Rough couple of weeks

It has been a rough couple of weeks. My mother-in-law died a little over a week ago. She was surrounded by her husband, all her children and some grandchildren - just the way she wanted it. It was difficult seeing her decline by the day/hour. In the end we were on 24 hour watch, taking shifts at night.

She had 5 boys and 1 girl. I am married to her baby boy. She treated each of her daughter-in-laws as if we were her own daughters. I was very lucky! All her kids are still quite close and she should be very proud of how she raised her family. I will remember all the things she taught me - especially cooking tips.

Now life is back to 'normal'. I guess I am still in a bit of a dark mood so I did this ACEO (2.5 x 3.5). Crows were 'hot' at one time - I suspect that I missed the boat though.

It is for sale in my Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12663503

It is done!

Here is the finished balloon painting! I promised I would post when it was done. I am so pleased with how it came out. If you check 2 posts down you can see an 'in progress' version of the painting.

It is for sale on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11602193

The Good old Days!

I was looking through an old photo album where I keep my ticket stubs for concerts I have been too. What a eye opener! Just like everything, the price of concert tickets has sky rocketed. Get a load of this:

In 1977 Billy Joel was $7.50 in Syracuse, NY!
Todd Rundgren was $6.00!
In 1981 The Rolling Stones, Foreigner and George Thorogood costs $15 in Buffalo, NY!
Jethro Tull was $10.50 in Rochester!
Crosby Stills and Nash were $12.50!
In 1983 David Bowie was 13.50 in Syracuse!
In 1984 Rod Stewart was $15.00 in Rochester!
In 1986 Elton John was $11.00 for lawn seats in Saratoga!
In 1989 The Bee Gees were $17.00 in Saratoga!
Here is a pricey one - in 1989 Paul McCartney was $34 in Toronto (Maybe that was Canadian $)
In 1992 Eric Clapton was $19.00 in Saratoga!
In 1994 Rush was $22.50 in Rochester!
To give you a comparison CSN&Y went up to $23.50 in 1994!

You get the picture. As you can see I am a fan of classic rock and still see these artists when I can, but that is in another photo album :)

Off to work on my balloon painting so I can post the finished product soon!

Painting in Progress!

Happy Spring! Our snow is finally gone and the grass is starting to green up. This made me want to paint something a little colorful and lively! I thought I would show an 'in progress' stage for a change. I have never done that before.

This is a balloon my hubby and I rode in last year. We took off from my parent's backyard since the wind was just right and the pilot knows my family. How cool is that?

Anyway - I am working on this painting in acrylic. This is a LARGE one! Going to break the bank to frame the darn thing. I'll post again when I finish it. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Art on a Plate!

There is a cool contest going on in the Ebay Forums. One of the ACEO groups is putting together a cookbook using ACEO artwork related to the submitted recipe. I entered a yummy Caramel Apple Cake and ACEO watercolor. Here are the rules if you want more info:

http://groups.ebay.com/topic/Aceo-Art-Cards/Announcementstheme-Weeks-Contests/Art-Plate-Aceo/1600769299

Entries are accepted unti the middle of April so Hurry!

Here is my recipe

Caramel Apple Cake

1 ½ C. Oil
1 ½ C. Sugar
½ C. Packed brown sugar
3 Eggs
3 C. Flour
2 teas. Cinnamon
½ teas. Nutmeg
1 teas. Baking soda
½ teas. Salt
3 ½ C. Diced peeled apples
1 C. Chopped walnuts
2 teas. Vanilla extract

Caramel Icing:
½ C. Packed brown sugar
1/3 C. Light cream
¼ C. Butter or margarine
Dash Salt
1 C. Confectioners’ sugar
Chopped walnuts, optional

In a mixing bowl, combine oil and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients; add to batter and stir well. Fold in apples, walnuts and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 10 in. tube pan or bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Heat brown sugar, cream, butter and salt until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temp. Beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.

New painting!

I am really proud of this one. I took the reference photo from a hotel window in Vancouver, BC Canada. A storm had just passed and the sky was a very wierd color with 3 rainbows. This is a mood setting piece - kind of eerie and uplifting at the same time. You also get the Vancouver skyline to boot! The lighting is kind of surreal and I tried to capture it as best as I could.

This is an acrylic on Canvas (12 X 16) and it is for sale here on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10326604

Vegas and support students~!

Hey everyone! I hope you have all recovered from St. Patty's Day:) We recently got back from Las Vegas and it was not a profitable trip but it was fun! I love the penny slots. I can play multiple lines without guilt and you get the feeling you are winning a lot. Such fun!

The new Create, Collect Trade ACEO book is now available for presale. This is a great book for artists, collectors and students alike. For more info see my previous blog entry. All proceeds from the book go towards buying copies for students! Preorder the book here on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10290400

Oh, by the way, I am in the book and I bought a copy for my mom!