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Eddie Izzard - When the first Brits/Americans met the Indians

Skinny French Toast

Lately, I've made a habit of eating French Toast. I thought to myself," how can I make this healthier and with fewer calories?" I came up with a little plan. After being hungry by mid morning because my cheerios were not holding me over I thought eating something with egg in it was the right approach for being satisfied longer.
Ingredient list:
Several pieces of bread of your choice, stale. (I used Wonder 100% Whole Wheat because it only has 120 calories for two slices.)
Egg Beaters or any egg product in a carton (egg whites.)
Silk Vanilla Soy Milk. Soy milk has a heavy consistency therefore the creamy texture is good for french toast.
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Sugar free maple syrup

Mix a little egg product in a bowl with soy milk and beat together spices. The consistency should be that of eggnog. Use Pam or any kind of spray vegetable oil coating on your pan. Using stale bread, coat each side of the bread and put them in the pan.
Patiently wait for each side to get light fluffy golden brown and a medium heat. Flip toast several times to avoid buring. Use a lid over the pan to capture heat and cook the egg in the middle of the bread so that the texture of the french toast not soggy in the middle. Be patient and don't cook at high heat, the outside will cook fast and burn while the inside will be soggy. If you want to cut more calories skip the dusting of confectioner sugar at the end. Add a little butter spread and smother with sugar free syrup and you have a high protein but sweet treat for breakfast or brunch.

Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies

I'm posting this as proof that I have done something creative in the last week. Any little thing counts, even playing Betty Crocker. The cookie shapes came from Crate and Barrel. Stay tuned for Christmas cookes. This was just a test run.

Inspiration

As an artist with an appreciation for all aspects of design, I found inspiration from a toy line that Target offers. The company is Just B. You. They have a line of blocks there were the first blocks that I bought for my daughter. They are squeezable, well packaged pieces of fun. They are sculptural which appeals to the tactile side of learning. Each block has a micro-relief sculpture of an animals and numbers correlating with the number of animals on each block. The packaging is spectacular, all the blocks fit in a nice little bag, making clean up for parents simple. What really drew me to this company is the use of color. The color forecast for design across the board has been that of a tribal nature. The colors in paint, furniture and industrial design are teals, yellows, aqua-blues, variations of pinks and purples. This is a great introduction to the baby of tertiary colors. I'm tired of seeing everything in primary colors. This company has thought of ways to make toys and package them responsibly (recycled or post consumer materials.) There is no doubt that we will probably purchase more toys from this company in the future. Just B. You is being carried at Target in the toy section.

It has been a while

Since last year I have had a baby. The baby has changed everything. I don't have to call her, "the baby" anymore since her name is Lucy. Since her arrival our lives are consumed by child rearing in a way that I never thought would happen to me, but that being said, she is the priority at the moment. Now that she is about 7 and half months things have gotten easier. Now I can sit down and have a few thoughts of my own that don't involve, feeding or spit-up or diaper changes.

Pumpkin Pie

We wanted to start out fall with a bang, what a good way to do it!

Baby's room pictures

Piece of art Ray made for the baby's room at the Guaguin exhibit.

Classic story books, note that the Winnie-the-Pooh book is the classic one, not Disney.

Sheep skin rugs from ikea on earthy dark green rug make the room soft.

Sage color curtain which looks better in real life from the store Old Time Pottery for only 8 dollars. Lamp is from Target.

Art that will be hung on side walls of room. One was found at thrift store several years ago for 25 dollars. It is an original print by Annora Spence, a British poster artist. The other piece on the right is a piece I did at the Guaguin exhibit of stamped horses with color pencil. Yellow was Gauguin's favorite color with the influence of Van Gogh.

Hooks that my friend Caren gave us when we moved in, five years later we found a good use for them.

Rocking chair Ray's mom gave us, beautiful piece.

Top of old Ikea entertainment center being used as book shelf and changing table once kit is installed on top surface.

Ikea shelving re-used as baby storage with added cubes for storage and and color.

