Swoon...

Love love love this Missoni dress! Via the Satorialist.

Going to Market...

It's always nice to see the farmers' market open. Piles of veggies, juicy apples, fresh cut flowers... Can't wait.

resident robin...

It was a perfect warm weekend, with spotty rains and thunderstorms. Each little downpour seemed to instantly make things grow taller in the gardens. (Hooray!!!) On Sunday we had a picnic on the lawn and watched our resident robin lay her eggs. Quite exciting for the girls. Her nest is right outside our backdoor on our porch light. I tore the beginnings of the nest down twice, because with all the in and out traffic, it seems like a horrible place to call home. Then one morning I went out and there it was, completely finished. She flies away everytime we go out, and she seems reluctant to fly in when I'm standing in front of the window washing dishes. Sorry mama bird, I tried to tell you.

Charmoula chicken...

So it's Thursday night, and I planned to make one of my favorite things for dinner,(Charmoula Chicken) and planned to share pictures of it here with you. Just like last week when I made carrot souffle, I forgot to take pictures of the final product before we ate it all! Oops. My husband was home later than expected, and I really prefer that we all eat together, so by the time we sat down at the table we were starving, and we dug in like a bunch of ravished wolves. So in lieu of a proper post, you'll just have to take the undone, unravelled, unfinished version.

Charmoula Chicken

1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 to 1 tablespoon cayenne, depending on how hot you like it
2 boneless chicken breasts
salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

8 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic

butter

sliced cheese

Combine cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, cayenne, salt & pepper. Add lemon juice to make a paste. Slash chicken breast on both sides and rub paste into chicken, completely coating it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake in lightly greased pan at 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes or until done. In the meantime saute mushrooms, onions, and garlic in butter.

Set aside. When chicken is done, cover with mushrooms and onions, top with cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted. We served ours with fresh zucchini! Yum.

Window shopping...

Things I like at Boden.

p.s. Why are vintage clothes so tiny? Did tall people exist in the past? Where are all their clothes?

Birdie houses on etsy...

Because I want lots of birds in the backyard, and bats. (they eat mosquitos)

♥Ceramic Birdhouse by Mudpuppy

♥Turquoise and Yellow Houses by Duckabush Woodworks

♥Homespun Birdnests by Bearpawrustics

♥Bat House by Andrewsreclaimed

rain rain...

via flickr (here)

It's a rainy Monday. Grey, wet, and chilly. The first in a series of rainy days to be had this week. April showers bring May flowers, right? That's what I keep telling myself (and the girls). After a weekend of sun and warm breezes, watching the rain come down leaves me with that feeling of coming back from vacation...you know...that feeling of being somewhere amazing, then journeying home to your regular schedule. Ah well, we're all a bit under the weather anyhow. Sore throats, coughs, and for me, sunburn as a bonus. So for today, lots of hot tea, cookies, blankets...and just maybe, some rest.

What are you doing today?

Hoorah! it's Friday...

via allthishappiness

What I've been reading around the web...

Amazing fields of tulips via the Style Files.

The boyfriend jean spied at le blog de betty. (love them)

Treehouse love over at Lolita.

Overcoming artist's block via Design for Mankind's Dialouge series. (check it out every Monday)

How to grow a tomato. This lady gives me garden lust. BIGTIME.

What to do with myself on the sunniest warmest day yet? Shopping, painting outside, plant potatoes, take a bike ride, clean the house...definitely not that last one. What are you doing on this very lovely Friday?

p.s. I really meant to post my recipe for carrot souffle today...I made it last night, but forgot to take a pic before we devoured it...oops! It's so good. I will post it later though. Promise.

Have a fabulous weekend!

the replacement...

I received a postcard in the mail today informing me that my subscription to Domino has been replaced with Cookie. It definitely doesn't fill the Domino void, but it could be worse. I'm a mom of two little girls and I suppose I could benefit from a mommy read occasionally. However, I find glossy pages of kids at the park in $900 outfits a bit ridiculous. Perhaps they will throw me a few new recipes or give me some ideas on how to get ketchup stains off the kiddos' shirts. Heck, they might be okay, they do keep a blog. (Seems lots of magazines do these days.) And they did feature my prints in a recent Nesting home tour...

Do you subscribe to any parenting magazines?

Photo copyright Cookie Magazine

how does your (herb) garden grow...

via flickr (here)

Last year I only grew four herbs...cilantro, parsley, rosemary, and basil. They were all tucked into giant concrete pot my husband made, placed conveniently beside the grill. This year I'm growing lots more, as our four little plants couldn't quite keep up with my constant picking. I usually fill all the pots on our deck with flowers, but I think this year, they will be full of fragrant herbs. You can't beat having fresh spices right outside your door. (And it'll keep me from spending so much money on annuals). What grows in your herb garden?

get your hair did...

