About Me Elizabeth Golden Paris of the East, North Carolina, United States Artist living in the Mountains of North Carolina with the coast of North Carolina running through my veins. View my complete profile

Quote

Daisaku Ikeda

You must not for one instant give up the effort to build new lives for yourselves. Creativity means to push open the heavy, groaning doorway to life. This is not an easy struggle. Indeed, it may be the most difficult task in the world, for opening the door to your own life is, in the end, more difficult than opening the door to the mysteries of the universe.Daisaku Ikeda

Digital Collage



Creative Every Day Challenge



Love this class



Soul Journaling



Followers

Follow by Email

Art Tip



Our Girl



Quote "Vision is the art of seeing the invisible."

Jonathon Swift



ATC



Comments I just wanted to take the time to say Thank You for all of the nice an encouraging comments an e-mails I have received. I have tried to e-mail those of you I could back, so for those I could not, I just want you to know I tried. Your thoughts and comments have meant the world to me. I have also enjoyed and been inspired by the links to your blogs and web sites. Many of them will be listed in my favorites in the next few weeks. Again, Thank you! Elizabeth



A Wish for You Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow is but a vision.

But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day.

sanskrit proverb





I am one!



ATC



Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette This is great on grilled shrimp salad!



1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped green chile, jalapeno or chipotle pepper

2 tablespoons honey or sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil



In a blender, pulse the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chile, honey, salt, and cilantro to a puree. With the machine running slowly add the oil to emulsify. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Whisk before serving to make sure all is mixed.



This is also a good marinator for steaks and chicken.



Quote Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.

Eberhard Arnold



Sweetness



Beach Art Tip This summer while out and about look for those natural things you can use in your art work. For instance... a walk on the beach is good exercise, barefoot along the shore is a natural pedicure, and some of those shells have pre-drilled holes in them to add to your artwork.

A little glitter adds a whole new dimension to shells, Use those holes to add a hanger. Decorate a tree with them.





Found Feather Shrine



I Am Two



Quote Focus on the positive in your life, for what you focus on increases,



Felt Flower



Back Porch Lemonade I am g0ing to warn you this is sweet and tart and very Southern.



1 cup sugar

1 cup water

8 cups cold water

1 1/3 cups fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest,grate fine

lemon slices and fresh mint leaves for garnish



Combine sugar and one cup water in small saucepan over medium heat. Watch and stir till boils. Reduce heat and simmer for three to four minutes, stir every once in awhile. Remove from heat and cool completely. I pour it into lemonade pitcher and stick in frig for a half hour or so. Then combine the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Serve over ice with garnish. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.





ATC



Blueberry Pie North Carolina Style Crust:

2 cups finely crushed Vanilla Wafers - I stick them in a ziplock bag and use the old rolling pin

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crust ingredients . Press into 9 inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.



Filling:

2 cups NC blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Place blueberries, 1/2 cup water, sugar, ginger, in saucepan. bring to a boil. Mix in cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup water and pour into mixture. Cook till thickens. Stir constantly so doesn't burn. Cool.



Topping

1-5.1 ounce instant vanilla pudding

2 1/3 cups milk

Beat pudding mix and milk until thick. Spread layer of blueberry mixture in bottom of pie crust. Top with 1/2 pudding mix. Add more berry mixture. Top with the rest of the pudding. Chill for 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.

Dig in.



ATC



Our Budding Artist



Art Tip From the kitchen to the studio is what I call this. I am sure you have seen or even own one of those revolving spice racks with all the jars in them. Spices are only good for a few months. So when they are all stale, clean out that spice rack and fill it with embellishments. Buttons, jacks, even fibers - those little plastic tops make ideal holes to thread your yarn and fibers to neatly pull them out as needed. The revolving part is cool because they are just fingertips away. I keep two in my studio and one on my sewing table. I found two at a garage sale for under five dollars.



Art Tip



I Am Four



Art Tip



Quote The choices we make in thought, word, and deed inevitably return to us in kind.



ATC-digitally altered image for Monday Challenge group



Recipe for Yogurt Zinger This is very refreshing and for those of you who don't like yogurt it gives it a fresh taste.



1 small container of yogurt

2 fresh oranges

a little honey 1tsp.or so



place yogurt in glass.

squeeze oranges into yogurt

add honey

whisk with a hand whisk till mixed

crushed ice optional

Drink







Art Tip A cheap an efficient cover for your work surface or art table is a plastic mattress cover. I prefer the crib sheet size. The elastic keeps it secure and the "slide factor" is cut down considerably. If you work at a dining room table a twin would work better. When ready to discard you can cut the cover up and use for a background for your artwork or sewing projects. Remember plastic will melt when heated. So watch your heatguns.

