Sweetest Thing Ever.

So for my birthday, my 7 yr. old wanted to make me a gift. My husband told me she wanted to make this for Christmas, but he talked her out of it. Can you tell what it is? Well, Rylee noticed how frustrated I get sometimes, trying to take pictures of my art. I'm always waiting for good lighting & looking for a white background. She decided to line a cardboard box with white paper so I'd have the perfect backdrop. Can you see all the tape & little strips of paper? She tried so hard to cover everything. Isn't this the most thoughtful gift ever? She even made 5 little collages for me to "test" it out! (And they are amazing!!!) We took a couple pictures & then I let her touch it up in Photoshop. She also added her name & age. She wants full credit for her hard work! What a budding little artist I have on my hands. :)

Yellow Door.

Today I'm hard at work pulling together a display for the Yellow Door Art Market. I'll have a little space open there February 1st! This means all of you local peeps (in the Berkley, MI area) will soon be able to find my art right at home. Perfect for those of you who need something the same day (ahem, last minute gifts) and for those who just really like to see something in person before they buy. So excited to be a part of this new shop!

Homemade Oreos.

It's my 31st birthday folks! Let's make oreos. Ya know, the famous 24 hour, calorie free oreos, you've heard of them, right?? Yes, well, they're new. We made these yesterday and they are yummy. Double stuffed is where it's at. So crisp, perfect with a glass of milk.

For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

tiny bit of milk to blend it all together

Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. To make wafers mix all dry ingredients. Then cut in butter & add egg until until thick dough forms a mass in the center of bowl. Make sure the dough is moist throughout, so you can roll it into little balls without crumbling. Take dough a teaspoon at a time and roll into a small ball, place on parchment and slightly flatten. Bake for 9 minutes, then let cool.

To make filling cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk until it's nice and fluffy. When cookies are completly cooled, pipe filling onto cookies and top with another wafer, pushing filling out to the edges.

Grab a glass of milk & dig in!

Art turned Cake!

Last week I received an email from Renee, a stay-at-home mom who runs a small cake business. She stumbled across my work on Etsy and sent me a convo asking for permission to use my art as imagery on a cake. (Kudos to her for being professional.) Since the cake was for her sister (and not for profit) I agreed to let her use it. She slightly altered the image to suit a baby shower, and I think it looks so sweet! Isn't the little baby bump adorable?

Valentines Mini Prints.

I worked on a couple of Valentine's Day prints today. Can you sense I have a somewhat cheesy sense of humor? haha. Really though, I think these would be darling hung in your kiddos room or nursery. A year round reminder of how much you care. You can find them here & here.

These are also available over at pingg as ecards.

Under My Umbrella, 9x 12
Original/Print

It's Friday! Whew. Can't wait to sleep in tomorrow, even if it's only an extra half hour. We packed in a full week over here, despite a sick kidling on Monday. Two paintings were finished thanks to my usually rambunctious (4 yr. old) studio mate. She was especially cooperative this week, and "worked" alongside me quite well. I'll take that anytime I can get it! What are your weekend plans? I think we may be giving ice skating a try. I've only been once in my entire life...wish me luck!! I think I might just where my husbands hockey pads, just to be on the safe side. Definetly going to embarrass my kids.

Under the Sea.

A new painting/print in the shop!

On Snow.

After seeing the photos my sister took of the snowfall in Tennessee, I've decided snow in the countryside is waaay prettier than snow in the city. I do believe that's the sweetest snowman I've ever seen.

Photos copyright Kendall Dabbs.

Hello There!

A Song in Her Heart (here).

Where has the time gone??

Let's see... (belated) Happy Holidays ...and New Year!

Seriously, I think it's the craziest time of year. Fun, but too action packed and intense to last too long...for me anyway. With the whirlwind come and gone, we are settling back into a routine over here, school's back in, we're getting up early, sticking to our schedule.

I've been thinking about where I want to take things this year. A lot in the cards for us in 2011. We'll be moving and my baby starts kindergarten, KINDERGARTEN! She is so ready for it, I'll be happy to see her enjoy it, but it is bittersweet of course. It'll just be me and the dog at home during the day. What on earth will I do with myself? Time to really dig into my creative wings.

The painting above is the first for 2011!! I've been thinking of the work I was doing in 2007, when I used a lot of collage, mixed media, and text. I'd like to revisit that process again sometime this year. There's something about taking a mess of paper bits & putting them together in a way that conveys a message, that I like. It's very satisfying work.

Thanks so much for stopping by in 2010. I'm excited about the fun to be had in 2011!!!!

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