Artist & Illustrator
This week’s Small Fancy theme is Bigfoot. Click here to check out Mia’s version.
I will have my shop update done for Monday. I will have 6 little mini barn paintings for sale. I have put my “You are Loved” screen prints on sale. If you want one, now is the time to snatch them up!
See you Monday.
This is the reason I missed Easter dinner. My finger somehow got caught in the trunk as I was packing away that lovely pudding. You don’t want to know what’s under that bandage, it is the stuff of nightmares. I only looked at it once, right after it happened… and I still can’t get the image out of my head.
I’m working on a big shop update. I’ve made a set of mini barnface paintings that I’m going to put up for sale. Check back soon!!
Another sad, but encouraging barn to lead you into the weekend.
This week’s Small Fancy theme is “bonbon”. (Quite a few bonbons were consumed during the making of this drawing.)
We got out to the country this weekend and I got some more wonderful photos of barns. (More paintings to come!)
You might be wondering what’s up with all the barn paintings. Last summer, I was feeling particularly sad and like I didn’t fit in here. My favourite part of driving all around with the girls doing all the typical summer stuff, was seeing barns. Not the beaches or lighthouses or quaint towns… but these sad and adorable barns. Somehow they make me feel better about living here.
I decided to add some text to this one too…
are filled up with her,
and sometimes I get to do a bit of this.
I’ve been wanting to start this series of P.E.I barns for some time, but I only have a few pictures from last summer to work from. There are so many gorgeous barns on this island. My hope is to drive all around this coming summer and document them. I tried to get out to take some photos a few weeks ago (patience is not my strong point) and the winter roads proved to be too much for me… I think it is best to wait until the snow thaws.
This year for Sosi’s birthday party loot bag we decided to do something a little different. We set up a craft table for the kids to each do a drawing. We scanned each drawing, printed it onto iron-on transfer paper and then ironed them onto a t-shirt for them to each take home (luckily we had my folks here to lend a hand to the assembly line).
It turned out to be so much fun. In all the mayhem I totally forgot to take pictures… which is really too bad because each kid’s t-shirt turned out so great! All so different and unique. I think they were all really happy and proud of the results.
I’ve been a little obsessed with iron on transfers lately. I’ve had a package of them for probably 10 years that I’ve always wanted to use, but never got around to it. This year I took the plunge! We made t-shirts for all the kids on our Xmas list. I forgot to take pictures of those too, but they were similar to this one here.
Now that I’ve started, I can’t stop! Here is one I did today. I was trying to cover a stain on one of my favourite shirts. I really like how it turned out, but I can still see the stain…
I have been doing a lot of research lately and dreaming about future projects. I wasn’t expecting much when I requested this book from the library, but was very surprised when I opened it and saw these gorgeous colour plates.
Just finished and sent out this little portfolio/booklet out into the world.
Katie asked me to post my lentil soup recipe. The one I make on New Year’s Day is made with brown lentils and whatever is in my fridge. Nothing to write home about at all. However I do have an amazing red lentil soup recipe that I got from my dad. It is ridiculously good and easy to make. Everybody around here loves this soup, most of all me. I can throw it all together in a few minutes, put it in on the stove, forget about it, and it is ready in no time.
Yummy Red Lentil Soup:
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup diced ham (i use whatever left-overs I have… ham or spicy italian sausage. you don’t need a lot)
3 cup water
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
Wash and sort lentils. Heat oil in a large pot over a medium high heat. Sauté garlic, onions and bay leaf in oil. Stir in ham or sausage. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Stir in lentils and remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce and heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. 4-6 servings.
Here is another recipe because we all can’t be good and eating lentils all the time. My best friend Magda proved why she is my best friend with this recipe. She passed it on to me the last time we talked. It involves an Eatmore Chocolate bar and nothing else. Don’t let that put you off, it’s soooo good. A perfect quick and yummy dessert. Sosi loved these and named them “Madames”, which seems a little fancy for a dessert made from a second rate candy bar that not many people seem to like, but it strangely suits them.
Sosi’s “Madames”:
Cut 1 Eatmore ( i think these are only available in Canada…) into about 6 or 7 little squares. Place them fairly far apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and heat in a 350 degree stove for about 10 minutes. Once they have melted down into bubbling thin waffer-like circles, they’re done. Let cool, and enjoy!
I just finished this custom piece for a sweet little Lily in Vancouver. So happy to be back working with fabric. Hope to do some more real soon.
I finally finished Ila’s Christmas gift. In the days leading up to the big day it became more and more clear to me that it wasn’t going to be finished in time. There was just too much to get done. I decided to just let it go.
I’m finding this is the key to happiness these days. Plans change, things I want to get done don’t get done, time to myself never seems to happen. Instead of fighting all this, I’ve decided to surrender to it.
Sosi added a little scribble to this piece on a particularly naughty day. My first instinct was to get upset with her, but then I thought about it more and I thought what a sweet contribution to her sister’s gift. It certainly speaks of our lives these days. There are no boundaries between my life, art and these children, it is all one big messy imperfect pile.
4 years ago I made these pieces for Sosi for her first Christmas.
Wanting to keep the tradition alive, I decided to make one for Ila this year (although it is technically her second Christmas). Over the few past weeks I have been planning, working, reworking and staring at this piece for her.
I can’t think of any other way I would like to spend an afternoon than sitting in a pile of fabric scraps, cutting and stitching. Maybe that’s why it has been taking me so long to finish, I ‘m drawing this out as long as I can. This feels like a gift for me as well.
Hope you are all enjoying these last magical moments before Christmas.
but I’m not quite sure what it is yet.
Feels good to be back working with fabric. It’s not the easiest task with small children around, but I’m figuring it out. I’ve really missed it.
I’ve been in some major denial over Christmas. I have nothing ready at all, no decorating or shopping done(this picture is from last year). I don’t think I can ignore that it’s coming anymore. We woke to snow on the ground and my husband has begun streaming Christmas music into every room in the house… it’s feeling pretty cozy.
In an attempt to escape from all I need to do, I’ve weaseled myself into the Christmas Craft Fair at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market at the last minute. I’ll be there tonight from 4:00-8:00 selling my cards and prints. Hope to see you there!
Lori Joy Smith
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