Green Shutter

Sweet Baby!

2012-01-23T10:01:00.002-05:00

The End of 2011's 365 Project and 2012's Beginning

2011-12-30T01:32:00.002-05:00

I was somewhat relieved to finish my 2011 Snow Globe 365 Project, but I found myself missing the daily discipline. I gave myself permission to take the past few weeks off, finding pleasure in experimenting with my phone's camera and will still post here, but wanted to let anyone interested know about my new year-long project.

Happy New Year!

I have wanted to learn Photoshop for a long time, and I keep making excuses why I shouldn't take a class. To save money, and improve my photographic images, I'm going to follow online tutorials, experiment, and share what I learn and create. My new project will start on 1/1/12 and I will be documenting it here, called Learning Photoshop.

The Bay

2011-05-30T23:05:00.000-04:00

Skull Appreciation: Captain Basura SOLD!

2011-05-18T14:42:00.003-04:00

Skull Appreciation Day is June 4th, 2011 at Gallery 5. Over 100 artists were invited to participate by decorating the same brown papier-mâché skull base. Here is what mine looked like before decorating. I knew I wanted to use all recycled materials, but it was my three year old daughter that noticed the decoupaged floral newspaper band on his forehead looked like a pirate bandana.

From there, a pirate was born.

Captain Basura

He was first covered in newspaper print for his face, barcode eyebrows from coupons, and floral magazine pages to cover his head. For added layer, I used some tissue paper to make the hankerchief and also to fashion the flower which has onion mesh bag as the stamen.

I then used an burned-out light bulb that I smashed with a hammer in an old plastic bag to create the teeth which were painted white and gold. I used buttons and feathers from a discarded art project to form lips and a mustache.

I used a Gatorade cap which I decoupaged postal stamps onto, using some beads from a broken bracelet to create the eye patch. No pirate is complete with out an earring so I poked out the center of a Blue Moon bottle cap (fav beer). The hair is made from old onion and orange mesh bags with a little raffia for added texture.

The other eyeball is made using the stem of the broken light bulb which is secured by an old watercolor sponge I used to use.

100% of the proceeds to this skull will go to the Richmond Peace Education Center.

Creativity Challenge: Old Hollywood

2011-02-13T20:35:00.002-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of getting my hair done by Kelly St.Claire as Heather Addley and I prepared for the February RPM challenge: Old Hollywood. Here are some of the photos, I hope you enjoy!

Creativity Challenge: Emotion

2011-01-24T23:02:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday, I met up with The Richmond Photography Meet up Group at Dogwood Dell for a creativity challenge. We all drew an assignment from a paper bag, I got "emotion." It was really cold but these are the highlights from the shoot.

Fellow photographers were kind enough to shoot a photo with my Snow Globe 365 project.

Making a Terrarium

2011-01-20T21:08:00.001-05:00

CBS Sunday Morning's clip on terrariums, reminded me of how much I have wanted to make my own indoor garden. I found it's a great project for kids too. First we added the rocks for drainage.

Then we added the dirt, planted the plants, and had fun adding a gnome and creating a decorative stone walkway.

Since this blog is about re-purposing materials, we also made one in a Mason Jar. We used some backyard moss and put in a dinosaur. This project was really fun for all of us.

Experiments with a Circular Polarizer

2011-01-09T10:10:00.004-05:00

A circular polarizer is used with outdoor photography to deepen the intensity of blue skies, reducing glare and cutting reflections. As you can see from the first photo taken from the side view mirror, there is a reflection from what's outside. The second is a photo using the polarizer where it has reduced the reflection. This is also supposed to work with water, too. Here is an example.

The sky is definitely richer with the polarizer. I am looking forward to using it with some sunsets soon.

Open Book

2011-01-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

Need some new decorations in your home, but money is tight and you'd really like to work with what you have? Are you really going to read that Alfred Hitchcock book again, if ever? It's doubtful. Fold it up, make it new!

Experiment with various folding techniques. Kick it old school with some of our mad middle school notebook folding skills. Or try this or better yet, this (puts my folding project to shame!) Enjoy, simplify and make the most of what we have! Treasures await, even under layers of dust.

Tiny Diner: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T01:58:00.006-05:00

This photo was taken at LGBG, during their New Year's Eve Frolic. There are a bunch of dollhouses in the LG library and this diner one is my favorite!

