Yard & Garden Art Sale Sneak Peek

Fred and I have been making various yard and garden “art” for our own home, for years now, with most of it being “experimental.” After being asked, by several people now, where they could get some of the items they’ve seen around our place, we decided to make some things to sell. Though some of the ideas are not “new” (it’s just a wild guess here that more than one person has come up with the idea of making a bench or bird feeder…), we’ve managed to put our own “twist” on them, such as design and artwork, to make it our own. We’re quite proud of what we’ve come up with so far. And, the best part? Most of this is done with scrap wood & re/upcycled pieces!

(Starting upper left, circling right; a bird house & birdie banner, bird feeder, large planter pot, small planter pots, one of the 3 upcycled wood benches that Fred made that I hand painted & sealed)

In addition to the items here, I’ve also done a few more recycled wood signs, box planters, bird houses, other not yet finished yard art and plants that we nurtured and grew ourselves! I think this will be fun!

(All the artwork is my own but I will share how I did the large cream/brown planter pot (middle right photo)…mostly because this will, more than likely, be the only one I ever do of this. I got the “brilliant” idea to glue lace (yes, actual lace) onto a pot then paint it to give it a “dimensional” look. Had I known it would take SIX coats of paint to finish this, I never would’ve started. However, I think it really turned out pretty and perhaps, if you try it yourself, you’ll come up with a better way to do this!).

Tofu Saute’

I kept trying to come up with another name to call this so that the one or two of you (I’m being optimistic), who really don’t like tofu would, at least, read this nice blog. However, it is what it is. SO, for those of you “fu” eaters…

They say you “eat with your eyes, first” so the dishes you make should look appealing. However, if it doesn’t taste good, the whole “eye theory” flies out the window and, at that point, your dish becomes worm fodder. One of the most influential parts of making a dish taste good is the “texture” of the food (this is the most important thing, according to Fred (aka: “Mr. I-can’t-eat-tomatoes-because-they-feel-weird-in-my-mouth”), which is why this dish, simple as it is, works so well.

Tofu Saute’

Ingredients:

• 1 block (about 10-12 oz.) drained, packaged or fresh Tofu, (don’t use Silken Tofu — too mushy…texture, texture…)
• 2 Tbs. Soy Sauce (I use gluten-free Tamari, instead)

You can either cube the tofu and marinate it in the soy sauce OR you can add the soy sauce to the pan when it’s cooking. I prefer to cube & marinade.

• 1/2 Sweet Pepper (I used yellow — it was what I had on hand — you can use green or red – or a combination of all)
• 1/2 medium Tomato (any color, any variety)

Cube the tofu and cut the peppers and tomatoes roughly the same size — about 1/2 normal “bite-sized.”

• 1/4 Onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil (I also added about 1/2 tsp. minced garlic to the oil)
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used Soy “Cheddar.” Not great on its own but, in this, really good)
• 1 cup (or more) shredded Lettuce

Directions

1. Heat a large frying pan (it’s supposed to help things from sticking if you heat it first. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on what I’m frying).
2. Add the tofu (and soy if you didn’t use as a marinade).
3. Cook the tofu until it’s brown (slightly crispy, if you want) and then add the peppers & onion until the veggies are crisp-tender.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook until they’re heated through.

To serve this (I like it, as pictured, with my homemade gluten-free flat bread) top with a sprinkle of cheese, then a big handful of shredded lettuce. Now, you may be saying “lettuce for breakfast?” Yes, indeedy! However, if you just can’t stomach it, eat this for lunch or dinner but DON’T skip the lettuce! Remember what I was saying about “texture?” This is it. The crisp, cold lettuce on top of the warm saute’ is divine.

MusicalMe Kids (with MY artwork!)

Okay, so this might go beyond shameless self-promotion but I’m just too darned excited about it not to share it with you. I was asked to do the cartoon icons for a new iTunes application called “MusicalMe Kids.” Originally, I thought I had 2-3 weeks to finish the 16 icons but, within 24 hours, it was dropped to 1 week. That, in itself, was a huge challenge for me as I must be the slowest painter I know. (I could never charge anyone by the hour because of this - I’d be sitting in the dark, scraping beans out of a can, a dog tucked in each armpit to keep warm – all because I’d be broke due to no one hiring me…but, I digress…)

The application, itself, is really quite ingenious. It allows you to either take new photos or use photos you already have, on your iphone or ipad, and add music to them!  (This is where it gets really good…). Each color in the photo coordinates with a different note on the musical scale – the more colors you have the more notes you have to play with! You can choose the notes or have the application do it for you. Then, once your “masterpiece” is done, you can even save it or send it to someone! What a great way for kids to express themselves and learn about music (I, especially, think deployed military family would love getting pictures with songs from the kids, don’t you?).

In addition to musical instrument sounds, they also have animal sounds (and a cute little girl giggling!). I played around with it as soon as it came out — I’m hooked and I’m not a kid (well, at heart, I am…).

