All That Glitters!

Oh how I love October and it's already more than halfway over. Sad... I wish it would last for another 6 months! Our temps here have started to drop a bit, though this week we might be headed up into the 80's again when really temps should be in the 50's or 60's. That's the south for you, always on the warm side of things.

I've got a zillion projects going on right now. I just completed a HUGE one yesterday that I wanted to have done for the past 3 years. LOL! We built a smaller horse shed for one of my horses and it was just plywood so it was ugly, weathered, aging...looking pretty shabby. Yesterday I went out and painted it finally, and we trimmed it out in bright white to really finish it off. Looks 1000x times better! Next is our garden shed which I originally painted a bright yellow and has faded so badly, that I'm going to repaint and make it too fresh and bright.

So - all that glitters? Well....I've been working on lots and lots of jewelry. Did I mention how much I LOVE to solder?! Oh I do. I took some amazing classes this past summer and have been working so hard on new jewelry pieces. I've been so fortunate too to be able to sell so many this year. That's really gratifying. Here are a few things I've made so far:

My next addition will be hand stamping. I'm currently in the "collecting" stage; letter sets, metal blanks, and various tools. I'm in LOVE with this form of jewelry making too, though it can be extremely frustrating as well if you don't get a good impression with the stamp. The letter sets too are very expensive. I mean VERY expensive. Not the $50 or 60 that are in the stores. These are hundreds of dollars, so it's a huge investment. The difference in stamping though is comparable to buying a Volkswagen to a Ferrari! That huge of a difference. The work you put out though is also amazing, so it's worth the investment I think.  This is one I made for a memorial pendant for an order:

And just a fun one:

I've got bracelets coming as well and a lot more fun things. I hope to show you some more soon! Happy Fall!

F@LL is the Beginning of Baking Season!

Hey everyone! It's the end of September, we're in Fall mode now, and so I thought it'd be a good time to kick off the season with an amazing recipe that I tried about a month ago and will be baking again here soon. They were SO delicious I can't even tell you! If you love cinnamon, these are for you! 

I have to tell you that I modified the recipe for me just a bit, meaning I added a lot more cinnamon. Do what you want, follow the recipe to a "T" or not. I added a couple tablespoons of cinnamon and I think a dash of cloves and nutmeg too. My apples were also leftover from apple pie I had made, so I added those in too. They had been chopped and mixed with brown sugar and butter. I mean really, that can only make a recipe better right? Yes, right! I also didn't have any pecans, so those weren't in mine (tho I love them). Oh and my glaze - I added cinnamon to my mixture.

Ok, so here's the recipe. Seriously, make them! And another tip, make sure the dough is chilled before kneading and cutting, or it'll be sticky.

Apple Pie Scones

Ingredients

For The Scones

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

For The Topping

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°

For The Scones

In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt together.

Add cold butter into flour mixture and using a pastry blender or a fork, mix until crumbly.

Add chopped apples and pecans, stir.

Pour in milk and stir until incorporated.

Remove from bowl and place on a flour covered surface and knead about 8 times.

Form a rectangle, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then cut into 8 diagonal pieces and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper..

Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until browned.

For The Topping

Mix powdered sugar with milk to make a glaze, then drizzle over each scone.

These are drool worthy, so make them! You're welcome! 

It's October!

Yay! Fall has finally arrived here in middle Tennessee after enduring months and months of 90 degree plus weather. Boy was I tired of that! Now it's in the 60's, low 70's, even some 50's. This October loving girl is just so happy about it too!

News? I'm busy filling lots of Etsy orders. I think I just hit 405 sales! Woo Hoo!! It's awesome that I have so many return customers. To me that means they love what I do, and of course that's why I do it! So doing lots of painting; snowmen and witches...you know, the usual. My art studio is now in my dining room, spread out all over my dining room table (that we never eat on), this way I can keep an eye on my doggies in the adjacent room. I like it better that way, though it is messy.