Happy New Year! May 2011 knock your socks off with awe and abundance!

Double Exposures

2010-12-30T17:54:00.000-05:00

My 365 Project is really pushing me to learn my camera backwards and forwards. Today I played with my camera's double exposure feature. I could have done it for hours!

Festive Night Photography-Happy Holidays!

2010-12-16T02:19:00.001-05:00

365 Days of Snow Globes

2010-12-16T02:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, in anticipation of Noah Scalin's book signing of 365 A Daily Creativity Journal, I began shooting what I thought was going to be a year of self portraits, but that's been done. Inspired by the reflective quality of my children's snow globe, I fired off some shots. Here it is. I'm going with it. I vow to photograph a snow globe every day for the next 365 days. I hope to use interesting lighting, seasons, surroundings, people and different globes. Let's turn this creative trickle into a full-on flame, friends!

Day one, done. Only 364 to go. Visit and feel free to follow Snow Globe 365. It's gonna be crazy. I will try hard to hone my skills, push myself, and entertain, but I will need support. As Noah says, a project like this is like a marathon. I will need an audience for support encouragement, otherwise I could keep the project private, and can the whole thing without fear of failure. Let's do this! Start your own 365 project!

Sally Mann in the Flesh

2010-11-14T00:08:00.012-05:00

Seventeen years ago, my eleventh grade photography teacher took us out of the darkroom and into the light, introducing us to the works of Sally Mann. It was 1993 and her work Immediate Family had just been released a year prior. I was taken by the rawness of the images, and also admired her for continuing to create art, even though her subjects were limited in the midst of motherhood.

I found her innovative, using her children as subjects, depicting scenes that many families would choose to leave out of their scrapbooks. Images of naked children with bloody noses, wet beds, busted ear drums, dog scratched legs, and swollen eyes were beautiful and disturbing. Sweet and scary. Much like the ambiguity of motherhood. Her unique perspective and use of natural lighting made you want to study every detail, but at the same time, you wanted to look away, knowing that what you were viewing was intimately personal. Being a fellow Virginian, photographer, appreciater of shock value, and now mother, I have wanted nothing more to be in the same room with the woman who has continued to inspire me over the last decade and a half.

I arrived at the Va Museum of Fine Arts at 9:08 am to get in line for the book signing of she and John Ravenal's exhibition book, Sally Mann: The Flesh and The Spirit. I was about eighth in line. Though the signing was supposed to begin at 9:15am, the marathon slowed her arrival, building the suspense. As I got closer to her, my knees began to buckle. There she was. I wanted to tell her what an inspiration she had been to me, but I froze, saying nothing as I moved submissively through the signing assembly line. I couldn't even talk to John Ravenal, sitting beside her, whose child I once taught in preshcool. Co-writing this book, being a Sally Mann historian, and curating this exhibit, just made him too cool. Would he really remember me anyway after 12 years? Besides, the talk with the panel was going to begin shortly.

I walked inside the cafe, grabbed a free coffee, and thought since I had blown my chances of talking to Sally, I should at least say hello to Pam Reynolds, Richmond art icon, museum supporter and donor, standing in line beside me. We made small talk over the coffee shortage, and as we parted ways, I could hear her tell her friend, that she wanted a signed Sally Mann book. He said he was pretty sure she could get one.

Sally Mann at her book signing. (got so excited, I forgot to change my ISO)

My friend, Tish was still in line. It had really grown since I got there. I called my mom (that's what all the cool people do when they meet one of their heros, right?) and told her how the place was buzzing. People arriving around 9:45 had to decide if they wanted a signed book or a good seat in the Cheek Theater for the sold-out show.

Sally and John are right behind the sculpture, Splotch #22.

A little after 10am, the panel consisting of photography experts, Vince Aletti (The New Yorker), Brian Wallis (International Center of Photography) and curator, John Ravenal welcomed a full theater to discuss Mann's career. Then, there was a brief intermission and then the panel was joined by Sally around 12pm. Hearing her talk about her work, was fascinating. Even after all of her accomplishments, she continues to doubt whether she can produce another successful exhibit. She talked about her photography process, where she often uses an 8x10 bellows view finder camera and how hard it is to get a clear image. She often manipulates the images by using a wet plate process, where glass plates coated in collodian are then dipped in silver nitrate. The effect is a swirling quality that also exposes flaws in the medium, which becomes part of the art itself. Sometimes, she admits, her results are purely accidental.