Keep your fingers and toes crossed that this is going to be a really big hit. I’m so proud and honored to be a part of it!

Here’s the link for it if you want to take a peek!   MusicalMe Kids

Homemade Gluten-Free Flatbread Rolls

I’ve started on this new chapter in my life that includes gluten-free and processed sugar-free eating. I thought I’d try it for a year to see how it goes. The first week or two was really not too fun…for anyone in this house. I had headaches, was exhausted (“bed by 7 pm” exhausted) and, according to Fred, not too “friendly,” either. But it’s been two months now and I think I’m past all the bad stuff (though I do think my husband would disagree just to guilt me into buying him Oreos…) and am feeling much better. In fact, I’m sleeping better now than I ever remember and some of my health issues have improved (what? I’m over 50, I’m entitled to health issues…). 

I adapted the bread maker rolls recipe I posted last year to make it gluten and nearly sugar-free (I used a very small amount of honey). If you don’t have a bread maker you can still make these – you’ll need to proof the yeast and knead the dough yourself.

Gluten-Free Flatbread Rolls

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1 beaten Egg
• 1 Tbs. Butter
• 1 Tbs. Honey
• 3/4 tsp. Salt
• 3-3/4 cup Flour (my gluten-free mix consists of 1/4 cup each of the white rice flour, brown rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, and tapioca starch – this makes 1 cup flour to replace 1 cup wheat flour).
• 4 heaping tsp. Xantham Gum (this is NOT optional — it replaces the gluten and holds the flours together).
• 1-1/4 tsp. Dry Yeast

Directions

1. Cut the dough in half and, one at a time, roll each half out into a rectangle (about 1/4″ thick and cut them into squares with a knife (the size will depend on what works best with you).
2. Place on a greased baking sheet, about an inch apart.
3. Cover and let sit about 30 minutes (they might not rise a lot but it’ll give them a chance, if they want to…). 
4. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.
5. Take them out of the oven, flip them over, and bake another 5 minutes or so, until both sides are lightly browned.

I love these in the morning. They’re wonderful toasted with a little almond butter and a smattering of all-fruit cherry jam.

When it rains…

It’s amazing how life can go from “zero to 60″ in such a short amount of time. Just when I thought my days were already packed, I received 3 new projects to work on — which is also the reason why I’ve not been posting very much lately (and you’ve missed me terribly, I’m sure…).

The first is artwork for a friend of mine who’s developing a cool software application. I’m quite excited about it and will be doing a special post about this, when it’s released, to give it a “formal” introduction!

The second is another friend of mine who has a business, here in town, and wants me to come up with a “display” to feature some of my photo cards! I was so flattered when she asked me. I think I have all the parts and pieces I need and am just waiting on the printer to send the cards I’ve chosen for her shop.

The third project is making some things to sell at a garden and yard art sale this June. I’ve had more fun coming up with different ideas — and the best part is that Fred is doing it with me! With the few days off he’s had, recently, he’s been happily “playing” in his shop to create some wonderful yard art (nothing is finished so he won’t let me take photos, yet!). 

Of course it wouldn’t be like me not to paint so I decided to do some garden-themed signs (I love painting signs). Here’s what I’ve come up with, so far…

I like the way they’re coming out and I’m using up some of my nice, old wood “collection” (aka “saved from the burn pile”), to boot. Painting flowers has never been my strong suit so this has been a good challenge for me. I’ve been teaching myself a few new techniques and, although Donna Dewberry has nothing to worry about, just yet, I think I’ll get better with time and practice.

In my free time…*cough*

New adventures always make me excited…and, if there’s any part of my artwork attached, a little nauseous. It’s never easy putting yourself out there and my stomach always seems to know when I’m doing this.

My latest project was to set up another Etsy shop to sell my photos. Most of them are turning out to be cards (both printed photo cards and 4 x 6′s that are framed in greeting cards, that can also be used as pictures in regular wall or table frames when the card arrives at its destination) but there are also some 5 x 7′s and 8 x 10′s.

I think the hardest part was deciding which photos to choose. I know not everyone will like everything (or anything, sometimes) and picking out a “few” was a little nerve-wracking. I whittled them down, from several thousand, to about 50 or so. Hopefully, I chose the right ones and people will be breaking down the doors to buy them…(what? I said “hopefully…”).

I’ve decided, in addition to just cards & photos, I need to  branch out and try new things with my photos as well. I’m hoping to do some ”photo transfer” onto wood blocks or mount them using encaustics. It should be interesting to see what I actually end up with here as there are so many possibilities to choose from (there’s that “choose” word again…). I’ll keep you posted if anything terribly interesting happens with this latest venture. If you’re interested in taking a peek at the rest of the photos, you can find them at www.linniebphotography.etsy.com. 

