Blue Sky

I thought the afternoon sunlight was so pretty this weekend.


How glad I am that I have blue sky pictures to remind me that the sun will come back out.

I think the gold is just so pretty against the blue sky.

Sending a little Blue Sky your way...

The Art Journal or December Daily

I became intrigued with a concept called an art journal recently. I wasn't quite sure what one was until I used my favorite tool, Google, and looked at a number of them. They seem to range from a collection of art techniques to art + traditional journaling and many things in between.

At this blog I found a concept I liked. It was a mix of the traditional scrapbook with the art journal. December generally gets away from me, and it's easy to lose sight of what Christmas is meant to celebrate. So, I thought I would do an art journal to help me slow down and focus on each day in December. Not every day will be specifically Christmas related, but I thought if I had to document the 25 days of December, it would help me focus. And I've always loved the Twelve Days of Christmas as a Christmas theme, and this journal reminds me of that.

The first principal is to build the foundation of your journal now, before the rush of December is on you. Then all you have to do is take your photo or jot down your memory and finish off each of the pages. I made a start on that this weekend.

I bought an acrylic cover from Etsy much like the one at the blog I linked to above. It helped me visualize (now that I've done this and made some pages, I can see what I'd like to do next time). Once I find some letters I like, I will add 2009 and possibly some more...I'm looking for some metal letters and numbers. The contrast with acrylic and chipboard will be nice I think.

The idea for me is to make mostly simple pages with some more labor intensive ones. You can see a brown craft paper edge on the lower left...it has no design on it yet. I'm waiting for a package of Christmas ephemera to arrive from Etsy (I'm excited, it's vintage). The Joy page was made with card stock, photoshop and an HP printer. I'll add a small photo and journaling above. One page I think will cover traditions that I look forward to: nativity scenes, the caroler figures I put out, things like that.

This is some paper in the soft aqua color I'm in love with right now. There's a vintage combination of red and aqua that is my all time favorite - do you remember seeing it?

And below are two pages: one is a recipe card that I thought would be a cute way to note holiday baking that I can recall. My grandmother used to make fruitcake cookies every year, even though I can't think of anyone who liked fruitcake (besides me - I liked hers). And her favorite cake was a Lane cake - it only appeared a few times and always at Christmas. Then there was ambrosia (orange + coconut only) and my mother's fruit salad.

Behind the recipe card is a baseball trading card page that has been cut down to fit. It will let me put 4 2.25" x 3.25" photos in the sleeves on both sides. That one would be good for holiday decorations at home, or perhaps city decorations.

This last page is a canvas. I've painted it with sky blue acrylic paint and while the paint was still wet, stuck on a piece of acrylic. On top of that I sprayed something called Glimmer Mist which gives it a faintly pearlized appearance. There's a little drop of it on the bird, at the end of the wing. I will likely journal on some cardstock and then attach it to the upper front, and attach a corresponding photo to the unsightly back of the canvas.

Above are bits and pieces I have in a stash to use with the ephemera I ordered. The cardboard pieces I will probably paint white and then go from there. I loved the shape of the piece and cut in half to have two pages for this book.


Working on this book just this little bit this weekend has had the effect of making me look forward to the holidays more. And the art is a nice balance to the hustle and stress at work.

Already it's doing what I hoped. I'll share more with you when I make the rest of the pages.

Is there anything you do to help you slow down and focus on important occasions or holidays?

October Color

This was last Saturday on the way to Moe's to get a salad. I stopped on a neighborhood street and took about 5 shots...

Dear Dr. Vet

Dear Dr. Vet,

Just a quick note to let you know that Management has cut back on my food as you instructed.

Yea. About that: ttthhhpppptttt!

Management has shown no empathy, so I have taken matters into my own hands paws snout.

Tuesday night, I supplemented the lame amount of kibble you recommended with a stick of butter, wrapper and all (One merely has to keep one's eyes open around here for counter opportunities). Roughage is good, yes? Management then called the emergency clinic who said not to worry, that things might be a little loose but should be okay. Whatever.

Wednesday night, when Management showed no signs of learning from experience, I took an avocado off the counter when Management went to answer the phone - avocados are the good fat, and it was tasty. Except for the seed. I spit that out, but not until after crunching it into bits so that Management could worry about potential toxicity. Management googled avocados, avocado seeds and something about @#$%! golden retrievers but didn't call the emergency clinic.

Last night was slim pickings, until Management produced a chew that kept me occupied for an hour or so. That's what I'm talking about. Toss a dog a bone, why don't you?

I'll keep you posted, but my money's on me.

Your pal,

Gus

P.S. Cotton goes by the rules. But only because she can't reach the counter.

Pumpkin!

I really like pumpkin pie. So I've been casting around for other pumpkin recipes. Last year I made a pumpkin and sausage pasta dish. Tasty ~ though with sausage as a key ingredient, how could it not be?

This year I came across a blog that featured Pumpkin Cookies. And they had lots and lots of comments raving about the cookies.

And I had all but two of the ingredients, and had to go to the grocery for soup ingredients anyway, so...voila! The first pan only had six. Just in case.



But after I tasted one, I was sold. They have butterscotch morsels. And cinnamon. If I changed anything, it would be to add a bit more cinnamon, like half a teaspoon more.

The dough is dense, not thin. And they bake up big and cakey. They remind me of teacakes, which my brother really likes. Excuse me a moment, we are under attach by squirrels armed with hickory nuts. They throw them at the windows, and the dogs are understandably indignant.

Definitely a keeper. I may take some to work tomorrow for taste testing. If there are any left.