Saturday ArtsyBlogger links...

So...I thought I'd share the two pages I did for the 2011 Diary Project...


















And, the ArtsyBlogger links for this week...

Tottie Talks Crafts
Noreen indulged herself by adopting a new-to-her loom, and her cat has been helping her weave a baby blanket

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
The Artful Crafter's motto is "Helping Crafters to Be". To turn a phrase, today we have "The Artful Crafter – and Cyndi – Helping Crafters to Be-ad".

Beading Arts
Want to get in on a fantastic giveaway? Cabbing Rough is offering a Kingman turquoise cabochon on Beading Arts!

And, don't forget...to be entered in the random drawing for a $60.00 gift certificate from CSNStores.com leave a comment on this post...

AND...don't forget, beginning tomorrow, all comments from the followers of the blog are entered into the give away for this...


Click on her image to take you to the information about her giveaway...

Whew, how is that for a bunch of fun stuff?!?!?!

Weekend is coming...who wants pancakes?

Everyone has a recipe for pancakes (and if you don't, never fear, you know I would not write a post about them without a recipe for you) ...nothing difficult about pancakes ...sometimes, it takes just a prompt to remind us of how much fun they can be...so I am going to share my recipe...gather the loved ones, hand them a whisk and the few ingredients...sit back and watch them make breakfast for you... Or, if that seems a bit daunting when you think of the clean up you will have, you make them...

Simple Pancakes
1 1/2 cups self rising flower
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
a grating of fresh nutmeg
and lemon lime soda....yes, really... soda

Toss all of the ingredients except the soda into a bowl and give it a quick stir to mix it up. Add enough soda to make a thin batter.

Now, I know some of you are saying..."she has gone on over the edge. I knew it was going to happen...was only a matter of time...and now...there she is" with the soda...but trust me on this one, the carbonation makes for some darned fluffy pancakes. And who does not like darned fluffy pancakes?

I use a flat cast iron skillet to make pancakes, there is nothing else that compares in my opinion, and mine is old, and well used, so that wonderful finish makes it almost non stick, but whatever pan you use, heat it on medium heat until drops of water dance the flamenco across it when you sprinkle them onto the pan. Spritz a bit of spray oil on the pan, and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the center of the pan.


In a couple of minutes, when your pancake is full of these bubbles all across it and starts to look a bit dryer, it is ready to be flipped. Slide a spatula under it to loosen, and then flip the pancake. I've never been brave enough to do the whole flip in the pan thing, but if you are...feel free to, the flourish would be most fun...


In just a couple more minutes, the bottom will be golden...then all you have to do is stack them, add butter and some syrup... Serve with some coffee and juice of your choosing, the newspaper or cartoons...lots of giggles and pleasant conversation...and what more could you want? Of course... breakfast in bed would be good...


And a few variations...

• if you want to add fruit, don't add it to the batter, it will just fall to the bottom, add it to the pancake when you first put it on the skillet.
• Add half whole wheat flour instead of white
• Pulse a cup of old fashioned oats in a blender until they are crushed, add a teaspoon of cinnamon, and use that in place of half of the flour...add some pecan pieces for even more flavor.

Serve with different syrups, with fresh fruit...or, as my Little One favors...with bacon... lots and lots of bacon...

However you serve them, enjoy the ones you are sharing breakfast with...there's nothing quite as wonderful as breakfast with the ones we love!

Somewhere between doodling and cake decorating...

Years ago I discovered henna. Mehndi is a process of henna paste being applied to the skin, traditionally the hands and feet, in often elaborate designs. It's practiced mainly in East Asian countries, usually as a part of a celebration such as a wedding. Here in the States we have found henna and transformed it into a pop culture sort of thing, calling it "henna tattoos", completely apart from the real meaning of the tradition.

I am forever fascinated by other cultures and their rituals, and I actually came to find it through a friend of mine who practiced it. One day her hands and feet were covered with the most beautiful of reddish brown designs and I had to know all about it. As so often was the case, she was so gracious to explain the significance and show me the process. I was hooked. And, of course, I passed it on to my Little One. She asked this weekend if we could do mehndi, so I thought I'd share the process with everyone.