 

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I’m starting to develop an interesting relationship with sweet potatoes. For today, my tastebuds are still rejecting the orange ones but are getting quite used to the white ones (not yams, mind you…sweet potatoes) as they’re not nearly as sweet and are more “potato-like.” I believe there are over 30 different varieties available out there (but I have no idea which ones I’m using. I go to the store and ask which have the “whitest” flesh and that’s what I buy).

I’ve tried a few different sweet potato recipes, since my last post about curried veggies and, while they were edible, they weren’t much to write about (ie: I’ll leave the sweet potato fries to Ore Ida for now)…until this one. I really like the spices I chose but was conservative with them, not knowing how it would go. Next time I will add more — and you can adjust to your own tastes, as well.

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium (appx. 2″ x 5″) white-fleshed Sweet Potato
• 1-2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 Tbs. Dried Onions
• TO TASTE:  Black Pepper, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, & Salt

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil.
3. Sprinkle in the spices and stir well to coat all the potato pieces.
4. Roast in a glass pan or on a cookie sheet at 425F for 10-15 minutes.
5. With a spatula, turn the potatoes and roast another 10-20 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned and crispy.

Stuff I Saw Today…

I must say, it’s been a lot of fun going out on these photo playdates with my friend, Crystal. Each time we try to go somewhere different or focus on different techniques — both to keep her (already) keen eye sharp and to get me used to looking for things that I might, otherwise, miss when peering through the little hole in my camera. It’s hard to know, right away, which shots are going to be good and which are not so good but all are fabulous learning opportunities (and it’s always a plus to have a few that come out well!). Today we focused on both taking photos of the same things but, obviously, through different eyes. I can hardly wait to see how hers turned out!

So, here goes; stuff I saw today… 

Watching the water come and go…

Spring has finally sprung!

Tree roots coming out of the side of the cliffs.

The rhododendrons are starting to bloom!

Getting up close and personal with the beach…

I get teased about the number of photos I take of the clouds. I just can’t seem to get enough of them!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my beautiful day today! See you soon!

Hurricane Ridge

Living in the Pacific Northwest, you could wait for good weather to go do things…but then you might not do too much. Fred had a day off so we packed up the dogs (yes, all three of them), and headed up to Hurricane Ridge. I’d never been there but had seen photos and was quite excited about the adventure.

 

We stopped, about 1/2 way up to take a peek at where we were and where we’d been. It was quite a panoramic view!

These sweet, little birds were everywhere – and none of them too shy. In fact, this one seemed to be mugging for the camera and let me get within two feet of him to take this fabulous shot.

As soon as my ears started popping, I knew we’d reached a significant altitude in a very short amount of time. We stopped again (this is why this is a “day trip” rather than a “few hour” trip), fed the dogs, took them for a little walk and look at the view we found through the trees!

It wasn’t long before things starting taking on a “black or white” hue, the closer we got to the top.

At the top was a nice ski area, small lodging, and a lot (at least, more than I’ve been used to the last few years) of snow! Interestingly enough, it didn’t even seem all that cold. Perhaps my body is finally adjusting to the constant cooler weather in this part of the country.

A nice spring storm was starting to come in so we decided to head back down. We’d watched Les “Survivorman” Stroud, the night before, get “stuck” (I enquote this because I’m pretty sure, with every adventure he goes on, his rescue crew is just around the next corner…) in a huge snow storm and have to cut his car cushions apart to make boots and eat leftover deer head. Just not something I was looking forward to doing…ever.

We stopped at Crescent Bay on the way home to take a few photos. As much as I love the mountains, I think I’d have a tough time being too far inland. I love the water too much. But I’m happy, and very grateful, to have both so close.

 

Butternut Squash Soup

I never liked soup as a kid but, somewhere in the last 40 some-odd years, I’ve grown to love it. So, with 1/2 of a Butternut squash left from my last recipe (“Easy Vegetable Curry”), I decided to “invent” a soup recipe. I really like the way it came out – delish!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
• 1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed (smallish cubes so they cook faster)
• 1 small Carrot, shredded (or chopped really small)
• 2 Tbs. Onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic, minced
• 2 cups Veggie Broth
• 1 medium Sage Leaf, chopped (or use about 1/4 tsp. dried)
• Dash of:  Turmeric, Curry, and Cinnamon (more to taste)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup Almond Milk, unsweetened
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Any of the herbs are, obviously, optional; you can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth; and you can use any milk you want (cow, soy, etc.), this is just what I did because I’m a vegetarian and I’m the Queen of  ”what I had on hand.”

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven (or comparable), heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions, garlic and saute until the onions are translucent.
3. Add everything else EXCEPT the almond milk and cook until the squash and carrots are tender.
4. When the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the almond milk.
5. Let it cool (at least a bit*) and then put through the blender/food processor and serve hot/warm.

*It’s not a good idea to put a lot of hot foods in the blender all at once. The heat can cause the top to “blow off” and it’s rather messy to clean up (yes, speaking from experience here).