set aside.

Step Three: In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk till combined then add 1 cup boiling water. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir with whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.

Step Four: Add strawberry flavored jello to sugar and cornstarch mix and stir until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally.

Step Five: Arrange strawberries in pie shell. Pour cooled jello mixture over strawberries. Place pie in refrigerator and let chill about 3 hours before serving. Pie can last three days in refrigerator. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Baked Pie Shell
Ingredients:

1 cup butter or shortening (I prefer shortening in my pastry doughs, but some like butter.)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
4-5 tablespoons chilled water

Step One: In a large bowl and using a pastry blender, combine flour, shortening and salt until small pea sized lumps appear. Dough should be slightly moist.

Step Two: Add water one tablespoon at a time until dough is moist when pushed, but still crumbly.

Step Three: Roll dough out into large circle, one inch larger than pie dish.

Step Four: Loosely place pie shell into pie dish. Cut out shapes for decorative trim, or decorate as desired. Prick bottom and sides of pie crust. Fill crust with parchment paper filled with rice or beans to keep crust from falling. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until shell is light golden brown. Brushing with milk just before putting in oven will make crust more golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely before adding filling.

Frango Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-13T15:57:00.006-05:00

Living in the Chicago area you find lots of delicacies, and one that our family loves is Frango Chocolates. These little bite sized mint chocolate candies are to die for! When Marshal Fields closed, I panicked thinking that that meant no more Frango Mints! But, lucky for all us fanatics out there, Frango Chocolates has survived. Now that I live away from Chicagoland, I can't get these any time I want, so when my mother-in-law (who's recipe this is...and who is by far a more superior cook than myself) brought me this box during there last visit I squeeled! I admit I ate half the box before I decided to quite hogging all the chocolate goodness and share the wealth. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients (I even took a picture for you!)
1 cup Imperial Margarine (two sticks)
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cap Watkins Vanilla (or one teaspoon the other stuff.)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 chocolate chips

How to:

Step One: If your using Frango Mint Choclate pieces like the ones above, you'll have to chop them up into little chips like so: (I know they look yummy, try not to drool on your keyboard.)
Step Two: In a large bowl cream together: Imperial Margerine, eggs, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla. (Should look like picture below.)

Step Three: Add in flour, salt and baking soda. Combine until you get a nice moist consistency cookie dough.

Step Four: Add in chocolate chips (or in this case, Frango Mint Chocolate pieces)
Step Five: Spoon out balls of cookie dough about 1 1/2 inches wide on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart (or as you can see below, three across.) Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. DO NOT GREASE COOKIE SHEET!

Cookies should look slightly doughy when removed from oven. Don't panic, your cookies are done I promise! Let them cool for two minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to a cooling wrack for complete cooling.
These are sooooo melt in your mouth good, especially when eaten still slightly warm! Enjoy!

Mom's Famous Banana Bread

2009-06-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my mom used to make this banana bread ALL the time. It as a family favorite then and still is today! I have several banana bread recipes, but this is the one I always turn to when I want the best! Today I'm sharing it with you! Aren't you lucky?!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas (like brown and mushy to the point of throwing them away)
1/3 cup margarine, shortening or butter
2 tbsp milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Step One: Mix all dry ingredients.

Step Two: Add all wet ingredients except for eggs. When that is all creamed, add eggs. If using nuts, add them last.

Step Three: Pour batter into lightly greased bread pan.

Step Four: Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool about 30 minutes before slicing and eating.

Try not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting!
Enjoy! Tomorrow, we'll be exploring the realm of Cindy's Tollhouse Cookies with special ingredient, Frango Mint chocolate chips. mmmmm

Creamy Potato Ranch Soup

2009-06-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

My grandmother used to make this yummy soup when I was a kid. I was fortunate enough to attain it 6 years ago as part of a wedding gift of recipes assembled by my aunt. Digging through those same recipes today looking for certain ones that I wanted to add to a family cookbook I came across it and decided that it'd make the perfect anniversary dinner. Today I'm sharing with you the how to for this yummy soup!

Ingredients:
10-13 small potatoes
2 celery sticks
5 slices of bacon
Milk
Water
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 cup Ranch Dressing

Step One: Peel Potatoes.