For me, mehndi is as much a meditation as it is a decoration, and, while I know you can buy tubes of mixed henna, mixing it fresh each time is part of the meditation. I purchase powdered henna at a local Pakistani market. If anyone doesn't know how henna is manufactured, henna is a flowering plant (Lawsonia inermis) that grows native in the areas it has been traditionally used. The leaves of the plant are what are used for the dying process, however, to be used, the leaf has to be dried and powdered. Interestingly enough, henna has been used to dye ourselves since the bronze age.

The powdered henna has to be turned into a paste, and the smoother the paste, the smoother the design, so the first step is to sift the henna powder. To that end, I use a length of old pantyhose, an old tupperware container and several pennies. Stretch the pantyhose over the top of the container, then, on the top of that, put the henna you are sifting (usually only a couple of tablespoons) and the coins. The coins are going to cause the henna to actually move through the hose. Cover with the lid, and shake.

After the initial sifting, I double the pantyhose and do it again. Toss away the henna bits on the top of the hose and put the sifted powder in a glass bowl or cup to mix it.

Every family seems to have their own mix, and I stick relatively close to the one I was taught. You need a drop or two of oil, eucalyptus is the traditional but I use olive oil, an acid, either lemon or lime, and coffee or tea...I use coffee.

Much like mixing up a butter cream frosting, this is really sort of trial and error. You are trying to make a paste that is about the consistency of toothpaste. I like mine a bit thinner, it needs to be thick enough to "pipe" out of a tube, but not so thick that it doesn't flow smoothly. When you are first learning to make the mix, hold some of the dry powder back in case you make the mix too thin originally. To the two heaping tablespoons of henna, I generally add the juice of about half a lemon, just a couple of drops of oil, and enough coffee to make the paste. Now, let it sit at least an hour, and up to 12 to develop.

When you are ready to use the paste, make a small cone from parchment, keeping the opening small, and, just like a frosting bag, load it with the henna. You will also want to make a mixture of the juice from the other half of the lemon and a teaspoon of sugar. Once the henna paste is on the skin and beginning to dry, you coat it with this mix. The longer you keep the henna moist, the darker it will stain.

Next, all you have to do is pipe the paste onto the skin like you would decorate a cake...it's like a cross between doodling and frosting a cake. My darling wanted the pattern on her shoulder (to compliment that gorgeous necklace she made...talented, isn't she?).

Just a couple other hints...the longer it stays on the skin, the darker it gets...so, when you are finished, soak it well with the lemon and sugar mixture (that keeping it moist thing), then, if at all possible, you cover it with plastic wrap to keep the heat from the skin and moisture in, and don't remove the henna for at least 12 hours. When you are ready to remove the henna, it's best to take off the wrap, and let the paste dry completely, then scrape off the dried henna.

The dye should last anywhere from two to eight weeks. It fades over time, and it will fade unevenly, so be prepared for that. I usually end up doing a very good body scrub when it gets to the point where I don't like how it has faded.

All in all, for those of us who cannot decide what we would permanently mark our bodies with, this is a fun and temporary way to create beautiful patterns for ourselves.

The rest of the story...

So...after the visit at Krohn Conservatory it only made sense to take the short drive up the other side of the hill in Eden Park to visit the Cincinnati Art Museum. This museum is a wonder...you pay a $4.00 fee to park (unless you eat in the cafe, or make a museum purchase, then the parking is waived) but admittance to the exhibits are free. Imagine, what an idea...thanks to an endowment, the museum makes world class art free to anyone who wants to attend...and their collection is really very good.






The museum has paintings and sculptures from some of the most famous...












lovely galleries to browse and wander through...







Beautiful examples of statuary that once belonged to local churches...along with extensive collections of Rookwood Pottery (made in Cincy by the way), Egyptian archeological finds, miniature portraits...the list goes on and on.






Right now, they have an exhibit of American Signs...featuring this Big Boy...










My favorite exhibit this time....one that everyone could participate in... There were big colored pencils for everyone to use, but had I known, I would have come armed with my own pens...








I did leave a tiny mark though...see it right there by the frame edge?










It was a most lovely of days, strolling through all of that beauty...having a lovely lunch in the cafe...and even wandering into a couple of places I wasn't supposed to be...it was exactly what I needed...a wonderful day and a contented sigh...

A sneak away trip...

Cincinnati isn't very far from here, an hour and a half or so...and they have a most wonderful park there...Eden Park. On its barely more than 186 acres you find an absolute wealth of beauty and wonder. It's really a perfect trip to sneak in for a day...and recently, I did.

