I have challenged myself to do an illustration a day while waiting on Michael…either in the morning waiting for him to have his breakfast or to pick him up at the end of his day. 30 minutes max. Some took less than 5. Has to be something ordinary from my house and usually ends up being what’s in front of me at the moment…like breakfast dishes or whatever’s on my counter! Here’s last week’s lot…
While waiting to numb up in the dentist’s chair last week, I glanced at a cooking segment on the boob tube. It was Rachel Ray and I can only stand a few seconds of her and her precious vo-cab. However, she caught my attention with her introduction to a fantastic way to cut up avocados. And yes, she did say “easy-peasy” in her description. Praise Jesus and all the saints there is no olive oil in this tv segment or else I may have to ask the dentist to just shoot up the other side of my face to numb my brain.
Take your ripe avocados and halve them…
Now here’s the cool part…take your baking wire rack and place it over the bowl you will prepare your guac. Yep, this guy!
Like this…only turn your avocado over with flesh side on wire grid.
Here’s where the photography gets fuzzy during the most important part…
Mash down the avocado on the rack to release the fruit into the bowl…the wires do all the cutting.
Then gently rub the rind across the rack to “scour” off all the remaining bits of fruit and this is what you get…
Look at this! It’s perfect!
Gorgeous!
Here’s my recipe…
3 ripe avocados, chopped (save one seed)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
Gently toss all ingredients together. Serve with corn chips. Enjoy watching Jordan Spieth bring a whole new pride in our youth for the next 20 years. Attaboy!
My friend found this wonderfully made French dresser and asked me to paint it to compliment another French styled chest she had purchased. How does she get so lucky to find these wonderful pieces?!!
She pointed out the furniture maker…Garrison Furniture from right here in Fort Smith, AR. I was told that at one time, Fort Smith was the furniture production capital in the 40’s-late 60’s. The chest is heavy and well crafted with dove-tail joints and wood sliders.
I forgot to take a before photo, but you can tell from the cabinet that it was a lighter finish in the honey maple family. On with the black paint for an under coat!
Sure had fun!
Here’s my latest on my Etsy Store that I wanted to share with you…they make a darling gift for a house warming or just because! They are my simple Custom House Note Cards and all I need is a photo of the house you want to feature…Google maps can help out with this task in a pinch! Check them out…
I did these for my friend’s Mom and I hope she likes to write notes…so few do these days! Here’s how they arrive to your door…12 note cards and envelopes in an archival envelope with ribbon.
Custom House Ornaments…
I came up with this for Christmas gifts for my siblings and friends…they are real treasures! Hand painted on wood and double sealed to last a long, long time! Again, a simple painting of your house for your family or a friend…
You can find them on my Etsy Shop and they are wonderful gifts that can be enjoyed year round…can be hung on a tree, framed in a shadow box, or just tucked on your kitchen window ledge to remember your childhood home, lake house or beach bungalow.
This paisley cross door hanger just makes people smile…its happy colors, joyful loops and swirls bring the promise of spring and warmer weather. We ignored the snow on the ground and started pouring out bright and happy colors on our palettes and got to work!
Love the colors!
I recently had dinner at my friend’s sister’s charming home and was so inspired by her tablescape that I snapped a few pictures…loved everything she did! And by the way, the dinner was delicious and company was delightful!
She started by draping her large round dining table with a crisp white table cloth! Isn’t that always a good start?! The centerpiece was a creamy white Italian urn that she filled with wheat grass nursery packs she purchased at a local pet shop! I never would have thought of that! She tucked in white hyacinths to the grass and finished it off with Spanish moss. She made a simple wreath with a branch of artificial white berry and placed it on the rim of the urn. The pictures don’t do it justice…it was wonderful!
The next layer was small groupings of votives in front of all place settings with mercury glass, pearl bead and wire, bejeweled and plain glass…
Like most…I start all of my new designs with a sketch and color it in. I’ve decided to take the sketches and make note cards with them and sell them on my Etsy Shop along with the big version of them, my door hangers! Here’s what’s new for spring!
The Paisley Cross…
The Wellie and Flowers…
The Bunny Basket…
Variations of Shamrocks…
Cooped up in the house again for another snow day and found the cure to the winter blues is to look at the calendar to see that March 21st is not that far away…that and opening up a bunch of bright colors to splash around on a white background! This is the Paisley Cross that I knocked out this morning…I’ve got a class this week that will be painting their own. If you would like one, visit my Etsy shop and get the details here…https://www.etsy.com/listing/224255496/custom-painted-spring-easter-paisley?ref=shop_home_active_4 
