amy adams art + design

_I brought a batch of these to my son's playgroup Christmas party and they were a big hit so I wanted to share the recipe... To make them a little more festive add some finely chopped sweet red pepper.

1 1/2 cups flour (All-Purpose or NutriBlend)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil (olive or canola)
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
    thawed, drained & squeezed dry
1 cup light shredded old cheddar
1/4 cup light parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced shallot OR dried minced onion
dash of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 (F). Lightly grease/spray 12 muffin cups (or 24 mini muffin cups).

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a medium mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl mix together oil, egg, milk, spinach, cheeses, garlic, onion/shallot & cayenne pepper until evenly blended. Slowly stir in flour mixture to form a batter. Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I am SO excited right now! I have just purchased my new printer... the Epson Stylus Photo R2000. I am in the midst of setting it up and let me tell you, she's a beauty.

It will do prints up to 13" wide and 44" long, uses 8 pigment-based inks including a "refined Gloss Optimizer". It will print on fine art media, including canvas and also accommodates 1.3 mm thick board, ink jet printable CD/DVDs and roll paper for panoramas up to 13" x 44". And it's wireless baby!

I just wanted to share some pics of the hats I recently purchased from the Little Bee Crochet Shoppe - they are FANTASTIC! The Little Bee Crochet Shoppe specializes in crocheted hats for all ages and sizes - all custom made to order. The hats are handcrafted on Prince Edward Island by my friend Melissa, are available for pick-up or shipment anywhere in Canada, and they are totally adorable! I bought one for my son and one for my friend's new baby.

I found out about Melissa's business through her Little Bee Crochet Shoppe facebook page. I was able to pick my own colours and adjust little details (like leaving the strings off the monkey flap hat). Now everywhere I go people are LOVING Simon's monster hat - I mean seriously, we were accosted by like 4 or 5 cooing pharmacists yesterday at the drug store all wanting to know where/who made the hat. So look out Melissa - I'm sending them all your way!

To place your order for a hat from Little Bee Crochet Shoppe you can email Melissa directly at littlebeecrochetshoppe(at)gmail.com

NOV 5 2011 / 1-4PM
Pictou Academy Auditorium, 88 Patterson St, Pictou

Dear artists, community members and arts friendly organizations,

Networking Café is a unique opportunity for local cultural organizations, businesses, artists and creatively minded individuals in Pictou County. Loosely based on the idea of a “speed-dating event” where singles meet potential partners in  quick succession, this event will do the same for art and culture in Pictou County!

In a friendly social setting, participants will meet one-on-one in a series of short interviews. The result? We hope that conversations are opened up about why we make the things we make and potentially find new ways to work together and build audiences for our work.

Unlikely partnerships may indeed be made. (The woodcarver and the nature guide, the poet and the historic site, the musician and the youth group?) This is a great opportunity to learn about Pictou County culture and to get your work, your business, or your community group out there in the marketplace. It is open to all forms of artistic expression and all levels of expertise.

By working together we are building a vibrant arts community, a cornerstone of healthy living and culture here in Pictou County.  Networking Café is the first event in a year long research project by Mary MacDonald, Pictou native and MFA candidate at OCAD University in Toronto, culminating in the W(here) festival in summer 2012. This event is in partnership with the Pictou Renaissance Society.

We would like to thank Pictou Academy for their kind donation of the space for this event. For more information, questions please email Mary MacDonald at mary.florence@gmail.com,
or by telephone at 647 389 6393.

This illustration is for a custom wedding invitation suite I am working on for a client but it will eventually be for sale as one of my design templates on Etsy. I forgot how much I loved drawing - it's so meditative and relaxing! Note to self: must draw more...

In fact, after spending hours tracing it out in illustrator and adding the leaves, I think I really prefer the texture of the original illustration. Hmmm...

I went out and bought the Martha Stewart Halloween issue and I found this great idea for making big cartoonish spiderwebs with some thick cord (on the package it was called "cotton clothesline") and I have to say it turned out awesome. And it was cheap and easy.

I brought out Harry and hung him up over the door... very effective. Then Grant dragged Matilda out from the shed for me and we plunked her on the doorstep. I was afraid to move her myself - she is a little rough after spending the winter in the shed where she seems to have had some critters bunking in and around her. But after the hours of work I spent on her last fall I decided to dust her off (with rubber gloves on) and set her up as the welcoming committee again.

Now I just have to hang my lights, board up my windows (with cardboard ;), put up the caution tape, make some KEEP OUT signs and carve my pumpkins. And maybe I need a flood light...

Okay I LOVE this super-easy, super-cheap googly eyes picture frame project I came across on Pinterest. My frame turned out AWESOME and I am thinking about using it with a different picture in my son's room after Halloween because it can totally work with some of the googly-eyed monster/alien theme I have started in there.

Step 1: Buy unfinished wooden frame from Michaels ($1) and a large package of multiple sizes of googly eyes ($5)

Step 2: Paint frame with a Martha Stewart colour wash glaze (1 part paint, 2 parts water, 1 part glazing medium)

Step 3: Glue googly eyes all over frame

Step 4: Insert super cheesy (and heavily photo-shopped) photo of you and your husband dressed up as Gomez and Morticia Adams

I'm excited to report that I will be participating in Tori Nelson's The Very Bloggy Wedding this weekend! She and her husband-to-be "are embracing the absurd and celebrating all things odd and unique" and inviting her blog readers to vote on / suggest / choose / plan certain aspects of their wedding - colors, songs, invitations, etc.

This Friday Tori will post my three most popular designs and ask her readers to vote for their favorite. The winning design is the one she will use. I LOVE this idea - it's wedding planning by committee!

Check in with The Very Bloggy Wedding this weekend to cast your vote!!