Dunwoody Art Fest 2011

I've taken a step back from listing pendants online due to the upcoming Dunwoody Art Festival, which I will be attending Mother's Day weekend (May 7th and 8th) in Atlanta.

It's an invitation only show and I am very honored to be part of it! The organizers found my work through Etsy, which I wanted to mention to those of you who might not have a lot of sales on there (or anywhere else online for that matter) yet. Do not be discouraged! Putting your work out there for others to discover is the first step, and opportunities will open up from there!

If you would like more information on the show, follow this link for details! I will still be sharing photos of my work on here in the meantime. Also, if you are in or around the Atlanta area, please come by and say hi!

Banana Bread Recipe

According to this book (which I highly recommend everyone read, esp. creative types), baking is good for creativity. Something about all that mixing and preparing of food helps us to prepare creative projects in our subconsciousness. Today I made Banana Nut Bread with a recipe from my sister's friend's mom. We've been making this in our house for years now and I'd like to pass it on to you!

You will need:

• 3 overly ripe (I'm talking brown!) smashed bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
  
• Optional add ins such as choc. chips or crushed pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 300 degrees for a flat loaf pan).
2. In a large bowl, mix melted butter into smashed bananas with a wooden spoon.
3. Mix in sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
5. Add flour last (I like to do this part in batches) and mix in.
   
6. Add any additions, like nuts or semi-sweet chocolate chips! Mix 'em in!
   
7. Pour contents of bowl into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle additional add-ins on top.
   
8. Bake for approx. one hour (my oven runs hot so I do 50 min.)-or 45 min. for a flat pan.
9. Cool pan on a rack.

*For a healthier alternative, I use all purpose whole grain flour instead of bleached flour. It doesn't change the taste at all in my opinion, and adds a lot of extra nutrients. I also choose to cut down on the sugar a bit, maybe by 1/4 cup, since I think bananas are sweet enough on their own. This recipe is delicious with semi-sweet chocolate chips added in, but I've been watching my sugar intake lately. I hope you enjoy! If you use this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know how you like it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I've had a bit of guilt about celebrating today with all that is happening in Japan, but I received a bit of happy news that I hope will continue to support more hope for the future. Daniel's company is matching donations, dollar for dollar, to a relief fund set up by the Red Cross. We are not powerless to help aid in disasters like the one that struck Japan, even though we are thousands of miles away. I hope other U.S. (and worldwide) companies will join in the relief as well. We can all help, with more than just thoughts and prayers...

I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and that some "luck of the Irish" finds you!

A Little Reminder

This is a little reminder to myself...Don't take your work so seriously all of the time. Have fun with it, experiment...you don't always have to be skillful!

I have a tendency to push myself too hard, sometimes. I expect everything I do to be perfect, and that just isn't reality. ( I know I'm not the only one, either. ) Striving for perfection is not a bad thing, but expecting it all the time is. Creativity doesn't come from perfection...it comes from that deep space in your soul that likes to play.

I plan on sharing more sketchbook/art-journaling pages in the future. It opens me up. Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone!!! Go out an eat something delicious.

Surprise

There's nothing quite like a surprise March snow-shower. After rain all day and night on Saturday, Daniel and I watched as it turned to sleet, then snow, Sunday afternoon. We only got about an inch, but it was still enough to cover everything in white. I don't know exactly how to feel about snow this time of year. Normally I love snow, but I am beyond ready for spring. This was certainly a wake-up to the fact that I'm not in Alabama anymore.
Most of it is melted by now. I think I'll keep looking out for signs of spring anyway, even though winter is still making its presence known.

Petal Pendants with Vintage Lace

You will be able to find these at KeelyB shortly. Have a lovely weekend!

Prayer Flag Pendants

I've had Tibetan Prayer Flags hanging in my living quarters, no matter where they have been, since the age of 15. Even though they are indoors, I always make sure to hang them where the drafts will catch them so that they can work their magic. A few days ago it hit me that I should make prayer flag pendants. So I scanned a prayer flag, shrunk it, and printed it on matte photo paper. I hope they bring the wearer a sense of tranquility. They will appear in the shop later today or tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

Smoke on the Water

We got a ton of rain yesterday, but thankfully that was all. The little patch of sand to the right is now under water completely...lake levels are rising fast! (I hear the people back in Alabama had to put up with tornado sirens blaring all day! And we lost a tree back at the Florence house, which makes me sad. I miss those old oaks.)

I watched the storms roll in, knowing that I have a basement to hide in if need be, and have figured out that fog tends to roll out over the water before a heavy rain. I like the eeriness of this photograph.