by Amy | Oct 18, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Faith, The Art of the Moment
Tonight Practically Canada is expected to get mixed precipitation. As in rain…mixed with snow. It’s only a matter of time now and winter will be upon us again.
I love fall and I hate to see it come to a close. I’m a fan of sweater weather and the smell of dry leaves. I like the eerie feeling in the air as things begin to close up, grow dark and quiet for a long winter season. I like cemetaries and the way they look with deer peeking out from behind grave stones and crow circling overhead. I love the colors and the flavors and the spooky side of this time of year.
So I thought I’d take this opportunity to put together a little image essay. These are a few things that caught my eye as I walked around my block. The beautiful thing about photographs is that you can savor a moment forever. This way, even if snow falls tonight, we’ll still have the color of the leaves, the smell or fresh apples, and the sound of crunchy leaves lingering in our minds.
by Amy | Oct 15, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Kitchen
Historically speaking, I’m a terrible pumpkin carver. You can ask anyone in my family. They’ll relay stories of many pumpkin-induced rage quits. So this year when some friends asked Derek and me to participate in a friendly carving contest I was pretty nervous. The raging is now a thing of the past, but the terrible carving skills are still fully intact.
But I gave it my best shot. I obviously spent a little time on my phone Googling pumpkin carving images before beginning. Then I started. Now, maybe it was the pressure of the competition, or maybe I didn’t want to look a fool in front of new friends…whatever it was, this year I carved my best ever pumpkin.
Here are the Smith pumpkins in all their glory.
And here is the full line up from our get-together. Pretty impressive, right?
Here in PraCan, it’s almost too windy every night to actually light our pumpkins and have them stay lit. But that’s not why I really like to carve anyway. I’m mostly in it for the seeds. If they are done right, they kind of make wading through all that pumpkin goo worth the nasty.
If you’ve already carved and thrown your seeds away, don’t fret. You can use this recipe on squash seeds too. So when you hack open that butternut, put the seeds aside for later.
It’s really easy. The recipe below is good for about 2 cups of seeds. If you have more, you’ll just need to add a little more oil to get them all coated.
First, degoop all your seeds. Some stringy stuff is okay, but separate your seeds from the big chunks of pumpkin guts.
Next, I rinse mine off just a bit in a collander. Nothing too thourough. Then I shake them off and pour them into a bowl.
Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and stir it around. Then spread them out on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. I have a pizza pan with holes in the bottom that I like to use because it lets heat up underneath the seeds, but I’ve done it on a cookie sheet and they turn out fine too.
Once they are evenly spread, sprinkle them with some salt. Then sprinkle them again with a grill seasoning. Yep, that’s my big secret. I use a premixed seasoning. I really like this smokehouse maple from McCormick Grill Mates.
Finally put the pan in the oven and turn it on to 250 degrees. The key here is letting the seeds dry out completely. That’s the difference between a good seed and a soggy seed. So you’ll need to let them bake for 45-60 minutes. Take them out and give them a quick stir every 15 minutes or so. You’ll know they are done when they are dry and making a crackling sound.
Happy October
Amy
by Amy | Oct 9, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Gathering, The Art of the Kitchen
I love this recipe. It’s one that I wrote a few years ago for Thanksgiving. This year, I busted it out early. Because it’s really that easy and that good. And the batter tastes amazing, so the bowl is totally worth licking. Here’s the recipe.
You have a couple options for glaze. Super easy route:
Buy a can of cream cheese frosting from the store. Heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds at a time, until it’s liquidy and smooth. Drizzle it over the cake.
Make it yourself:
Put 1/2 block of cream cheese in a bowl. Microwave it until it’s soft. Mix in 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar {depending on how sweet you like it.} Add a Tbsp of milk to get a glaze consistency. Keep adding milk little by little until you have a drizzle-able consistency.
Then eat it. Or share it. Or both. But be sure to pair it with a good, hot drink. That’s the best.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 9, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
Savanna lives in the country. Shade dapples the property. Classic cars peek out from behind the barn…projects to be done. The grass is green, bunnies hop through tall weeds, the sun makes the color of the world vibrant.
In this rustically idyllic setting, Savanna fits in perfectly. She’s fun and tough, and the kind of girl who walks around outside without shoes.
Like all the seniors I’ve book so far this year, I know Savanna through the youth group I volunteer with at church. So I offered her the same discount that Gretchen took advantage of. Throughout the rest of the post you’ll find the verses she chose to memorize and recite at her session.
“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” Acts 16:31
She and her dad restored this 1960’s truck together. I’m simply crazy about the color. She calls it the “Turtle” because it’s green and slow.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Luke 19:10
Be on the lookout for more from this session on the Facebook page later this week. And don’t forget to come over to the Facebook page every night for a new costume idea throughout the month of October.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 2, 2013 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Projects
If you follow the Facebook page, you saw that yesterday I was working on a couple new chalkboards. A while back a friend gave me a couple old window panes that she didn’t need. It’s been months and finally I’ve converted them into something useful. I plan to use them in photo sessions, but when they aren’t in use there, one will be hanging on the gallery wall.