Cincy sits right on the Ohio River, as you can see in this view from one of the look outs in the park, but that's just a hint of the scenic views yet to come...

Krohn Conservatory is a massive green house built in the art deco style, and opened to the public in 1933. The Conservatory houses more than 3500 plants from all over the world, and every time I am there they have something different.




This is currently what they have in the entry...origami butterflies and tiny blossoms...








In the central area, they have an example of urban rain gardens... as well as orange, lime, lemon and kumquat trees growing and bearing fruit.










You can find a rain forest, complete with waterfall, in another section...














You can find pink blooms....











And black eyed susans...
















And hanging sculptures made of milk jugs...(this thing was huge by the way...HUGE)















And, then there are my favorite...











...the bonsai...







I am fascinated by these...they represent so much more than the tree in small form, these represent years and years of care and nurturing...A few years ago I was lucky enough to see one that was four hundred years old here...yep...that is correct, 400 years old. Can you even begin to imagine the nurturing, and keepers, that took? And I have trouble growing eggplant...

I'll share more about the trip in the next post...

The Big One...

On a warm summer night, 25 years ago today, I was 8 months pregnant, lying on the floor of our apartment watching tv complaining about being bored. No sooner had the words left my mouth than I felt a sudden rush of wetness. My waters had broken. Early.

While I called the doctors office, my then husband decided he had to go run errands. When he returned well more than an hour later I was in heavy labor. My mother had very fast births, and it looked like I would do the same. And, of course, the OB I had seen during my pregnancy was on vacation.

Arriving not half an hour later to the hospital, I was admitted at 9cm. A young blonde walked in, announcing that she was the Doctor...she looked like she was all of 18. Less than three hours later, after a labor where the baby was presenting face first rather than head first...I had a beautiful baby boy in my arms. He was 21 inches long and weighed in at an even 8 pounds...and was still listed as a premature birth because he was born before 38 weeks.

He had lots of dark hair, an because he was early he still had lanugo, a soft hair that covers the baby while in utero, all over his back...And, while people tell me I am a tad crazy, I swear, when they put him onto my stomach, he had the sweetest scent about him...

That baby boy took his sweet time getting around to figuring out nursing, and I thought, for a time, that it wasn't going to work...but finally, he did...and that "premature" baby boy grew off the scale...and now...25 years later, that sweet baby boy has grown into a wonderful man who has a great sense of empathy and compassion for those around him.

I know we probably all think this way about our own children, but I am so very impressed with this person he has grown to be, and continues to grow into, and the choices he has made...

So, on this very auspicious occasion...my son...let me wish you the most happy birthday as you reach the quarter century mark...and I hope you have at least 75 more to make memories through!

Well...

I know it is going to be tough to top the news about the lack of paper clips and rubber bands being waxed into the floor yesterday...
but I'm going to give it a shot...how about with a giveaway?

Last week I was contacted by a representative of CSNStores.com to see if I had any interest in doing a review of a product or hosting a giveaway from one of their many stores. They have everything from dining room furniture and accessories to pet care and handbags. After asking a LOT of questions of their representative, I've chosen to take them up on their offer. And, being ever excited to give my readers things, I chose the gift certificate for one of you rather than a product for myself to review!*

So, here's the scoop...One of my readers will get a one-time-use promotion code that will give you $60.00 toward purchasing anything in the CSNStores.com site. Now, you know I tend to believe in full disclosure, so you need to know that this amount does not cover shipping and handling.

What do you need to do to be eligible?

• First, this is open to my readers in the States and Canada (their rule, not mine).

• Go visit their site, and then come back here and leave me a comment about what you would spend the gift certificate on. (Personally, I'd spend it on this...the William Bounds Grainware Serving Necessities Cake Plate with Dome pictured above...'cause I like things like that.) To count, your comment must be left in the comment section on this post.
  

• IF you are a follower, you can leave an extra comment letting me know, giving you two entries. (You can become a follower any time.)
  

• The giveaway will run from today, July 24th, 2010 until 11:59 pm August 7th, 2010...and I'll let random.org pick the winning comment on August 8th, 2010.

Now...along with that...let me share the ArtsyBlogger links for the week! (See, it's always something exciting around here...)

