In The Studio Today: Painting & Playing

I have been taking Brenda Pinnick's Color and Mixed Media class. One of the things I have most enjoyed is experimenting with products which I have not tried before. One of these products is called Yupo Paper. It is a synthetic material, and unlike regular paper, it does not absorb the paint or water- the paint sits on top of the surface of the paper. You get a really different look than you do when painting on typical paper- more streaky and "loose," less blended colors. Here is a  quick little painting that I did while I was "playing" in the studio:

Doesn't it look cool? Because Yupo doesn't absorb the paint, it does make layering colors much more difficult. I don't think I will be moving to Yupo for all of my future projects- I like a lot more details and layering in my paintings than I am able to do this way- but it's fun for a change of pace.

The other thing that is cool about Yupo is that there is a version which is translucent, like tracing paper. You can place a drawing under the Yupo paper, and do a quick painting that way, without having to sketch it out on your painting surface first.

I love venturing into nature for inspiration for my artwork. After 3 1/2 days of cold, raw rain (thanks to Hurricane Sandy), it is finally dry and seasonable again- good weather for walking and hiking. Although much of the brilliant foliage is gone, but there is still plenty of nature's handiwork to admire....

My husband and I went on a "date" on Saturday, and went for a long hike through a nearby state park. The beauty and stillness refreshed my soul....

Being outside always calms me down and relaxes me. What recharges your batteries and refreshes your soul? Is it a favorite place? Music or books? Prayer or meditation? A special person or people who make you feel warm and loved??

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  ~e.e. cummings

NYC Is Good To Me: Part 2

Guest blogger Samantha shares more from her recent trip to New York City:

Warning! This post is very photo-heavy, because I'm about to show you my favorite part of our trip to New York a few weeks ago.  You remember first we visited the Hell's Kitchen Flea market, but then after that we made our way further downtown to take a walk down The High Line park.  The High Line is a park that has been built on an abandoned elevated rail line above the city, running from W. 30th Street to W. 14th Street.  What a beautiful way to "upcycle" an unused space.  It was so peaceful being above the city streets, strolling alongside some really cool murals...

City murals are one of my favorite things to see on a trip, along with architecture, which was also really fun in the area surrounding the High Line.  It was such an interesting mix of old and new, traditional and modern, and, of course, man-made and natural.

(Isn't this car park so cool? I didn't even know they existed on this scale!)

I hope to go back to the High Line soon; it was such a wonderful place to visit, that I'm sure changes in every season!
After walking the gardens, we moseyed back to Times Square where we saw the stage production of Mary Poppins!  It was a great show and I'm so glad we saw it.  What can I say, my husband spoils me rotten!

And now to settle back into real life; my least favorite part of travel! Oh well, here's to long work days followed by sweatpants and tea!

Happy Weekend!
Samantha

A note from Jacquelynne:
In regards to yesterday's newsletter- I mentioned how much I enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In hindsight, I should have mentioned that this series is not for young teens or children. At times, I myself found the book difficult to read. However, I felt in the end, that the character development and the issues raised were worth exploring, and insightful in view of some of the things going on in our society today. They are definitely mature themes. If you haven't read the books or seen the movie yet, before you do so, you may want to check out some reviews and see if this story is for you.

Frankenstorm and November Newsletter are Coming!

As I write this, here on the east coast of the United States we are waiting for Hurricane Sandy, or as it has been dubbed by the local weather people, "Frankenstorm," to arrive. We have plenty of water, batteries for the flashlights, canned food... The electric company called yesterday to tell us to expect widespread outages (not a good sign), and Saturday we got the call that daughter's school has been cancelled for both today and tomorrow. They are calling for 80 mile per hour sustained winds and storm surges of 6 feet and more. Many areas are under mandatory evacuation. Please pray with us that everyone stays safe and that there are no serious injuries or fatalities from this storm.

In the meantime, I am working on the November Newsletter. It's a welcome diversion from all of the weather reports. If all goes as planned (we'll see....), the newsletter will be arriving in subscribers' in-boxes on Thursday, November 1. And it's FREE....

Caramel & Chocolate Covered Pears Recipe
(Click here for recipe)

Ideas for your Thanksgiving Table

Wool Acorn Pillow Pattern

Count Blessings Embroidery Pattern

For the month of November, we celebrate the color Brown.

If you're not a subscriber yet, you can sign up for free on the upper right bar of this blog.

And if you are on the east coast, stay dry and safe :)

NYC Is Good To Me: Part 1

Guest blogger Samantha takes on a trip to the Big Apple! 

A few weeks ago, while I was driving to work, an idea struck me.  I called my husband, and two days later we were on the train to New York! My goal for this trip was to see some things I had never seen before and to find a few destinations off the beaten track.  I can't wait to share the whole experience with you all!
First we went to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  Hubby and I had our doubts about this flea market... mostly because it was in "Hell's Kitchen." But the neighborhood has changed a lot since the time it coined its nickname, and we found so many fun things in the area, as well as in the flea market!  The first booth we stopped at was, I think, Hubby's favorite part of the day...

Hubby was happy to get 2 new-to-him comic books from collections he has had his eye on lately.  There were so many to choose from! One could spend hours looking through them all; that is, if you haven't already spent hours looking at the other booths...

There were some pieces there that were just beautiful.  Fur coats, old pictures, broaches, and cobblers models littered every table.  My personal favorite was a globe that looked like it was from around the 1920's with a bronze handle and stand.  I was very sad to leave it behind, but I had a long day of walking ahead of me...

