Giant Spiral Pods!

So these are the incredible pods I spoke of in the last blog.  Definitely worth waking up early to photograph these guys.  If anyone out there knows what kind they are please let me know.  The pods are about 12-18'' long and you can see the leaves in these photos.  My guess is locust or acacia?

Caladium

I am not usually a morning person, but this morning I planned to get up early and photograph some incredible locust pods I saw on my walk the other day.  Although the alarm was set for 7:30 a hungry cat had other ideas at about 6:30.  So I was amazingly out the door by 7:00!

I did photograph the locust pods, but on my way home I ran into my neighbor Ursula who showed me some beautiful pods on her tree, which I also photographed.  As she was leaving she said I should take some photos of her caladium.  Well, I was almost home, my stomach was growling, and to get to the caladium I had to walk all the way around her house because the gate was closed.  More to humor my neighbor, I decided to do it and I am so glad I did.  They might be the best photos I took today.  You just never know where life will take you!

Click on images to enlarge.

Zen Birds!

I am very excited to announce the release of my new book Zen Birds!  In this book I illustrate thirty species of North American birds in a style inspired by traditional Asian brushwork.  I also wrote short poems that accompany each illustration and that describe the quirky traits and habits peculiar to each species.  This book is a celebration of the amazing lives of birds!

So if any of you out there like birds or know anyone who is interested in birds you can order it from your local bookstore or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

I would like to thank my husband George for his help and inspiration.  I would also like to thank all the people at Adventure Publications who made this book possible...working with you was a pleasure.

Pizza on the Grill

It's been so hot here lately that George has been devising ways to use the grill instead of using the oven and this pizza was a great success.  The recipe for the dough is below, typed by George:

Poolish
1/2 tablespoon yeast
1 cup water
1 cup flour (half can be whole wheat)

Dough
1 cup water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
Flour as needed

Directions
I mixed half a tablespoon or so of yeast with 1 cup water, added 1 cup flour (about half whole wheat) and stirred vigorously.  I let the "poolish" sit for about 4 hours at room temp.  (This step can be up to 10 hours if you want.)  Then I added another cup of water, 2 teaspoons (or so) of salt, another half tablespoon or so more yeast, and about 1/4 cup of olive oil.  I mixed in as much flour as needed to form a sticky dough and kneaded it in the bowl for a few minutes.  I let this rise for about an hour, covered. 

Then I punched it down and worked it into 3 or 4 little pizza pies (adding flour as needed).  I let these rest on the counter for about 20 minutes.  They formed a bit of a dry skin on top so I flipped each over onto a cornmeal-dusted pan and put the sauce and toppings on the sticky side.  I kept shaking the pan to make sure the dough wasn't sticking to the pan.  I just slid them right on the hot grill.  I was happy not to have any real sticking-to-the-grill issues that I was worried about.  I had the gas grill at about medium-high and kept the lid closed as much as possible.  I was worried about burning the crust, but that was not really a problem.  Next time I will try to be more brave and keep it on the grill longer. 

I'm sure any pizza dough recipe will work.  We added canned artichokes and fresh mushrooms, but you can add any topping you like.  It was great to keep the heat out of the house!

Cypriniformes July

This month I was inspired by this incredible book: Kingyo:The Artistry of Japanese Goldfish. The first time I saw this book I fell in love with these chubby fellows. Their pudgy little bodies are plump and graceful at the same time.

I normally don't include my black and white sketch, but I felt something got lost this time converting it to white for the calendar...so here it is.

FYI - Cypriniformes is the order for goldfish. I thought it had a nice ring to it.

Happy July!

Purple Coneflower and Garlic

When I'm out walking I see the most amazing things and I always think about returning with the camera and I almost never do.  But the other day after my walk I set out to photograph some garlic plants (below).  Can you believe the beautiful necks on these?  If there were a visual definition for grace this would be it.

On my way back I stopped to take a few shots of the coneflower above.  The exposure on the garlic photos wasn't great, but I did like the way the coneflower shot turned out (click on it to view larger).  You just never know what you will find when you are out.

