Valentines

This year Artworks will be hosting Valentine Making Classes. It is a great way for kids and adults to make their valentines rather than buying the dreaded store bought ones the night before. We will be letting our imaginations run wild, here are a few pics from this year.

Easy Valentines

This year Valentines Day seemed to sneak up on us. Before I knew it, I got the note at school saying we needed 17 valentines for the class by the end of the week! So here is what we did, grabbed some pencils from the dollar section at Target and added a simple flag that we stamped "You R ALL WRITE". Raegan wrote "Love Raegan" on the back so it could go to anyone in her class. Super easy and it allowed us to stay away from bringing candy to school.

Pet Portrait

Pet Portraits have become increasingly popular as commisioned pieces. Below is an image I just completed for a friend who recently lost her beloved dog Bailey. Our furry friends have become such an important aspect of our lives, it doesn't surprise me that many people are looking to memorialize their pets forever in a portrait.

After doing so many pet portraits for others, I figured it was time to paint my own best friend, Tyson. He recently turned 13, has become blind from cataracts, and lost almost all his teeth.  I still love him to bits when I carry him out to do his business everyday.  Did I do him justice in trying to capture his quirky personality in the painterly approach I took?

Potjie (Small Pot Food)

This year we rung in the New Year with a traditional South African Potjie, or otherwise known as small pot food. It is a fantastic meal to serve to a group of guests because it is easy and takes little preparation and fussing over. Another great aspect is there is no wrong way to make it. A potjie can have everything including the kitchen sink! There is no die hard recipe to follow, improvisation is key. Just serve over rice or with bread and enjoy. Many recipes can be found online, but remember they are guides, not rules, the only key ingredient is the cast iron pot it is cooked in on an open flame. We use a size 6 which works well for us. If you are interested in finding out more about this tradition, recipes, or where to buys a pot, feel free to email. Enjoy!

Potjie

Bath Time!!

Usually bath time isn't a fight, but once in a while, especially when everyone is tired, it can be tough. Since we had some glo sticks left over from Halloween, I decided to entice the girls with a surprise glo stick bath. I was surprised at how much fun they had, pruned hands and all.

It is as easy as :                                                    1.

2. 

3. 

Severed Fingers

We made this fun take on pigs in a blanket. They were so delicous I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It looks super gross when dipped in "bloody" ketchup.

First cut hot dogs in half. On the finished end cut out a "nail bed"

To wrap I use the premade pastry dough in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, the kind used for croissants. The triangles are precut, but since those are too large, I cut them in half, keeping the triangle shape.

Finally wrap them up to look like bandages, leaving the nail bed exposed. 

Delish!

Haunted House Highlights

We had such a great time at our annual Halloween Bash! Here are a few of the highlights...

Our good friend Lizet made this fantastic cake. This cake not only looked beautiful, but tasted so good I went back for seconds. No cake was left at the end of the party, that was a first. If you ever need a cake made in the DC area her email is lizet.sugarlily@yahoo.com.

For goodie bags we used the good old plastic pumpkin, what a hit!

Our spider room- scary! 

Easy, mess free project is wood signs that can be decorated with foam stickers and markers. Since it is easy set up, clean up, and low mess, it leaves kids the ability to work independently and take their time.

Pipers unicorn costume, so cute, I had to post

This was probaby the one thing in the haunted house that scared the most parents.

It was an all around great day, we had music, food, and lots of fun with new and old friends. The kiddos loved the haunted house, everything was touchable and they could linger and find all sorts of new and gross things every time they walked through.

Can't wait till next year!