A cheap an efficient cover for your work surface or art table is a plastic mattress cover. I prefer the crib sheet size. The elastic keeps it secure and the "slide factor" is cut down considerably. If you work at a dining room table a twin would work better. When ready to discard you can cut the cover up and use for a background for your artwork or sewing projects. Remember plastic will melt when heated. So watch your heatguns.

Canvas 3by5 Skinny - Fluff Your Nest



Hot Crab Dip This is a staple along the coast here in North Carolina. Almost every restaurant or get together serves this in some variation.I thought this might be a nice addition to your Mother's Day festivities.

Serves 6 to 8



8 ounces of lowfat cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 pound white crabmeat, check for shells and discard

1 small onion, finely chopped

tabasco sauce, to taste, a few shakes

garlic salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons white wine or sherry

1 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

[use more to stretch recipe]



Melt the cream cheese and butter in a topboiler over simmering water. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Heat all the way through and serve in a chafing dish.

Serve with crackers or my personnal favorite those mini french bread loaves thinly sliced and warmed. Enjoy!



ATC



The Swans

Can you imagine seeing a 100,000 tundra swans?

Birds are my thing. I am fascinated by them. Always have been. If there was just one thing I could wish for it would be the ability to fly. To soar. I would like to share some of my bird friends with you along with some bird art. These two swans are Nicholas and Alexandra. They live in one of the lakes in my neighborhood just about a half a football field away from the intercoastal waterway. We have around nine to twelve pairs that live here. These two own this lake an usually have around 11 to 13 cygnets. Only about half survive. After almost four years they come and swim right up to me on my daily walk. It is amazing. Nicholas has to check me out before Alexandra is allowed near. She is easily bored. Nicholas being the typical male lets me admire his strength and beauty. He is quite the poser. North Carolina has one of the largest winter population of birds. Swans in particular. They all go to a place called Pocosin Lakes. It is a huge wildlife refuge. More Info http://www.fws.gov/pocosinlakes Can you imagine seeing a 100,000 tundra swans?

Swans



Swans



Swans



Quote A picture is a poem without words.

Horace



Natural Containers for Dips and Snacks Many vegetables may be hollowed out and used as a container for dips. Squashes and peppers of various kinds make beautiful containers. For individual dip bowls use tomatoes. Plus the tomatoes can be eaten when empty. Kids really like these. Even using fruit hollowed out with cheese cubes, grapes and raisins make a cool snack. Plus no clean up.With summer approaching there will be an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits to use.



2 by 2



Recipe for Powdered Laundry Soap Ingredients:

1 cup grated Fels Naptha soap

[ivory soap, deodorant soap and beauty bars can be substituted]

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

essentialoils for fragrance optional



For a light load of laundry use 1 tablespoon

For a heavy load of laundry use 2 tablespoons

Source; thefrugalshopper.com/



4 by 4



Art Tip Do you have some crusty brushes you can't use laying around? or how about stamps with dried acrylic paint on them?

A little Murphy's Oil soap will do wonders. Soak your brushes in Murphy's Oil Soap. You will see the paint or gel medium start to dissolve. Rinse with cool water. Repeat if necessary. For stamps pour soap into a flat tray or dish, set stamp in tray. Let soak. Use a tooth brush to gently dislodge paint and rinse. Good as new. Also, the soap helps keep your wood mount from drying out.



Maya Angelou



Quote If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform a million realities. Maya Angelou



Bird Skinny 3by5



Quote "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance."

Aristotle



ATC



Blog Archive

3 by 5 Skinny - oil pastels



Quote We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney



Freebies Please enjoy these copyright free images throughout this blog. Personnal use only. Thanks.



Fabric Book



Fabric Book



Bloody Mary's Ole 3 bottles [16 oz. each] Spicy Hot V8 juice

1 1/2 cups[12 oz.] Vodka

1/2 cup Pace Picante sauce

4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Ice cubes

8 stalks of celery



Mix all ingredients except celery and ice in a 3 quart pitcher.

Pour over 8 glasses of ice and garnish with celery.

Makes 8 servings.



Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this or use for your Mother's Day brunch.



1by1 inchies



Fresh Cilantro Salsa Yields around 3 cups

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion, quartered

1 green pepper, seeded and quartered

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and quartered

wash hands with soap after this step

6 fresh tomatoes, peeled,seeded and chopped

or 2 cans 16 ounces each of plum tomatoes, drain and chop

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

squirt of lemon

salt and pepper to taste



Put the garlic in a food processer until minced. Add the onion, peppers and process with on and off pulses until barely chopped.