Nearly a year ago I showed you guys how to make your own custom chalkboard paint. Today I thought we’d revisit that technique. Since last time I forgot to take photos and the tutorial was really lacking.
Here’s what you need:
Paint in the color you’d like your chalk board
Unsanded grout
Water
Something to mix in
Something to mix with
Something to chalk board
A paint brush
Here’s what you need to do.
Start by priming your surface. In my case, I primed window glass. But you can use basically anything that can hold paint. I prime with basic acrylic or latex paint.
After you’ve let that dry completely, mix up your chalkboard paint. I mixed mine in an empty baked beans can. It was handy, free, and disposable.
Mix together, 2 TBS unsanded grout and a few drops of water. Just enough water to make a really thick, but smooth paste. If yours is looking thin because of too much water, add a little more grout. Then mix in 1/2 cup of your paint. Paint an even coat all over your surface and let it dry.
Once that’s dry, season your new chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the whole surface and gently wiping it off. Because of this, your color will not be as vibrant as it was in the jar. Keep that in mind when you choose a color.
Now you are ready to write on your new board.
I used this graphic I made for a little inspiration. But, let’s face it, everything looks cool written on a chalkboard.
Hope this one helps you more than the last tutorial. See you tomorrow,
Amy
by Amy | Sep 29, 2013 | Blog, The Art of Design
A while back I bought a bag of coffee that was one of those cozy fall flavors, like vanilla-pumkin-hazlenut or something. I really bought it because the bag was so darn pretty. The flavor was technically named “Fall In Love.” On the bag there was a heart shaped formed with maple leaves.
And I did fall in love. I drank the coffee. It was good. But really that bag was pretty enough to hang on the wall. So I made something for us, inspired by my coffee bag, to hang up.
It is sized to print at 8.5×11″. So no resizing needed. You could definitely trim the white space off to make it an 8×10″ piece instead. Either way, it’s pretty cute.
Here is the link.
If you like this, even if you aren’t actually going to print it…please share it with your friends!
Now, go get some coffee…and don’t forget, tonight is the season 3 premier of Revenge! {Golly I love that show.}
Amy
by Amy | Nov 19, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Gathering, The Art of the Kitchen
It’s only a few days away!
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you must be reading from another country. Because in America, the only thing we love more than food…is a holiday that celebrates food.
Thanksgiving.
My parents got in last night, and boy am I glad to have them here. I just adore it when folks make the trip to come visit us…wherever we are. But I digress. You saw the title of the post and you want a recipe, darn it.
So here we go. This pumpkin bunt cake is a creation of my own and I’ve been celebrating fall and Thanksgiving with it for years now. {Ever since the recipe came into being.} It takes about 20 minutes to whip together…then about 55 minutes of filling your house with amazing cinnamon-pumpkiny smells.
Here’s what you do:
Get out a big bowl.
In that bowl beat together:
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter {softened}
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Then…
Add the following ingredients one at a time, mixing after each:
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
Finally…
Alternate adding the final two ingredients. First some flour, then some pumpkin…until it’s all mixed in.
3 1/2 cups flour
1 – 15 oz can of pureed pumpkin
Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon. Then pour the rest of the batter on top. Sprinkle the top of the batter with more cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. It’s done when a knife stabbed into the center comes out nice and clean. After it’s cooled for a bit mix up 3/4 cups of powdered sugar with 1/4 cup of milk {more if you want a thinner glaze}. Then use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.
You’re gonna love this one.
Amy
by Amy | Nov 1, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Gathering
It’s November! You know what that means…time to trade spooky for turkey. November 1st is the gateway to all things holiday and hospitality. It’s the time when we begin thinking about hosting gatherings, welcoming guests and overeating. {Just being honest.}
I’m excited to get my home guest ready and my table turkey-worthy. In the coming days we’ll be talking about all of that. But today I want to get us all ready to be guests…by showing you what is shaping up to be the best hostess gift of the year.
Salt & Pepper Shakers!!
Good guest etiquette holds that it’s polite to bring a gift to your hostess when coming over for a holiday dinner or party. {Except if it’s your mom…then it’s okay just to bring yourself.}
Here’s what I’m proposing. This year…instead of showing up with a bottle of wine or flowers…show up with something better that your hostess will adore. Come bearing the gift of novelty shakers. They are trending now and covering shelves from Pottery Barn to Target. You’ll be able to nab a cute pair no matter what your gift budget.
1. Acorn shakers from Stonewall Kitchen. {These are on the pricy side…}
2. Orange Owl shakers from Target. Precious for only $8.99!
3. Turkeys, perfect for Thanksgiving, from Williams Sonoma. Mid price at $19.99.
4. I love this little squirrel-nutkin from Pottery Barn. These will cost a pretty penny…$39.95
Now friends, don’t be intimidated by the price tags. Nab these sweet hostess gifts on sale when you see them. Check Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart’s Better Homes & Gardens line, and K-Mart’s Martha Stewart/Paula Dean lines.
Happy November!
Amy
