A few fabulous images I’ve run across on the Internet while thinking about Christmas Eve. Believe me when I say that I know this is about more than Santa and gifts… but these are wonderful childhood memories… Wishing you a good night sleep, hope you’ve been good!
Catch you back here tomorrow!!
I just want to give a big SHOUT to artist Dan Corey for being so very generous! First of all for being a part of a fundraiser for Boothbay Regional Art Foundation’s Art Scholarship Fund, where all artists who participated agree to sell their paintings for $100 with 25% going to the foundation (NOTE: Fundraiser is over BUT you are in luck… the paintings on Dan’s blog are still available UNTIL the day after Christmas and then they’ll be gone (or regular price)… Dan didn’t just include a painting or two, he included around 20 or so paintings (at the time I write this)! That is VERY GENEROUS! And… then he did a holiday giveaway, the first person to read his post and answer his questions won the gorgeous painting above. Let me say, I don’t normally win things… and I’m OK with that… BUT this was meant to be! I was checking his blog to see if he posted a new painting and saw that the giveaway had begun! The questions were posted! I got answers to the questions and responded as fast as my frozen fingers would type… and whew… I am HAPPY to say, we are the proud owners of the big holiday giveaway painting and we are THRILLED! So a BIG THANK YOU to Dan… we are loyal followers Dan, you are a fabulous artist as well as the nicest guy… we look forward to meeting you one day soon!
Merry Christmas to you (and Raquele)! The same to the rest of you folks! Check out Dan’s blog, it’s a treat!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I don’t lie when I say these are the best tasting cookies ever! These have been a ‘tradition’ in our family since we were little kids… and we make them every year… they make beautiful cookies to hand out as gifts to neighbors and friends. If you’re going to do that then you need to (at least) double the recipe, this makes a fair amount depending upon the size of your cookie cutters…
I featured this recipe back in February as Valentine’s Day cookies… but the recipe came out of a magazine many years ago (1960’s) in an article about the best Christmas cookies… Here’s the recipe…
CHRISTMAS BUTTER COOKIES
Sift 2 3/4 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
In mixer bowl add 3/4 cup soft butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Beat until fluffy and light. Slowly beat in flour mixture. CHILL ONE HOUR.
Flour your work surface and roll out dough. Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
YIELD: 4 dozen (IF you don’t eat the dough… good luck to ya!)
FROSTING
Mix 1/4 cup butter, 4 cups (1 box) confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup scalded cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Blend until smooth. Scoop into separate bowls and add food coloring (hint: yellow and blue mixed makes an awesome ‘grinch’ green). Scoop colored frosting into Ziplock bag (I use freezer) and snip a little off the corner. Squeeze onto cookie to decorate! If you need the frosting thinned a bit more, I have great luck just using light cream, add a little at a time until it will easily come out of the bag to decorate.
Catch you back here tomorrow!!
David Scriven Crowley is today’s Artist to Watch! My husband and I first ran across him on a trip to Rockland, Maine… we ran across his intriguing gallery on Main Street and fell in love with his Jack Russell, (I believe her name was Daphne), what a character! David is a very talented artist full of amazing stories, if you get a chance and are in the area, stop by and say Hello! Or… stop by his website to check out his work…
Here’s a blip from the artists website…
My work is about emotion, the profound sense of a mandate so demanding and so compulsive that the need to make something MUST be satisfied. Even if the lack of time, the lack of funds, and the market do not support the idea, the emotional desperation for a project to be realized is so compelling as to force itself into fruition. These concepts manifest in many forms, usually complete (in my head), before they are begun. The process is, however every bit a part of the creation and through the development of the work, small changes of direction may occur. Usually, these deviations are subtle, but may at times alter the direction of the original idea. The ideas are spiritual, political, social, environmental, humorous, or may simply be about beauty.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
This is a two part post… the first part is a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad. He’s the best… then, the Artist to Watch… !
Hey dad, I’m wondering how you are old enough to have a daughter my age, ha ha! We wish you the happiest birthday ever… You’re the absolute best! Miss you so much!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, deeeaaaaar Daaaa-aaaad!
Happy Birthday to you… and many more!
