Dress

Here's the other dress I promised! I won't tell you about all that happened, but let's just say an apron evolved out of part of the dress.

The Process of Creating

I've been thinking a lot lately about the process of art. I am finding that I love the process of creating better than the finished work. Sometimes I disassociate myself from the process once the piece is finished. It's like I didn't create it. Do any of you fellow artists feel the same way? There are times too when I'm finished with a piece that I forget the suffering that was put into it because of all the joy that went into completing it. Let me know of some things you experience while creating.


Here's a picture of my sweet daughter in her new dress that I completed yesterday. She was so excited and proud! The colors in the fabric are so fun! Perfect summer dress for a summery type of girl. I have another fun piece of fabric to sew for her. I can't wait to show it to you!

Impressionist Artist

I had the priviledge to visit with an artist friend this past weekend who does impressionist paintings. Stephen Smith creates beautiful paintings using methods of the masters. Take a peek at his work......you won't be disappointed!

Routines

There is much to be said about routines when you have children. When a routine is changed life is chaos. If you are a parent, can you relate?

Along with the chaos, the desire to create diminishes. What I mean, the desire to create is there but the energy is not. That is what I’ve been dealing with the past several of weeks. I have deadlines quickly approaching, some passing me by. I must get a routine in place to fit my schedule.

My Fine Art Friend, Rose, seems to have a good way of keeping things in check. I’m going to try to incorporate some of her goal ideas into my own hectic life. Thanks for the inspiration, Rose!


Here's a picture of one of our cats who likes to play at the neighbors, rolling around on a driveway full of sidewalk chalk. I guess he likes art too! He came home with blue and pink fur.



Hope you are having a blessed summer!

Busy, busy, busy

Life is busy this time of year. My posts will probably be less for awhile. I'll share a couple of recipes with you that we made over the past weekend. Very delicious summer recipe! Sorry, I don't have a picture of the food to share.

TAPENADE PORK LOIN
from "How to Grill" by Steven Raichlen

For the tapenade:
2 cups drained, pitted black olives (two 6-
ounce cans) or 1 ½ cups pitted kalamata
and/or oil-cured olives
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the pork:
1 pork loin roast (2 ½ to 3 pounds)
Coarse salt and black pepper
4 strips bacon or pancetta (Italian bacon),
optional

Prepare the tapenade: Place the olives, garlic, capers, mustard, and oregano in a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Add pepper to taste and the oil and process until blended.
Roll-cut the pork roast. Season the top of the meat with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt – the olives are quite salty). Spread the tapendade on the meat and roll it back into a roast. Cut four 12-inch pieces of butcher’s string and lay them out on a cutting board. If using the bacon strips, place them on the string in the opposite direction. Place the roast on top and tie the string around the roast. Season the roast on the outside with salt (if not using bacon) and pepper.
Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium.
When ready to cook, place the roast in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat, and cover the grill. Grill the roast until cooked through, about 1 hour. To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the side of the roast: The internal temperature should be at least 160 degrees.
Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the strings. Using a sharp knife, cut the roast crosswise into ½-inch slices.

ZESTY POTATO SALAD

from "Taste of Home"

2 lbs. red potatoes (peeled)
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
2 T. horseradish
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 T. parsley flakes
2 green onions
4 hard boiled eggs
3 slices bacon

Boil potatoes 20 minutes or until done. Cool completely. Cut into chunks. In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Add potatoes, onions, eggs, and bacon.

Work in Progress

Here's a sneak peak at what I'm working on for a friend. Isn't she darling?

This is being done on blue Art Spectrum Colorfix paper. The size is 11X14. I've never worked on this paper before so I'm learning new things about blending!

Art and Stress

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I haven't had anything newsworthy to write about.


Stress can cause our creativity to be squashed. Days that I am stressed, art just doesn’t happen. I found in the April 2008 edition of Body & Soul magazine some ways to beat stress.

- Exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. This will help reduce anxiety and depression.
- Eat fewer carbs and drink less caffeine.
- Get out of your head. Practice meditation or yoga.
- Fine-tune your juggling act. Don’t answer emails while eating lunch, etc. Keep things uncluttered.
- Just say no.
- Know yourself. Know how you react in social settings. Do you get stressed or thrive? Know what refuels you.
- Take herbs and vitamins.
- Play “hide the laptop”. Start and end each day in stillness.
- Seek out sound therapy. Music helps a person unwind.
- Paint a picture or go bowling.

Hope some of these tips can help you reduce the stress in your life! I plan to use some of these myself!