Digital Color, Painting and Ice Fishing

polar_bear_print

I have decided to color my drawings digitally. I like how it looks. What do you think? I digitally colored the polar bear illustration from a previous post. The colors will be a little different as I have them set for the printers because colors on the screen are never what they will appear on paper.

I have been neglecting the blog a bit. I’ve been busy painting the rooms for my new nephew and niece. Things are coming along, but still in the boring stage. Well, not exactly boring but painting is never as much fun as hanging pictures and making it look pretty. I also have a very energetic dare devil 10 month old son H. who has now perfected the art of going up the stairs but not down the stairs. He gets to be cuter every day, and more trouble. I hope I am at least burning some calories running after him.

We went on our last ice fishing trip of the year a couple of weekends ago so I thought I’d share some pics of how little we have caught this season. Marc and I have between us brought in two very small perch and that is all! There is always next year I guess.

ice_fishing_1

ice_fishing_3

ice_fishing_4

ice_fishing_5

Comments

For some reason that I still don’t really understand you were not able to comment on my posts. I believe I have fixed the problem. I don’t really know how I fixed it, but it sems to be working. E-mail me if you still have problems.

Cupcakes and Avocado Boats

handandboat

floatingboats

cupcakes

I am not posting about my new project yet. I’ve been procrastinating today with cupcakes and boats. I was watching N. for my sister this afternoon and we needed a snack. I decided on cupcakes because I had an opened cake box mix in a bowl from last week when I made cupcakes for my sister-in-law’s shower. I made three different flavours from scratch for her shower but felt that it wasn’t enough so I decided to do a cake mix batch as well until my husband stopped the madness before it began continued. So I had the cake mix sitting there waiting to be made and I discovered the perfect cupcake icing during my previous cupcake marathon and felt it needed to be tested again just to be sure of its greatness. It turned out perfect again, or I think so anyway. I found the recipe here at allrecipes.

My sister and her girls and myself went for a walk yesterday because it was so warm and I was inspired by all the massive puddles to make us some boats. I grew up in Battleford, Saskatchewan and if you have ever been there you know that it is fairly hilly as it is beside the river. In the spring when all the snow would start melting we used to be able to race our makeshift boats for blocks. I remember it as a highlight of my childhood. So, I was eating an avocado this morning and I thought they would make great boats, especially if I prettied them up with some sails. They work, as you can see, but we will have to try them out tomorrow in a puddle. In case you want to make your own I used avocado of course (scraped out, washed, and dried), pipe cleaner stuck to the bottom with plastecine (not play dough) and milk carton cut into sails and hole punched, and there you have it, avocado boats!

Mama Bear and Baby Bear

hundred_dresses

mamababychair

I finished the bear illustration to accompany the other two that I posted earlier. I have been out of commission for the past couple of days because I am the only person I know to have sustained a whiplash injury from a fridge. Hopefully I will be sufficiently recovered by tomorrow to post about a new project I’m starting. If you have ever read the children’s book The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes then you will have some idea of the subject matter for this project.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

chocolatechip_cookies

I decided to reward myself for exercising every day this week! My niece N. and I made cookies with my Great Aunt Marguerite’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love these cookies because they are sweet, crispy and a little salty. I am not really fond of doughy cookies so this recipe is one of my favorites. They tasted great, but an injury was sustained during the baking process. As I was bending down checking out the cookies in the oven, my sister opened the freezer door of the fridge. I didn’t realize this otherwise I would not have slammed the top of my head into it on my way up. I now have a headache, but at least I also have cookies. I am still feeling magnanimous enough to share the recipe after my little accident so here you are. Try them out but be careful.

Cream together:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift and Add:

2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Add:
2 cups chocolate chips
(I like 1 cup semi sweet and 1 cup milk chocolate)

drop by spoonful onto pan
and bake in oven at 350 for 8-10 mins

Woodland Critters Series

fishing_bears

polar_bears

These two bear illustrations are finished and are waiting patiently for their buddy who will make them a series of three. I have been working away on these and other little critters in order to sell some prints in my Etsy shop. My shop is currently empty but I will be selling my wares soon enough.

The originals of my three bear illustrations already have a home to go to. My husband’s sister and her husband will be flying to South Africa in just over a week in order to complete their adoption of my new niece S. and nephew C. I have volunteered to decorate the kids’ rooms while they are gone and I have been busy planning. C. is the recipient of the bear illustrations and I will have to show you the illustration I am doing for S. as well, as it is almost completed. There is nothing more fun to decorate than kids’ rooms.