My dad can do ANYTHING… some of the hobbies he’s had that quickly come to mind are… photography/developing photos in our basement, wine making (long time ago, wonder how that turned out?), rock polishing/jewelry making, canoe building, watercolor, oil, pen and ink, woodworking (beautiful jewelry boxes, lamps, wooden bowls, ornaments, you name it…), stained glass making… the list goes on and on… the man doesn’t get bored I can tell you that! A few years ago I gave him a sketchbook for Christmas, and told him one day when he filled it up with doodles, thoughts, etc he could pass it back (nice gift, eh?)… Perhaps this may have been the most stressful gift he’s ever received, ha ha… He gave it back to me less than two years later FILLED with gorgeous sketches, pen and ink and watercolor… I am sharing a few with you. He’s too talented. He needs a website ;)
I will share more with you in the coming months… this sketchbook is precious to me… I LOVE it!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
My husband and I made THE BEST pasta dish the other night… it came together and it was OUTSTANDING… quick and easy too! We used spinach spaghetti (Whole Foods), you can use fresh spinach pasta, spinach linguine, or I’m sure regular pasta will do just fine… keep in mind there is also the quinoa pasta available… might be tasty? We’ve made this several times and we get between 1/2-3/4# fresh large shrimp. Frozen shrimp will work just fine. Just run them under cold water to thaw. I’ve used both frozen and canned artichokes, both work fine, as long as they’re thawed/drained. The feta and olives add the perfect touch. I made it for the two of us, adapt the recipe below to suite your needs, add anything else that sounds good to you! Hint: I often will buy some of the veggies (red onion and red pepper) at the salad bar or the bulk veggies cut up at Whole Foods if I know I don’t need the entire pepper/onion… Last time I think the red onion/red pepper was sixty five cents!
Click HERE to print just the recipe…
MED PASTA – serves 2
Spinach Spaghetti (or any pasta, spinach is especially good in this recipe)
Olive oil for sautéing
1/2- 3/4 lb. shrimp (I bought fresh, large, deveined shrimp)
Red pepper (about 1/4 of a pepper)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 red onion, chopped
Artichokes, chopped small (I used either one can, or about 8-9 frozen and thawed artichokes) – drain in either case…
Feta (a few spoonfuls for each plate)
Kalamata Olives (a spoonful for each plate)
S&P
Splash of white wine or pasta water
I used a stir fry pan, I heated some olive oil (about 1/2-1 tablespoon, add more if you need it), once the oil got hot and was dancing around I added the shrimp and cooked until pink and they were done, about 3 minutes, then add a few cloves of minced garlic, cook this for one minute. Holy cow does that ever smell good! Then put this shrimp/garlic mixture into a bowl while you do the next step… (Make sure your shrimp is done, but not OVER done… when shrimp turns pink and opaque, or you see the ends curl up, that means its done)…
Add a little more olive oil to your pan (1/2-1 tablespoon), when hot, sauté the onions and red pepper. When onions start getting translucent add the artichokes and cook for a few minutes (until hot), and add the shrimp back in. Now I have brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (yippee), time to deglaze the pan. I used a little white wine, but you can use water, broth, etc. Literally a few tablespoons, just enough to be able to stir the brown goodness stuck to the bottom of the pan and turn it into heavenly taste for the pasta dish… Add the cooked and drained spinach pasta to the veggies. Toss to coat, add more olive oil if necessary. Using tongs (to pick up all the little veggie pieces) put some of this fabulous mixture on a plate (we use a low rim soup bowl that works perfectly as a small pasta bowl). Sprinkle feta and olives on top. Grind a little pepper and you’re ready to go!
Your eyes just rolled back in your head didn’t they? Too good! Catch you back here tomorrow!
The first year we went to Monhegan it absolutely blew my mind how many artists had their easels set up and were painting away. Not a few artists, I’m talking LOTS of artists, they were everywhere! It was amazing, especially as a huge lover of art to watch them. Here is one artist I featured recently, Walter Pasko. An amazingly talented and brilliant man. He knows the technical side of painting, no doubt… fascinating to listen them talk about pigments and whatever else… over my head, but interesting nonetheless! I love photographing artists painting… I also like paintings of other artists painting, very neat!
Catch you back here tomorrow! Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?
I can’t believe I remember this photo like I did the one a year earlier! I remember it because I was mad. I dressed up for Santa. We had our little skirts with matching shirts on, but because of the cold Michigan snow, we had to wear our leggings (really mom???? ha ha), then I wanted to take mine off first, but it was my turn to hop up on Santa’s lap, and since Santa “knows when you’ve been good or bad” I decided to go with it. I felt a need to explain “the look”! Can’t you just see the excitement in Bridget’s face? The way she’s got her hands clasped together tightly? PRECIOUS. Santa is awesome!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I found a treasure for you to try… Last year we got hooked on peppermint ice cream around the holidays, we got the store brand from both Whole Foods and EarthFare, both were delicious… so we were on the lookout this year, and nothing! No peppermint ice cream for the holidays?? Hmmmm… Well Fred found it at Harris Teeter, Edy’s brand, in both regular and light. We had the light and it is TOO GOOD. Very refreshing after dinner… It’s a limited edition flavor, so get it while the gettin’s good! It’s got candy canes pieces crushed up in it… Just a little scoop is all you need to be completely satisfied!
