Planting a Colorful Garden

Decisions made and new venues

I have not been on my blog for quite some time. I want to get back into it and am going to try my best to post something at least once a week.  I made a big decision this past year to retire from doing art fairs. After 30 years in the art business it was time. I am also slowing down on creating new art work. Right after all this happened and I thought I would miss being creative something else came along. I have a new part time job at a store call Nada & Company in Royal Oak, MI.

This has been a life saver for me. I get to display and rearrange things around the store plus Nada and Company is a stockist for the Annie Sloan Paints Chalk®.  We find used furniture and I get to paint and distress it.  We give furniture new life!  I am having fun with my new job.  I am also making sure I keep in touch with my family and friends as much as I can.  My friends and I like to take day trips and on May 6th we are heading to the Davisburg Antique Festival. I will take pictures and let you know how it was.  

Ann Arbor Art Fairs

It's that time of year again.....time for the Ann Arbor Art Fairs.  I can't wait to go on Wednesday because the weather is going to be beautiful.  Usually it is extremely hot for this show making it very uncomfortable. We always get there by 9am and like to get started looking around before it gets to crazy with people.  We usually make several stops to rest during the day in various places for refreshments and don't get home until around 9pm.  Since I have not gone in the last few years because of the heat I can't wait until Wednesday.  As an artist I have participated in this show but much prefer going instead. This show has some of the most talented artists in the world participating. I can't wait until tomorrow it should be a fun day with friends, art and wonderful weather.  Here is a link to info on all the fairs plus maps.

 Artist: Monica Molinaro

 My friend Monica is a very talented artist who started out at the Center for Creative Studies and then went on to receive a graduate degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art. I am very honored to have a few of her pieces hanging in my home.  Here are a couple of the pieces that I have........

I just started taking a few lessons from Monica recently and was so nervous working with her because I felt like I had to be perfect......that was not the case.  She made me feel comfortable and wanted me to just have fun because that is what it is all about.  I hope one day to be a quarter of as good as Monica.  

Monica is having a show at Flip in Ferndale starting on Saturday, May 31st called Paintings on Paper.  Also check out the article on Monica in the Metro Times this week.

18 Asparagus Recipes for Salad, Pasta, Soup, and More

One of the spring veggies that I love is asparagus and I try to eat as much of it as I can.  I love to make an asparagus pizza with caramelized onions and some kind of smoked white cheese.  I use flat bread for the crust and grill it.  Here are six more recipes using asparagus you may want to try.

My favorite easy to grow annual.

Last year was the first time I planted zinnias.  I fell in love with their beauty and color.
I am definitely planting them again this year......just throw in the seeds and watch them grow.  Last year I used a mix and got all kinds of bright colors and different styles.  You really have to look at them up close and see all the detail in the flowers.  They are very easy to grow and do not require that much maintenance. 
How to grow zinnias.
Give the kids an area in the garden and let them plant some zinnia seeds.  If you do try growing some please let me know what you think. 

20 Super Healthy Smoothies from Prevention

I just love having a smoothie for breakfast.  It was fun to take whatever fruit and veggies I had on hand and put something together.  I always used spinach or kale and then went from there with fruit and whatever else I wanted like cucumbers, yogurt, ginger,etc.  I seemed to always get a stomach ache from them though so after a while I quit.  Recently I have been doing some research because I want to go back to having a smoothie again.  These are some of the things that may cause a stomach ache.   I decided to start with no ice and put in some kind of liquid instead like water, soy milk, almond milk, or low sugar juice.  I never use ice cubes in anything that I drink so why do it with a smoothie.  I didn't think it would be this easy to find out what was causing the stomach aches but after just taking away the ice I have had no problems anymore.

With summer coming I can't wait for all the wonderful fruits and veggies I will be able to get at the market to mix up and enjoy.

I had planned on posting something only once a day but I had to show you the home of an artist that decorated the complete outside and inside with their artwork.

 
This place is so awesome.  Check out more here.........

  Mosaics by Irina Charny

Since I was a stained glass artist for thirty years I do know a little bit about glass and this is one of the best mosaic artists around with a whimsical style that I like.  I tried a few mosaic pieces with my scrap glass but it just wasn't my thing.  I want to say Thank You to Irina Charny for brightening up my day with her colorful and whimsical work. You can check out her website at cmmosaics.

Getting a Little Abstract

Recently I have taken a couple watercolor lessons from a neighbor of mine who used to teach art.  She is a great teacher and I am a not to good student.  I feel very uncomfortable painting so I tried to do a watercolor with my computer and tablet and this is what I came up with.  I totally enjoyed using my computer and felt at ease doing so.  I am not giving up and I hope one day painting will be just as comfortable and relaxing to me.

The only time that I use the microwave is to heat up something.  I have never done my dinner in it but I did tonight.  This recipe that I tried out was so easy to prepare and was very good.  So I thought I would share it with you.  It's from a Cooking Light magazine.  Let me know what you think. I had a couple slices of prosciutto in the fridge so I wrapped it around two of the roll ups and it added a little more flavor to the dish but is not needed.  Great dish for no meat Monday.

Cooking Light recipe

Well I have done it!  I now have a blog.  I was the person who never wrote letters I called instead so this will be a challenge for me.  I hope to keep it interesting and informative  I have a little learning to do and setting up yet but I will see you soon