Part 2 is next week! We saw some beautiful sights, and took lots of pictures!  Have you traveled anywhere interesting lately? What is your very favorite place to visit? Let us know in your comments!

Happy Weekend!
Samantha

National Cookie Month: Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

I love peanut butter. I love jam. I love cookies. So.... you can guess how I feel about these.
My family has been making this recipe since I was little, for as long as I can remember. I think my mom got  the recipe out of an old Betty Crocker cookbook. I can still picture the red cover in my head, and when I eat these, they take me right back to my mother's Harvest Gold kitchen in the 1970's.

Peanut Butter &Jelly Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
jelly or jam of your choice

Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar and egg. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually combine with peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in chopped nuts if desired. Place on baking sheets, 3 inches apart (the cookies will spread a lot as they bake). Bake about 10 minutes until lightly browned but still a little moist in the center (don't over-bake). Remove from oven and immediately use the back of a spoon to make a depression in the center of each cookie.

Remove cookies from baking tray to cooling rack.

When cool, place a spoonful of jelly or jam in the center of each cookie.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Click here for a printable PDF of this recipe.

Did you miss our other cookies for National Cookie Month? There were quite a few lip-smacking, pant-tightening, milk-dunking recipes!

There were the Trailblazer cookies, which were decided to be "healthy"

There were also the Candy Corn cookies, which were a big hit with the kids and kids-at-heart in our family...



 

 

And also, Samantha's Carrot-Spice Cookies with Caramel Glaze...

 

 

 

And last, my personal favorite, Pumkin Bars!

 



 



PS-- stop by LilyPad Quilting to see the cute project that Snoodles has made with my Oh Holy Night fabric  line....



Mixed Media, Color & Design Class by Brenda Pinnick

I am into my second week taking Brenda Pinnick's Mixed Media, Color & Design Class, and I am really having fun!

I first met Brenda at Quilt Market a couple of years ago at a cocktail party hosted by Henry Glass Fabrics. Even though we had both been designing fabric for Henry Glass for a little while, this was our first chance to meet in person. We had a nice conversation, and then "met up" again on various blog hops, etc. I met up with her again in person at a trade show in California this past January, and we have been pals ever since! For me, having a phone conversation with Brenda is like talking to one of my best girl friends from way back when. Don't you love it when you meet someone who is a kindred spirit and who just "gets" you???

So anyhow, when I found out Brenda was teaching an online class, I was so curious and excited. I went to the art supply store with my list in hand and just had a wonderful time browsing.

And now that I am watching the videos and doing the exercises, I'm having so much fun. I am loving learning about all kinds of products on the market that I didn't know existed, and seeing first hand how to use them. I admit, I was kind of in a creative rut (we all hit the wall sometimes, right?), but this class has breathed new life into my creativity and studio space. It's inspiring to learn new techniques and play with colors!

When I had all of my supplies out, and projects underway, and a mess all around, youngest daughter wanted to try, also. She made a gorgeous printed fabric with Gingko leaves from the yard. Which wasn't even part of the class. But she is an over-achiever, so whatever......

It's not too late to sign up! All of the videos are archived on Brenda's website, so you can just jump right in. If you are interested in Brenda's class, click here. I hope you will join us :)

Home Sweet Quilt by Jill Finley Blog Tour

Well, it's finally my turn to tell you how much I love Jill's newest book! And your chance to win a copy of Jill's book for your very own!

There are lots of beautiful projects in Jill's book- I love Jill's fun and energetic color sense. Her projects are sure to brighten up any room- in fact, if you'd like to see some of Jill's quilts displayed in her own home, visit her blog here, where she shares photos from an open house she recently held.

One of my favorite projects from Jill's book, Home Sweet Quilt, is the Shadow Blossom Quilt:

Calming blues and fun pops of red "float" on this quilt. And such gorgeous applique, too. Isn't it lovely? By the way, Jill is an expert at applique and she has products she's developed, such as Appli-glue and Poke-a-Dots, to make your applique projects easier and more beautiful.

Another project from the book that I love is the Cottage Bloom Tablerunner- more of my favorite color, red! (Jill and I seem to have that in common!)

And look at the absolutely yummy colors in these projects:

You can see more photos from the book and purchase a copy  here.

Don't forget to visit all of the designers on the "Blook Tour":

 Sat, Oct 13:     Aurifil Threads
 Sun, Oct. 14:   Linda Lum DeBono
 Mon, Oct 15:   Madame Samm
 Tues, Oct 16:   PamKittyMorning
 Wed, Oct 17:  Amy Ellis
 Thur, Oct 18:   Stitch This (Martingale)
 Fri, Oct 19:     Chitter Chatter Designs                    
                        Gigi's Thimble
Sat, Oct 20:      Jacquelynne Steves  (right here, folks!)
Sun, Oct 21:     Henry Glass Fabrics

Now for the part that I know you have been patiently waiting for- You want to know how to win your own copy, right?
To win, comment here on this post and tell me, what color do you find yourself using all of the time in your projects? Are you a blue lover? Passionate for green? Do you think red is a neutral???

Let me know, and make sure that I can contact you if you win! (If there is no email address connected to your blogger account, or if your email address is not included in your comment, I will have to choose another winner. If you would like, you can leave a comment here and then email me with your email address.)

You must comment by midnight EDT on Tuesday October 23, 2012.

Good Luck!

PS The November Newsletter is on its way. If you're not a subscriber yet, you can sign up on the upper right bar of this blog. It's FREE and the upcoming issue will include:

Directions for this wool project which I have almost completed:

And the recipe for this beautiful and delicious autumn dessert, Caramel and Chocolate Covered Pears:

Plus lots more fun stuff!