Guitar Cases

My two nephews loooooooooooove the guitar.  They love wander around the house strumming, singing, and selling tickets to their concerts.  "Tia Ness" enjoys these concerts so much she decided it was time they have proper guitar cases.   This meant taking the 4-year-old on an outing to JoAnn's to pick out fabric for himself and his little brother.

The cases were not as easy I had in my head...but sewing projects never are.  I even added a gusset which sounds more impressive than it is, but I didn't even know the meaning of the word before this project. (FYI - a piece of fabric sewn into a seam to add breadth).

I was also excited to use a zipper foot for the first time.  I'm not sure I did it right, but it turned out OK in the end and the two rockin' boys liked their cases.

Apricot Magic

Every so often all the conditions and circumstances just come together and magic happens.  I love taking photos and I usually like all the ones I post on the blog...but there are times when a certain chemistry happens and everything just works out better than expected.

That's what happened with these apricots.   George bought 5 or 6 apricots the other day and I just couldn't keep my eyes off of them. Their color was so vibrant and their texture so soft.  I was out on the back porch taking a photo of the beet cupcake when I remembered the apricots.  It was almost an afterthought to take their picture, but the light was really nice so I put them in a blue bowl and voila!  Apricot magic!

I liked this photo so much I am using it as my wallpaper.  If you would like too also you can download a high resolution version here. (Every time I see that little apricot smile it makes me smile too.)

(Have I mentioned I have been gaga lately over pale oranges and blues?  I  may have to do a whole post on this color combo because I am totally loving it!)

Chocolate Beet Cake

My brother-in-law gave us this recipe.  At first I was suspicious about ruining perfectly good chocolate cake with beet flavor, but was I ever pleasantly surprised!  They were so delicious and you can't even tell there are a bunch of beets in it.  I loved these cupcakes!

George halved this recipe and made cupcakes.  Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE

3 cups beets shredded
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 cup oil
4 oz unsweeted chocolate
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder

options
sub. 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 9-inch pans

325 for 40 min or more

Tulip Pods

Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk. - George MacDonald.

I collected these tulip pods at the beginning of May.  I just love how they look when they are all dried up...truly wabi sabi.  For anyone who wants to know more about that concept I recommend this book - Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life by Taro Gold.

Happy Father's Day!

I've been itching to use this new font I love called Museo 300 and this Father's Day card was the perfect time.  I wanted to use it for the large text, but I ended up using Myriad instead because it was bolder.  I used Museo 300 for the smaller text (you can click on the photo to make it larger).  Some project of mine in the near future will definitely use this font (and its free!)

What's inside the box you ask?  Corn hole replacement bean bags!

Happy Father's Day!

Hydrangea Vase

The hydrangeas in my yard are in full bloom right now.  These are Annabelle hydrangeas I cut from the front yard.  At first I only had hydrangeas in this arrangement but then it dawned on me that Mahonia berries would be the perfect accent!  I also used Soloman's seal for some greenery.

Oh, and I found the vase at the flea market.  I love the classic shape and ribbed sides and it goes so perfectly with hydrangeas.  Oooh la la!

Bachelor's Button June!

OK, I know it's a bit late, but I'm happy if I finish by mid-month.  This month I was inspired by the Bachelor's Buttons we got from our CSA (Hazelfield Farms).  At first I thought they were a bit weedy, but then they grew on me.  Apparently they are called Bachelor's Buttons because they were worn by young men in love; if the flower faded too quickly, it was taken as a sign that the man's love was not returned.  No fading around here!

Happy June!

Paper Cut Elephant

When we went to New York we had about 5 hours to wander around New York City.  Of course I had to visit Purl Soho, Kate's paperie, and ABC home (poor George)...but one of the best finds I had that day was in Union Square. Luckily there was an art fair the day we walked through and I found this great booth where a woman was selling Chinese paper cuts.  I bought this incredibly cute elephant and framed it with an inexpensive frame from Garden Ridge.  It now sits on the ledge in the yellow room and I love, love, love it!

Vintage Field Guides

A couple weeks ago we visited George's sister in Geneva, NY.  Every time we go there I love to stop by the Geneva Antique Co-op.  Its a great store in downtown Geneva that has loads of interesting tidbits (although "tidbits" might not be the right word as the first time we went we had to fit a nightstand in the back seat of the car).