Enjoy and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
I love a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg. It tastes much like a fried egg without any added fat… I put mine on wheat or sourdough toast. Eggs are good for you, they provide good protein. They’re perfect for breakfast, lunch OR dinner… It’s our “go to” dinner when we’re in a hurry… (sorry Fred!). I like my yolks running and the whites cooked… if that’s the way you like your eggs, it may take a time or two to get it exactly right with your stove, etc., but it is such an easy method… it’s worth a try…
Fill a sauce pan with water that would cover your eggs by about 2″, you want to do this to keep the water hot enough after it comes to a boil and you add cold eggs…
Once the water is boiling, add the eggs, and set a timer for 6 minutes. Now this is the tricky part. Depending upon how cold your eggs are will change the time somewhat. If about 37 degrees it should take about 6 minutes. If you leave them out on the counter for a while, then it will take less time. What I did was took eggs out of the fridge, added to boiling water, and set the timer for 5 minutes the first time (whites too runny), then 5 minutes 30 seconds, whites almost perfect but a little runny, so it was probably 5 minutes 45 seconds – 6 minutes and it was just right… crack them open with a knife and gently scoop the egg out with a spoon (as shown above left). I like to mush around (as shown above right), S&P and ENJOY!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Artist Daniel Corey… whoa! Extremely talented… an artist from Maine with a keen eye for painting everything… I know I have already featured Dan this year (back in May) but he is posting some fantastic work at a very cheap price for a fundraiser in Maine (details below). I am in love with his snow scenes… I miss living in a cold and snowy climate (well, most of the time, I can’t complain about a Charleston winter, that’s for sure) and his paintings make me so happy! For the past several weeks he has been posting paintings on his oh-so-fabulous blog and facebook page, prices are to die for… (AND the guy has a sense of humor, so his blog is as entertaining as it is informative!)… It’s all for a fundraiser for Boothbay Regional Art Foundation, see a description from his website below… the $100 price is a FRACTION of his normal price, and believe me when I tell you that I hesitate to tell ANYONE ELSE about this… I hate for a good painting to get away, hee hee, but fair is fair, and I think everyone needs to know about Dan!
Ok, here’s the deal this month the local Boothbay Regional Art Foundation holds its Art in the Square show. This show donates $25. of every sale to a local Art Scholarship fund. The best part of this sale is all the pieces in this show must be priced at $100. !! So that means the art foundation takes nothing and is just servicing the art community.. Just Great! So no matter who you are or what level of commercial success you have had you are priced like all the rest.. Because of the non money hungry style of this non-profit group and June Rose (a true asset to the BRAF and general sweetheart) I try to go out of my way to help them out. I have put alot of effort into teaching and participating here and hope you may want to help out by buying one of these pieces. Now I plan on donating the same ratio to them and they have no idea I’m doing this til they read this.. surprise! I plan on posting at least one painting a day for sale and the buy it now button should let you pay in many ways so don’t make excuses to not be part of this. The price is so low for these that im guessing they will sell quick and I am not saving the best pieces for last.. so dont wait. The only addition I am making is a one size fits all shipping price of $15. this will help pay for packaging, a little effort, shipping and paypal fees.
OK, now I feel better, I let everyone know about it… but be quick with the PayPal button or I just might beat you ;)
Another great one!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All images from the artist…
I’m trying to think up some unique gifts to showcase peppered in amongst my normal posts… Have you seen a Mark Roberts Fairy? They are the most magical little creatures! Every year there are new designs. They come showcased in a nice box. It’s a great gift for that someone on your list that LOVES Christmas and decorating! They have fairies for specials causes (for every purchase of selected Limited Edition Fairies, a portion goes to breast cancer research)…
The Support the Troops Fairy, for every purchase of selected Limited Edition Fairies, a portion goes to The Wounded Warrior Project…
They have fairies for different life events, like a new baby, etc…
And… of course there are many Christmas fairies to choose from!
Google MARK ROBERTS FAIRIES to see more! I received my first one as a gift many years ago, it came from Nordstrom. Locally we have bought them at Finnicky Filly on King Street, to give as gifts… It doesn’t look like any of the online sites are operated BY Mark Roberts, but they do use his name…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
When I first saw Daniel Merriam’s work, I thought it was amazing. Very different. Each one like it’s own fairytale. As I looked at his pieces I thought to myself… “I could write a story for each and every painting he has”. Then I read his bio. His paintings have been used for books, and rightfully so. They are absolutely amazing! Daniel has an amazing website (click HERE) so check it out, the story about him is fabulous!