Beading Arts
You won't believe the goodies that Mama's Minerals in giving away on Beading Arts this week!

Eileen -The Artful Crafter
Here are some more ideas from Eileen for decorating canvas tote bags.

Tottie Talks Crafts
Noreen has been having a wonderful time with her grandbaby. She even has him weaving.... well not quite.... but almost...

*This giveaway is being sponsored by CSNStores.com, I am not responsible for anything other than making it available to my readers...once the winner has the gift code, they will be dealing directly with CSNStores.com.

The answers everyone has been waiting for...

Well...I was anxious to get to work this morning to see what had happened with the floor...when I walked in, I looked down the hall (which had been stripped on Wednesday night by the way...and are dull and very blah) and had to laugh...outside every door there was a shiny area where the wax had been applied to the office floors.

I opened my door and had to gasp...you see that light blue patch in the middle? That is the blue morning sky reflecting on my very shiny office floor. It was blinding.

Now, take note...nothing was disturbed from where I had removed it up from the floor, except for the trash and the recycling cans...they were put back...interesting don't ya think?

It was quite the flurry of activity with so many of us righting our offices...not to mention all the chatter about how clean the floors were...there was not a single rubber band or paper clip on the floor. Even the corners were cleaned out.

You know...all this shiny is rather distracting...

Ya know...some days...

at work are just more interesting than others... When I got to work Thursday morning there was a little blue tag hanging on my door. This same little blue tag was hanging on several doors...it's a note that the physical plant is coming in to "do the floors", and that all of the things on the floor need to be put up.

Hmmm....interesting.

Now, I've been working here almost three years, and never once have I seen this note...so you know this doesn't happen often. And, from what I am told, whatever is not put up off of the floor gets a heavy coating of wax and is likely to forever be attached to the floor.

Hmmm...even more interesting.

My first thought was...if I left bits of colored paper all over the floor in a pattern, would they really be waxed into it forever...or at least until the next time the floors are stripped? Is it just me, or does that just beg to be done just to see? I tempered my desire to do it...I'm sure all in the office are breathing a sigh of relief about that. You know, it's funny...but I think I have a bit of a reputation there for trying things such as that...

So, this afternoon I spent the last couple of hours of the work day picking up everything in my office...(I don't realize how big my office is until something like this comes along) and in the office next door to mine since Steve is out at a meeting (suspicious, don't you think???)...and Margaret and I even picked up everything from the office one more door down since that gentleman was out too...(you see a pattern here?).

Now, here's the fun part...no one knows if they are just coming in to strip the floors Thursday night, then apply wax Friday night or if they are just applying a new coat of wax...OR of they are actually stripping and waxing the floor. Here's an even more interesting question...in the middle of the floor sort of nearer the back desk, I am not sure you can see it in these photos or not, there are a couple of paper clips and a rubber band or two...I just couldn't resist.

I'll let y'all know...

Soooo...guess what I'm doing...

I'm stepping out of the comfort zone y'all. I ran across this project online. The opening sentences of the project read "You want to design a page? If you are an artist, crafter, photographer, musician, poet...and if you promote your art by the web, you can be a part of this project".

I thought..."Ok, June, this is the perfect shot at putting yourself out there, you need to at least ask about it"...(of course, my other little voice that sounds suspiciously like my mother's was saying..."why bother"?)

So, in spite of that other voice...I did.

Now, for those of you who are accomplished in this area and who regularly submit things that are published, etc, this is no big deal. To me, it's a HUGE (and scary) step, even at this level.

I emailed Lucy, and low and behold, she sent the information about participating and reserved the September 25th date for me.

Diary 2011 project is a fourth project, and you can see photos of previous books here.

Of course, my contribution is a doodle...I sent it in, and was even asked to do another! How exciting is that? Small baby step I know...and I am good with that! So...watch for Friday, February 25 and Sunday, September 25...if you see them...be sure to let me know what you think...

(btw...the one above is not one of the doodles...I just happen to like it.)

Just a quick reminder!

Don't forget everyone, if you are participating in the July prompt for the Creativity Invitation, time is drawing nie...I need your blog links by Sunday, August 1, 2010 so that I can share them with everyone!

Be sure to upload any of your pics for the prompt to the flickr group to share with everyone as well! August's prompt will be posted soon!