Artist interview with Jan Weiss

Do you have a website or your own blog?

http://www.artprints-online.com/

www.twitter.com/artprintsonline

http://www.artprints-online.blogspot.com/

What inspires you?

Art inspires me. I have been in the industry for 15 years and I can't imagine doing anything else. It's what makes sense to me. I was laid off my job at Art.com in February and chose to take this opportunity to develop my own business. I went live last week and have orders already! In addition to this site I am a licensed and published artist and my extra money earn from this goes to our vacations.

Do you feel you are effective at time management?

Yes I do. Because it's my own business and I know that no money will come in unless I earn it - it makes me very focused and driven. I got this entire business up and running in two months. Two weeks after my lay off I bought my domain name and the Yahoo store template and went to work.

Have you been able to earn a living doing your art at least part time?

Not yet. But between me, my husband and my sales rep I know I will earn a living at this - just too early to tell anything yet.

CSAs

Community shared agriculture.

MV Knits Video

I saw this on Etsy for months ago and loved her story.

studio space

This is my studio / design area. We rehabbed the basement when we moved in.

sketches from last weekend

Preliminary sketches of animals. Observations from my recent visit to the zoo.

Loft Life Magazine

If you like to read about sustainability, good design and a modern lifestyle, this magazine is for you. Reclaimed materials are used in many of the featured designs. For the naysayers that think modern is cold and boring, think again! Modern means form follows function in terms of design practicality and aesthetic. Using natural materials like reclaimed wood will add warmth to a space. Modern doesn't mean life devoid of nature. At this very moment, most households across the country are not buying random junk to fill their homes anymore and they are being choosy about what they will buy. Designing with a purpose is now a part of our culture. You can't turn on any lifestyle show on networks like HGTV or DIY without this concept being beaten into you head. If you are looking to re-design and get inspiration this magazine is for you. Sometimes changing your lifestyle means changing your space in order to feel differently.

I had a conversation with someone from Loft Life Magazine yesterday while on Facebook. Loft Life is trying to gain readership and they certainly deserve it. About a month ago I started noticing this magazine at the local bookstore, but like everyone, I'm counting my pennies and passed it up. After viewing their magazine online and seeing what the magazine is about, I will be an avid subscriber. In a week I look forward to receiving a copy in the mail. I will pass up my other design magazines for this one.

Recycled Chairs

After


Before


I was driving down a street near home where I spotted chairs that were the right size and shape for my kitchen being discarded on someones lawn in our neighborhood. I remembered that I had some fabric that I got at a fantastic discount at a local store a year ago and that is when it came to me to reupholster the chairs. I bought some almond colored paint from Lowes. I bought batting for quilting at a local craft store and I already had a staple gun that I use for building canvas stretchers for painting. With all that I was able go from shabby to chic in a week. The chairs took much longer than anticipated to paint. Plan to spend at least 5 hours in total on just painting. The chairs were from the 60's and in poor condition. Comments and questions welcome.

Environmental Studies and resources

On my last visit to Oberlin a few weeks ago, I discovered the environmental studies building on Elm Street at Oberlin College. On the same trip at the local bookstore I saw books by David Orr who teaches environmental studies. The students of Oberlin have the opportunity to work with local farmers and they eat what is locally grown. Sustainablity is the word.

Pictures from the week

Architectural Salvage

Architectural Salvage

Although this has been a trend for years it is now called upcycling.
If you want a piece of Cleveland, and I do mean that in the real sense of the word go to apieceofcleveland.com . They provide lumber taken from old sites to the public; why cut down trees if you don't have to?

from my garden

Pine Nut-White Bean Dip

I found this recipe in the June 2008 Issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.


1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
1 15-oz. can cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fat-free or light sour cream (light is better)
3 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp snipped fresh or oregano or basil
Pine Nuts toasted, (optional)
Assorted vegetable dippers
Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

1. In small bowl combine crumbs and milk; cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender of food processor combine beans, sour cream, pine nuts, lemon juice, seasoning and pepper. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add crumb mixture. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Stir in herbs. Cover; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. To serve, sprinkle dip with pine nuts and oregano. Serve with vegetable dippers.