END OF YEAR CLEARANCE SALE. 50% OFF EVERYTHING presently listed in my Supply Shop - The Artists Closet on Etsy now through January 1st at midnight. Simply use the code 50OFF in the coupon code box that appears when you click on "Apply shop coupon code" upon checkout (located on right hand side under credit card/paypal signs) and 50% will be automatically deducted. MUST USE CODE when checking out to receive discount. Stock up on some great supplies for the new year!  Here are a few items from the over 300 supplies I presently have in my shop:

nests

birdcage chipboard

Birds

Calais tags

7Gypsies paper stash

Claddagh connector

blank chipboard

Saturday Simplify

Silence surpasses speech - Japanese Proverb
via www.buddhagroove.com

Friday Food Feature

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds
• salt and pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 12-15 smaller fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian spices

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cube chicken and cook, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook covered, until tomatoes have broken down, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Return chicken to pan and incorporate with veggies,cover and heat up 4 to 6 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.

Thinking Green

Want to economize space and be green? Check out this post. Amazing use of space!

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Tuesday Treasures

Winter is upon us. I thought I would feature Etsy Artists which bring a bit of warmth to this cold time of year.   Click on the name under the photo to visit their shop.

Say it Sweet

Biscuit Scout

Creative Marvels

Belinda Davies

Steelhouettes

ACL Handweaver

Monday Musings

This is a video of a recent photo shoot which utilized clothing that my son Evan Michael designed and created. 

View the video to catch a glimpse of three of his clothing designs - "The Hania Tank," a black "Shielding Drape" (made specifically for this shoot), and the "Defense Gloves".
Great job Evan - they look awesome!


The Loft Salon- "Red Shoot" from Meg Elkinton on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas from all of us in Maine!

Saturday Simplify

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

Thinking Green

Every year for the last sixteen that we have been in Maine, we trudge through the snow in December at Holmes tree farm, searching for the perfect Christmas Tree. In my opinion, Christmas wouldn't be the same without the live, wonderfully fragrant, Balsam Pine tree we bring into our home each year. Is cutting your own tree or purchasing a cut tree eco-friendly? According to Jeff Olson, the vice-president of marketing and development for American Forests, a Washington, D.C. based conservation nonprofit, nearly all of the trees sold at Christmas tree lots are grown on tree farms. So you can rest assured that forests aren't hurt by choosing a cut tree. Why not begin a new tradition this year by supporting local agriculture and visiting a local tree farm for your Christmas Tree. You can find farms at localharvest.org. After the holidays, many towns offer to turn trees into compost or wood chips for free. Check the earth911.com website for a list of recycling centers near you. And have fun decking the halls of your home! 

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

broken window by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Tuesday Treasures

The Winter Solstice begins this week on December 22 and signals the beginning of winter. This year I have decided to leave some lights up even after the holidays have passed to keep a warm glow in our home through this very long season. Here are a few items on Etsy with a Winter/Solstice theme. Click on the name under the photo to be taken to their shop.

Lino Cuts By Steve

EvgieNev

Cascadian Art

Frameable Note Cards

gRoatGruff

Monday Musings

Check out this amazing Gingerbread House that was created at the Sheraton Princess Ka'iulani Hotel in Honolulu, HI last December. The Chief Hotel Chef Ralf Bauer along with a team of culinary geniuses spent over 650 hours both designing and constructing this amazing gingerbread village. The village included medieval churches complete with bell towers, train stations, skating ring and even a carousel. The winter gingerland stood more than 14 1/2 feet high and 24 feet wide and was created using 200 gallons of icing, 100 pounds of dark chocolate, 30 pounds of white chocolate, and 60 sheets of gingerbread.

photo via Starwood Hotels & Resorts Waikiki

Reflections

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh 

photo by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Saturday Simplify

Handmade Gift Ideas Everyone will love

Start a new tradition this year. Begin by making a few of your gifts yourself (like the Pantone magnets in above photo).  Here is a fabulous post by Styleist.com that has wonderful suggestions along with the website tutorial links to create your own handmade Christmas. How simple is that! Simply click on the link under the photo to be taken to the complete slide show. 

Thinking Green

Top your tree with this beautiful, handmade fleur-de-lis medallion via Better Homes and Gardens.

• 3-inch square each of medium-weight and lightweight cardboard
• 20 to 25 pages from a book (ours are from a vintage French book)
• Fast-drying glue (such as Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue)
• 4-inch length of 18-gauge wire
• Stapler
• Small weight (such as a jar, vase, or paperweight)
• Parchment paper or blank flyleaf (endpaper) from book
• Roll of crepe paper: ivory
• 1/2-inch-wide silk ribbon: ecru

Instructions

Make the Paper Scrolls

Cut twenty-four 2x3-inch rectangles from the book pages. Roll 12 rectangles crosswise (starting at one short end) and staple the ends (see photo, above). Roll the remaining rectangles on the diagonal; staple the ends.

