Although we had a few days of really gorgeous weather when we went to Sea Ranch for the long Fourth of July weekend, I kept forgetting my camera when we went on walks. I only remembered once the weather turned grey.
This mosaic is on a low wall by a gas station in the town of Gualala, just north of Sea Ranch.
Here are some pictures from our weekend… with seals, Molly and Ariel.
Thanks for stopping by.
Filed under Life
Hello! I didn’t intend to take such a long break from blogging but other things filled my time. I think, after 30 Days of Creativity (30DOC), that I needed a breather.
I’ve started on my next Art Journal and wanted to share some pictures from it. We also went to Sea Ranch over the long Fourth of July weekend so the post after this one will have some photos from that trip.
I’ve been collecting images of doors, archways, gates, windows and other interesting entrances because I want to do an Art Journal using these images. I decided to use this picture of an elaborate bronze doors with the fancy green surround as my first door. After pasting the picture into the book, I cut the doors open and added small door pulls.
Doors can be seen as a symbol of new beginnings, an opportunity, or a transition. I love all the detail in this double door, so much more elaborate than typical doors we see in our culture.
I wanted it to be a welcoming door, into this, my new Art Journal. Pull the door open and you will see…
A smiling boy with a bright orange umbrella. Turn the page and you will find he’s with some friends.
I love that the door is from India, the boys from Indonesia and the background is Russian. The beautiful borders on these pages are from the artwork in the book I’m using for my journal: The Firebird.
I chose images that I both liked and for their colors to finish this two-page spread: California poppies and nasturtiums,purple and orange starfish, a Monarch butterfly and the Firebird from the Russian folktale.
I started this Art Journal in an old Bon Appetit cookbook. I picked it up at a used book store in Half Moon Bay and thought I’d checked for a stitched binding.
But as I got into the second page, I realized that it was a glued binding and it was coming unglued! The book I used for 30DOC also had a glued binding and had held together for the whole month but this one was falling apart before I even finished two pages. Changing to a different book seemed like the best way to go, so I cut the bronze and green door page out of the old cookbook/journal and tipped it into the new storybook/journal. If you look closely at the page with the Firebird and poppies, you can see recipes peeking out through the colored background.
A closed door can also represent something ending or something hidden. In the next few pages, I created a room with book-lined walls and comfortable places to sit. The background is a collage made from pages of a dictionary.
I like the shabby but cozy feeling of peeling layers of paint, rich colors, lots of pillows and even a cat relaxing. But what is behind the door?
Yes, there is even a hint in those dictionary definitions: the word bare turned up. I didn’t plan it that way but when it was pointed out, I highlighted the word that fit in so perfectly.
The soft peachy tones look beautiful next to the blue around and next to the doorway.
Jessica Chastain in a photo from Vanity Fair.
I used foil for mirrors on these pages. A lush arrangement of flowers and a chandelier are finishing touches.
Most of the pictures in these two pages are from a home on an island in Greece.
Archways frame beautiful views. On the right hand side, cut-outs offer a glimpse of the following page but seemed a little awkward. I stamped on a small design in blue ink to make the page more cohesive.
More arches fill the next page.
The ocher arches on the left side have been cut out to view the water on the previous page.
It was very satisfying to sit down with my supplies and create new pages in a new Art Journal. Having unstructured, unscheduled time at Sea Ranch or on any vacation is one of the real benefits for me.
Take a look at the next post for a few Sea Ranch pictures.
Thanks for the visit.
Filed under Crafts
I’m going up to Sea Ranch for the long weekend. I’ll be out of the heat (whew), spending time with some of my family, away from the internet and crafting my little heart out!
Have a great, safe, celebratory long weekend.
Here are some cards I made for special July birthdays. At the top of the post is a mostly red card on blue.
This one is mostly blue on red.
And the classic red, white and blue.
Here’s a new pup to the extended family: Wedge. My sister Sarah brought him by on a walk so Rem and I could meet him.
I think you earn geek points if you know where that name came from. (I didn’t know).
Happy Fourth to you and thanks for coming by!!