She does suggest that artists keep a few projects going at once. That way if one gets old, you can revisit another on and not feel like a failure. She is currently taking pictures of old African American churches. She said out of hundreds only one image has made the cut so far. Instead of getting frustrated, she has another project in the works. She didn't say what either project was, but I have surmised from online research that the church photographs are probably for her study on the legacy of slavery in Virginia.

During the discussion, a young man around the age of twelve, stood up and asked if she preferred to depict life or death. She explained that there was such a thin line between the two. Exploring death whether on film, or in real life as she and those around her age, makes living that much sweeter.

Wallin, Aletti, Mann, and Ravenal

Though "Immediate Family," spiked her success and left her blindsided by all of the controversy, causing her to retreat back to her farm and family in Virginia, Mann says it prepared her for her future critics. When she released the work of "What Remains," they hardly flinched. She and Ravanel agreed to leave her best known work out of the exhibition book, to focus on the process of her other exhibits. You can, however, see these amazing photographs in the exhibit.

One of the most touching collections in the VMFA exhibit are those taken of her husband of forty years, Larry Mann. The collection is called, "Proud Flesh," and follows the effects of her husband's muscular dystrophy over the past six years. She describes him as brave and willing to take part in this documented exploration of not only the effects of the disease, but the female perspective of male genitalia.

She is brave, creative, loving, temperamental, original and provocative. I was reminded today why I first fell in love with her. Her style and process is like no other. When she does work with digital cameras, she reverts the image, using her tried, true and often accidental techniques. For the past few months, I have been trying to up my digital photography skills, studying techniques that boast "tact sharpness." Yet part of the beauty of Mann's work is trying to determine what the object in the photograph is. I'm not saying that always works, it doesn't and it's her style. But, as I have aimed for perfection in my images, I somehow have forgotten the most important part of the art form is making it your own.

Though some would tell me to change my white balance and ISO, the blue has an interesting gradient and is more soothing to the eye. I tried both versions, and thought in the spirit of Sally, appropriate to break some rules.

My First Wedding Shoot

2010-11-07T01:53:00.000-04:00

In case the post below piqued your interest about just how lovely and unique the wedding was, here are some pictures. My friend is a trusting soul.

Painting a Peacock: A Labor of Love

2010-11-07T01:35:00.000-04:00

One of my dear friends just got married this past Halloween. It was a refreshingly unconventional wedding. Not only did it fall on what some call a holiday, everyone wore costumes (adults and kids), and she wore a black dress. A corset to be exact. If that wasn't enough, she came up with a unique peacock theme that went nicely with the blue and green jeweled pumpkin table decorations.

Months ago when she showed me the guest book she had chosen, I was really inspired by it. I don't know where it came from, but something inside me said, "I can recreate this on a larger scale as a wedding decoration." Later I asked myself, "what the hell was I thinking?" Initially, I thought I could use some of the assemblage skills picked up from my collage class, but then I wondered things like:

how would the cottony clouds, sticks and berries I glue on stay?
how would I afford all of those peacock feathers? I could collage them, but I couldn't find any peacock paper in craft stores. I found a stamper and some ink, but that wouldn't represent scale.
how was I going to pull this off? I don't draw or paint, in fact both of those things make me uncomfortable.

I got out the 16x24 canvas and a pencil, staring at the photo above. I gave myself permission to mess up. I had not only an eraser, but another canvas, so if I blew this, I had a back-up. I started with the tree branches, just guiding my pencil as my eyes followed the lines. Time for the berries. Circles. I could do that. Clouds, I drew those as a kid. It was looking pretty good. But the branch where the damn peacock was supposed to go was daunting, and empty. It glared at me.

I got out the acrylic paints. You know, the starter kit you buy in Michael's when you are feeling crafty, then you take them home, paint a little, decide you suck and you put them up in your closet? I got some of my kids' paintbrushes and began to paint the yellow background, then the white clouds, the brown twigs, and the red berries. It looked good, but yet there remained a gaping hole.

