Well I am trying to stretch out this little vacation for as long as possible but the reality is I have to get back in the studio and start working.  I am preparing for a little show I will be having at the Sweeney Art Gallery which will open Thursday, February 5th.  I will give out more info as we get closer and show some teaser pics.  But this is all I got for now.  And this crazy itching bug to go thrift shopping.

This year I decided to take a stab at candy making and I think, much like my stab at jewelry making last year which I love and continue to do to this day, I think candymaking is here to stay.  Yes, the chocolate and the cream and the butter and the chocolate and the cream aren’t the best things to consume, but perhaps if I space it out or discover something healthy to infuse in these truffles and bon bons, then I will be quite the happy camper!

I also got quite a kick out of packaging them.  I really just raided the Martha Stewart aisle at Michael’s but hey, it works.

These are the things I gave away this year and I had a lot of fun making them.  I even dreamt about making them after spending 2 whole days melting chocolate, measuring flour and trying to figure out how all this works.  I really want to make a chart…like chocolate plus cream equals truffle, or chocolate plus butter and cream equals fudge.  Or what the heck do all these crazy combinations mean?  It’s so scientific, and I am quite excited!

I’ll get all the recipes up on ArtistsCookbook very shortly, but first, Brian and I are two episodes away from finishing season 2 of Mad Men and we must finish first.

I hope everyone had a great Holiday and was able to do the things they enjoy, spend time with family, eat good food, and work in a little relaxing time.

Thank you PaperPumpkin for adding me to your treasury!  This is a particularly sweet one.  I love all the houses and have been thinking about home a lot.  It’s really important to me to make your surroundings that you spend a lot of time in, feel and reflect those things that are important to you.  I definitely take great care in my home and feel a rejuvenation from being here.  So thank you home!

Well the little silver tree has come out again, and was decorated in lovely vintage ornaments by none other than a very friendly ghost (who incidentally has a twin).  What gals.  Well, actually my friend and fellow grad Christine and I had a rather domestic evening decorating the tree (all 4 feet of it), lit a fire, made more of those glue balls (which didn’t turn out too well because we didn’t have the Vaseline (gasp!), all whilst drinking Irish Creme coffee and watching Sex and the City.  Sounds like a chick night if I ever heard of one!

I have been in the decorating mood, and even strung more Christmas lights throughout the house and outside too! That was fun, and Mr. Spider didn’t mind too much me poking around out there.

Tonight I am doing it all over again at my beau’s abode (Brian!) as we decorate his equally fake but green Christmas tree, probably whilst drinking egg nog, and watching…hmmm…Mad Men! I hope everyone has a great weekend and starts feeling the holiday spirits.  They’re walking among us.

This last weekend was first Sunday in Riverside, and at the Sweeney Gallery, fellow artist Alison Walker and I led a workshop with kids and their parents on how to make these really nifty Christmas ornaments or ball shapes out of yarn and glue. They’re really easy and really magical once the glue has dried and you get to pop the balloon.

What you’ll need:
Balloons, blown up, but not full
Vaseline to rub on balloon, use as resist
White Elmers glue, slightly diluted with water
Different colored yarn pieces, cut about 1 foot each

Then all you do is get each piece of yarn thoroughly wet in the glue, squeegee the excess, and start wrapping around the balloon. The Vaseline will act as resist and make it easier to get out later.  Wrap enough yarn so that there is a good framework, and then let dry by hanging up to 24 hours and then once crunchy hard, pop your balloon!  So Fun!