Fall is in the Air

I am so glad the the fall season has finally started this past week. This summer has been especially hot here and in most parts of the country. That is why I am enjoying the crisp mornings and cooler nights.

Now is the time to start pulling out all of my fall decorations for the inside of the house and for the outside as well. This ornament is one of many that I am putting up to hang on my mantel.

The winner of my blog giveaway from Jen's shop is Tophat. Congrats!!

Blog Feature: Jennifer Dedonato & Giveaway

 

I first came across Jennifer's work several years ago from another blog that I follow. I was so drawn to her colors and upliting messages. Since that time I have been following and commenting on her blog.  

When Jennifer was little she knew she wanted to be an artist. She loved it! Jennifer's favorite time of the day in school was art class and she remembers going to vacation bible school and being so excited when it was time to create an art project. She started taking it more seriously about eight years ago. Jennifer has a son with Autism and he was deathly afraid of bugs. His fear was due to a bee sting and he became so frightened he wouldn’t go outside the entire summer. Jennifer decided to make a book about bugs for him. Having some colored cardstock at home, she began cutting and gluing the next thing she knew she had several pretty cute little bugs. Both of my boys recognized and enjoyed them so I was inspired to create more. Then one thing lead to another and later started incorporating acrylic and dye inks. She feels that her at drawing is not great but somehow cutting the papers just clicked for her. After experiencing something very traumatic in her family turned into something positive for her to be able to develop her own style.

Jennifer is very strongly influenced by quotes. She also loves patterns and textured paper.When she sees a great paper she will think to herself…”a giraffe would look really good in that pattern”. However, she has to be very careful using patterned paper because of licensing so she makes a lot of her own now.

Jennifer also likes going to antique stores and garage sales with close friends. She also likes to sew sometime, but her artwork keeps her pretty busy.

  She lives in a suburb just outside of Houston. She enjoys the fact that there is a huge art community here and she enjoys being a part of it. Also two of her dearest friends Nicole Foshee and Adriana Whitney are artists awho live close to her. Being close friends with such talented ladies has encouraged her to continue doing the best she can.
Jennifer first started selling on Etsy since 2008.  She was so ecstatic when she made her first sale!

 

Jennifer also has been involved with licensing her art almost two years. She was selling her artwork at the First Saturday Artist Market here in Houston and someone bought one of her original pieces. One thing lead to another and it was shown to a licensing agent. She got a call a few days later and viola. She is currently signed with Cypress Fine Art Licensing out of New Jersey

 

Jennifer is graciously offering one of my readers this print with the message "My dreams are here to stay." Just leave a comment for a chance to win. The winner will be announced next Monday September 24th.

A Revamp

 

 

I made this painting many years ago. I had first made this into a card when I first started my Etsy shop. I titled the original painting "Joyful Noise." I decided to revamp this older painting and make it into an art block. I added some of the Bible passage, Psalms 98:4 into the image with my Adobe Indesign.  

It is a good idea to go back and look at older sketches that you can alter in some new way to create a brand new product. I am constantly thinking of new price points to have in my Etsy shop, and at art festivals. In this tough economy you need to be creative!

So long summer!

 

It is hard to believe that summer time is coming to a close now with the Labor Day weekend just ending. Now most kids are back in school, and all the fun activities will soon become a cherished memory.

 

I wanted to share with you what we did this weekend as a family. My husband took off Friday, so we enjoyed lunch out at Twisted Taco. They have very unusual combinations in their tacos. If you have one in your area you should give them a try. 

 

 

 

On Saturday my daughter and I went shopping. Then later that evening my son Michael had a football game. Unfortunately they lost their game, but hopefully they will win the next game. My younger son Jordan, got his first try as a water boy for the team. Great job Jordan!

 

 

 

On Sunday my daughter Bethany turned 15 yrs. old.  I can't believe how time has gone by so quickly. She is actually an inch taller than me now. How did that happen?

 

The family went out to Chili's to celebrate her special day. We had a going out to dinner. I loved not having to cook.

 

I hope you all had a fantastic Labor day weekend!

Marbelized Pound Cake

On Sunday, I try to make a dessert for my family to eat after dinner. It had been several months since I made a pountd cake, so I decided to make a marbelized pound cake. Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try.

Ingredients

      2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, with electric mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter or margarine until blended. Increase speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, milk, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and eggs; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Increase speed to high, and beat batter 4 minutes longer.
2. Remove about 2 1/2 cups batter to a medium bowl. With a wire whisk or fork, beat cocoa into batter in medium bowl until well blended.
3. Grease a 10 inch tube pan. Alternately spoon vanilla and chocolate layers into prepared pan. With a large spoon, cut and twist through batters to obtain marbled effect.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan, and on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and cool completely.

My Local Farmers Market

This past weekend I had a chance to go to my local farmers market. It has been sometime since I have been. Our family has had many activities these past few weekends. As you can see from above this farmer has all sorts of yummy vegetables for sale.

 

I just made the very end of the market day. In the early morning it is so full of people.

 

 

This vendor's company name is Daily Bread. They make the most delicious loaves of bread and rolls. Their bread is yummy!

Origami Owl

Earlier this summer my neighbor hosted an Origami Owl  jewelry party. I only knew of one person who lives out of town that was selling this jewelry the past few years as well. The company was founded by Isabella who was fourteen at the time with her mom. At the party, after our designer Wendy explained the process, we were allowed to build our very own personalized locket. There were little saucers with the different themed charms in the individual bowls.

There were little mannequins like this with finished lockets on display.

Here is my finished locket. I chose a silver plate with the word Faith in the back. The charms I picked are all three of my kids' birthstones, the letter T for my husband Todd, and an artist's palette. I want to add another charm or two to complete my locket a little later. That is what makes it so fun! There are all of types of themes no matter your interests. There are also small and large sized lockets. My locket is the medium size.

There is a hint of an Asian theme with the packaging. Once you buy one it is placed in a satin looking fortune cookie, and placed in an adorable little carryout box. Isn't it so cute! I purchased one later for my mom as well for her birthday. Go check out their website for great gift ideas, or just pick out one for yourself!