Owl Tile

A friend asked me to make a tile for her sister who loves owls. Am looking forward to spring when I can start painting more tiles with my windows open.

Art Journal: Flight

This month's art journal round robin has the theme "Flight." I decided to do a bird and found a beautiful antique image of a Booby. When I looked it up in the dictionary, I found it also meant "dunce" which is why the poor little bird has a dunce cap on his head.

Wedding Cake ATCs

Tomorrow is our monthly artist trading card session. This time I did a series on wedding cakes, sketching ideas on cream coloured card stock. Some of the cakes I drew are actual cakes I made when I had my small cake company in Toronto. Others are merely imaginings.

Art Show

I'm putting the last touches on my art show which will be held on April 13th. Can't believe how fast it is approaching. I'll start posting stuff from the show soon!

Happy 1st Birthday

My blog is one year old today! It all started when Carmi Cimicata subscribed to ATC Quarterly and dropped me a note to suggest I start a blog. I resisted but with her help (thanks Carmi!) I managed to get it up and running.
It's been a great blogging year. I met Susan Williamson for lunch (like a blind blog date) and it was like we had been friends forever. She created my blog's terrific banner. I love it (thanks Susan!).
And some of my friends caught my enthusiasm for blogging and started their own. Jennifer Pearson Vanier's blog keeps us up-to-date on her activities. My friend Carol's blog displays her fabulous crafts. And Richard's blog is made up of photos he takes, mostly on the job as a journalist.
Hard to believe that there have been 9500+ readers from 76 countries. Thanks to everyone who has dropped by in the past year. Here's to another great year of blogging!

Rise & Shine!

Richard bought me these plates a while back. Isn't this a happy way to start your day? Sunglasses optional.

Chocolate Bunnies et al

Richard and I celebrated Easter in Ottawa with his family over a wonderful brunch. After lots of laughs and full bellies, we headed back here and spent much of the afternoon cutting wood and pulling wood. Photo above: Richard on his way to the back woods with all his equipment in tow.

When we finally finished dragging and stacking wood, we got inside and dug into our Easter chocolate. Richard got me the Lindt bunny and friends. I got Richard the dark chocolate Lindt bunny. Great minds think alike!

Happy Birthday Susan

Easter was earlier than usual this year (the next time it'll be this early is in another 225 years or something like that). Susan's birthday coincided with Easter so it was a perfect chance to merge the two occasions into one cake. It was a seven-layer chocolate cake: 3 icing layers and four cake layers, each soaked in Kahlua. Then I added green buttercream "grass" and little chocolate candy eggs.

Fabulous French Pastry

Inspired by the blog Paris Breakfasts in which the author travels the streets of Paris (and New York) in search of the ultimate delicious treat, I had to post my own personal brush with pastry greatness. On a trip to New York, I photographed (and ate) these exquisite delights purchased at Payard Patisserie & Bistro on Lexington Avenue. My next feat is to draw them. Hmmm. Maybe I'll just have to go back for another visit to get a better look at them...In the meantime, their website will have to suffice.

It's Spring!

Yesterday, Peggi and I gave our second class in a month on wild edibles, this time at the Two Beans Cafe in Alexandria, ON. The group was the Encore Seniors and the nine attendees asked lots of questions and provided a lively discussion. We had a small tasting at the end of the talk too. Talking about wild plants somehow reminds one that spring is here (or at least on its way).
This set of ATCs was the first set I ever did. I cut up the photocopied proofs of the rough draft of my book Wild in the Kitchen and superimposed my sketches over the text and coloured them in. Who knew I'd do hundreds of ATCs after this initial attempt?

A Pot of Flower Tea

I went to see Lis at the gallery to discuss my upcoming show and she served me the oddest, most fabulous tea. It was from China and looked like a little ball. When she put it in the boiling water, it slowly opened up and showed off some lovely, coloured flowers. She told me that each tea ball is made differently, with different flowers so that they all taste different. It was heavenly.

The View Out My Window

In Jen Worden's current challenge, she asks: "Share the view out your window. It can be literal OR it can be figurative. Bonus points if you include any other colour than white. Any medium."
This is the view from my bedroom window of the cedars that run along the side of the house. Late in the day, the sun comes up behind them casting long, blue shadows.
And spring is around the corner. I heard my first red-winged blackbird yesterday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day ATCs

Here are the artist trading cards that the rest of the St. Paddy's gang made on Saturday. One of the artists said she was so fed up with the winter that she was making cards that made her happy...that one is the kitty cat made of foam shapes. Richard and I spent most of Sunday shovelling. It's supposed to warm up and now everyone is talking about floods. Are we having fun yet?

St. Paddy's Day ATC Gathering

Over the years, a gang of us have gotten together on a fairly casual basis to make artist trading cards. The meetings centre around making ATCs based on a holiday theme. We started with Valentine's Day five or six years ago and from there we've met to make ATCs on Canada Day, Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ground Hog Day and Easter/Spring. Yesterday we did St. Patrick's Day. There were eight of us and we spent 2 hours making cards, then we traded, ate treats and had a cup of tea. A wonderful afternoon.I did a series of leprechaun cards, although one gal commented that they looked more like comedians who'd perform at a Catskill resort.