I'm getting a haircut Thursday night. Last October I decided that for the first time in my life I would try short hair. I've always had at least shoulder length hair, usually longer. After watching Amelie, I decided short hair could be cute and chic, so I went for it. I actually liked the way it looked for a while, but the style really required more effort than I was willing to put forth. Most days my hair is twisted up in blob, a la pic #4. My natural hair texture is closest to the Kate Moss pic. Mine is somewhat curlier, but you get the idea, poofy/frizzy/messy. Sounds lovely , aye? I prefer not to fill it full of product, which I'm sure would help, but we only buy natural/organic products, and I've yet to find anything that actually does the trick. (if you have suggestions, do tell) I'll straighten it when it's not too humid out...which looks fine, but I'd like to work with my hair's natural tendencies, especially in the summer, when I'll be running through the sprinkler with the kids and lounging by the kiddie pool. So what's a girl to do? The plan is to just have it trimmed up, because I don't want to lose alot of length, maybe some piecey layers, and do something with the bangs. I've been clipping away at them for months with the ole craft scissors...time for repair work.

If you have any fabulous haircuts stashed away in your own lookbook, please share with me....

foodie friday...

Happy Good Friday! We will be enjoying one of our favorite dinners tonight...homemade pizza. I made our sandwich bread earlier today, and decided to make a pizza crust while I had the whole kitchen dusted in flour. Homemade pizza crust is sooo good and so easy. For me, pizza is also a good excuse to use up whatever bits of random veggies we have around the house. Last week, I wilted the remaining baby spinach with lots of garlic, sliced a few roma tomatoes, caramelized some onions, threw on a mix of mozzarella and goat cheeses + basil...yummy! I can't wait until the kitchen garden is in full swing...I want to get a pizza stone that I can put on the grill...perfect grub for warm summer nights!

Back to the pizza at hand...I'm experimenting with crusts, and this is the current fave around here...Chad's parents had brought us some yummy bbq sauce from Texas, so we decided throw that in the mix...and yes, pinot grigio goes with everything.

Pizza Crust

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. garlic powder


DIRECTIONS for crust

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour + garlic powder.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a oiled bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Roll out dough, and fold down edges to form crust. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly oil pan and allow crust to rise 15 to 20 minutes before topping it.

TOPPINGS

2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1 1/4 c. favorite bbq sauce

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 clove minced garlic

8 oz. shredded mozzarella

4 0z. smoked Gouda

Fresh Cilantro

These toppings are easy peasy. Simply cook and cube chicken, toss with 1/4 c. of the bbq sauce. Throw onions into hot skillet with a little butter. Let them caramelize and throw in garlic at the last minute, toss around another 30 seconds, remove from heat. Chop cilantro, use as much as you want.

After letting crust rise, top with bbq sauce. Layer with 2/3 of the cheese. Top with bbq chicken, caramelized onions, cilantro and remaining cheese. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

p.s. I threw some sauteed mushrooms on this one too, just because I like to the kids to eat them, and you can hide anything under cheese :)

Have a great weekend! Don't forget the benefit sale going on in my shop now through Wednesday!

drawing with a sewing machine...

Acrylic, graphite, collage on canvas board

Fabric and stitching on organic cotton

For a long time I've wanted to draw with my sewing machine. Today the kids and I spent our morning painting, which resulted in the piece in the top photo. It felt good to use thicker paint and layers this time around. After I finished, her little rain droplets brought to mind some scrap fabric I had stuffed away. I cut out two layers of organic cotton, gathered a bunch of threads and went to work, drawing with my machine. It reminded me of those exercises where you try to draw something without lifting your pen. I used grey thread for her outline, which is why it looks like pencil. I have some buttons and bits I think I will add to her, but I'm finding her quite charming as is. :)

so inspiring...

Can you believe the garbage truck on the island...gorgeous!

Allow me to introduce you to Anahata Katkin, artist extraordinaire! Anahata was the original inspiration behind my move to mixed media artwork. I believe my first glimpse of her work was through a Somerset Studio publication. Her use of layers, color, and pattern are mind-blowing. Last spring I signed up to take her Funky Wallpaper People class at Artfest...we would spend the day painting and playing on 6 feet of textured wallpaper...sadly, last minute, I had to give up my spot in the class, and I sold my whole package to another lucky gal. Now Anahata is living on an island, soaking up the rays, enjoying life, and apparently becoming very inspired. Her work is always fresh and so very amazing. Hopefully in the future, I'll have the chance to take that class with her...please go check her out!

Her site.

Her blog.

Her shop.

frequently asked questions...

I often get emails/convos asking the following questions...I love responding to each email individually, but I figured it would be nice to have all the answers to frequently asked questions readily available here at the ole' blog.

Why do you keep a blog?

Many people have no idea what a blog is or why anyone would have one. I started keeping a blog in 2007 to catalog my progress on art related projects. Since then I have written posts about my family, gardening, shopping, fellow artists, favorite recipes, etc. Many posts are just notes to myself, that I can revisit later if I have forgotten something. All my past posts are archived in the left column.