Our weather has been hot for a few days now. Yuck. I don’t do well when I’m too warm and the last thing I want to do after work is get even hotter cooking dinner.
Main dish salads are perfect for this kind of weather and this salad from Smitten Kitchen is a delicious combination of cool, crisp vegetables, a bright, tangy lime marinade, juicy grilled chicken thighs, skinny noodles, creamy ginger-peanut sauce and a scattering of herbs and crunchy chopped peanuts on top. It is colorful, flexible and loaded with flavor.
I went with a wider selection of veggies than in the original recipe. This salad is my little salute to Pride with a rainbow of vegetables.
The Smitten Kitchen recipe calls for rice noodles and the first time I made it, I used them.
I didn’t find them at Safeway yesterday and I think I like it even better made with Angel Hair pasta.
I cooked the pasta this morning while it was still cool and I was fixing my breakfast and lunch. I lucked out when Rem said he would take care of the other cooking part: grilling the chicken. He prepared the two sauces (the marinade is made from part of each) and got the chicken soaking up the flavor when I was at work. Then it was a matter of him cooking the chicken while I chopped vegetables for a cool, delicious dinner.
As I mentioned before, it is a flexible recipe. I think the vegetables in the original recipe are a wonderful combination: carrots, cucumbers and green onions, but my additions of bell peppers, mung beans and cabbage worked beautifully. Use what you like and have. Little sticks of jicima would be good, for example, or some blanched green beans. I added fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob, to my lunch salad today and it was delicious.
My biggest changes to the original recipe were a reduction in the Asian fish sauce, omitting the fresh chiles, and increasing the vegetables.
Cold Noodle Salad with Peanut-Lime Chicken
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
4 servings
Ingredients:
Sweet and Tangy Sauce
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
5 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of three limes
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
Creamy Peanut Sauce
1 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
juice of two limes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 one-and-a-half inch chunk ginger, peeled and grated or minced (or thinly sliced if you make the sauce in a blender or small food processor)
6 tablespoons natural unsalted peanut butter
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of cayenne
Chicken and Noodle Salad
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
8 ounces dried rice vermicelli or Angel Hair pasta
2 small cucumbers, cut in half the long way than into 1/4 inch slices
2 medium carrots, cut in thin julienne
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
A handful of basil or mint or cilantro sprigs. I love it with all three, but you can use your favorite.
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup crushed or chopped roasted peanuts
Directions:
Make the dipping sauce: Whisk ingredients in a small bowl, making sure to dissolve the sugar.
Make the peanut dressing: Combine ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until blended. Or, you can use a blender or small food processor, leave the peeled ginger in thin slices, and puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce.
Marinate the chicken: Stir together 1/2 the Sweet Tangy Sauce and about 1/3 the Cream Peanut Sauce in the bottom of a low-sided bowl or dish. Add the chicken to the mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 15 minutes.
Cook the noodles: For rice noodles: bring a large pot of water to the boil, then turn off the heat. Add the rice vermicelli and soak for 7 to 8 minutes. (Package directions may vary; taste to check if noodles are done). Drain when noodles are al dente, and cool under running water. Fluff and leave in strainer to drain well. For Angel Hair pasta: Cook according to package directions (about 5 to 7 minutes) and drain when al dente. Cool under running water.
Cook the chicken: Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill, a stove-top grill pan, until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes a side. Or broil about the same time. I’ve made this twice and the first time I chopped up the chicken prior to serving. Last night it looked so tasty with the grill marks, I left it whole to serve and just cut it up on the plate
To serve: Arrange the noodles and vegetables in a bowl or on a platter, put the chicken on a serving plate, and the green onions, herbs and chopped peanuts in small bowls. Each person can assemble the salad to their taste: first a nest of noodles than top with veggies and a splash of the Sweet Tangy Sauce. Top with chopped chicken and drizzle on the Creamy Peanut sauce. Scatter with green onions, herbs, and chopped peanuts.
(Or, if you are Rem, skip the noodles and vegetables entirely and make the grilled chicken into a sandwich with Creamy Peanut sauce).
Thanks for the visit.
dianne faw 