Greenman Vases

As I have mentioned in the past, I like to dabble in painting ceramics. By no means do I consider myself even remotely talented as a painter. But once in awhile, it is fun to play around with it.

Our local ceramics shop keeps a variety of greenware on hand for purchasing and painting on site or at home. The owner, Steffani, has years of experience both painting and teaching, and is generous with her help and advise. I bought these guys on a whim and because they appealed to my love of the world of fantasy.

But once I brought them home, the task of getting them to look the way I wanted was overwhelming to me Steffani had given me pointers and started me on the process, but once I had them painted black and then dry painted the backs, I had a hard time getting myself to start on the green leaves.

I did find several UTube videos on Pinterest where ladies walked the viewers through their process of dry painting. And I found that, once I sat down and got started, the process was not so daunting--it really is an individual process, unique to each person and each piece. After several layers of different colors of paint, I am so very pleased with how these guys came out!

Treasure Hunting

I love hitting the local Estate Sales and Yard Sales! I have determined that the psychology behind my favorite pastime is our innate love, or even need, of finding what we consider "Treasure". Admit it: we all have that need to think that we have found something desirable and unique--our style, our house, our mate...we all love treasure!

Sometimes I keep my great finds, some-times I give them as gifts, and sometimes I resell them on Ebay (you can find me under "Terri's Vintage Treasures").

Because I buy purely on instinct and personal aesthetics, sometimes I pick up things that have value, and sometimes, not so much...LOL...but that is the fun of the entire endeavor (at least to me!).

This particular piece of art glass caught my eye at an Estate Sale, earlier this spring. It was only $6, and I grabbed it just because it had a lovely shine to it and I saw a name and date etched into the glass on the bottom of it.

Imagine my surprise when I looked it up on Ebay! It made a lovely gift for someone I love!

Bruschetta

Summer is on it's way here! This is one of my favorite things to make when tomatoes are lovely and ripe and juicy...

Chop 2 or 3 well-ripened heirloom tomatoes into bits. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Then add a heaping tablespoon of Pesto. (I get the jars of pesto at Costco. It freezes very well and maintains its flavor.) Mix well and set aside.

Slice a nice baguette into rounds and lay out on a baking sheet. Brush each round with olive oil. Then sprinkle with garlic salt. Place into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This should leave them nice and crispy.

Serve the bruschetta mix with the toasted bread and let people add the tomato as they like it. We like to first moisten the bread with the lovely juice in the bottom of the bowl and then mound the toast with tomato. This and a nice steak make a wonderful summertime dinner!