Anyway, this time I found these great "little" field guides.  I say "little" because they are only 3.5'' tall by 5.5'' wide. I love the artwork and the descriptions are wonderfully subjective.  For example, when discussing the rose-breasted grosbeak the author states,"  Almost all observers are impressed with the wholesomeness of this grosbeak.  It is seldom nervous and does not permit trivial things to bother it."

This is is dated 1931 and printed in Racine, Wisconsin.

This one was printed in Bavaria and didn't have a date .

This one was printed in 1932 also in Racine, Wisconsin.

This may be the start of a new collection!  (George sighs and thinks, "At least they're not breakable and they fit into the back of the car.")

Party Lights!

I was so excited yesterday to put up these string lights I got at Target (actally George put them up - thanks G).  When we built the porch I knew we had to have party lights so we had the electrician put a special outlet at the top so the cords wouldn't have to come from the floor. 

I also love how it looks from the outside.  It looks like the room glows.

Bleeding Heart

I planted this dwarf bleeding heart last year and I was super excited to see it come back this spring.  I took this photo at the end of April, but it is still in bloom now.  I love the shape of the flower and the delicate foliage.  There is an interesting legend about the flower that you can read here.

Swainson's Thrush

Last week I was on my way downstairs to eat breakfast when George nonchalantly says,"I've got a Swainson's thrush in a box downstairs. It hit the window. Do you want to see it before I release it?"

Now, you have to understand we often have random injured birds in boxes so that was no surprise...but we don't often have a Swainson's thrush! So I got the camera, rushed downstairs and was soon standing in the driveway in my pjs taking photos.

When George opened the box to pick it up it made quite a fuss with loud, "I'm-totally-annoyed" chirps. But when he finally went to let it go it happily perched on his finger and looked quite content to sit there all day. George was worried it didn't want to fly so he put it back in the box to rest. An hour later he opened the box and it flew away no worse for wear.  As my friend John would say, "Schweet!"

Bloodroot May

This month I was inspired by the lovely, curvy shapes of  bloodroot leaves from the backyard.  When I looked it up, again to my surprise it had an "M" class.  So I could have called this month "Magnoliopsida May," but somehow "Bloodroot May" sounded better. (Sorry about the clashing greens of the wall and the calendar.)

Crabapple Tree

The crabapple tree in our backyard is an amazing site to see in the spring and this year was a special treat because of our new screen porch.  It was incredible to sit and listen to the thousand buzzing bees and watch them jumping from flower to flower. 

New Pillowcases!

This weekend I finally made pillowcases! I have had this fabric for a long time.  I bought it because it goes perfectly with our bedroom color and it has birds and flowers on it!  The color might not show up correctly on everyone's monitor, but it's between cornflower blue and dusty lavender.

I used this blog tutorial to help me figure it out.  But I had to adjust the size because we both like really wimpy pillows.  I cut my fabric to 42''x 28.5'' for the main body fabric and 42''x 10'' for the edge fabric. I ended up using bias ribbon for the divider line fabric mostly because it was the only thing I could find in the correct color.  But you could use fabric or ribbon. It is also best to finish your edges now with the zig zag stitch ( I don't have a serger).

I also altered the way she attached the edge fabric. My way hides all the seams. I made a diagram below.

Make sure to pin the bias ribbon only to the top layer first.  It is important to get it even and straight here.

Then go back and pin the main body fabric.  At this point you can pin through all the layers.

After sewing this together it's easy.  Just fold with right sides inside and sew the edges.

Dual Flush Toilet

Recently George and I were watching one of those home improvement shows on TV and they had this show about dual flush toilets and how easy it is to convert your toilet into one.  Of course, we always see stuff like that and say that we want to do it, but in reality we never do.  But as fate would have it I was in Ace hardware a week later and what do I see, but a dual flush toilet converter!  I had to buy it... and it was only $25!

For those of you who are asking what is a dual flush toilet?  It is a way to save water every time you flush.  There is a button for solids and a button for liquids.  Hence, every time you just tinkle you don't use as much water.  If you have an old toilet and would like to convert it, it is really easy.  It took George about 15 minutes.  It is a win-win situation - you save water and money at the same time.