Spooky

The Spirit Continues...

I mentioned my brother's art work in my previous post. He sent me some pictures from the many pieces that adorn his walls. Mixed with the monster collection, horror movie posters, Pabst Blue Ribbon and rock 'n roll ephemera are hundreds of guitars, line drawings, paintings and ceramic pieces like these. I picked my favorites to show you here. Chris is also designing and building handmade guitars in his spare time.

In the Spirit of Things

I've been so busy making things for the many shows that I have planned that I haven't taken time to decorate for Fall or for Halloween. Today, I am setting aside some time to clean and put up a few fun things to spook the kids and kick off the spirit of Halloween.
My favorite Halloween decorations are the black lights that I hang in the window and the vintage jack-O-lantern that is missing the clip-on light, but I put it over a basic candle lamp. There's something about things that glow that make this time of year special. For me, it's kind of a transition as the evenings get darker and calls for candles at Thanksgiving and twinkle lights at Christmas.I also love these two handmade pieces from my brother, Chris. I'm always encouraging him to create more. His love of guitars has taken over the creative side of his brain lately though. He has always been a big fan of Halloween and has a huge monster collection. He painted this fun sign on a piece of slab wood. This skeleton is a sample of the many skulls and Frankenstein masks that he's created over the years. There are so many gorgeous pieces on his walls and I really think that he should open a museum! (Perhaps we should collaborate and create a book of monster art or something.)I am also mesmerized by the art of Jack & Cat Curio. Something about Frankenstein in art always grabs my attention, but when I saw the beeeswax dripping from this Halloween collage, I had to ask them about it.
I asked Jack & Cat Curio to tell me a bit about themselves...
"We are a couple that love to stay up late creating mixed media pieces. We specialize in encaustic/beeswax collage. We compile different imagery and ephemera and then put it all under several layers of beeswax. Sometimes we use colored wax to achieve a certain look, other times a heat dye. Sometimes we stamp, imprint, and graph the wax.
We also specialize in digital imagery,trinkets and do-dads. Lesley also creates confectionery goods when not crafting with beeswax. We also travel and teach several workshops and classes on these topics."
I did look up "encaustic" and read that it was a technique using hot wax with pigments and that it was first used in Greek ship building to seal cracks in the ships and evolved into an art form from there.
You can visit JackandCatCurio.Etsy.com to see more of their beeswax collages, altered art, mixed media, and prints. I encourage you to visit their blog as well at http://JackandCatCurio.Blogspot.com. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to their "Art Makin' Blues" playlist while writing this. I may just keep it playing and dance around as I decorate this morning! And, if you're in the Phoenix area, check out the class schedule as posted on their blog.
(Special thanks to Mike and Lesley from JackandCatCurios.Etsy.com!)

Bake 'N Fill Birthday!

Sarah wanted to bake her own birthday cake this year. She has her very own Betty Crocker Bake 'N Fill set of pans that she got for Christmas one year. When she was little, she would see the commercial for them on tv and kept telling us that she wants those pans! We use them once in awhile. This time, she opted for chocolate cake with Oreo Cookies and Cream ice cream filling, cream cheese frosting which she tinted green, topped with Everlasting Gobstoppers.

It requires two cake mixes, but only uses 1 1/2, so you end up with 12 extra cupcakes. There is an insert pan that sits on top when it bakes, forming the center space. I would sometimes rather fill it with pudding since the ice cream cakes have to remain frozen. Even though we let this one sit out for awhile, it was still frozen cake. And, allowing it to freeze and thaw caused the icing and the Gobstoppers to sweat. All in all it was delicious and Sarah had a blast!

Sugar and Spice....and everything nice!

These are my favorite cookies from my Grandmother's recipe box!

SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES

Cream together 3/4 cup Crisco shortening and 1 cup sugar. Add 1 egg and mix well. Add 1/4 cup molasses. Mix together then add to egg mixture: 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Mix well and chill dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat glass in sugar then gently press the cookie to flatten slightly. (Double dip for a little extra sugar.) Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until brown on the edges.

Buttons and Inspiration

Big thanks to Jenn of the Fulmer House for the fabulous assortment of vintage buttons! I love the big ones especially. There are some fun shapes and sets as well.

I went through a button-buying phase that left me with lots of fun and pretty buttons. I have them spread out with some other pendants and doo-dads, just waiting for the right project and fiber to come along to compliment them.

Check out these fun wooden buttons from TheHickoryTree.Etsy.com!

MMmmm Brownies!

I thought I'd share a Brownie recipe that's quick and easy. You don't need to grab a box of mix to enjoy a quick dessert. (Just don't forget the ice cream!)

Easy Brownies from Scratch

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9" square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a saucepan, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of sugar, mix well. Add 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, mix well. Add dry ingredients. Mix in 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, if desired.
Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake for 25 or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center. Allow to cool in the pan and cut as desired. Serve with ice cream and whipped cream.