Living

I haven't updated my blog since the end of my FaceBook experiment, but I've been busy!!  I've been busy . . . LIVING.  Which is awesome.

I'm having tons of fun supporting and spreading the word about Hunkahubby and his art and the group of artists that he is a part of - The Artists Upstairs.  Check them out - you'll be inspired!

Now do something creative and inspirational today!!

Getting Creative

I spent over an hour last night at Robert's new art studio (more info here) taking high resolution pictures to use on products and on his website to help sell his work.  I love doing this kind of thing, and luckily - Hunkahubby just lets me run with it, most of the time. 

Last night while photographing his work and watching him paint - I got inspired myself . . .

It is amazing how the space that is there specifically for creativity can inspire all who go into it.  The kids get creative too!!

So here are a few pictures that I took while I was there . . .

What do you think?

Robert's Palette

Mixed Media

The Mind of the Artist

Brushes

Go out there and get creative today!!!

Making Rainbow Cake!!

This past week, we celebrated something really fun in our family!

Hunkahubby got his very own ART STUDIO and we had an opening reception/birthday celebration for him.

To commemorate the event - the kids and I decided to bake an extra special cake.

I had seen this rainbow cake online several times and wanted to try it (because I LOVE tie-dye) and thought this was a great opportunity to try it.

So following are some pictures from the cake making and then a few pictures from the reception!!

I cheated and didn't use the recipe listed in the link above - I just bought vanilla cake mix and butter cream icing.  Yum!

Divide the cake batter evenly into six bowls. 

Use Wilton food coloring gel and dye each bowl of batter to the desired color.   

I used rainbow order:

Red (not picture), Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple

For one pan, start with purple and pour in half of the mixture.  Pour in half the blue, half the green, half the yellow, half the orange and half the red.  Do not mix it up!

For the other half of the cake, do the opposite.  Start with red and go to purple.

Bake the cake per the instructions, let it cool and then ice the bottom half and stack the top half.

I was very sad to cover up the pretty colors!

To explain this next part - Jackson Pollock is one of Hunkahubby's favorite artists.

Here is an example of Pollock's work - "Galaxy":

So - I 'decorated' the cake with this in mind . . .

Big fun mess, right?

Also - Hunkahubby has a sculpture - HERMAN - who has appeared in several paintings

since his creation.  We love Herman.  He holds great meaning.

So I thought Herman should be on the cake.  Hunkahubby and I did our best to make

a Herman out of fondant and toothpicks.

Then HE got painted.  Herman is a part of the art, ya know!

I had bought an extra box of cake mix and the kids wanted to do their own - so we only used red and blue this time (Spiderman cake, in their words) and they helped ice and decorate a small flat cake and some cupcakes.

I was so excited to cut into the cake and see how it looked!  I was not disappointed! 

Here, my dear friend Mary is modeling the cake:

Taste the Rainbow, Mary!

The cake was a hit. 

And the guest of honor and his studio were a hit, as well!!

Here he is in front of his studio sign.  (Find out more at sketchbookdiaries.com).

And here we are - the whole family.

We are so proud of you!!!

Check him out!

I love my Hunkahubby.

Sketchbook Diaries

I'm so behind . . .

I'm trapped under a lot of papers. Can someone dig me out?

Until then - I'll give you a few pictures to update you on our lives . . . can someone please get me out of here? ;-)

A short recap -


a month or so ago - my oldest ended up in the hospital overnight with pneumonia. I had such fun sleeping on a hospital cot with a night nurse who I swear was typing a novel on the room computer at 3 a.m.

A couple weeks after that - my Daddy had to go and scare us all and have a mild heart attack. He is doing TONS better now and we are all really glad he is still here to be ornery and make us laugh.

About a week later, Hunkahubby woke up with no feeling in one side of his face, which was (after a fun trip to the ER) diagnosed as Bell's Palsy. (Of course, he is still sexy even when half of his face isn't cooperating.) He is doing better - and if I can get him to hold still long enough - I'll add a current picture of him.

Somewhere in all of this - we destroyed a turkey. (And boy was it GOOD.)

My children decided what they want to be when they grow up.

My awesome talented husband participated in two art shows.

We had another baby.

I got a BLUE tree in my bedroom this year. (YAY!!!)

And I grew out my hair . . .

Okay - a couple of these aren't exactly correct . . . but it makes life interesting, right?

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season - and just in case your friendly neighborhood retail clerk hasn't told you - I will . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One of my favorite hymns, one of my favorite artists

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

(Painting by Hunkahubby, 2007)

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Dal­lan For­gaill (translated from the Irish by
Ma­ry E. Byrne, Versified by El­ea­nor H. Hull)