Whmsical Witch painted on a Bass wood plate

Vlad, a paperclay sculpture

Oh and I was taking a ceramics class up in Nashville that I enrolled in and started back in August, but then I fizzled out on it, realizing that it just wasn't my thing. I'm a painter pure and simple. I need more time once I create a ceramic piece and the first firing is done, to be able to sit and think about what colors I want to paint, or what design, and in the class, you don't really have that luxury. It's more about the creation in clay then it is the painting, so I just don't think it's my medium. Good thing I didn't invest $1,500 on a kiln! I did enjoy it though, don't get me wrong. My teacher, Crystal Shade, who owns Crystal Shade Pottery up in Germantown, was a hoot! She creates really awesome animal creations just to name a few and donates to animal organizations (which I SO admire!). I feel bad it wasn't for me, but you don't know till you try I guess. I made a few things; a funny cat mug, some little houses and also some ornaments.

Paperclay sculpted owls - I love these!

A new Frosty paperclay sculpture

Right now besides filling Etsy orders, I'm trying out a new technique with carving my design in wood and then painting. I've done one large one and I like it. It's different for me as it's not as detailed as I normally get, and also it's not "perfect" which is hard for someone that's semi-anal retentive such as myself, not to try and get everything "just right". It's good for me to loosen up and not go back and fix things, though trust me it's hard! LOL! Anyway, my first creation was done on an 18" x 11" wood plaque that I had already painted with a base coat of off-white, so when I did my carving, it wasn't quite the same as having a clean piece to start with, but I think it turned out fine. I just started a smaller one now that hasn't been painted first, so we'll see how that goes. I'll update this post with a pic of the other here shortly.

Well that's kind of it for right now. I'm just home, enjoying doing all my art and working with my wonderful customers, and spending time with my horses, and my cozy little house. Life is sweet and I'm blessed for each and every day, and grateful for so many good things in my life. Happy Fall everyone!!!

The Eyes Have it (and more fun stuff)

Finally after quite a hiatus, though really it's cause I've been too distracted (for many reasons), I listed some newly created items in my Etsy shop. Really I love making things, but more when I have a purpose or if I'm creating for someone in mind, then it kicks me in gear. To just list things to sell, that's not really a motivator to me for some reason. Guess cause it's not about the money, it's more about the validation of someone liking my work. That's what keeps this artist going.

Anyway, I created a couple soft sculpture art dolls recently and wow were those fun to paint! They are much harder to paint than say, painting on canvas or wood, since fabric is absorbent, sort of a rougher surface, and the paint just drags. But either way, I was happy with the final result. And as usual, I have this "vision" in my head of what I'm making but they never turn out that way really. My work sort of morphs on it's own. 

This first one is a hoot! Such an intense stare. She looks a bit scary and mean, but looks, as we all know can be deceiving. Someone may look mean, but as soon as you speak to them, a huge wide smile breaks out and their eyes sparkle with friendliness, and it's a whole other person. Agree? I know that's the case with me personally. I can look intense at times, but I'm a teddy bear (mostly, hee hee).
So this is "Gertie". A witch stitched of fabric, painted, then topped with a sculpted witch hat. Her cat is a separate piece as well and then attached after. This gal has so many layers of paint on that face she's going to have a heck of a time washing that make-up off!

Next is "Francie". She started as a witch doll, but then after adding the bolts on her neck, she sort of morphed into a "Frankenstein" type gal. Again, very sweet.

And finally, a new sculpture. Instead of paperclay which I love and I find I'm a bit better with, I chose papier mache. It's definitely more challenging because it's super messy, the shapes aren't as smooth and precise, but then I found when the consistency was right, it became easier to work with and fun too! My creation became a garden witch. I didn't start that way, but then here we go with the morphing! After adding bees and flowers, and not wanting to paint a mean typical witch face, my direction was clear, and she became a sweet, kind garden witch.