Add the tomatoes and cilantro and process until combined but sort of chunky. Add lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate till time to serve.

Serve with large tortilla chips.



Frieda Kahlo



Art Tip Keep a camera handy at all times. make it a habit to take it with you even if it is to the grocery store. Some times even the most mundane things if captured the right way can become art. The line of a chair, the way the weeds look in fall, an old door falling off its hinges. You can also use it for remembering color combinations. The way that rusted barrel looked next to the purple salvia. Things like that. We often think we will remember that scene, those lines, the way those textures mixed together, but we don't. Think of your camera as a visual journal. You can print small thumbnails as reminders. Just enough visual reminder to re-inspire you.



North Carolina Farmhouse



Quote People become what they expect themselves to become.

Mahatma Gandhi



ATC - with poker chip



Art Tip What do with all that junk jewelry that is laying around in boxes and drawers. Just waiting to be that perfect embellishment piece for your latest art project. I found that if I displayed some of them I was more likely to use them. So I have this ugly lampshade in my studio - just plain white, but very big. So I took ribbon and hooked it to the top of the lampshade with decorated bobby pins and pinned all my junk brooches on them. When the light is on on the jewels shine and I am constantly reminded of what I have.



Art Tip



Onion Cheese Bread This is a great bread to serve with a fresh salad or marinated tomatoes or olives.



1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup biscuit mix

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese



Saute onion in a skillet till soft, not brown. Set aside to cool.

Combine milk and egg in bowl. Add biscuit mix, stirring just enough to moisten. Stir in cooked onion, 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese and parsley flakes. Spread batter in greased 8 inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven 20 minutes or until done. Serve warm. Makes nine servings.



Yard Sale Find



Art Tip Speaking of scraps...now is the time to pick up denim and fabric scraps. Yard sales are a great source of inexpensive fabric. You can usually purchase a dress or shirt for under a dollar. Where can you buy fabric that cheap? Also keep an eye out for clothing with unusual buttons or beading that you can use. I like to buy jeans and cut them up. They make great background for fabric books and can be cut up to make homemade paper. So get a couple of art buddies together, map out a route, split the gas and go bargain hunting.



Scrap Paper ATC



Quote Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...I will try again tomorrow.



Fabric ATC



Milk Paint 1 gallon skim milk

2 cups builders lime[hydrated lime] do not use quick lime

1 quart linseed oil - boiled

1/2 cup salt

dye [ color] as needed



Strain mixture with cheesecloth or fine mesh screen. Use within 2 days of mixing. Refrigerate when not using.

Makes 1 1/2 gallons of paint.



Fabric ATC



Quote Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.

Abraham Lincoln



Shuttered



Kitchen Hint Tomatoes will keep longer when stored stem side down



Needle felted ATC



Tom's Green Pepper Jelly 1 cup bell peppers

or 1/2 cup hot red peppers and 2/3 cup green peppers.

6 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups apple cider

1 6 ounce bottle pectin



Mix peppers, sugar and cider together in a pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to stand for five minutes. Add bottle of pectin. Pour into sterilized half pint jars and seal. Makes 4 pints.

Serve with cream cheese and crackers. I also like this on toast with scrambled eggs.



Needle felted ATC



Quote "Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas."

Elizabeth Murray



3" by 5" Skinny



3" by 5" Skinny



3" by 5" Skinny



Quote "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

John F. Kennedy



Basic Salad Dressing 2 tablespoons wine vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried mustard

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried chives



If you grow your own herbs, you may dry and use them.

Shake all ingredients together in a dressing bottle. Very good poured over cucumbers or tomatoes. Keep in refrigerator.





2 by 2



Art Tip To extend the life of your gel pen roll the tip of the pen on wax paper. The wax paper acts like a lubricate and helps your pen keep the ink flowing.



2 by 2



Pepperoni Dip 1 pint sour cream

1/2 pound pepperoni, finely chopped

1 round loaf of bread, plain, sour dough, or rye



Combine sour cream and pepperoni. You can add 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or onion salt if you like. Store covered in refrigerator for 2 days. To serve, allow dip to come to room temperature. Carefully hollow out round loaf of bread, leaving around 1 inch around sides and across the bottom of loaf. Tear this center section of bread into bite size pieces. Place dip in loaf and surround with bread pieces.



Bandanna- label card front



Play Dough 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 cup water

a few drops of food coloring



Antique Color Wheels



moo card



moo card



Paste Paper