Do you reply to all comments left on your blog?
I try. Some comments come in with email addresses. Others do not. If you have a clickable link, I like to surf over and see what you're up to as well. :)

Why did you decide to sell your artwork on Etsy?

After deciding to do the stay-at-home-mom thing, I needed a creative outlet to break up my day between diaper duty and laundry. As a kid I loved to paint, so that's where I started. I did a few pieces for fun, and on my husbands advice I listed the paintings on Ebay. They sold, so I did more. In 3 years I sold 350+ original paintings to collectors across the globe. In 2007, I moved over to Etsy because I wanted to start offering prints. I felt Etsy was tailored for artists, listing was easy, and the site was a breeze to navigate.

Where do you get your art supplies?

For the most part... Jerry's Artarama(online), Michaels, Joanne Fabric, Etsy

Where do you get your prints made?

I do the prints myself. I use an Epson R1900. I use Epson brand inks & currently use this paper. The quality is awesome. I have never been disappointed. I also use an Epson scanner to save my images. It comes with Photoshop Elements, which is nice if any changes need to be made to the images.

Where do you get your packaging?

Most of my mailers, cello sleeves, labels, etc. come from Uline. The USPS also provides free Priority boxes that I use occasionally. I print all domestic postage online from my home. The post office lines are long, and my kids do not like to wait quietly. Ever.

Do you do custom work/commissions?

Yes. As my schedule allows. If interested, email me. We'll chat.

I'd like to add your link to my blog...is that okay?

Yes!

Can I post your artwork images on my blog?

If you see a piece here you like and would like to share it with your readers, then yes, you can post my images. Please link back to my blog or etsy shop.

Did you go to art school?

I did not. If anything, I wish I had went to business school. Actually, business school sounds like a total drag...but I find the business side of being an artist much harder to manage than the creative side.
How do you market yourself?
I've been fortunate to have my work mentioned on several design sites, I've done a little paid advertising, I've participated in a couple on online marketplaces, I give out business cards, occasional promo goods, and I have newsletter you can subscribe to.
How do I snag an original painting?
Visiting my blog is the best way to find out what and when I will be adding things to my etsy shop. If you will not be online during a scheduled update, and there is something you really want, email me and perhaps we can set up a reserved listing.

I plan to post a link to the FAQ in the sidebar...if there's any other questions or bits of info you think should be added, just comment, and I'll follow up!

Happy Monday!

p.s. I found a bike this weekend :)

foodie friday...

Falafel with Baby Greens, Red Chili Paste and Aioli

Falafel

1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorn

1egg* optional

butter or oil for pan frying

Directions
Mash the garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Stir in the onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, cumin, turmeric, baking powder, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Heat butter in skillet over med-high heat. Carefully drop the balls into the skillet, and fry until brown. You may need to adjust the heat slightly after the first couple of falafels, and be sure to turn frequently so they brown evenly.

Serve with greens and homemade aioli.

*Slightly modified from this recipe.

It's Friday and we really need to grab groceries tonight! On days when the cupboard is running low I head over to allrecipes and do an ingredient search. I typed in "garbanzo beans" and recipes containing my ingredient turned up. ( I then sort the results by the highest rating, so I can see the good stuff first) I've never made falafel before, but it sounded yummy. I was short the bread crumbs and parsley...and I threw the egg in there, just because I figured it would hold it together nicely. I also used butter to pan fry the patties, I'm probably someone who will never recommend deep-frying anything. :) They were delicious. I'm hoping to have leftovers for dinner!

I'm off to search craigslist for that bike I want. I've already found a few I want to go see. One with a basket and a headlight! sweet...

Enjoy the weekend!

new wheels...

Spring is in the air and I'm wishing I had a bike. Last year my bike was ruined when our kiddie trailer came loose and proceeded to work it's way through the frame and bend it all to heck. That trailer was returned and the bike made it out to the curb where someone salvaged it for parts. This year our little Ava gets big sister's hand-me-down bike. She's already took it for a test drive and couldn't be happier. Rylee will get a new one, on which we hope to lose the training wheels. Chad has two bikes, one suited to carry a baby, which we no longer need. For me, it's off to craigslist I go...hoping to get a new set of wheels...or a used set of wheels that is. I prefer an older bike without all gears and such. Maybe a horn and basket.

How cool are these helmets?

All photos found via A Cup Of Jo, one of my most favorite reads.

that's a purdy treehouse...

Honey could you please build something like this for me, I mean for the girls?

Have a seat...

This group of photos is for a friend, who's recently decided to trade in her set of upholstered chairs for a group of mix & match replacements. With a couple of messy eaters of my own, I can definetly say solid surface seating is the way to go. This can also be a very affordable option. I see lots of lovely chairs curbside, at thift stores, on craigslist...and garage sale season is not far away. Leave as is or slap on a fresh coat of paint. Need a little something extra? Sew up matching (washable) chair pads or monogram or number the chairs for each family member. Hope this provides you with a little inspiration...now go hunt for those chairs!