Step Two: Slice potatoes in thin slices, like shoe strings.

Step Three: Cut potato slices into very small pieces and add enough water to just cover potatoes. Boil until soft.

Step Four: While potatoes are boiling, cook five slices of bacon until very crisp (almost burnt).

Step Five: Clean and slice into thin slivers, celery. Set aside until potatoes are completely boiled. DO NOT DRAIN POTATOES!

Step Six: Once potatoes are softened, mash down until water is thickened like mashed potatoes. Add enough milk to make soup consistency, leave somewhat thick. Add celery. Break bacon slices into small pieces and add to soup. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add ranch dressing and stir till all mixed in. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes or until celery is tender.

The finished product is a nice creamy soup with just a hint of ranch flavor. Hope you all enjoy! Tomorrow, Banana Bread! mmmm

Tulips In A Bowl WIP

2008-12-19T09:44:00.001-06:00

Sketch Stage
Background wash in to offset yellows and ochres in tulips. Bowl painted completely.
Starting to paint tulips.
Continuing with painting tulips. Purple under-painting done for bugleboys.

This is the WIP of a replacement painting I'm doing for my mother for her birthday. Her original painting was a victim of the postal system and never found it's way to her. At first I was a little saddened by this because of the fact that I worked hard on the other painting and because she would have to wait now for her birthday present. Then when reality set in and I realized she'd never receive it, I started working on this and realized this one was 10 times nicer than the other one and that maybe it was a sort of blessing in disquise, because now she'd have THIS particular beautiful painting instead. I still miss the other one and wish I would have thought to take a picture of it before I sent it out in the mail. I just figured I would have her take a photo and send it to me. Oh well. That was another learning lesson. Now I take frequent pictures of my works, including their processess, that way I'll always have a record of my work. =) Hope you all enjoy! I'm hoping to have this finished soon...and it's further along than the pictures above show, I just haven't taken an updated one since the last was taken. The tulips are all completed now and I only have the bugleboys to paint now.

La Bella de Rosa WIP

2008-12-17T00:23:00.001-06:00

Pay no attention to the blue shadow my arm is casting over the painting, my studio has horrible lighting and trying to get a good picture is like trying to pull alligator teeth. Here is a picture of the full painting after the skin tone has been placed. It's looking a little flushed in this shot, but don't worry, it looks normal IRL.
A detail shot from the above so you can get a better shot of the skin tone and the face. I'll have to go back and fix her eye later, the paint was starting to get a little too wet and I a little too impatient.
After laying the skin tone in, I tossed in the underpainting for the red dress she's wearing so that her skin wouldn't continue to look so flushed. I then went in and added the background using ultramarine blue, paynes gray, sap green, and ultraviolet.
I've started to go back into the face and add a few more of the color details, particularly in the lips and neck. I've also placed down the mid tone for her hair as well as blocking out where my shadows there will be.
Please pardon the graininess, my camera has issues. This is, as above, a detail shot albeit not a very good one. Anyway, you can see I've got a way to go yet on this painting, but it's starting to really take shape.

I've never worked on a portrait in watercolor before and am only making the attempt because some of my "fans" have asked me to try. I needed a break from the flowers for a bit, so I surfed around for stock photography that I might use and came across this image posted by LockStock. I thought it was absolutely beautful and that it would be something that fit in well with my floral work because the girl herself displays a natural beauty...and she reminds me of sort of a fairytale character like Beauty or Snow White. Thus I named her La Bella de Rosa...which I'm hoping is correct spanish...I was never very good (probably if I'd actually made it to class and not gotten detention I would have learned more.) Anyway, there you are, the newest work in progress. I'm hoping to have this done before Christmas, but my schedule is pretty full, so it may be early January instead. Thank you all for viewing!

Old, But New.

2008-11-27T00:07:00.001-06:00

This "White Iris" painting was done back in August for my sister-in-law, Hillary's, birthday. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it before I gave it to her. Fortunately, my mother-in-law forgot to send it with Hillary when they were down last so I got to take a photo of it tonight since we're visiting for Thanksgiving. I really like this one, and it's a tie for first place between this one and my "Rose" painting. This painting, like all my others, is watercolor on arches 140lb cold press watercolor paper and took me around 7 hours to complete.

Now this is AMAZING!

