Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This week Wine Art Wednesday was at Naty's house. For appetizers there was goat milk brie and cow milk brie. I liked the cow milk brie better, it was richer/creamier. I think that was the consensus for the night but it was interesting to compare based on animal milk. Joan brought a chilli dip with chips, so addictive. Naty made a delicious lentil stew, paired with Donna's cous cous, arugula salad and Italian bread. And chocolate covered strawberries for dessert thanks to Jocelyn!!

Every week we're going to profile a different artist of the group and this week it is me, Melanie. I am also a recent graduate of Fairfield University, like Gina. I studied printmaking and math. Odd combination...or so everyone tells me. Presently I am freelancing, digitizing some stuff at one company and doing some bone sculpture painting for a semi-famous artist! Every day it's something new on top of all the projects I dream up on my own. I literally made a list and said I wouldn't try anything new until I got the first thing on my list completed, that lasted, uhh...a few days. Currently I'm consumed by 3 quilts and illustrating a comic book for a friend.

Inspiration:

-MATH. I love geometry and patterns.

-Mandalas. See above.

-PINTEREST. I am addicted. It's made my never ending list of projects to do 10 times longer!

I am not an etsy addict like other members of the group, but I do LOVE blogs! So I thought I'd share a couple of my favorites.

Blogs:

Apartment Therapy (www.apartmenttherapy.com)

This site is so inspiring. Every post has something new and interesting. Many posts are apartment/home related as the title suggests. They frequently do house tours- I think it's so interesting to see how other people live, especially in different parts of the country, also some of the people that do house tours are artists or designers and then I learn more about them and their work.

Design*Sponge (www.designsponge.com)

Along similar lines of apartment therapy with tons of new inspiration, plus lots of DIY projects.

The Jealous Curator (www.thejealouscurator.com)

I don't even remember how I found this blog, but I love it! Each post features a different artist that the blog writer is jealous of. I have found out about some incredibly amazing artists from this blog!

IKEA Hackers (www.ikeahackers.net)

New find! The blog posts viewers “ikea hacks” or reuses or reinterpretations or new creations using items that can be bought at Ikea! Some of the posts are brilliant and so smart and creative and ingenious.

What I'm Cooking Now:

Natural easter egg dyes!! Can't wait to try them out!

And today I just started working on my indoor garden (I have a sunroom) with herbs for cooking! In another week or so I'm going to start working outside on my vegetable garden. I'm not an experienced gardener so this should be interesting!

What I'm Reading:

I am perpetually reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.

Boomerang by Michael Lewis -It's about the economy, but it's not all dry and boring. Written in a very easy to understand way, each chapter is about a different country, Iceland, Greece, Ireland, etc. And it's short, just over 200pgs. It has been very eye opening. I may be able to do complicated math equations but that doesn't mean I understand the economy (or business)! Though this book is more of a case of what went wrong and trying to understand why.

I reluctantly read The Hunger Games trilogy (I thought they were going to be another YA Twilight), but I was pleasantly surprised!

At the beginning of the New Year, I started a 52 books/year challenge. So far I am well ahead of where I should be.

-Melanie

All About the Food

Artists:

Donna, Jessica, Rita, Gina, Gabrielle, Melanie

Menu:

Entre:  Salmon, String Beans, Couscous, Tomato Pie

Dessert: Bougatsa

Last night was Wine Art Wednesday, held at Donna's house. Her home is beautiful, it was built inside a barn that use to house a horse and buggy. Dinner was delicious! Donna made salmon, couscous, string beans and tomato pie! I have never had tomato pie before and usually I am not a fan of tomatoes but this was great!!! For dessert we ate a Greek dish, that can also be served for breakfast, called Bougatsa. Audrey, Donna, Naty and I learned how to make it Tuesday night in a Greek cooking class we took. Oh and there was also this trifle cheese and crackers which was very addictive!

We talked about a million different things. One of which was Gina's time spent in China. Jessica and Donna have also been to China, so they compared notes. Gina also mentioned a funny prank you can pull on a friend! Remove all the labels from their canned food. They won't know which can is which. Jessica and Donna told us about this cool website gofobo.com where you can find movie screenings to go to. Definitely going to try that out! 

Another wonderfully successful WAW!!!

<3 Melanie

Cannoli. That's All I Need to Say.