Peacock, why do you have so many effing feathers? Like painting one isn't going to be hard enough. Yet determination and my word persevered. I just kept giving myself permission to accidently ruin it. I even told the upcoming bride, that I may not be able to pull it off. She gave me permission to give it up, too. So, there it was. I could quit, or keep at it. My pencil began sketching that skinny ass bird, leaving lots of room for his boastful feathers. He actually started looking like a bird. I'll be damned.

I knew painting each individual feather wasn't possible, so I covered the feather area in a coat of green paint. I then dug up so old gold calligraphy ink (another creative trip to Michael's in hopes of a hobby) and painted the outlines of oval feathers. I went in and dotted the feathers with blue paint, and then went back to add whispery feather details.

I wanted it to be a keepsake, so I put their names and wedding date on it. But, I wasn't going to push my luck. I dug up some old scrapbooking letters (another abandoned hobby) and applied their names in the top left corner and the awesome date at the bottom right. I think it's a decent representation of the original, I gave it all I had, and it wasn't so bad. Proof that abandoned hobbies can be a blessing if you stop fearing failure.

InLight Richmond 10/22/10 7pm-12am

2010-10-27T01:48:00.001-04:00

Spinner, Nadia, poses for a picture.

Melody Gulick and Andrew Prousalis, "V." Six projectors cast upon dancing curtains with beautiful continuous movement while a sombre soundtrack played in the background.

Not only were the exhibits fun for adults, they were fun for kids, too!

Medeology Collective projected onto a parking garage door of the Martin Agency, creating constantly changing images that create "moments of brief consciouness from a trance of consensual hyper-reality."

Sean Kenny's "Sound of Trumpets."

To view the complete album with information on the artists and their exhibits, you can go to my public album link here.

In Action on Monument Avenue by Ivon Samuel

2010-10-27T01:26:00.001-04:00

by Ivon Samuel

Since I'm usually behind the lens, I don't have many pictures of myself (second from the right). This photo was taken by fellow Richmond Photography Meetup member, Ivon Samuel as we did our night shoot on Monument Avenue. He took some great shots that night. It's neat to not only see us all in action from his perspective, but seeing the collective online albums we create from all the different shots we get being in the same place at the same time.

A Walk Down Monument Avenue

2010-10-22T11:19:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos taken from my shoot last night on Monument Avenue. Night photography is fun! Richmond Photography Meetup, is great for creative camaraderie, and learning new skills. It was good exercise, too.

VMFA class...Collage & the Altered Photograph.....

2010-10-19T00:51:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I took a class from the VMFA called, "Collage and the Altered Photograph," by Susan Svendsen. It was a nice opportunity to pack my bag full of art supplies (old photos, magazine clippings, bleach pens, oil pastels, ink pads, sandpaper, brushes, glues, scissors, and various types of paints) and do nothing but "get in the zone" from 10am until 4pm. BLISS!

The kids have been taking art classes there on Wednesdays and I thought it was my turn. I'm glad I did. I have so many old photographs that I don't really think are frame worthy, but maybe patched together, they are? The jury is still out, but at least I got to dig them out of my closet and go to town. The hardest part for me is knowing when to stop. Does it need something else? More paint, more interesting bits? Who knows, I may continue to work on them, or not. The important thing is I had fun and made an attempt to make use of my abandoned art. I apologize in advance for the crappy images of my collages. I was tired, it was late, and I didn't feel like getting the lighting right.

"Losing Track"
Since knowing where our food comes from is one of the themes of this blog, I'll start with my most passionate piece. I used an old train photo taken at Hollywood Cemetery and collaged it with a Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden spring tree photo scene as the background, and the road from Skyline Drive. This piece looks nothing like it did when I left class. It felt disjointed and you could see the seams of where I had pieced things together. NO! Not cool. I pieced together some magazine clippings that seemed to compliment the photos and ease the seams creating one large image, hopefully creating a statement about the food industry. Will anyone get it? I have no effing idea. All I know is it's my favorite, but next time I will work harder on insuring that the glue is smoothed since lumps are visible. Perfection, people. It's hard to come by.

After cutting out the train tracks in the above photo, I accidently created the shape of this bird. I glued him onto a sunset printed on watercolor paper, cut some bird lashes from some shadows taken from the treehouse at LGBG and whomp, there it is. What will I do with it? Your guess is as good as mine.