2008-10-28T16:35:00.001-05:00

I'm still working on art over here, just haven't finished anything. However, because I'm always looking for something inspirational I'm posting this for your viewing pleasure! I found this on YouTube and was just baffled and amazed! This video is about 6 or 7 minutes long, so make sure you allow time to watch it! =)

Dallin Complete

2008-10-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

I've tried the best I could to get a decent scan of this with my scanner, but this is the best it could do even at 300DPI. The colors are not quite as rich as the original, nor can you see all the variations of the skin tone. Oh well. I think this will have to do though, and I'm happy with the piece as it turned out. My next project is a color pencil drawing of some peonies. I will post WIP pics of that on as soon as I can. =) Until then, enjoy!

Not All Watercolor Papers Are Created Equal

2008-09-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

As an artist, I like to use the best materials I can. Sometimes though, my thrifty money pinching side decides that though I know one brand of watercolor paper is better, this other brand comes in a bundle that will save me money and I end up buying the lesser brand bundled pack. This of course always ends horribly and makes me remember why I spend the money and get the single sheet of the better brand. I had that realization...again...for probably the millionth, and not the last time. I should have gone to Art City and bought my preferred Arches 140lb cold press watercolor paper for $7 bucks a sheet...but instead I rummaged through my old college portfolio of left over paper and pulled out some cheap brand bundled watercolor paper. I knew it was going to be a disaster before I even started. As soon as I felt the paper I knew. But I wanted to save money, and I wanted to paint now and that cheap paper was available. So I set my sketch up on the paper and prepared for painting. With the first stroke of alizarin crimson I realized my error in judgment. The color didn't spread, but absorbed right into the paper looking like someones bloody nosebleed dropped on the spot and smeared. On the second stroke it became worse until I finally just waded the paper up and threw it in the trash.

Do you know the definition of insanity? It's doing the same stupid thing over and over, but expecting a different outcome! At least, that's what I've heard. The moral of the story? Don't be stingy with quality art materials to save a buck. There's a reason the good stuff is more expensive and the not so great is so cheap.

Dallin WIP Udate

2008-09-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, the color on this is horrible! Anyway, just an update to show the progress I've made since the last post. The skin and sleeve are now complete. I will be completing the background next and then this piece will be finished! When I finish this I will take a better scan of the piece rather than just a camera photo. =)

Dallin WIP in Color Pencil

2008-09-16T00:50:00.001-05:00

After 3 hours, the shading on the front of the shirt is nearly complete, and the sleeve is starting to get it's darker areas blocked in. I am still saving the face for later to make sure the skin tone isn't too harsh a contrast with the colors in the rest of the drawing. My next step will be to complete the sleeve and start on the background.
I put in the basic color for the shirt, which right now is only magenta, but will add more colors later to give depth and richness to it. The face will have the same undertones of blue that the shirt and hat have, so I have already blocked those areas in to give some definition to areas that will be richer later. At this point, the drawing is just starting to pull together.
My basic sketch completed (which you can't see here because I draw it so light that the camera can barely pick it up) I start working in the area that has the most color to it, which in this case is the hat. It looks mostly blue on here, but there is actually yellow and green and some burgundy in there as well. I also start with the area that I know I will probably flake out on most later because it has the most detail.

This drawing is classified as a "sketch" in my sketchbook. It is mostly a practice run with color pencil to get back into the grove of working with that particular medium. As of the last few years, I've been primarily working in watercolor and neglecting the very medium that got me interested in art in the first place. This drawing is being complete with RoseArt color pencils in exchange of my Prisma Color Pencils simply because my Prisma pencils have mysteriously disappeared since my recent move. The work is taken from a picture from a friend's blog of her son. I thought it was adorable and would make a great piece of art. This drawing is not being sold or redistributed and no infringement of copyright is meant. I will post a picture of the completed piece soon. =) I am currently starting a project called, "Mothers and Children", based off more realistic ideas of what it is to be a mom. No glamorized make up and glitz, just the raw everyday aspect of motherhood and what it is to be a child. This drawing is sort of a warm-up to that series. If you'd like to submit ideas and/or photos to reference for this series, I'd be appreciative! Feel free to email them to me at marianneguymonart@yahoo.com Thank you!