I listed them last night, and they were immediately snatched up by a buyer in Oregon who sent me a note saying she loved them all. And that my friends, is why I do my art. Feelin' the love!

PuMPkiN SPiCe - Fall is Almost Here?

Oh don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled it's almost Fall but where have these past months gone? I looked at the date of my last post and seriously I was shocked to see that I hadn't posted anything for months and months.  I am so behind and I apologize and thank you all for sticking with me. I hope you'd knew I'd eventually resurface, and here I am.

Ok Jeannine, then why haven't you posted? Where have I been?!

Well....sigh.. ok, here goes: I was hired at a job after I got laid off last October, for a place I thought would work out really well for me. It wasn't and didn't. I never got anxiety at a job before and this place gave me an anxiety attack it seemed about every other day.  Where I sat for one, was facing a wall. There was no one to talk to all day. You were basically within cubicle walls and left pretty much for dead all day, unless I had a question about what I was doing, then I'd ask one of the other two gals in my department. They never spoke to me otherwise, no one did. Never a hi, how are you, how was your weekend, got any plans, what are you up to, blah blah blah, casual kind of conversation or rather just being friendly kind of talk. Nope. I was by myself all day, most everyday. It was miserable and depressing and after 6 long months, I finally quit. When I got home, I was emotionally done. I'd just want to cry and go to bed. I had no joy. No happiness. No nothing to do anything. I was ok on the weekend sort of but then Sunday night, I'd sink down into misery again knowing I had to go back. So there it is. Me just miserable and feeling emotionally and certainly creatively paralyzed, unable to function while I was working there. I felt like I owed it to myself and my health to leave, end it. I hated giving up the very large paycheck but money isn't everything so I did it with no regrets. It's in the past now thankfully and I can feel myself rising out of the ashes and soon I'll be back to running at 100%. Thank God in heaven it's over!

On the flip side of that though is I'm not working. Yet anyway. I've had some interviews and if I want to drive 2 hours each way and work 50 hours a week, yes I will have another high paying, soul sucking, life draining job. No. NO NO NO! I've discovered that I don't have it in me any longer to do that kind of work. I have a life. I have animals, a farm, a great husband to hang out with, my horses and dogs need my attention, I've got my art, all the things I want to create, places to go. You get the picture. Life is NOT about work! I'll figure out what I'm going to do. Maybe.

What do I WANT to do? I want to move back to snow country and be a ski instructor again or work in the ski industry again. It's my happy place. It's fun, energetic, positive, healthy. It's just a wonderful lifestyle and it's who I am. Moving to TN, I put it on hold thinking, oh you're too old, you'll grow out of it. No, never did and I'm sure I never will. So I'm sort of in the process of figuring out how to make it happen again. That'll be another blog post. Yes, I promise I'll be back soon and update you with any progress on that front!

Back to Fall: This morning I went with a good friend to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and what was on the menu? Pumpkin spice pancakes! Yes, it's that time again for everything cinnamon-y, clove, and whatever else makes up our favorite holiday scent. I didn't have them but I was happy they were back. I'm sure Starbucks has their pumpkin spice lattes back on the menu as well. Yay for Fall!! Hurry and get here!! I love everything about it; the scents (pumpkin spice!), the weather, Halloween, pumpkins on the porch, corn stalks, all of it!

One of my new painted garden stones - in time for Fall

Pumpkin Man - a new sculpt

And this summer I grew a lot of flowers and made a new garden. I even planted sunflowers! They were gorgeous but didn't stick around as long as I'd hoped. I may try another type next spring. My zinnias were and are gorgeous. Those have to be my all time favorite flower now and I'm going to plant oodles of them next year.

They were so tall!

Not full grown but charming with the metal sap bucket

 

A bit of decor in the front garden

Herbs: Basil, lavender (2), rosemary (2) and citronella (bugs!)