As you can see, I used the train again. I also pieced together some photos I have taken of water, but most of them got covered up by acrylic paint. I like the coverage of the paint, but up close it looks too lumpy, I need to sand over it, or cover with something else. Anyway, I was inspired by these bad-ass ladies with their shields. This one is definitely the most wacky, if I could only improve the texture. It's also one that doesn't feel completely done, however, it has had many different looks, that I keep changing. I worked on this for days after class. Inspired, tired and somewhat frustrated at the results. Cool, but Dali would you be proud? Doubtful, but he may cheer me on.

This piece is the most altered as far as keeping my materials to only photographs, sandpaper, ink and a few dots of a bleach pen. This photo was taken at "The World Famous Old Pressley Sapphire Mine," in North Carolina around 2001 with an old point and shoot. The gem mining itself was an experience, and I am drawn to the colors of the photo (green and blue are my favorite) but it was never enough. After wetting and sanding, I cut the LGBG shadow photos and dyed them with a green, aging ink. I used them as borders for the three horse images (all the same horse image, just different sizes). I used a stronger glue since the photo paper is not conducive, nor as receptive to a mere glue stick. I got tired towards the end since I added the other two photos late at night, days after my class, and got a little sloppy with the glue. The texture is visible on some parts, but what are you going to do? I will work on craftmanship my next go round.

Carrot Apple Muffins

2010-10-11T13:12:00.001-04:00

Here is a recipe from Mother Earth News to use in season apples and carrots for muffins. I left out the walnuts so the kids would eat them and for a few more batches of pesto. The kids LOVED the end product.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (I omitted, but I bet that makes them even better.)
2 cups raw carrots (about 2 or 3 carrots)
1 large apple
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar (brown, white or a combination)
3/4 tsp baking soda
11⁄2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs (yay for farm fresh eggs)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (I used 1/4 of ground ginger)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin cups or insert liners, if using. Peel and finely grate the carrots and apple, setting aside for later.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Stir in the nuts. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, ginger and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients and the grated carrot and apple into the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 9 standard-size muffins or 12 small ones.

Green Bean and Pasta Salad

2010-10-11T13:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a great recipe to use your local, in season, green beans from your local farmer's market. I altered Real Simple Magazine's Green Bean and Pasta Salad Recipe a bit and it turned out great. It makes a great, filling lunch or dinner and is approximately $2.60 a serving. Use the entire can of beans and cook a little more pasta to stretch the meal even further.

Ingredients

4 ounces penne (1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces green beans, halved crosswise (about 1 cup)
1 cup canned red or kidney beans, rinsed (I only had canned pinto beans)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (used dried flaked flat-leaf parsley)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and black pepper (I used fresh ground)

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
Toss the cooled pasta and green beans with the red beans, parsley, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Divide the salad between 2 containers and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

First Maternity Shoot

2010-09-16T14:21:00.009-04:00

This past weekend I got to take my first belly photos. I had a lovely subject and got to document the henna art of Colleen Heller. I also started a photography class last night at the Cultural Arts Center to get a refresher on aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc since I apparently haven't retained the technical info I learned almost 17 years ago in my very first high school class. I think my shots are missing some depth of field and I would like more bokeh in the background of my portraits. My teacher helped me realize that I had accidently set my camera to overexpose my shots. Whoops. I still am pleased with the results, and am grateful to further my photography experience with patient, beautiful souls.

My next portraits will hopefully be accompanied by an external flash (with a white piece of cardstock taped to the top of it, to extend the light even further) to really make eyes POP! I may also get a reflector, not to mention the lens I'm lusting for, but maybe for Christmas. Did I mention photography is an expensive hobby? But, I guess really any hobby is and it's worth it to feel fulfilled.

My first Senior Portraits

2010-09-08T14:23:00.001-04:00

I had the privilege of taking my niece's senior portraits this past Labor Day weekend. I've known her since she was six, so to have the opportunity to watch her grow, mature and blossom into this lovely, kind, and funny young woman over the past twelve years has been an absolute joy.

She wanted the pictures taken at Fishing Bay, which is a place that is very special to all of our family and where we all spend most of our summers. The home on the Piankatank River was her great-grandfather's and has watched many a child grow and explore the natural surroundings, while becoming enchanted by the calming waters.