So sad...possibly my last Wine Art Wednesday for awhile...I am 27 weeks (and entering my third trimester) tomorrow!!!  Eeep!  And the two-hour drive twice a week is starting to take its toll.  I might just have to Skype from NJ to be involved every week.  Good thing it was a great one for me to end on (for the time being)!!!  

Artists: 

Alex (that's me!), Audrey, Denise, Donna, Jen, Joan, Jocelyn, Lauren, & Marjon!

Menu:

 

Appetizers:

Guacamole (Joan)

Artichoke & Cheese Dip (Joan)

& Chips, of course! (Thanks Jocelyn!)

 

Mains:

Two types of delicious Lasagna (Audrey)

 

Desserts:

Cannolis and Zeppoli/Creme Puffs from Del Prete in Bridgeport, CT

(Thank you SO MUCH Lauren & Marjon!)

(Food photos are always taken AFTER we dig-in! ;)

 

 

And it was definitely an evening of fine quotes:

"It shouldn't be Google.  It should be Ask Donna...she knows it all!" ~ Joan...and I think she's definitely right!

"Luck of the bottle" ~ Marjon telling us that the last glass of wine from the bottle is called this in the Netherlands, where she is from.  (I wonder if I took the last sip from the bottle if that luck would be good for the baby or me?!)

"I will try anything...twice."  ~ Me  "Sometimes the first is a fluke." ~ Lauren, as usual, knowing exactly how to finish my thought when I can't even think straight!  (And, so very true!)

"The kid in you should have seen it...haha, wait, there IS a kid in you!" ~ Jen to pregnant me.

"Wait, Johnny Depp is...available?!" ~ Jen, when we got on to the subject of celebrity divorces due to the recent news explosion surrounding Seal and Heidi...so sad.  Joan and I thought they were going to make it!  I was shocked by Ashton and Demi too, but what do I know?!  Because I certainly don't know any of these people!!!  Then, "I'd like him as a son-in-law!" ~ Audrey (already happily married, you see!)

"You get to that weird middle stage in art where you hate it...it's like middle school."  ~ Jocelyn on the facts of art.  Whenever you are painting, drawing, whatever, just prepare yourself for that middle time period of BLAH.  We all know it!

"OH...MY...GOD." ~ me, after eating a very-illegal-to-her-dairy-free-diet-but-so-freaking-worth-it cannoli.  Seriously, Del Prete, I am glad I live in NJ...that was heavenly!  (At least for the part that I was eating it...)

Okay, apologies, that was a lot of quotes and I bet there were many more that I was laughing too hard to write down.  How about a few process photos?

(Think it's time for a new tablecloth?  It works so well, but the colors always clash with our paintings!  Maybe we should paint it?!)

We also talked about the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), which Lauren is exhibiting (our favorite) HopeClips and Donna is visiting to see what's new this week.  (I told Lauren that I HAVE to remember to bring my HopeClip to the hospital when I go in to labor...the nurses will LOVE it and how perfect for hospital gift shops?!  You can lie back comfortably and get all of your hair out of your face in a chic way!  Now, to remember it when I am pulling out my hubby's own hair that day...)  I digress, sorry...we talked about NYIGF because if you are running a booth, you have about 30 seconds to sell your product to the buyers.  It is such a huge show, that buyers usually run through with a list and if you are new, you've got that 30 seconds their stride takes them to get past your booth.  (I volunteered with Lauren one year and she taught me SO much about running a business.  That girl is not only the sweetest, most intelligent, quick-witted girl...she is a wonderful entrepreneur!  Take notes, dear reader!)  She and Donna (who has been to many trade shows as a Buyer) both agreed that you have to really know your customer.  Which probably explains why we all want each others' paintings by the end of each night!

Audrey was squirting paint on to her canvas (to prime it/put down the base coat) and I loved how it looked on its own!

We said "let it dry (for a month) and then MOMA will buy it!"  Joan added "just say you sneezed!  It'll be worth millions!"  I guess it was our little commentary on how art is always in the eye of the beholder and is really like wine.  You have to look/try a lot of different things to find out what really makes you happy / makes you feel great!

Speaking of making you happy...Pretty Woman and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are movies that we all agreed make us happy.  If you turn on your TV to see what's on and you find one of those, you will inevitably watch it from whatever point it is at...and laugh...and smile...and be happy!  Life is good.

