It's Looking A lot Like Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

PAIN

This piece was created for a gallery exhibit entitled " PAIN" and is currently on Exhibit at the Hoyt Gallery- USC - Los Angeles, CA.  Opening October 4, 2017.  This piece is postcard size and was created with ink and watercolor.

Through The View Finder...

...Can you pass by a ViewMaster, an old Stereoscope, ViewFinders without taking a peek inside? I can't!! I have to peek!  I especially love finding an antique photo viewer, I have to pick it up.  Moving pictures? Even better!!  Those machine that you pay a nickel to watch moving pictures...get me my change purse!
These little Zendoodles/Zentangles Girls are done in red ink & watercolor. I darken the edges to make them appear as though they are futuristic antiques as seen through a ViewFinder.  All are up for auction, just click on the above page link to place a bid.  I am working on a larger piece like the hollyhocks. I'm having fun with these! When I start I never know how they are going to turn out.

 "She Dreamed of Growing Cupcakes"

 "Sprouting Ideas"

"Hidden in the Bayou"

 

"Visions of the Perfect Tea Party"

"Hollyhocks in Okinawa"

I Love Bread too Oprah! ...

... it's all about the bread, bout the bread, bout the bread!
A few of my recent creations...

 

Look at my JJ!

He loves my "Piggies"!

I saw them on Pinterest but made them my own- they taste like bbq! Sorry not sharing that recipe yet! ;)

Can you believe he is 8 already?!!  Happy Birthday JJ!

I made his crazy birthday cake but cake is another post!

 

Easy Bread Recipe

 In mixing bowl combine:

2 C flour

1 tbsp yeast

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

approx. 1 C warm water

( adding more water if necessary to make thick batter)

Stir until well mixed. Cover with plastic and let rise for about 1/2 hour in

warm place.  My tip if it's winter I will put the bowl in a larger bowl of warm water to help  

rise the dough and keep it warm, replacing the water when it's cold.

Scrape dough down with a fork and put on floured board, divide in half.  

Flour gently and work into a shape or put into

greased pan or glass bowl to rise again and then bake.  

Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes.

This is a basic recipe - I have added herbs, cheese, lots & lots of garlic...more sugar...

For a softer sweeter dough use milk & add a few more tablespoons of sugar!

As you can see I've tried a few things I've seen on my beloved Pinterest.  I've

got a great Board called "Rollin' In Dough". 

Easy to make it in the morning and bake it for dinner!

Make it a great day!

 

 

Don't Choke Arti...

Doodle Doodle...

Red pen, black pen...

What is happening?!...

...this year is already 1/2 over already! How did that happen?! I haven't forgotten about you... I have taken pictures of all the things I've been up to and will start posting them!

I haven't been painting much this year while trying to heal my painters/tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and other issues. My doctor has figured out what is wrong with me, so it's upward and onward from here after the next round of tests next week!! I am feeling better and it's uphill from here!  It has become really difficult for me to paint on canvas as I use an easel, then paint for hours on end with my arm up without notice because I'm totally in my right brain. So.... now I am trying to work with watercolors and paper. Its a huge challenge for me and I may give up and go back to acrylic on paper but for now I'm trying!  Watercolors are so different in that you paint light to dark and at times very frustrating. A piece can be ruined in an instant at the end when it's almost finished. I also normally paint on black often just adding color and where the black is there is no paint other than the initial black (or sometimes yellow).  Here is my current work-in-progress...

I hope I don't ruin it because I like her !

I will post the final picture soon...

Peace & Blessings

Merry Christmas!...

Sending Love & Best Wishes to all my Family, Friends & Faithful Followers

throughout this holiday season!

I am looking for to Christmas!  I am very blessed. 

I'm also looking forward to bringing in the New Year and saying good-bye to this one! 

 I feel like it's a new chapter!

Peace & Love

Campbelljane 

Dance Like No One's Watching!

Sound the Alarm...

...  My family was spared from the flooding in South Carolina praise be to God!  My sister said that she went to the store to get all the fixin's for a pot of chili to hunker down with during the "deluge"; and the store was void of Kidney Beans! Everyone must have been making chili! Chili is one of my favorite comfort foods, and as I go through my handwritten cookbooks I find more recipes for chili than anything else.  I'm straining my brain to remember if I had a chili I didn't like...hum...nope!

Chili is a personal food don't you think?  Once Hubby & I went to a dinner party toting a pot of my chili, as did everyone else! A Chili Cook Off. We all ate a small bowl each others chili, a blind tasting, only the hostess knew who's was who's.  Our own being obvious to us, we still ate it like it was anonymous. We had planned to pick a winner, but no one could pick the best chili, I know I honestly couldn't. Each was a winner in it's own way!  It was so fun to see & taste how different each pot was and how personal it was.

 We have no rain (please pray) but now I have a hankerin' for chili.

All this hunkering & hankering Cowboy talk is making me want chili!...