Interesting links for July - August 2010

(Ducks were my visitors outside the hotel where I stayed for the wedding)
Can you believe it is the middle of July already??? How the heck did this happen? As you know if you follow along every month about this time I share ten links to blogs that I found during the past month that I found interesting. They always come from my wanderings through the blog-o-sphere...they are blogs I find interesting or unique or quirky...or the folks who write them strike me as particularly beautiful souls, and I am glad they choose to share themselves with all of us...and I like them enough to share.

So...without further ado...here are the...

Blog links for July - August 2010

• Funky Junk Interiors
• Sandee's Sanity
• Deanna's Blog
• what's up rock
• Tea Rose Home
• Altered by Design
• The Handmade Movement
• Artsy Mama
• A Trinket Treasury
• Fumbling for Words

It's official....I'm beyond exhausted...

Coordinating a wedding can wear you out! I was on the road by 8:15 on Friday morning...and in less than 48 hours, about 600 miles were driven, a church was made ready...








...and a wedding practiced...









...reception venue decorated...











...and a young couple began their married life together...











I wish them all the best in the world.

August give away...

I know it's early...but you know, I like doing these sort of things...so I'm going to post it...but read the Give Away Page carefully to be sure you follow the rules!

When I ventured back into the Etsy I promised myself that I'd get back to the give-aways I enjoy doing so much. The plan, as it stands now, is that each month I'll be putting something on the blog that is going to be the give away item. The item and the rules for the give away will be posted at the beginning of the month, along with the day you can expect the item to be given away. With all of that being said...here's the first give away...

This is a small, only about 3 to 4 inches or so tall, mixed media art piece. I consider her a doll...at least of sorts. She's got a base made of a wooden ball covered with pages from a vintage book. Her face, wings and heart are made of polymer clay and it sits atop a "spring" made of brass wire. She is actually one of my favorite pieces..."thoughts take flight"...

So...want to know how she can be yours? Just mosey on over to the "Give Away" page...all the rules are there...

I'm off to a wedding...

So...Thursday afternoon Connie comes down to my office and says..."You know I am NOT one to carry tales, and I neeeever start trouble...but Wayne says that "Old Lady Crawford makes a pretty good cake".

We've had a RASH of 50th birthdays in the office this year...but, this time I was really, really sweet and just made a cute cake.


The top layer is cherry chip, the bottom is fudge chocolate. The really fun part to this cake though, is the frosting. It's mighty tasty, and awfully easy to work with...so I thought I'd share how it works.


First, I baked the cake and assembled the layers with a thin coat of a very indulgent buttercream frosting. Then the fun started...it's covered with a layer of marshmallow fondant.



Put a package of miniature marshmallows into a microwaveable bowl, and melt them on high power in the microwave. Start at 30 second intervals, you want them melted, not boiling.






Then, stir in powdered sugar...until it's similar to a soft cookie dough.







Turn it out onto a powdered sugar covered surface and knead in enough to make a good, stiff, roll-able dough. You can color the fondant by adding any food coloring, (I used professional colorant gels) and then kneading the fondant to mix it well. Then you can roll it out, drape the cake and cover it in the fondant. You can also use anything to cut out shapes, roll out and sculpt shapes, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Keep it covered while you aren't using it, and if it gets too dry while you are working with it, just knead in some water to moisten it again.

To cover this cake, I just rolled it out thinly and then carefully covered the cake. The base layer of fondant on each layer was finished individually, then the round was glued to the square using a bit of the butter cream frosting. When the layers were covered, I used small biscuit cutters to cut the rounds from the coordinating colors and "glued" them to the base by wetting the backs.

The purple is buttercream frosting that was piped on. All in all, pretty cute...huh?


Now that I've shared...I am off to my niece's wedding...so I'm sharing the Artsy Blogger links a day early...seems only fair since I've shared them a day late...Don't miss coming back to visit tomorrow...a new give away will be starting soon and all the details will be in the post! In the mean time...go visit the bloggers...say hi...we LOVE the attention!!!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Yikes! Eileen learns she can't doodle. But she's determined to improve. (Personal note...don't you believe it...Eileen doodles beautifully!)

Beading Arts
Cyndi has a copy of "Beading In No Time" to give away! Pop on over and sign up to win!

Tottie Talks Crafts
You can win a copy of Debbie Bliss's fab new book: 'design it, knit it, babies'