If you are in the area you should definitely check out the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. This weekend the trees will be in peak bloom! It’s a gorgeous view, a relaxing day with plenty of picture taking opportunities, and it’s a great place to spend time with people that you love! Plus, there are plenty of other activities going on as well.
For five weeks in the fall, Nancy was an Artist in Residence at Atholton Elementary School in Columbia. I was fortunate enough to be able to assist her on Fridays. We collaborated with the fourth and fifth graders who worked in groups to paint panels for murals that went up in their schools’ stairwells. The fourth grade picked the theme of the Rainforest and the fifth grade picked the Chesapeake Bay. Each week we went and taught the kids how to draw, trace, paint and collaborate together to make all of their panels match up to make one huge mural. Here are the results:
As you can see, the unveiling process didn’t go exactly as planned, but all the kids and parents were thouroughly excited and impressed at what they got to see. There was a small ceremony where Nancy and I got to stand up in front of everyone and just say a few words. It was wonderful to work with the kids and then see how excited they were to see the end result of their hard work. I had so much fun! And the best part was that the kids really did it all themselves. They drew what they wanted to, they painted the colors they wanted, and Nancy and I barely painted or touched up any of the panels. I hope I get a chance to do this again!
The Paper Place is giving away this amazing stack of Chiyogami paper to get into the holiday spirit. But in order to receive it you must enter your name in a drawing by commenting on their site.
So comment! Because this stack of paper costs almost $2000 AND it’s absolutely gorgeous!
…Just so you can send these postcards back home. They remind me of my attempted art for the recycled art show. Get them from the Curiosity Shoppe.
I finally made it to Terrain! For those of you who don’t know, Terrain [at Styer’s] is a gorgeous garden center made beautiful by the people who gave us Anthropologie. Obviously I’m obsessed, but mostly because it’s filled with beautiful plants that automatically bring a smile to your face.
In the store the displays are to die for. Natural wood, live moss covered walls (with water dripping down!), and elegant terrariums on all the tables. Plus, they have an abundant amount of ornaments, books, organic bath and kitchen accessories, vases, birdhouses, and tons more.
There is a cafe attached to the store (which the food sounds amazing, but we didn’t have any) and an outdoor seating area with a firepit. It was simply cute and cozy for the winter. During the week they have bonfires and parties, so find out more info because it would be the perfect place for a fun get-together.
There is also a “hothouse” where they keep their more tropical botanicals during the winter. Scattered around are neat artifacts for sale that they’ve given new uses. In this picture there is a grain scooper that they propose to hold books, magazines, or even some potted plants.
Every detail is given a touch of beauty. There is nothing there left sitting around looking out of place. It’s worth a visit, so check out Terrain at Styer’s. And if you are in the area, you can get beautiful Christmas trees!
I made this cake last year for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful, so I thought I would share it with everyone.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 pear, peeled and finely diced
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, coarsely chopped, divided
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325˚ ; grease spring form pan, line with parchment paper (i think i just used wax paper). In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix on low speed of mixer for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Add in pear, 1/2 cup pecans and zest. Do not overmix.
3. Pour batter into pan, spreading evenly; top with remaining pecans. Bake 31-33 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack.
4. Once cooled, serve inverted with caramelized pears on top.
* peel and cut 3 pears into wedges. melt 1 tbsp butter in 12″ skillet over med-low heat. Add pear wedges, saute 8-10 mins or until deep golden brown. Toss with 2 tbsp brown sugar until dissolved. Enjoy!
At work today, Matt was telling us about the Jones Soda Holiday Pack. Jones has come up with five intreguing flavors that are perfect for the holiday season: Turkey and Gravy, Cranberry, Mashed Potato and Butter, Green Bean Cassarole and Fruitcake. I think it would be a great hostess/party gift for everyone to try a swig to see if it actually tastes like the flavor. Plus, Jones has partenered up with Toys for Tots, so part of the proceeds go to the organization. So go check it out.
A sale of fine art created exclusively by Maryland Artists benifiting the MD affiliate of Susan B. Komen for the Cure.
Openeing Reception: Friday, November 14th, 6-9 pm
$75 per ticket, wine and light hors’ doeuvres, dressy casual attire
Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm free admission
The Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt
6501 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21285
For tickets to reception. please contact Lenore Chapman at
info@MarylandArtfortheCure.org
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:
Adrianna Amari, Karen Amelia, Brown David, Paul Bacharach
Ruth Channing, Henry Coe, Robert Creamer, Katherine Dilworth
Lisa Egeli, Judy Funk, Palden Hamilton, Jean Hirons, Joan Hurley
Lisa Kyle, Kim Manfredi, Michele McWIlliams, Samantha Merrick
Lisa Mitchell, Crystal Moll, Pam Philips, Nancy Scheinman
John Brandon Sills, Mary Swann, Carol Lee Thompson, Matt Zoll
My friend Greg sent me this link to Pica Press. It’s absolutely beautiful work. I could look at it all day long and drool. One day my press work will be that good.
my grandmother turned 80 last week. My family had a huge party for her in Frida Kahlo style. Frida is one of my grandmother’s fav artists. In fact, I took her to the show in Philly as a Christmas present, and I’d have to say she’s one of my favs too.
We decorated the house with papel picado banners, handmade paper flowers and my grandmothers’ artwork. Having the whole thing come together with the invitations, decorations and food was just amazing. It was a great experience if I ever want to take the party planning route.
We even photoshoped an old picture of my grandmother onto a Frida painting for the cake image. It was a hit.