Merry Christmas!!!

Tar Paper Sea Creatures

I painted some large scale tar paper paintings for a recent commission ..24 x 36 inches in size.  I love the squid and am digging the colors of both pieces!  I also have found painting these very therapeutic.  Intentionally leaving the black of the tar paper showing through on outlines adds a lot of character and makes the painting process less stressful and more freeing.  Yes!

Go Vote!

Even if you don't share my opinions or views, please take advantage of one of our amazing rights as American Citizens and go vote today!  If you don't, then I don't want to hear anything from you about politics...ever! :)

Meurita

I got a solar powered dancing skeleton at the dollar tree recently.  He was a little bland, so I painted his face and turned him into a dancing sugar skull.  He is currently living on the dashboard of my car, cheering up passengers and myself daily!  We named him "Muerita" which I believe would translate into "Little Death."

Dia de los Muertos festival 2012

I love the Dia de los Muertos festival put on by Wendy Jarvis and the folks who were previously Bare Hands Gallery.  It is, hands down, my favorite annual event in Birmingham!  This year was year 10 and it was a blast as usual.  Fire dances, mariachi bands, live music, art, Frida Kahlo reenactments, people in costume, babies laughing, delectable treats from local food trucks, and more!

C3PO skeleton art

pipe cleaner skeleton art

enthusiastic guy dressed as Mexican wrestler

We ate some amazing food from the Spoonfed Grill truck.  Pork Carnitas over butternut squash grits...to die for!  Check out their website to see where they are going to be next!

Handmade Holiday Event

My friend Jen and I set up and sold our handmade wares yesterday at the Handmade Holiday event in Northport, AL.  We will be at Crest Fest this coming Saturday, November 10th from 12:00-5:00 pm!  Come check it out!  Check out their facebook page for more information.

Moonrise Kingdom Embroidery

I am loving this "Moonrise Kindgom" themed embroidery...some people are so very talented and creative!

Bottle of Boos!

A friend at work found these on pinterest and asked me to make some.  They were so cute I had to dig around for a bottle to make one for myself!

Sugar Skulls

Here is a sneak peak at some new sugar skull drawing/watercolor pieces I made for the upcoming "Mes de Muertos" opening next week at Incubate Gallery!  I had a lot of fun making these!

The Color Run

Casey and I did The Color Run in Tuscaloosa a few days ago since we totally missed the Birmingham one.  Here are some fun before and after pics!

Lunch Bags

I have been on the lookout for a cute, functional, not-so-expensive lunch bag to replace my dilapidated one I have been using for several years.  The results of my research: there is no such thing.  I could find one that fit 2 out of the 3 criteria.  But inevitably the cute and functional ones cost way too much!

So, I bought some durable oil cloth and made some of my very own!  Notice the cute little Alabama logo! :) I know, I'm a big obsessed at this point.  I don't mind admitting it!

Day of the Dead Magnet

Here is one of my recycled lid magnets I have been working on for the upcoming "Mes de los Muertos" exhibition coming up at Incubate gallery.  The opening is from 5-8 pm, Friday October 19th!

Alabama Towels now at Painted Shovel!

Painted Shovel Mercantile is a fabulous new business right here in lovely Avondale!  They carry all kinds of unique items from vintage wears, handmade items (like quilts, aprons, soaps, art, jewelry, and more) as well as having in stock items for chicken keeping, canning and more!  On top of all of that, Julie Nelson and her husband who own the shop have classes in house.  Classes cover topics such as chicken keeping, canning and preserving, foraging, and homebrew!  Woo hoo!  Shop local.  Shop handmade.  Cutest part, is the "mustache" is part of their adorable logo!

 Now, they are carrying my handmade Alabama themed kitchen/hand towels.  Go check them out!  You can also visit their facebook page here.

Boo Boo Bear Shoes

I love my Boo Boo Bear shoes!  Makes me smile every time I wear them!

New Artwork

Here is a sneak peak at some of the art pieces I have been working on lately!

Alina's Adventures in Homemaking

I was combing the internet today and searching for art ideas for my students. Somehow during my google search an image popped up and I was all like, "hey that looks like my artwork...wait, that IS my artwork." I clicked on the link and it took me to a fellow Alabamian's blog. I met Alina at the Hanmade Holiday Event in Tuscaloosa this past November when I was exhibiting my art and wears and apparently she liked my stuff!

She featured me on her blog and you can check it out here!

She has some really cool stuff on her blog, including this (as she ever so cooly puts it) "psychadelically aged" memory quilt. She created the digital quilt by collaging pictures from her trip to Romania and creating a "common texture" throughout it with a photo editing software called Picnik.

Huevos Rancheros Cups

I made these "Huevos Rancheros Cups" for breakfast Saturday. So easy! Best part, they were only 330 calories per serving. So yummy too!

Aren't they cute? Great way to dress up a simply dish...it looks gourmet and would be a perfect brunch dish!

Ingredients:

• flour tortillas
• eggs
• salsa
• cheese
• sour cream (optional topping)
• spices (I used cumin, salt, garlic, cilantro, pepper)
• vegetable oil spray

To start, trim an inch off the edge of the flour tortillas and spray both sides with vegetable oil spray. Carefully fold into muffin pan (I have an extra large "Texas" muffin pan my mom gave me for Christmas that worked perfect for this). Then, spoon a couple of tablespoons into the tortilla cups (I used a black bean and corn salsa). Crack your eggs on top. If you are using the larger muffin pans like I did you can probably get two eggs per cup, but if you are using regular sized muffin pans you probably want to only do one egg per cup. Sprinkle on your seasonings and spices. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees. Take aluminum foil off, sprinkle the tops with cheese and bake for another 5-6 minutes until eggs are done to your liking. Get some forks, put some fat free sour cream on top if you like, and dig in!