Our family always enjoys the classic Banana Bread. But, I’ve noticed that by adding chocolate to the recipe, the consumption of bread per person doubled or tripled {that’s a good thing, … right? }. This Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread recipe is the one I like to use when my freezer is packed with frozen ripe bananas. The bread is moist, chocolaty, and full of bananas.
A pretty watercolor painting by my daughter Hannah along with few of her and her sister’s favorite things.
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It was a gray and drab day outside and Hannah was working on her drawings and paintings just for fun. I casually mentioned to her that she needed to paint me a pretty spring picture.
A few hours later she handed me these simple pastel watercolor pictures, just a perfect addition to brighten up the day.
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Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums to paint with. I will be sharing a few basic and simple ways to paint. Things to keep in mind before getting started; be patient, stop painting when it becomes frustrating {continue later} and remind yourself that sometimes less is more.
Now let’s get creative…
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watercolor paper {cold press/140 lb}
basic watercolor paint tray
watercolor brush {round/#2}
palette/tray {for mixing paint}
paper towel {to dab off excess paint/water}
container with water
a scratch piece of watercolor paper {test paint colors/brush strokes}
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step 1: With a pencil, lightly sketch out a rough outline shape of an object {the sketch above was done intentionally darker for viewing purposes}.
step2: Mix the paint with water to dilute and make it very light and transparent. Before applying the paint to the paper, make a few test strokes on the scratch piece of paper. Put just enough paint on the paint brush {dab any excess that’s dripping on the paper towel}. Apply it to the object and leave some areas white {as if the sun was shining on it}. Let the paint dry.
step 3: Repeat step 2, but darken the paint slightly. Apply a little more paint to the darker side of the object still leaving some white and lighter areas alone.
step 4: Darken the paint a little more. Add texture to the plant by gently dabbing it with tiny dots with the tip of the brush. Paint the shadow at the bottom of the pot. Let the paint dry.
step5: Repeat step 4
step 6: Add a touch of black paint to the color and repeat step 4.
Note:
It’s optional to continue painting the picture from step3 – step6, this will depend on the amount of details to add or not to add… it’s up to you.
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To paint flowers, apply the same techniques for painting the topiary plant starting with a simple sketch then apply a light layer of paint, let it dry {repeat and repeat}.
A great picture of Hannah and Dad – Bill was trying to stand as tall as he could next to her. How fast the years {16} have gone by and seeing our oldest growing and maturing into a young lady.
Thank you Hannah for sharing your beautiful paintings with everyone.
Print a copy of Hannah’s flower painting.
{click Here}
{all printables are for personal use only}
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posted by: Kay & Hannah
When it comes to fashion, I tend to keep my wardrobe pretty basic. But I do enjoy staying up-to-date with news of what designers are creating and designing for the different seasons. What are the new trends, shapes, colors, fabrics, and accessories coming down the runway. Spring fashion 2014 debuted last year and the ready-to-wear collections will soon be in retail stores. Here are a few of my favorite inspirational pictures for spring 2014. The silhouettes are flirty with ruffles. The palette of pastels, creamy whites with contrasted black and dark hues. There are many patterns, stripes, floral prints and embroideries in striking colors.
Take a look….
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Last but not least, the Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2014 collection.
Simply beautiful!
Picking one or two pictures to share with you would not capture the overall collection. See the video of the spring collection in its entirety below.
{video not playing, click Here}
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{To see last year spring 2013 Christian Dior Haute Couture collection, Here.}
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These are my color picks for spring 2014. Use them however you like. The color palette is great as a guide for your wardrobe, decorating a room, pillow combinations, a craft project, setting the table for entertaining or a simple flower arrangement this spring season. I included a color palette to the right of each outfit pictured above to help visualize how the colors could be combined.
Are you ready for Spring?
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images/sources: Zimmermann, spring 2014 • J. Mendel, spring 2014 • Zoe Jordan, spring 2014 • Lela Rose, spring 2014 • Jasper Conran, spring 2014 • Marchesa, spring 2014 • Temperley London, spring 2014 • video Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2014 collection • This is Glamorous
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posted by: Kay
Bill and I {mostly Bill} have been pruning and trimming the trees surrounding the area around our house to get them ready for the Spring season. These beautiful white flowers in the pitcher was taken from the discarded pile of cut branches of our plum tree. They weren’t blooming yet, but I “force bloom” them to get the result that you see above. The process took 3-4 days and here are the steps on how to do it.
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The thought of eating or making Split Pea Soup was never something I wanted to do or try. Seeing a bowl of brown/green mushy peas will change my appetite quickly… Who would want to eat that? When I asked Bill many years ago to give me a list of food he would like to have for his birthday dinner, Split Pea Soup was right there at the top. Really? Wanting to make him happy, I was willing to try and make it. By chance, I came upon a recipe in Cuisine At Home magazine that looked appealing enough for me to try and make. The addition of frozen peas in the soup was different from the other recipes I’ve seen. It turned out delicious and as a result, I served it at Bill’s birthday party and everybody liked it. As for Bill, he ate it all up and asked for a second helping.
This is the one and only Split Pea and Ham Soup recipe I’ve made over the years and now our kids are enjoying it too.