One of the girls started laughing and told us the story of finding lumps in her breasts when she was a teenager.  "Laughing?" you ask?  Yes, because she was watching TV when something prompted her memory, maybe a news brief or a part of a show, and she remembered that her girlfriends told her that you are supposed to check your own breasts for lumps in between appointments.  (Read here for how to do it ladies, it is important!)  So she did...in her living room, while she was watching TV, and found quite a few!  After telling her mother, they went straight to the Doctors' office and then in to surgery and had some removed.  She was laughing because it all happened so suddenly and all while these two girlfriends were traveling all over Europe, and she had to stay home because she couldn't afford the trip.  She said "now I'll have a story for them when they get back!"  And also, still can't believe how quickly she was rushed in to surgery without tests at that time.  Now she knows that they are actually fibrous cysts.  This made two of the other girls laugh and they looked at each other and laughed harder realizing that they were thinking the same thing!  They both had them as well, and there first times at the OB-GYN (yes, both of them and again, as teens) told their Doctors that they had Cystic fibrosis and both Doctors had quickly corrected them and luckily, explained to them the difference so they didn't make the same mistake again!  What are the chances?  The world really is smaller than we realize and we all have so much in common and share experiences.

Okay, I have truly typed my fingers off today!  If you made it this far, then WOO!  You are seriously a true Wine Art Wednesdays fan and it is time for you to start your own weekly session with your best friends!  Email me at WineArtWednesdays@gmail.com if you have any questions on how to get started.  We love to share the passion and fun!

<3 Alex and the Wine Art Girls

P.S. We discussed future painting ideas.  Maybe a poll is in order?  We thought of sushi, lobster, coffee-themed, personalized paintings, and a few more.  Any ideas, readers/fellow bloggers and artists?  And also, please forgive us if our timing is a bit off in the next few weeks.  Since I won't be in CT to take part, it may be that the blog isn't live by Friday and/or the paintings aren't listed by Monday, but we will do our best!  To us, it is more about being together than anything else and we hope to not disappoint any fellow believers!!!

...the paintings...

 (Most of these will be posted for sale on our Etsy.)

(Some of these are not quite finished!)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Blue Chickens

Wine Art Wednesday... our weekly art/wine therapy session was in full swing with seven returning attendees: Joan, Naty, Audrey, Jen, Denise, Gina, (and me; Lauren) and we welcomed a first timer at this week's get together as well, Marjon. While a newbie to the group, she certainly was no newbie to art-- she is a great artist! Her website is www.babyroompaintings.com. Within minutes she was part of our family and was regaling us with stories of the Netherlands, where she is originally from. (Like indoor skiing and snowboarding facilities that are there! How cool!) When asked what brought her to live in the US, she explained that she was only intending to visit, but then fell in love, and now is married and living in Connecticut!  This sparked conversations about international living and we traded stories about the process of getting interviewed to prove you're really married when getting a green card in the US. In Marjon's case it was easy, she explained that she showed them e-mail history for years and countless pictures of their wedding and all their adventures together and explained that the interviewer basically took one glance at them and knew they were the real deal--haha!

For dinner, Naty prepared an amazing split pea soup and paella. My mouth is watering just remembering how good they both were! 

(Photos courtesy of Gina!)

On the topic of food, we talked about how they say you can change your tastes within 12 times of tasting something--So let's say for example if you originally don't like a food, it's said you can learn to like it if you continue to try it and each time tell yourself "yum! this is delicious!" This sparked stories of interesting foods we've eaten when traveling. Naty said she really enjoys eating authentic cuisine when traveling, and we all agreed. Naty and Marjon shared experiences of eating raw herring in the Netherlands.  Joan told us of blue chicken.... Apparently, a chicken whose skin is actually blue?! We had to look this up to see for ourselves:

 (taken from = http://www.eatingclubvancouver.com)

(Image courtesy of http://www.fowlvisions.com/)

We also talked about "aquavit"-- and thought it would be a good question to post on the blog. Does anyone out there know what "acquavit" is exactly? None of us knew!

Later in the evening, when Jen complimented my skirt, I started demo-ing how it actually could be worn as 4 different dresses, 3 different skirts, a shawl, a cape, etc.... the options are endless! I was actually wearing this amazing wrap by Angelrox, a designer in Brooklyn  (www.angelrox.com) 

Some quotes of the evening: "double fisting sangria" ... "mmmm beet water" .... "I don't have ice cream, but I have goat's milk or sour cream!"

xoxo,
Lauren

Curries & Ornaments

Our Menu:

Rita made curried vegetables, cornbread, and brown rice and Joan made sausage & kale soup, homemade bread, and a (dairy-free - thanks!) Thai surprise for me.  Yum, WAW is as much about the food and friends as it is about the painting!  And while, unfortunately, I couldn't try it, Al brought TWO amazing flans over - all the other girls were raving!  (Thanks Al!)