Her friend, Christie, who has been coming every summer since 4th grade, also asked me to do her portraits. I had fun watching them get dressed up, pose, laugh, and remember the excitement and fear I felt seventeen years ago, when I was about to embark upon my final year of high school.

Night Photography

2010-08-23T00:36:00.002-04:00

Libby Hill

I went with RPM for a night shoot this past week and was glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I had *never* used a tripod before, or actually attended a photo taking meet up. Since I work best under pressure and require deadlines to get any and everything done, I finally cracked open my Nikon manual. I worked for two days on preparing for this shoot. I brushed up on things like ISO and shutter speed, but also learned how to plug in my new toy, a remote control shutter release. Youtube is also a great thing:)

We began in Jefferson Park, then headed to Libby Hill, and finished at Great Shiplock Park. The shoot began at 8pm and we wrapped it up around 10:30pm. There were about eight of us, and one of the most fun parts of being part of the RPM forum is seeing all the different pictures and perspectives from the same exact places posted after the meet up.

Great Shiplock Park

I am really grateful to have found this group that collectively nurtures the craft and pushes me to places I would never explore myself. It's nice to find support, and people who enjoy teaching and learning together. Not to mention, people that will supply you a tripod when you left your camera cradle piece for your tripod at home. All things considered, at least it wasn't my battery. I still have so much to learn, but it's a fun, creative outlet for me. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Jefferson Park

No such thing as too many maters.

2010-08-23T00:02:00.000-04:00

If for any reason, you are having issues knowing what to do with your tomatoes, please send them my way. I will can them, cut them and eat them whole. For more recipe inspiration, cut up some red and yellow lovelies, drizzle with olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh basil and then toss with whole wheat pasta, kalamata olives, spinach and feta. Easy meal, and so good.

Water Bath Canning: Tomato Sauce

2010-08-10T02:38:00.002-04:00

I went to a great canning class at Lavender Fields Farm this past Saturday. We learned how to safely preserve this summer's harvest and how to feed our families all year long. The instructor, Nicole, is very knowledgeable and I would strongly suggest taking one of her classes. She has a passion for growing her family's food and herbs organically on their 21 acres of farmland in Glen Allen.

I want to share some of what I learned, but by no way is this a tutorial as to how you should prepare your food. This serves merely as documentation of the process. I gently suggest that if canning interests you, that you either take a class and/or learn more about the logistics. Food safety is nothing to mess around with and I'm not trying to give you botulism.

I began with approximately 30 pounds of tomatoes from my friend and farmer, Russ, from Edible Old Dominion.

I went to Kroger and got my supplies:
canning jars, large funnel, can holder, magnetic lid lifter (doubles as an air bubble remover) and not shown, a water bath canner dipping rack. (mine is plastic and I long for a metal one)

I cut the onions, which couldn't be sauteed in oil, since it affects the canning process. Instead they were sauteed in water. The Family Secret Tomato Sauce recipe was suggested by our teacher Nicole, was from a great book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

This is the sauce after it simmered for a few hours. The recipe said it would make 6-7 quarts. Mine made 8 quarts. Juicy tomatoes? I only deseeded the first 2 quarts of the tomato puree, which will be a lesson for next time, since I never really notice seeds in store bought sauce. The consistency is also more watery than most sauces, but it can be thickened and additional veggies or meat added once opened.

In addition to having clean, sterile jars, caps and rings, the jars should soak in clean, hot water, awaiting the hot liquid to enter without breaking the jar.

Time to spoon the sauce into the jars, leaving about an inch of room from fill to lid. A plastic utensil should be used to scrape the sides to prevent any air bubbles. Add 2tsp of lemon juice per quart jar to insure the right acidity level. Apply lid and ring, but not too tight. Prepare a stock pot with boiling water so the water bath canning process can begin. It's also a good idea to have a kettle on the burner, so you can insure that the submerged jars are completely covered in at least two to three inches of water in the stock pot. Cover and wait 35 minutes.

This jar is ready to come out, sit and do it's thing. Hearing the "plink" of the seal is a cool reminder of your success. You may also tap the lid to assist the seal. If for some reason it doesn't, refridgerate and consume the product within two to three days. I was only able to do three quarts at once, so I had to do this time consuming step numerous times. It was getting late as you can see by the clock in the background.