Something else? We adopted another wonderful dog. That makes #6. No I'm NOT a hoarder as some have accused me of. I do not "collect" animals to just have them or to try and "save them all", but while I'm able, I'm going to do my part. I'm helping/rescuing an otherwise soon-to-be-run over dog that will surely get hit on the highway if he's not taken in, so that's what I did. Again.  I have 2 older dogs that I believe are about 15 and then 4 younger ones. My vet says they will "cycle" and I unfortunately know what she's referring to, which is very sad...but I get it's one of those awful parts of life we all have to face sometime or another.  

The new doggie is named Dolly. She's a full pitbull with the biggest head I've ever seen! She's white and brown and just the sweetest dog ever. I've not heard a growl or seen any type of aggressive posture whatsoever. Just all big tongue and lots of kisses. 

Look at that face!

I still have my Mountain Cur Sophie who I found with 2 broken legs as well as ribs, emaciated, and neglected and because she couldn't walk, she'd drag herself. It was pitiful. She's now thriving! She runs the fastest of all my dogs, loves to play, is a whopping 68 lbs, previously 24, and is a joy. 

Sophie

Bug and Lucy, my 2 other rescues are doing great as well and growing to be big, wonderful dogs. And of course there's my 6 kitties too. Yes, it's a very full house but you know what? It's full of LOVE!!!

Hurry Fall!

There's just a slight feel of Fall in the air here in middle Tennessee, at least for the past couple days. The temperature has dropped and humidity has gone away, with just a slight breeze and crispness in the air. I can't wait for Summer to be over and Fall to be here!

The other day at our local grocery store, we picked up this big clay pumpkin to put on the porch and start my decorating. The back has an opening for a candle or lights. I'm going to put orange and white lights in, but I won't light till the first official night of Fall. I know it's early  to start decorating but I don't care, I live for Fall and Halloween!

I can smell a pumpkin spice latte now! The house filled with scents of cinnamon and cloves...hurry Fall!

In November

While trying to find some lovely and inspiring quotes and sayings about November, I came across a book. I think it's a children's book, but I've always been partial to those more than some serious adult books. This book is about November.

Some people I think dread November because it's the start of cold, gray, and often dreary weather. I love November. Not quite as much as October with all the falling leaves and crispness in the air. November starts the holidays. Thanksgiving. Christmas shopping. It's kind of a warm fuzzy month. The time when you start lighting fires in your fireplace, drinking hot cocoa, and for me dreaming of the ski season to come and the first snowfalls. I want to share a few excerpts from this very special little book with you. 

"In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year."

"In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still."

"In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures.”

"In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other's homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings - for the food on their tables and the babies in their arms.”

Fall is Magic!

Oh how I love Fall! It's not quite here yet in Tennessee, at least in our region of the state where it's still over the average temperature, but I know it's on it's way cause I can see the color change in the trees and you can feel it in the air. That certain something. The dry wind, the little whirlwinds of leaves that swirl in a circle at your feet. I remember those from when I was a child and still feel the same "magic" I did then.

Decorating for this magical time is something I look forward to and this year is the first I've done that since we moved to our little farm in Tennessee. Last year it was too hectic with the move and getting all settled, so this year it's a treat to get started! TJ Maxx and Marshalls are a couple of my favorite places to pick up Halloween and Fall decor and that was no exception this time either! I got an ADORABLE large decorative bucket, orange with small white polka dots and a blocked out area that's chalkboard painted for writing your own message. Thinking out loud in the aisle, I said, "hmmmm what will I do with this?" and a friendly customer who overheard me said, "put mums in it! It'd be perfect!" and so I did, and it is! I've also put up orange lights on top of my white-washed French armoire that holds our TV, and has a garland of dried berries on the top. Mixed with the orange lights? Magic! 

Next, pumpkins! Lots and lots of pumpkins! Enjoy the season everyone!!

Summer into Fall, and Where are my Old Friends?

