Another Place and Time

Do you love having a day to go to your favorite junk stores to find treasures?  I have been sifting through junk  since I was a little girl.  On our very large farm there were many old sheds and buildings that were full of someone else's junk.  We (my brothers and sisters) would sort carefully looking over every little item.

this is my sister and I in front of our wild marigold bushes..........

We would think  about the people who used to love these things and what they were feeling when they used these items.  We even had an old chicken coop that we used as our club house, hidden  there we would stack our most valued treasures, someone else's junk.  I come from a long line of treasure collectors, my grandfather was a rock hound, a real rock hound. He had more rocks and little treasures than anyone in his town.   He would let me sit in his shop and polish rocks with him for hours on end.  My rocks were just dirty little pebbles shined to beauty, but he still let me put them in the tumbler.  He even took me to the city dump one day and let me rummage around for treasures, I would fill my pockets with tiny trinkets, but one favorite time I found a  cherry red bicycle with a banana seat.  He put the broken down bicycle in the back of his truck  and we admired it with great glee.  He helped me fix the bike up to almost perfect.  It rode pretty well even on our dirt road.  Now, where I live  there are no city dumps, and I don't have any old sheds to go through at the moment.  So I make due looking for a new junk shop or going to my local thrift stores.  I still get that tickle in my stomach as I sift through the memories of others.  I adore used items, they speak to me  and they feel good when you pick them up, like someone or somehow they have the energy of another place or time.

these two chairs I found junking this week.  The owner had refinished them in a green paint with a leopard print cushion, what you can't see is they are tiny enough for my small ones to sit in and put their feet on the ground. One has coasters the other not, we will get some soon.  They are perfect to roll around in our family room for reading or game playing.

My stash of clothes and other fabrics I found.........

the red poncho was for $1.00.  It is crochet by hand and such a lovely soft red,  I don't know if I can wait  until Valentines to wear it.  I also found a nice tweed skirt to go with my anthro stockings.  I love junking, but my new favorite thing is putting salvage or junk items with urban.  More to come on that later...........Happy Junking!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday is Color Club

on thursday my little Gracee has early day, so we put together some fun for her and her friends, we made these cupcakes, tie-dyed. I saw this idea on one of my new favorite blogs.  You can check it out here.

you put the color in the bowls of batter,  then add them one by one. Well sort of  by the end they were scattering the batter like little Picasso's.

we also made little shinky-dink hearts and strung them on a necklace, the girls had so much fun that they declared that every other Thursday would be color club at Gracee's..........hooray for me..........

oh and yes the blondie had her braces put on this week...........ouch.........

Butternut Squash Curry Soup

I made the yummiest soup last night, it is made from Butternut squash and so healthy.  My friend Julie sent me this recipe and it totally rocks.


The recipe came from Prevention magazine from a few years ago, she made a few alterations to the original recipe.  (imagine that!!!!) The bosc pears add a spicy sweetness to the soup that gives it a perfect mix of flavors.

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 onion chopped in chunks
2 bay leaves
1 large butternut squash peeled and seeded chopped into chunks
2 peeled and seeded bosc pears
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp white pepper
5 cups chicken broth
1 large potato peeled and cut into cubes

plain yogurt or lite sour cream as a garnish if you like

Melt oil and butter together in a soup pan and saute onion and bay leaves stirring often.
When onion becomes soft add the squash, pears and spices and cook stirring occasionally until squash and pears begin to brown.
Add broth and potato bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until squash is very soft.
Remove bay leaves and puree soup.  Return to pan and bring to a simmer.  Serve and enjoy!


*Julie's note*  before you puree the soup taste one of the potatoes.  So tasty I want to make just a vegetable curry today using the same recipe, no pears.

While the veggies were simmering  I stole little bits of yumminess out of the pan, the vegetables had the best flavor.  

Puree the soup in a blender, then I ran mine through a sieve, it was silky smooth and ready to eat.

As a garnish and to add a little texture, I toasted some pumpkin seeds, in the same saute pan from the beginning of the recipe, (bonus for not cleaning up after myself).  The seeds picked up the flavor from the onions.

Bon Appétit!

My Voyage Home

I am on a Voyage Home this year, I will be making this little book of scraps to document my journey.    Many little bits and pieces of beautiful little memories waiting for a place to go.

 I was looking at pam's blog and was inspired very much by her use of scraps and was introduced to a fabulous new  artist Mary Ann Moss, she teaches  an online class called remains of the day.  


 I have been spending my days lately sewing paper and some fabric onto the pages of a book I took apart, in the shape of a house.  I  am just using the bones of the pages to sew on.

the class inspired me to use this beautiful crepe paper ruffle that julie gave me last summer for my birthday.  It reminds me of birthday wishes from my dear friend.

 remains of wrapping paper and of little bits of fabric from my art journeys. Little notes from my children will be added as well as my place for bits and pieces that need a design home. 

art nest 2009

What a great time I had at the art nest this year at the little chalet in the mountains of Utah. It was a magical time for all to gather and enjoy art, food and friendships.

as i returned home from this wonderful experience, i had to get right back to school, family and other things i had neglected for a bit, but i had new renewal and vision. It was the people who came that made the difference.  The amazing artists and teachers who were open to learning about themselves and made time to visit and listen to each other.  I learned we are all very similar in that we process emotion through our art, that living and being thrown around through the hard knocks of life leaves us volnerable and open to life's changes. I opened my eyes to others grief and sadness, to hard things we all have to deal with.  I saw happiness and creative energy seeping out through paint strokes and messy hands.  I was amazed at the amount of talent that each of our nesters had, and the way the teachers were able to help us to let go and enjoy the moment.

 

the art was amazing...........

this is a view of the paintings from Kelly Rae's class

people came from all over the united states.  Here are our two gals from California, can you tell they have that glow.

Here is Kelly working hard on her piece from Maty's class. 

creative bliss................

look at the smiles on their faces..........



Heidi working hard on this masterpiece.

Lorie Garver's lovely work.

Art Work from Maty's class

Maty Rose  the queen of whimsical Boho.

Jane Wynn got us in the zone for perfect sodering, can you believe this was her first trip flying by herself and she didn't get her luggage until the second day and was still  calm and beautiful.

Cassondra and her darling bird.   Our little helper doing more than she should have, serving and taking care of us all. she did more dishes than one gal should do in a lifetime.

 My "Know yourself" piece from Kelly Rae's class. 

more work from Kelly Rae's class

a few odds and ends that were left in the study as we packed up to leave. It was hard to pack everything up and go back home after another art nest, but my heart was full and my creativity blooming thinking of each of the nesters going home to their very different lives but feeling connected to each other in a way that doesn't seem real.  So, I say to each of you  fly and use those wings to soar to new heights, and hopefully  you will find your own nest of gratitude, safety and happiness. That is my wish.

xoxoxo

candice

p.s. i promise to blog more