5 Alarm Chili!

 

 

 

 

 

Yes those are tortilla chips! About an oz of chips. I have also used 2 corn tortillas. They add great flavor & also thicken up the chili.  I blended them with spices, (chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp. ketchup & sugar) with large can of tomatoes. My favorite is whole tomatoes but I used a can of diced, so it made the chili thicker. I got lazy and didn't fire roast the peppers but it's so much better if you take the time to do that. The dark chilies are dried, which I soaked in 2 cups of hot water before adding those to the tomatoes in the blender as well.  I use the water from this soak in the chili. (brown liquid in measuring cup) Again I was lazy and just left the skins on to get every bit of pepper.  Normally I make with ground beef but I had this marbled piece of meat that I knew was going to be tasty and tender.  I always get my pot beyond hot before adding my room temperature meat. It should stick where it lands and I don't touch it until I can see that it's good & browned. This adds so much flavor. It's surprisingly not as hot as it would seem but I can eat fire so....

With chili I love warm tortillas or cornbread but for this one...

Pass the thick & chewy & crunchy San Francisco Sourdough Garlic Bread please!

Grab that spoon! Dare to Have A Bite ?

Sweet Things...

My 1st Painted Cake goes to my new Daughter-in-Law Chelsea Campbell!

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

 

(7-Up Confetti Cake with Lemon Butter Cream Frosting - it's a party on the inside! )

 

I had so much fun painting this cake that I can't wait to paint another one.  My son likes to bake and suggested we go into business!  Said he'll bake and I paint.   The idea of a CFL (Cottage Food Operations License) has been tossed around this house for the last 6 months or so.   I took a cake decorating class "many many Moons ago" as my Dad would say.  (That's really the only Indian thing he has ever said now that I think about it. hahaha Another story for another time.) Anyway!  I enjoy decorating them but not so much baking them, I'm more of a cook than a baker, so it could work.   Cakes are swirling around in my head.  Pumpkins with Pumpkin Spice, Roses with Red Velvet,  Carrots with Carrot Cake, Poinsettia & Holly, Sunflowers, Hydrangea, Trumpets, Shamrocks, Robots,.............Angels!   (Did she say robots?)

I painted this cake with regular food coloring. I know there are cake paints on the market that are very much like acrylic paint,  but have never looked at them but be assured I will be getting some soon! I started with new paint brushes, a flat brush & a liner brush.  Watering down the food color a little and painting from light to dark just like water colors, adding layers of color worked out best & was less stress, too much color and your design could be done for, or at least your fondant.  I used the flat brush like a calligraphy pen for the writing and then went over the top with the liner brush. If your brush gets too wet and a lot of color goes on it's easy to fix though, just dry your brush to use it to mop up the extra color like a little sponge.   I learned a lot from this little cake.  Green & red make brown & black depending on the intensity of either color. So one box of ordinary food color will make just about any color that you need.  If ever I make another lemon cake I will stipple the little lemons on the bottom to give them some texture.  I chickened out when it came to writing on the cake. I folded under the pressure...I only had 1 box of fondant....I didn't want to ruin it... so I made the banner.

Of course I have already started a little book of cake illustrations & ideas. I did each of these in a matter of minutes, but if time was taken to properly draw them out,  I think these could be cool & fun to paint. Paintings of Painted cakes......

 

Yes I will make a cake for you! 

 

Life is getting Sweeter...

 

 



Doodle Doodle Doodle

I bought a couple of these for the gloveboxes because I can't seem to hang on to sunglasses.  I  have been drawing & painting & doodling, doodling, doodling.  I thought I'd share this quick, cute, crafty hat. Feel free to copy my design or make your own!

Channeling an Old Chapter...

... I started painting these not so typical southwest paintings and haven't stopped... Living in Tucson as a young teenager still holds fond memories. The heat was well worth enduring because I still have a friend in my life from that chapter! See the hidden XOXOs in them hills?

 

 

 

 



It's Hot....

....in Arizona....

 

 4"x 6" acrylic on paper.

 

 

Destination Inspiration...

... Half Moon Bay...

We took a little birthday/de-stress 2 day trip to Half Moon Bay in April.  The stress didn't stop so I could use another little trip again!  This year it's been one traumatic horrible thing after another, but hopefully the tide is changing. I feel like it is; and I am beginning to paint again. I need to paint again. Painting is healing and I have missed it.  Well tucked away in "the vault"  was our trip and thoughts of this huge carnivorous plant place that we went to. It was so cool.  Our cameras died almost the minute we got in there so I don't have any pictures of the awesome displays. 

 

 

 

 

My Beach Angel. View from the top of the cliff...

I did it with my feet!

World's Rare Plants

http://www.worldsrareplants.com/

Looking into the glass globes or potted plants it was like looking into another world. A Jurassic world or Underworld or Fairy world.  The owner was full of information about the plants as well. One carnivorous plant he showed me was 40 years old. He said if you have one you will never have any knats or a fly in your house. hahaha  Fasinating with a little creep factor.

The building was full of fairy & gnome gardens & really unusual things. A large selection of little ceramics to make your own tiny world too.

So begins my new series.... which I'm trying to name... Help is appreciated, just leave me a comment!

"Lovely to Eat You"...

"Full Moon in Half Moon Bay"...

LOL

 

 

I did 2 paintings on pieces of wood...but I think they are so whimsical, weird & wonderful, I am keeping those for myself & hanging them on my patio, but there will be more ...

Coming to a Ebay or Etsy Shop or Spoonflower shop soon!

 

So be on the lookout! You never will know where you might find a little inspiration!

 

Blessings!