Yesterday when I was out in my paddocks shoveling horse poop, I could feel it; a change in the air. You can't really describe it other than maybe a rustling of the trees, or a breeze, but it's definitely there; Fall. Even though I actually enjoyed most of my summer, my 2nd one here in Tennessee, and that's probably cause I got heat relief by putting up a swimming pool, I'm looking forward to Fall. Enough 90 degree+ days!

While not enjoying being outside swimming and splashing around, I've been busy working on my 2nd store, but there's just not enough hours in the day. This coming weekend I am hoping to get more accomplished; a few more pieces made and posted, and also my Etsy banner and avatar uploaded. I have them done, just no energy when I get home from my spirit-draining job. Sigh...

With these season changes, so come life changes...As I've been looking through my old blog friends, ones I had when I first started my own blog and online business, I see some are no longer active. Many of the postings are from a year or more ago. What's really sad is that some of my dear blog friends have passed. Sad.. My good friend and first fan, Jonty from Darkside Creations over in the U.K., passed suddenly from a massive heart attack and he was so young, with a family. I believe in his mid-30's or so. He was an amazing papier mache artist who found me through the web and we became chatty friends over the next few years until that. Then another gal, cancer. I followed her stage IV postings and I knew the eventuality of it, but still...you hope that won't come to pass, until you no longer see postings. Other friends are no longer creating, or have family issues or health issues of their own. I too have had many events going on in the past few years and neglected my art and blog.

I feel happiest when I'm creating, whether for my stores or just for myself. It feeds the soul as the saying goes. For my granddaughter's birthday this year, I bought her first sewing machine and I'm hoping she will become a lifetime creator/crafter herself and I'll have been a positive influence in that way. Sort of carry on the family tradition. For me anyway, when life gets in the way, art is a comforting refuge. 

Have a happy weekend friends! Jeannine

Warm Up Your Home with Fall Decor!

Bring the beauty of colorful fall foliage indoors this Fall with some simple crafts that use leaves and other elements to create seasonal home accents for any room in your house. 
 

Craft a stunning wreath that incorporates all the colors of Fall. Layer brown leaves and pinecones with vibrant mums and yarrow in shades of red and yellow. Be on the lookout for other colorful leaves, add small dried gourds, acorns, or tie in some sisal, jute or festive ribbon to pull it all together.

 

Garnish plain pillar candles with leaves for an elegant yet understated display. Place the leaves where you like, then decoupage them into place. If needed, use tacky white craft glue to hold the stems down. Cover the candles and leaves with another coat of decoupage medium.

 

This is so easy and one of my favorites! Simply place a votive candle in a clear glass container and surround it with unshelled nuts or acorns you find on a walk. Display it anywhere; a table, buffet, or mantel. Once Fall is over, add in scented pinecones, jingle bells, or small glass ornaments to ring in the Christmas season!

Fall Fever!

Is there such a thing? I think there must be cause I've come down with it!  It's still in the 80's up here in the northwest, which is unusual even for summer around these parts, but you can tell Fall is on it's way. There's just that "something" you can feel; a stirring of air, a few scattered leaves zig zagging to the ground, and of course the sun setting earlier and earlier with each day.

This year I'll be welcoming in Fall by a trip to Tennessee! If you've never been, you really must go. It's so beautiful, and even more so in the Fall. The colors just explode with some of my favorite Autumn and Halloween colors of gold and orange!

The purpose of my trip? I will be visiting with my best old "Bag" friend/sister, fellow artist/creator and proprietress of Macabre Webs, Ellen. She's my Halloween pal, partner-in-crime and past life webweaver. And we actually lived to tell about it!

The "Bag" lives outside of Nashville on her own piece of heaven; 6 acres in the country, with her hubby and various critters. They have an amazing barn and a workshop where they create Halloween props and an assortment of monstrous effects for movies, as well as for her own art, not to mention throwing THE annual Halloween hoedown! The biggest pumpkinfest that side of the Appalachia!!! Yee haw Pa!