Prepare the Base

Center the 3-inch square of medium-weight cardboard on a book page; trim excess page, leaving a 1-inch allowance of book page around the cardboard. Wrap allowance to back of cardboard and glue in place. Make a small hole centered and 1/2 inch from the top of the square. Fold wire in half and twist ends together for 1/2 inch. Poke twisted end through the hole in covered square from right side. Fold wire up on each side of covered square to create and secure hanging loop (see photo, above).

Trace quarter-circle pattern (available, below) four times to draw an 8-inch-diameter circle onto white paper. Center covered square, wrong side up, on circle (see photo, above). Evenly space 12 diagonally wrapped paper rolls around the square, using outer edge of paper circle as a guide. Glue rolls to base. Glue a crosswise paper roll between each pair of diagonal rolls. Place a small weight in the center, being careful not to crush outer part of rolls. Let dry.

Make the Fleur-De-Lis Medallion

Copy, print, or stamp desired fleur-de-lis medallion onto parchment paper and cut out. Cut a shape slightly smaller than the medallion shape from lightweight cardboard; set aside.

Run a bead of glue around back edge of parchment-paper medallion. Working off the crepe paper roll, adhere crepe paper around parchment-paper medallion, beginning at bottom of medallion and finger-creasing pleats every 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Allow 3/4 inch of ruffle to show around medallion (see photo, above). When finished finger-creasing pleats, cut crepe paper from roll.

Finish the Ornament

Glue lightweight cardboard shape to back of finished medallion. Glue medallion to center of rolled-paper ornament; weight in place until dry. Thread ribbon through wire loop and tie in bow for a hanging loop.

download pattern here.

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

full moon before eclipse by Denise Dion-Sullivan

Tuesday Treasures

This year Hanukkah begins at sunset on Tuesday, December 20 and ends at sunset on Wednesday, December 28.  Here are some featured artists from Etsy with some interesting items to brighten up your celebration of the Festival of Lights. Click on the name under the photo to visit their shop.

Charlotte and Mia

Nelles

Judith Paul Scopes

Kabbalah Designers

Neta Jewelry

Monday Musings

A little Monday humor...

Reflections

so dream away...

Saturday Simplify

French Recipe

We are having our family Le Reveillon this coming weekend and I will make my Tourtiere recipe below -

 

"In France the Tourtiere pie-dish was a kitchen utensil for cooking pigeon and other birds. The contents of the dish were known as ‘piece tourtiere’ and during the first years in New France these distinctive words were used. Over the years the word ‘tourtiere’ came to mean a pate of fowl or game cooked and seasoned according to a special household recipe in the family stew pan, for into it went not merely turtle-doves but every kind of edible bird. Every housewife possessed her own secret recipe, jealously preserved from generation to generation. It was in this way that some venturesome housewives began to prepare ‘pieces tou-tieres’ not only with birds but with the meat of both wild and domestic animals. Such recipes held additional appeal since they provided more filling and sustaining meals." --Daily Life In Early Canada

My Family Recipe for Tourtière

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground pork
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes.
3. Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing. The flavors get better the day after, so it is wonderful for leftovers!

Thinking Green

Make your own glitter Pine Cone Ornament:

Through My Lens - Wordless Wednesday

uninvited guest

Tuesday Treasures

I am continuing on a Holiday Decorating theme this week on Tuesday Treasures. I am featuring Etsy Artists that have created some unique illuminating items. Click on the name under the photo to visit their shop.

The Papery Nook

Havok Designs

Pretty Dreamer

Camille Montgomery

Monday Musings

This past weekend was the first weekend of Christmas Prelude in my hometown. The Kennebunks feature 10 days of Holiday fun beginning the first weekend in December.  The town gets decked out for the occasion and truly looks like a winter wonderland. Here is a Youtube video from HGTV featuring Christmas Prelude in my hometown:

Reflections

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” 
Mother Teresa

Image via I wish I was in Dixie

Saturday Simplify

quote via Note to Self

Friday French Food Feature

The perfect little appetizer for all your Holiday parties!

Roquefort Grapes

1/2 cup mashed Roquefort cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
18 seedless purple or green grapes, chilled

Wash and dry the grapes. Remove the grape stems.
In a processor, chop the nuts finely. 
Coat each grape with cheese by flattening a small amount of the cheese mixture in your palm then rolling the grape and cheese between both palms. Work quickly as the warmth of your hands may melt the cheese.
Roll the grape in the chopped nuts and set on a plate.
Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours until firm and ready to serve. Serve cold.

Thinking Green

Winter Makeover: Naturally Beautiful Christmas Décor

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More»

Browse Bath Products on Houzz- For Example:

Bath Mats · Bathroom Countertops · Bathroom Mirrors · Bathroom Storage · Shower Curtains · Toilet Accessories · Toilets · Towel Bars And Hooks ·