Our painters this week: Al (the only guy to have painted at a WAW - and he's done it twice!), Alex (that's me!), Audrey, Gina, Jen, Joan (pronounced "Jo-Anne"), Lauren, and Rita!

Rita had the genius idea to use the glass ornaments I had in my supply closet for a year or two (ha!) to each paint our own ornaments and then have a grab bag of sorts so we each have our own, original, WAW 2011 ornament!

(Audrey's and Lauren's!)

I love that everyone had such a different style (and thank you Audrey for coordinating the grab bag and writing out the numbers - how fun!).  I actually put the paint inside mine and swirled it around a bit, leaving some glass clear so you could see the inside as well.  Then the other girls perfected the art by putting the paint in the extra ornaments and doing a first for WAW - a "WAW Art Wiggle Work-out!"  (Thanks Lauren for that awesome name.)  **TUTORIAL ALERT**  Basically use the most liquid fluid acrylics, pour a little at a time in to the ornament, cover the hole, and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!  (Joan even put a cranberry in hers to really move the paint around - great idea!  *Note: If you try this at home, don't forget to take it out after!*)  It's a lot of fun to watch and I think they end-up looking like huge marbles, just very lightweight!

 WAW!

(In the bowl, Mine, Rita's, and Laur's second!)

(Joan's really looked like a marble.  And she painted "Merry" on the outside - beautiful!)

Lauren told us about "Canvas and Cocktails" in Denver, CO.  A friend of hers surprised her with the event when she was there one weekend and she did a Mimosa one.  Basically, we ALL want to do it and we already started to mentally plan a trip.  It is extremely reasonable!  Classes are usually $35 or $40 and Tuesdays - Saturdays from 11 am - 5 pm you can pay $25 (including materials - a 16x20 canvas!) and paint with a bar at your side in their Open Studios.  Yes, I want one.  I want a Canvas and Cocktails.  (They are on Facebook and Twitter too.)

[I forgot to mention it last week, but Lauren is also the proud owner of Hope Clips, LLC.  I'm mad that I forgot to tell you because it is SO AMAZING!  Actually, a few of the girls bought some more this week - hehe, they are addicting and because they are hand-beaded in South Africa, you always fall in love with another one!  HOPE stands for "Helping Other People Everyday" and it is truly wonderful what it supports - Fair Trade AND Hopes and Dreams International.  You can shop online HERE and she's also on Facebook and Twitter.  Not only are they beautiful (I have four and still want more), but they are really comfortable.  My Dentists' office always loves them because you can lie back without any pain!  Go Hope Clips!]

We also talked about my terrible taste in movies (I'm happy, so I don't care - hehehe) and about some great book called "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" which I had never heard of.

It sounds amazing - I'm adding it to my Wish List!  We talked about Malcolm Gladwell again and a few of his books and Al told us about shopping at the outlets recently.  He was shocked to see a certain store with a $600+ suit jacket that said "Made in China."  I told them all about how outlets use different manufacturers than their main stores, usually.  (I think I actually learned that from Consumer Reports rather than Parsons!)  So even if that particular store used Italy for their stores' manufacturing, they might use China or India for their outlets so that production costs are cheaper.  Before that article and my fashion design degree, I always thought outlets just carried the "leftovers" and it seems that everyone else thought that too!

We also had a laugh about the things "that don't make it to the blog."  If you are reading this and wondering what we're talking about - then it is time to start your own version of WAW (or Canvas and Cocktails)!  It's SO simple!  Just grab your friends and some wine and juice, get cooking, and find some art supplies!  (Even a paper and pencil/pen/markers/highlighters/anything will do!)  It's all about reconnecting face-to-face with our friends and family and feeling alive.

I'll leave you with my favorite view:

Happy FRIDAY readers!
<3 Alex


PS: Our Etsy Shop will be updated with the newest paintings by Monday!  (Thank you Gina for taking the photos for Etsy this week and Rita for writing the descriptions!!!)

Etsy is Up-To-Date!

Enjoy!

<3 Alex

PS: Use the code 1ReadYourBlog to receive 5% off your purchase!