Artist Series

I wanted to do a series of my feather headbands that had a deeper meaning. What I came up with is the artist series. I actually got the idea while driving in my car after lunch. Luckily, I had my handy sketchbook with me, and I scribbled at a red light. Anyhow back to the idea -  each of the headbands in the series are inspired by a particular artist and and the art/design work that they did. The color palettes are drawn directly from their famous works - in some cases a specific painting. It's funny because while concepting this project and getting everything together I was totally thrown back into my first year of college and the Fundamentals of Graphic Design course (where I studied all of the major art movements and the people with in them).

It was a labor of love, but I came home, took care of the kids and got started. Once I had my artists picked out I assembled the color palettes. From there I made each headband. Afterwards I photographed them as best I could with my equipment on-hand and updated my etsy store. For this particular project I tried to do a photo vignette pertaining to the artist in addition to the normal 'headshot.' Here are the results along with a side by side comparison:

inspiration: Alphonse Mucha

inspiration: Piet Mondrian

inspiration: Henri de Toulouse Lautrec

I'm actually really pleased with how these turned out. I feel that the palettes utilized compliment and pay homage to the original artworks. I do plan to continue with this series and shown an appreciation for more artists and designers.

All of the headbands are currently for sale in my etsy shop. Please be a dear and take a peek and share. I appreciate all the word of mouth my friends have given me so far! I'm so fortunate to have such amazing support and to be able to do what I love to do on a daily basis. :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Garlic Lime Chile Chicken Salad

Ok, so I posted what I was making for dinner tonight to my Facebook page, and it got quite the response. So for those of you curious as to how I put the ingredients together, here is a little help:

For the chicken:

8-10 white meat chicken tenders (that's for two people, add more for a family serving)
Mexican Chile Lime marinade (we have Lawry's, but easy enough to make with raw ingredients)
zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Let marinade for an hour or two before pan frying - the longer the better! (I also take a fork and lightly poke holes throughout the tenders so the flavor is also inside the meat).

For the dressing:

zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup of olive oil
a tiny splash of vinegar
1 tbsp of honey (we had clover, but any is fine)
salt and pepper to taste

I combined all of the ingredients into a mason jar. It is perfect for shaking as well as storage. (You can always use a bowl and just whisk everything really well together). Again, adjust the recipe for more than 2 people.

I have even had this yet, lol. However, my intent is to pan-fry the chicken tenders, toss a mix of spinach leaves and lettuce with the dressing and serve with a side of brown rice. I hope this has your mouth watering. ;) Let me know if you try and enjoy it!

Full Speed Ahead

Today has been another pleasantly productive day. In the past couple days I have had a couple of friends request some custom orders. My first friend, Sam, asked for a headband to go with her dress she will be wearing at graduation. My second friend, Megan, asked for a neutral headband to wear at work. Needless to say, I got really excited and went to work right away on their headbands...and here they are:

to the left is Sam's - accented with the teal (stretchy elastic headband)

&

to the right is Megan's neutrals with a silverish hue (satin-wrapped traditional headband)

I also have to report that the first of my craft trade items came in the mail today! I was super pumped. Not only did I get my exquisite necklace from Rachel-Leigh, but it came packaged in the cutest little way. Here is my new, crocheted chain necklace:

I love this necklace, and the taupe is a perfect neutral.

(close up of detail and texture)

In addition to these crocheted charmers, Rachel also does some incredible embroidery projects. Don't take my word for it, be sure to take a peek: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelgropper/sets/72157623544129322/

That's all for now. Luckily, I have a few more orders on the horizon to fulfill. I like making things, and I like to be busy so life is pretty awesome. I am in great anticipation of more crafty arrivals and trades!

Hella Good 'Greek' Burgers (2 Recipes in 1)!

Last night we had Phil's parents over for another one of our game nights. We knew that we wanted to grill burgers - it was just a matter of what seasonings to do. I decided I was going to do a spin on Greek. Here are the recipes/ingredients that I used:

For the meat I combined:

1 package lean ground beef

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

a little milk (no more than a 1/4 cup)

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

a good shake of both parsley and basil

a dash of ground mustard

salt and pepper to taste

and a sprinkling of grill seasoning

I made fairly plump patties and let them sit in the fridge all day to 'marry.' I pulled them out about one half hour before serving so they would come down in temperature a little bit and cook more evenly on the grill.

Instead of mayonnaise I served my homemade feta dip. (I usually use this dip for crackers, toast and bagels, but it stood up just as well as a condiment. It also gave the Greek spin to the burgers).

The dip:

8oz of soft cream cheese

1 cup of crumbled feta (I just take a fork to a 'brick' of cheese for this. It's cheaper than buying crumbles).

2 tbsps sour cream

1 tbsp minced garlic (I use the wet kind)

1 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp basil

a drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

We just spread it across our buns, and it tasted amazing with the juicy burgers!

Then the only other thing I did was substitute baby spinach for lettuce leaves. 

Unfortunately I was a dum-dum and forgot to take a picture of the finished product like I normally do. Honestly though, if you like the above ingredients you have to try these things!...and let me know what you think. ;)

Some More New Cards for Mums and Dads

This post will be a shorty. It is more of a notification than anything else. I have listed a few more new cards that would be ideal for Mother's and Father's day:

Please take a peek, and ♥ my shop if you like what you see! :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Going Digital

Today I decided to take a break from the handmade and get acquainted again with my lappy t. I have had ideas swimming around in my head for a while now for some digital illustrations and prints.

With Mother's and Father's Days coming up, I wanted to be sure to add some new items to my etsy shop. I have only listed a couple so far, but there will be more with the upcoming days and weeks. Here it what's there now:

it reads "you're the heart of this family."

I made the card into a larger poster print too (11 x 17):

I also found an old illustration I did on one of my portable hard drives. It has nothing to do with either holiday, but I thought it would make a mighty fine poster as well. Consider it healthy propaganda.

it reads "you take my breath away."

many color options available (20 others to be exact):

That's all to report for now. Like I said...lots more to come. If you have any ideas or suggestions of things you would like to see illustrated for holidays or otherwise just let me know :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dessertforbreakfast?view_type=gallery

Feels Like Forever

Hello again, friends! I am finally back and settled in from our week long trip to Missouri. We drove down to Branson and stayed with my grandparents. You wouldn't even know that they were 75 and 77. We played so many card games and went around town. It was amazing to be able to escape as a family and have some much needed down time. It went by so fast, but it was nice to come back home.

I have been busying myself with fulfilling promises. I had put out a call to some very crafty and talented friends. Since we are all sort of strapped for cash, I thought it might be fun to barter goods. My friend Caitlin of Saddle Stitch Studio - http://blog.saddlestitchstudio.com/ has some custom recipe cards in the works for me. Rachel Leigh of spotted fawn - http://www.rachelleighgropper.com/spottedfawn.html offered to make me an übercute crocheted necklace. Needless to say, I am thrilled for our trade and have created a headband for each of the ladies.

each lady gave me a few choice colors, and these are the results.

I am super pumped to receive my goods and will definitely post them when they arrive! In the mean time, if any other creatives out there want to do a similar swap just let me know. You can message me on  Facebook or dm me on twitter! :)