Bosc and Copper

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and

a new year filled with many blessings!

Happy creating and I'll catch up with you in 2016.

Farm Fresh

Farm fresh eggs in wondrous shades of creamy tan to mellow rust

plus buttery light and a 50mm lens...

a combination that made me happy!

Wishing you a blessed Easter.

Comments are off.

Asparagus

Snowbanks are slowly receding,

winds are gusting,

birds are noisily chattering...

it looks and sounds a bit like

spring.

Could it finally be here?

I do believe the answer is yes!

Enjoying asparagus on a spring day :)

Hoping spring is in full swing at your house!

Comments are off.

Seeing Beyond

An expanse of green, sparkling bokeh, and a lone droplet conjures up thoughts of vastness,

 wilderness, aloneness, loneliness, singular strength, light, enlightenment...

Maybe I think too much,

maybe you see freshly rinsed kale and selective focus on a single droplet.

Hope you have a great week full of wonder!

Oh, the Light!

We continue to get snow. 

 I shake my head.

Craziness!

On the plus side, the weather has caused some crazy good light.

The snow-falling days have produced a giant soft box outside my window -

quiet, low lighting that reminds me of Dutch still life paintings and Rembrandt's work.

 So, I'll take advantage of that for now...

while I dream of spring.

Wishing you a week filled with amazing light!

Wishes

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a day filled with love and sweet treats.

Trick or Treat!

First the trick, these aren't designs on paper or canvas,

 but rather drawing and marbling in royal icing on cookies!

Although cooking and baking don't generally qualify as fun in my book,

making fancy holiday cookies does.

Guess it's because I get to draw and make something beautiful,

with the added bonus that these cookies taste amazing!

If you're interested, here are two other posts that talk a little about the how-tos ~

here and here.

And while you're at it, check out the ultimate cookie queen,

Sweet Sugar Belle.

She's got all the answers!

Finally, a couple images purposely defocused with creative color,

just for fun.

Happy Halloween!

Hope your day is filled with treats :)

Marbled Afternoon

In the summer, we kick-back a bit and do things at a more relaxed pace.

In that spirit, my daughter and I decided to do some fancy sugar cookie decorating.

Inspired by the July issue of Martha Stewart Living, we tried our hand at marbled frosting.

We used Wilton's Meringue Powder (available at Walmart) and 

the Royal Icing recipe (with a touch more water) ~

adding 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract, for better flavor

 (suggestion from Barb, the Cookie Queen).

How to:

1) Flood cookies with frosting, then w/ a contrasting color (in pastry tube) 

draw concentric circles (starting w/ a dot) or arcs.

2) While still wet, drag a skewer through the frosting at a 90% angle to the colored lines

 - either all one direction, or in alternating directions.

3) Let dry and enjoy!

You can see my Valentine's cookies here.

Posted:
The Creative Exchange
Macro Monday

Love

"Love is, above all, the gift of oneself."  ~ Jean Anouilh

A friend of mine lives a very creative life.  You can see her hand in her art, her beautifully decorated home, and even the food she serves.  In contrast, my creative focus is mainly directed toward my art, to my home somewhat, and by the time I get to the dinner table - well, creativity has fallen by the wayside.  Decorating cookies did look interesting though, so I asked if she would share her secrets.  Yes, was the answer I got.  Boy, was that a treat!  We doodled with frosting filled tubes instead of pencils, talked, and ate our mistakes.  Yum!  Like many things, it was more difficult to do than it appeared, but decorating got easier as the hours slipped by.  I've gathered my "besties" in this photo.  I think I'm hooked, as I'm looking toward the next holiday with patterns on eggs and rabbits dancing within my head.  Look out Martha!