Month: May 2018

Pouring Creativity

/ Jodi / 69 Comments

My art room lately

Pouring Creativity.

In case you’ve wondered what I’ve been doing in my spare time……..

I’ve been mixing…

and pouring…

and twisting…

and turning…

and splashing color…

and creating….

and exploring imagination…

and learning new ways…

to create and express…

and stretching to larger sizes….

and bigger messes that are worth the paint in my finger nails and on my clothes!


and these special pieces for a sweet granddaughter’s room….


and another coming soon.

Yep – I’ve been painting and having so much fun exploring this abstract medium.

And I can’t wait to make more!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS  If you are interested in purchasing any of these except for the last two, they are for sale in our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY shop.

Baked Brie with Candied Bacon

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

Baked Brie with Candied Bacon.

Need I say more?

Gooey, buttery, melted baked brie smothered with smokey bacon candied with brown sugar and maple syrup and balanced out with tangy rice vinegar, coarse black pepper and a few shakes of hot sauce.

This heavenly appetizer recipe really puts the crack in cracker.

If you are looking for the next must-have appetizer to make or take to a picnic or party, look no further.  I can pretty much guarantee this will be a winner! It sure was with my family this past weekend.

Here is how I made it, adapted from a recipe found here.

Baked Brie with Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz wheel of brie cheese
  • 8 slices thick bacon, diced
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 heaping Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 4-5 drops Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (or your fave)
  • 1 box water crackers (or your fave)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook diced bacon in a hot skillet until just crispy.

While bacon is cooking, stir together brown sugar, maple syrup, rice vinegar, black pepper and hot sauce in a small bowl.

Drain grease from bacon, and add sauce.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes until thick and bubbly.

Place brie in small stoneware casserole or baking pan.  Top with candied bacon.  Bake 10 minutes or until brie is warm and gooey inside.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes or so.  Serve with water crackers or your favorite cracker.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Let it Go – Let it Flow

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

Blue, Bluff, Black, Gold Abstract Acrylic Pour – 24×36

Let it Go – Let it Flow.

I am having so much fun experimenting with a new art medium – Abstract Acrylic Pour.

I am so intrigued by the beauty and challenge of abstract, and I am letting go and letting it flow!

This is my largest painting to date – it is a full 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall.

This technique involves mixing acrylic paint with Flood Floetrol – a paint additive that allows the paint to be more pourable as well as Silicone to create “cells.”

This painting is going to my youngest son and daughter-in-law’s home, and I have a few more to share later this week that I’ve been experimenting with including two I created for my granddaughters’ rooms.

I hope everyone in the U.S. is enjoying this extended Memorial Day holiday weekend, while also taking the time to remember and honor those that lost their lives in service to our country’s freedom.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Unfurl

/ Jodi / 42 Comments

Young Fern in Spring, Mars, PA – May 2018

Unfurl.

Spread out your arms
and show your true beauty.

Open up your heart
and show your true love.

Unwind your mind
and show your creativity.

Unpack your burdens
and feel the lightness of hope.

Uncover your inhibitations
and welcome the unknown.

Reach beyond the tightness
and ease into peace.

Unfurl.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Roasted Turkey, Bacon, & Avocado Club Sammie

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

Roasted Turkey, Bacon, & Avocado Sammie.

Warmer weather means lighter meals and sometimes even sandwiches for dinner.

Here is a yummy fave I made this past Sunday.

Often times on Sundays, we have a bigger, late breakfast, skip lunch, and have an early dinner.

After enjoying hearty breakfast omelets hubby made with our leftover prime rib from dinner out the night before, we made a light sandwich supper.

On a sweet onion bun thickly slathered with mayonnaise, we sliced some roasted turkey, topped it with crispy, smokey bacon, creamy avocado slices, juicy ripe tomatoes and peppery arugula and spinach.  It was yum on a bun.

Do you enjoy sandwiches for warm weather suppers?  What is your fave?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Expect Surprises

/ Jodi / 38 Comments

Expect Surprises.

Around the bend…
on the other side of the bridge.

Along the edge of the road…
after the rain.

Before the “main event”…
in simple places.

In between the drops of rain…
when the sunshine peeks.

Look closely…
and pay attention.

Expect surprises.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

This photo was taken on the property of a country wedding we attended this past weekend.  It was a several-hour, stay-overnight kind of trip to a remote place that was full of happy, special, loving surprises.

 

 

The Best Mother’s Day Gift

/ Jodi / 66 Comments

Grandma’s Bleeding Heart – A Mother’s Day Flower

The Best Mother’s Day Gift.

When I was a young, extremely naive, stay-at-home mom
to two energetic and spirited little boys,

the perfect Mother’s Day “gift” would have been
an hour or two of peace and quiet all to myself to do whatever I pleased.

But now that I am an older, experienced, working-outside-the-home mom
to two amazing and independent young men,

and have gained two “daughters”
and a granddaughter too…

the perfect Mother’s Day “gift” has become
an hour or two of time together

to love and laugh and appreciate
the greatest gift of all…

The gift of
being a Mom!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Be a Mermaid

/ Jodi / 53 Comments

Be a Mermaid
Makes Waves!

A friend recently asked if I could paint a mermaid for her for a baby shower she is going to where the baby girl’s nursery theme is mermaids.

What fun it was to paint this in watercolor!  What a fun nursery theme too!

This painting makes cute cards, so I added prints and cards to our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop.  I thought the prints might be fun for little one’s rooms or nurseries and the cards for birthdays or just “under the sea” fun!

And why not be like a mermaid, and make waves!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi