I've been tagged

I was tagged by the lovely and talented Jen at Gypsy Mare Studios, so I need to think of 6 interesting facts about myself. Hmmm...

My first crush was on Aquaman. I still think he's kind of hot.

I worked as a cake decorator for a couple years at a cake shop, and had clients ask for me specifically to make their erotic cakes because mine looked more "realistic" than anyone else working there. **blush**

My favorite sushi is the one with flying fish roe.

One of my guilty pleasures is Westerns. Hubby says I'm in danger of losing my Netflix privileges.

My homemade kimchi will rock your world.

I can't swim underwater. Never have been able to. I try and think I'm doing it, but find out after that no, I was on the surface the whole time. Aquaman would be ashamed of me.

I'm not going to specifically tag anyone, but if anyone wants to play let me know so I can read what you wrote. :-)

A little more progress

I haven't had a lot of time to paint the last couple days but I did get some work done on his sweet, wee little nose. The nose is a lot like the eyes - once it's "in place" it makes a world of difference. So even though there's not a lot of progress in this update, I wanted to post because it's kind of fun to see the difference the nose makes. :-)

Todays progress

Starting at the top and working my way down, I'm building up layers of paint to create depth and detail over the underpainting. I just love painting dog ears - they are like a little world unto themselves...

Working on his forehead and the near eye in the second photo. He is starting to come alive now that he has a sparkle in his eye!

What a difference a day makes! I am having a lot of fun painting this little guy.
Still a long way to go...

Andrew Wyeth

I'm sure most of you have heard the news about the passing of the legendary Andrew Wyeth yesterday. I came across this wonderful video this morning and thought many of you would enjoy it. Thank you to the person who made the video, and thank you Mr. Wyeth for your beautiful and glorious art!

Warm thoughts...

I don't even want to talk about how cold it is outside right now. If you live in the Midwest like I do, or read the news then you already know. Instead I will post some pictures I took in my garden last summer and think warm thoughts...







That's a little better. I like the shirt Adam wears on Mythbusters that says, "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" :-)

Fetching Tags!

I was contacted last week by a wonderful gal named Jen Cleere, who happens to have her own business making custom dog tags. She said she was surfing blogs and found mine and asked if she could make a tag for Cloud! How sweet of her is that??? :-)

Cloud's tag arrived today and it is incredible! This is handmade with love and care and I have never seen style like this anywhere! You sure can't get that from those instant tag machines at the pet stores...just look at the lettering! It looks heavy but it's very lightweight and strong. Unlike other dog tags, this one looks like it should last forever, and will be a keepsake that I will treasure for the rest of my life!




Please check out her website: www.fetchingtags.net There are lots of lovely dog photos, with some hilarious sayings on their custom made tags. And she donates a portion of each tag sold to dog rescue organizations!

Thank you so much Jen, for your generosity and for Clouds wonderful tag. We love it!!!

More photos, in case you're like me and can't get enough of Cloud:




"Thank you Jen, for my new tag!"

Chocolate Gingerbread

I had to rave about this dessert I made. It's from the January 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens - chocolate gingerbread baked in a cast iron skillet! (I do love my cast iron skillets.) I didn't make the orange sauce that went with it, but I did do homemade whipped cream and a garnish of crystallized ginger, but I honestly think it tastes best all on its own. It's so rich and moist with a perfect balance of spice and chocolate...so satisfying this time of year. I went all out and used a Green and Blacks organic dark chocolate bar for the chocolate chunks. I also used sucanant instead of the white sugar it called for - so it's probably even tastier than the original recipe (I like to improvise!) And good butter (of course!) This is the best dessert I've had in a long time and I highly recommend it!