Monthly Archives: July 2012

Calligraphy Aging Gracefully

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in art, calligraphy, Inspirational

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I’ve got a migraine with no med, and a back more curvy than this calligraphy. Life is lived in slow motion some days but never too slow to do something creative. Yes!

Today I pulled out an art journal. I first printed text as a guide using the charming The King and Queen font, by Bran, available at dafont.com. I dipped the pen in ink and did three lines of script before noticing I grabbed the wrong ink. I watched through pain-squinted eyes as the watery ink slowly seeped into the page, creating rough and warted lines, puddles of gray.

Calligraphy using Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Artists Ink, Black.

In slow motion, I thought Oh, it’s not me, it’s the ink. So I pulled out the bottle of better ink and did another line of script. Though the ink didn’t seep into the paper, the letters were still nonuniform, wavery and warted. And then I laughed. It’s not the ink, it’s old age! And pain. And just because it’s a very slow day.

Calligraphy using Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Artist Ink, India, Opaque, New Formula.

It’s ok to be wavery and warted and gray when you’re old.
Slow, gray days are much easier to get through with Courage and Strength.
And when Courage and Strength seem a bit shaky, try Generosity and Joy.
And when Generosity and Joy are too muddled, Thanksgiving never fails.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Beads of Amber

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in baking, food

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According to baking tradition, having any kind of liquid appear on the top of baked meringue is a total Meringue Fail. The beauty in meringue is supposed to be in its height, its glossy whiteness between peaks of crisp golden brown, its smooth surface completely devoid of any type of liquid whatsoever.

We followed the recipe in Williams Sonoma’s Essentials of Baking, but added an extra teaspoon of grated lemon peel to the filling. We poured the hot filling into the room-temp crust and topped it with the fluffy meringue mixture. We baked it, cooled it and then chilled it. When we removed the pie from its cold storage container, we were surprised and delighted.

Let it be known, that We, the Three Bakers of This Pie, are declaring this day, July 28th, in the year 2012, that Baking Tradition has given mankind an undue burden by requiring a perfect meringue-topped pie to have a glossy surface of white and crisp, pale brown peaks, unspoilt by any liquid.

Furthermore, We, the Three Bakers of This Pie, do declare that a perfect Lemon Meringue Pie shall have a beautiful white and golden surface, festooned with garlands of glorious amber beads that magically appear on the chilled pie.

Moreover, We, the Three Bakers of This Pie, do declare that these stunning, light-refracting beads of rare nectar, should be in some places randomly scattered over the meringue and pale yellow in color, while other darker gold-flecked beads be arrayed as a brilliant strand of the most valuable natural Baltic Amber, nestled in the velvet cleavage of meringue rings.

Therefore, We, the Three Bakers of This Pie, do declare this Lemon Meringue Pie to be perfect.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie – festooned with garlands of glorious golden nectar, strung with strands of rare topaz and gold-flecked amber.

So be it.

Desktop Background – Icon Sorter

21 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in art, funny, Uncategorized, words

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My computer desktop is usually littered with an unmanageable mess of icons. I painted a bunch of 4″ x 6″ cards for an e-course I’m taking and decided to photograph the cards to make a Desktop Background icon sorter before finishing the cards. Click on the photo to see larger image. Feel free to save it and use as wallpaper.

Desktop Background – Icon Sorter – click for larger image to save.

The terrific typewriter fonts used in this project are from Dafont:
AA Typewriter by Attila_Acs
Rough Typewriter by by JibbaJabba Fonts
Mom’s Typewriter by Christoph Mueller

Violet Skirt Petunias

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in flowers, gardening

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This year I tried a new Cascadia Petunia on the deck – Violet Skirt petunias from newgardenplants.com.

Cascadia Petunia – Violet Skirt

This pot contains Violet Skirt grown from a cutting. As I removed one of the plants from the packaging in the spring, one of the stems broke off. I stripped the leaves from the lower section of stem and stuck it in a pot of dirt. It struggled for a couple months but never died. I’m thrilled that it is thriving now! If I was more diligent to deadhead it, there would be more blooms. It still looks lovely despite the neglect.

For good instructions on rooting petunias from cuttings, check this site.

Cascadias are my favorite petunias. They do well in hot weather but need water daily when the temp is in the upper 90′s. They quit flowering when it’s over 100 degrees but come back quickly when the temperatures drops.

I usually get Cascadias from Spring Hill Nurseries. Spring Hill no longer sells the Choice White Cascadias alone. In years past, I planted Choice White with pink and coral geraniums in the planters. The waterfall of white is splendid over a balcony. This year, I wanted a change and the purple is gorgeous.

The Box

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in art, crafts, Inspirational, projects, woodwork

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We’re excited about life. The pieces are all there. We have plans and everything seems straight and simple.

Construction gets under way. We’re moving forward. We know exactly what we want.

And then the Carver picks up an instrument and begins the work.

We hold tight. We think I can do this. It’s ok.

But then things change and we’re not so sure.

People are brought into our lives that make us uncomfortable.

The cuts get deeper.

Color pales and we get confused.

We watch as bits of us drop away.

We look down and see what is lost. We mourn what has fallen. We don’t want to part with things we think are important.

The Carver keeps the instruments sharp. Carefully honing the blade, we hear the swish of metal on stone and we’re afraid.

We no longer recognize ourselves.

There are strange steps. Odd bits of life, ragged and raw.

The gouges are deep.

We weep over the pile of loss from the past. We focus on what is gone.

What we don’t see is how the Carver’s hands firmly and lovingly hold us.

All we see is the pile of shavings that obliterate our view.

But the Carver sees. The Carver sees a beauty on the inside that we can’t see from the outside. The Carver whittles away, bit by bit, to reveal the treasure within.

We don’t understand the Carver’s dream. But we reach a point where we must trust. Even though we don’t understand, we let the Carver work. And we begin to let go.

We begin to trust that the Carver has a greater plan. It is too big for us to understand right now. But now we think I can get through this. It’s going to be ok.

And for the first time, we’re ok with it.

♥

To be continued…

Mnemoniker – my son’s first music CD!

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in family, music, Uncategorized

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We are so very proud of our son, Nathanael Monroe, for his first CD, Mnemoniker, by SoundsofNCM. It just debuted over the weekend and it is wonderful! We are thrilled! He is a very gifted composer and God has blessed him with so much musical talent. Here is the blurb from his album:

SoundsofNCM is a 21-year old electronic composer who incorporates aspects of many different electronic styles into his music, pulling from prolific dubstep, liquid D&B, and 8-bit elements, and tying them together in a unique blend.

I love listening to his music while working on my art. You can find the album online here.

http://soundsofncm.bandcamp.com/album/mnemoniker

Mnemoniker – by SoundsofNCM

Please join us in toasting to Nathanael – May his music career prosper and may those who listen be blessed.