Eight quarts of tomato sauce that can be stored for up to a year. I'm feeling like Laura Ingalls after slaving in a hot, trashed kitchen for most of the day. I'm looking forward to trying some of the sauce tomorrow and adding fresh garlic and fresh basil, since only the dried versions were allowed in this recipe.

CSA Tomato Beauties

2010-08-05T23:35:00.002-04:00

We have a CSA share through Edible Old Dominion, and are enjoying the fresh, local produce. Tomatoes are really coming in, so I enjoyed making this appetizer for me and a friend this afternoon. Simply slice up the tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, sliced fresh basil and Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio. Heaven.

Later for dinner, I made this broccoli side inspired by The Barefoot Contessa's Best Broccoli of Your Life recipe. Preheat oven to 425. Toss broccoli florets in olive oil and minced garlic and a little salt. Put on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes (or more depending on how crispy you like it). The last three minutes of baking take the baking sheet out and add pine nuts for roasting. Mix it all together, and dice up a tomato. You can even spritz with fresh lemon, and sprinkle with parmesan, but it's great as is. Roasting the broccoli brings out a sweetness and texture that is never possible from just steaming.

Portrait Photography

2010-07-29T23:39:00.001-04:00

I had my first portrait shoot since college, today with a dear friend. It was so fun to experiment with natural and artificial light, plus my subject is extremely photogenic, which doesn't hurt. Our kids played, while we played. They were very interested in what we were working on, and they kept telling Heather how beautiful she looked. No doubt!

My Suburban Garden

2010-07-29T01:32:00.000-04:00

The suburbs are a state of mind. One day, I will have more land to grow on, but for now I am enjoying honing my gardening skills on a small scale. This is my third year growing using Square Foot Gardening by Mel Barthomew. The cool thing was this year, I got to use my own compost instead of buying it.

As you can see my greens up front are picked (chard and some bibb lettuce and my spinach has bolted). My tomatoes are ripening, but I've had a visit from this annoying pest. The tomato hornworm. I may not have even noticed him right away, had it not been for a half-eaten green, cherry tomato that had me come in for closer inspection. Interesting looking fellow, but he and a friend massacred this plant down to only the stalk by the time I came back from Floydfest. This was a plant in a pot, feet away from my my garden plot, but it has found it's way to the others, and I'm having a heck of a time finding it since it blends in so well. I will try to find the bastards tomorrow.

I still have plenty of cucumbers, though, which have been fun to pick. My first cantaloupe is growing, which is exciting, especially since I lost two watermelons to blossom rot. Apparently, that is caused by a calcium deficiency, so a friend suggested I crush up some Tums and add it to the water. That's what I did tonight after harvesting most of my basil for the pesto. My garden is still organic even with a little crushed antacid, right? Maybe not, but it's fun to learn about growing my own food.

Dinner from the Garden

2010-07-29T01:03:00.003-04:00

Watch out Mekong, I think I have finally managed to make tofu as crispy and delicious as yours. It took some drying (used clean dish towels since I don't buy paper towels), and then I sliced the block of tofu into four lengthwise sections. Cut each section into four triangles and tossed in a pan with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

I made fresh basil pesto using this recipe and put it on the tofu. I diced up a cucumber and tomato from the garden and poured a homemade balsamic vinaigrette with fresh parsley over it. Growing your own food and eating it is fun!

With the leftover pesto, you can freeze it, and use it over Trader Joe's Gnocchi, which we had for dinner later this week. Or you can make pesto quesadillas, using tortillas, tomatoes, spinach, cheese and pesto. They rule and are plain, simple and thrifty, my friends.

Recycled Paper Mache Birds

2010-03-04T17:43:00.004-05:00

With age, I've grown to appreciate bird watching. I find these creatures interesting and joyful. This guy was made by balling up and reshaping a paper grocery bag, then securing it with duct tape. The paste was made from cornstarch, sugar, boiling water, and several drops of preservative oil. I used eucalyptus oil, but tea tree oil would work, too. I coated old magazine pages in the paste, and let it dry for a few days. Then a white paint base coat was added. Then decorating it with my favorite color was fun! I then used an old coat hanger and pliers to shape the feet, that were then inserted into the body.

This baby bird was made by using a cardboard armature, and then coating magazine pages in the paste and procedures listed above. I plan on drilling a hole through it and hang it with a beaded string. My kids love these birds and enjoyed playing with them even before they were painted. My son told me he *really* liked it which is all that really matters. This and the next craft come from a cool book called Green Guide for Artists.