Here’s a blip about Daniel from Chloe Fine Arts Gallery, where he shows his work:
Born in 1963 in York, Maine, Daniel Merriam grew up in Naples, a rural town within the vast, quiet spaces of Central Maine. One of seven children in a creative, artistic family, he taught himself to paint at a very young age and used his art as a method of reflective play throughout his childhood. He studied mechanical and architectural design at the Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute. While still in school, he applied his dimensional skills and passion for architecture in the family’s design and construction business.
He then turned his talents to the commercial art field, working as an architectural and commercial illustrator for a number of multi-national corporations. Merriam’s illustrations received numerous awards including several first-place Broderson Awards (the annual Maine advertising industry award) and the first-place New England Scholastics Press Association Award (for editorial cartooning.)
Yet Merriam’s true passion remained painting the expression of his own vision. In 1987 he shifted his focus solely to fine art and had his first solo exhibition at Abacus Gallery in Maine. In the same year, the artist received an Honorary Masters of Humane Letters from the University of New England in recognition of the potential social contribution of his work. Since that time, Merriam has had over one hundred exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
In 1998, Monarch Editions, Inc. published The Art of Daniel Merriam: The Impetus of Dreams – selections from a decade of the artist’s work. The book’s second edition was published in 2002. Merriam’s most recent catalogue reisonné The Eye of a Dreamer was released in October 2007. Both catalogues reisonné were inducted into the permanent archives of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Illustration, and the Peninsular Museum of Art.
The artist’s work appears in Dreamscape: The Best of Imaginary Realism, Volume I and II, published by SALBRU PUBLISH (the Netherlands) in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Merriam has produced paintings for the covers of books by Paula Volsky and Neal Barrett Jr. published by Bantam Books, as well as for an international literary journal, Mid-American Review. Merriam’s work was used for the playbill of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare produced by the Tony® Award-winning McCarter Theatre in New Jersey.
Daniel Merriam has been interviewed on WCSH (Portland, ME); KEYT (Santa Barbara, CA); KUSI News (San Diego, CA); Sedona Now (Sedona, AZ); 7days News (Dubai, UAE); France 3 Quercy-Rouergue (Rodez, France). He has been the subject of feature articles in numerous national and international publications, such as Art & Antiques, Gulf Connoisseur, IN New York, New Art International, Realms of Fantasy, The World & I, U.S. Art, Watercolor Magic. Merriam’s work is included in the public collections of The Riverside Museum of Art, CA; Merrill Lynch, CA; The Gesundheit! Institute, VA; the Manhattan Club, NY, among others.
Great work Daniel! What an imagination… love it!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image: ChloeFineArt.com
Wow, I didn’t think I remembered back when I was four, but hey, I totally remember this! I remember going to see Santa (such excitement), and I remember my sister Bridget wouldn’t have her picture taken with Santa. Afraid of Santa? Geez… that’s gutsy, not me, I hopped up on his lap, and recited my list that I had most likely practiced for quite some time. (Don’t remember what was on the list, ha ha…).
Part of the happiness of Christmas, or the holidays in general are the memories that come with making the meals, decorating the tree (or setting out the Menorah, etc.). It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, each of us, if we’re fortunate, has good memories that we want to replicate year after year. I was so fortunate to have such a great childhood. No worries, just had a great time, all the time (or at least that’s what I remember). Great parents, a sister who was a best friend, even though she did follow me around and repeat everything I said. It was cool to be the “old one” as my dad refers to me now… I always got to be the teacher (sorry Bridget), I got to be the cashier, while Bridget had to push a chair around with canned goods… Christmas was magical. It still is. Pass the magic on. If you know of anyone who is missing the magic, spread the cheer. No one should be lonely any time of year, but especially this time of year… Be an angel, remember… LIFE IS GOOD!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Several years ago on Christmas night my husband and I were riding around downtown Charleston, SC. Then he covered my eyes and told me he was taking me to my Christmas gift… WHAT???!!! I was trying to pay attention (good luck, I don’t do so well when I can see, HA), but we kept making turns so I had NO idea where we were. He stopped the car. Still unable to see he helped me out of the car and walked me up to the window… I opened my eyes, took in the sight and said… “ME Barbara, YOU Fred?????!!!!!” Not meaning to sound like Tarzan, I just couldn’t believe that the tag on the painting in the window that everyone can see was TO: Barbara FROM: Fred. Holy Cow! That was so special. Thanks to Eva and to Karin Olah, the gallery manager at the time, for making it so special! Do I have a cool husband or what? What fun!
ARTFOODHOME.COM 