Zany Adorable

I came across this adorable bird on someones favorite shop list on Etsy. The shop owner is called Butt Uglee. My hope is this will put a big smile on your face as it did mine. Have a great weekend!

The winner of the beautiful polka dot cylinder vase by Celeste is AMKreations! Congratulations!

Featured Artist - Bohemian Mushroom

I had the pleasure of being next door neighbors to Celeste Theodore at a local festival this past fall. Not only did I enjoy talking with her during some down time, but I completely fell in love with her beautiful ceramic pieces.

Celeste started out with an interest in taking a jewelry class at a local community college, but it was full. So, she decided to take a ceramics class. She fell in love with it, and never took the jewelry class. After learning all they had to offer during several semesters, she sought out a professional potter with whom to apprentice. She found one downtown in her hometown of Chicago, and learned and practiced throwing, hand building, glaze calculation and how to run a gallery. She apprenticed and learned the business there for two years, where her infatuation with the artwork turned into true love for working with clay.

Celeste believes the world is a unique combination of creators and collectors, and in God's infinite wisdom she fell into the former category. It started that day in class, when she first put her hands in the clay, and it was amazing. Creativity flows from her hands, and she doesn't know what she would do if she could not use her hands to make things. Celeste desires to master the techniques she uses or conjures up, though she can't put her finger on exactly what inspires her. You can look at her pottery and see the fruit of her inspiration.

She moved to Fort Myers in 2001, and built a studio in the back of her home. The commute to work is just a short walk from the coffee pot to the work table in her many-windowed studio, where she can enjoy the weather - whatever it is, generally sunny.

Celeste has generously offered this lovely polka dot blue tube vase to one of my readers. Just leave a brief comment about what inspires you. You can also check out her etsy shop. The dealine is this Friday January 28th.

Winter Wonderland

It was so busy last week due to our big Atlanta snowstorm, I forgot to share with you some pics. The kids were off the entire week, and the husband was off for three days due to the treacherous ice on the roads. We watched movies, played board games and of course the kids went outside to play a lot. We went through so many clothes each day! Needless to say, I am looking forward for my little sweeties to go back to school tomorrow. Yeah!

Whoopie Pies

One of my all time favorite channels to watch is the Food Network! I have seen them make a dessert called Whoopie Pies on a couple of different shows. Whoopie Pies are a New England favorite and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. That made me want to try one someday. Just before the holiday I was excited to see a mix at my local Target store.

When I made the first batch, the batter seemed too thin, so the pies came out flat like pancakes. I decided to add 1/4 cup of wheat flour and a dash of baking powder to make it rise better. The second batch turned out well as you can see above.

The winner of the 2011 Calendar is Laura. Congratulations!

New Year Calendar Giveaway

To start off the new year I wanted to offer my 2011 desk/wall calendar to my readers. Just post a comment for a chance to win. Tell me a goal or resolution that you have for this year. The winner will be announced next week.