We have a full itinerary planned as you can imagine; Day 1: Heading east to Jack Daniel's in Lynchburg, then over to the Lynchburg Hardware and General Store, then it's over to Marvin's in Fayetteville. OMG - you haven't lived till you've eaten BUTTER ROLL.

Day 2: Paddling the Harpeth River out of Kingston Springs. I'm hoping the trees along the bank will be turning all my favorite Fall colors by then. Maybe Mondel's for dinner or to the Loveless Cafe.

Day 3: Franklin, TN and Belle Meade Plantation, then to downtown to check out the little shops and to CeCe's for frozen yogurt.

I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but we're going to go check out some properties while I'm there as well. I'm hoping to buy there so I can have all my horses at home with me, and then start a new business with her. I think TN would be a marvelous place to do that! In another post, I'll tell you all about that.

Besides running around to the point of sheer exhaustion no doubt, we WILL be going to all our favorite food places and are making a VERY lengthy list of all the southern food items that I must consume; deep fried pickles, butter roll (duh!), fried chicken, sweet potatoe pie, chicken and waffles, CeCe's yogurt, chocolate dipped cones from this place in Pegram, moonpies from Bell Buckle. Oh the list continues to grow, as does my expanding waist! LOL!

 

 

 

 

Dog Days......

In these heat-filled, semi-humid dog days of summer, my comfort is knowing that the days of Orange and Black are not far away...

Did you ever wonder where the origin of using these colors for Halloween started? Celtics were given the most credit for the beginnings of the holiday as a festival of the harvest. And orange, being the most prevalent color of autumn. The color of pumpkins, the warmth of fire. It also signifies strength and endurance, and used often in feng shui, being the "social" color, instilling lively conversations and good times in your home.

 

 

Black, the color of mystery and void. The color of a space with no beginning and no end. Black holds the power of energy and protection.

 

Do you see now why this is a perfect color combination for Halloween?

 

 

 

Celebrate Fall!

  

Well it's been quite some time since I've hosted a soiree of any kind. My last one was a dinner party I had at my old house, and had some new friends that I met at art school over. At the time, I thought it was a great idea. There were about 4 couples and some random singles. A good mix, or so I thought. I decorated the eat-in kitchen with candles and twinkly white lights, cooked a fabulous if-I-say-so-myself Boeuf Bourguignon that would've curled Julia Child's toes, served with rustic French country rolls, a variety of wines..and you know what, it was a bore. A bore I tell you! You couldn't have bought a conversation with those dolts! Save for an eccentric aging diva who made her entrance wearing stilleto's and a boa wrapped around her throat, I kid you not. My ex-hubby got completely sloshed and passed out, some of the guests stayed so long, I thought I'd have to charge them rent...do you see where I'm going here? 

Fast forward about 10 years or so....and I'm going to be brave and try it again -with a whole new set of friends - a good mix of folk this time around; horse friends, hair friends, etc...etc...I'd love to have some Elvis fans over as well, but I don't think they'd fly in from Memphis for an evening. The menu this year? Perhaps a hearty stew of some sort, or an earthy butternut squash soup. Maybe I'll attempt some chocolate creme brulee reminiscent of Pinot Bistro in Los Angeles, or I might just make us some down home Southern vittles! Deep fried dill pickles, pork chops with milk gravy and mashed potatoes, and refrigerator lemon pie! And what Fall hoedown would be complete without candy corn martini's? Not mine that's for sure!

I've got a new house now, bigger and more "grand." I'm going to deck it out with lots of orange lights, pumpkins, luscious smelling candles in flavors of Fall; cinnamon/nutmeg, maple syrup, cinnamon bun - the kind that make you hungry, toss in some Halloween decor of course, wrap my staircase in swags of orange, gold and red leaves - more twinkly lights...and if the conversation gets dreary, I'm counting on those candy corn martini's to save the evening!

What's on your menu this Fall?