Fused Plastic Bag Notebook/To Do List

2010-03-04T17:28:00.001-05:00

This notebook cover was made by fusing 8 layers of plastic shopping bags under wax paper with an iron. The pages are made from assorted junk mail, then sewn together and hand embellished with some sewing stitches. For the next notebook, I plan to get a sewing machine and make the front look more tidy. It still turned out pretty well, and I think an obsessive list maker may enjoy it as a gift.

Recycled Milk/OJ Carton Coin Purse

2009-12-10T22:57:00.002-05:00

I love crafts involving recycled materials. I stumbled across a cool blog called Connect the Dots , in search of eco-friendly crafts and found their tutorial on how to make recycled milk/oj/soy carton coin purses. My son is always looking for something to carry his "monies" in, so I thought this would be a nice starter wallet.

It's pretty easy to make, though the first few steps had me challenged spatially, it was good for my brain. I was going to really have to dig to find my exacto knife, so I just used scissors. Some of the edges are more jagged than I'd like, but it's still cool. Since making the first change purse, I've started using an exacto knife, and what a difference it makes!

I used a Trader Joe's OJ container and I really like the way the back of the coin purse looks. Part of the fun is exploring various carton options, but make sure it has a cap. I was pretty excited to use my 365 Milk Cartons with the cool cow image, but alas, no cap. Bummer. I made one for a friend, and she enjoys the attention her coin holder gets. Pretty sweet! Just make sure you wash and dry your carton well.

Recycled Robot!

2009-12-03T23:06:00.003-05:00

My son was attending a Rocket/Robot party and the handmade party invitations were inspirational enough to get us started. I knew I wanted to recycle the invitation somehow on the robot (it was just too awesome to throw away) and that the empty Trader Joe's coffee cans I've been collecting under the sink could finally be put to good use.

I got some wire and some contents from the junk drawer (correction: the junk that had overflowed out of the junk drawer and now had it's own plastic container) and went to work. My son loved getting out all of the hardware, nuts, bolts and random AV pieces my husband had been collecting over the years. While he was working on his "work, complete with screwdrivers, I threaded the arms and legs. I poked a hole in the top of the can and brought the arms and legs together and twisted the connecting wires so they were secure.

I got a tuna can from the recycling bin and washed it (this was pretty hardcore to remove the smell. so, I soaked it overnight and cleansed it with copious amounts of soap and vinegar), nailed a hole in the top to thread the appendage wires and added some eyes, ears, nose, mouth, antenna, glued and modge podged the party invitation on the coffee can body and voila! Recycled Robot! Problem: My kid didn't want to give it to his friend when we were done. I went recycle bin diving once more and made him one, too.

This project may have been more fun for me. The cool thing is that we'd always wanted to make a robot but just never got around to it. This party, the love of rockets and robots, and an awesome handmade invitation was the impetus! I want to make more, they make cool kid's room decor.

Paper Bead and Recycled Plastic Shrinky Dinks!

2009-09-24T13:48:00.000-04:00

I found a craft here on how to make recycled paper beads . It was fun! I just used some old magazine pages, cut them into elongated triangles, doused them with glue, wrapped them around the thin handle of a skinny paint brush, pushed them off the end and boom. Paper bead. Now what was I going to do with them? Necklaces, bracelets, keychains? Perhaps.

I also stumbled across this website to make your own shrinky dinks out of recycled #6 plastic. Usually the clamshell containers found at grocery store salad bars and take-out container are #6. You simply cut out the plastic as shown here, then color with Sharpies and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes, until the plastic begins to shrink and curl and then flatten again.

Knowing that in a few weeks, I had a Mother's Blessing to host, I incorporated the two crafts and adorned candles. First I wrapped the candles in raffia so the bead/ shrinky dink embellishment would have something to cling to since it kept slipping off the glass candle holder.

I also made a necklace. Recycling is fun, yo!

Magazine Marble Magnets

2009-09-15T14:10:00.003-04:00

For fun, I have been making marble magnets. It's been fun to use some if the lovely images and objects from some of my favorite magazines, and turning them into magnets is an inexpensive way to continue enjoying the images.

MAGNETS