Last night I delivered boxes filled with handmade soap, Note Totes, notebooks and paper-tiled mirrors to Jane Russell’s wonderful studio in the Hollywood district of Portland. Jane is hosting the Camp Cactus Holiday Sale beginning this Friday night, December 4th, and continuing through Sunday, December 6th.

This is a wonderful show, filled with art from over 30 local artists. I visited Jane’s fantastic blog last night, and she has highlighted the work of several of the artists who are participating, including yours truly! Jane’s blog is great — gives me something to aspire to! I’ve tried to create a link to it, but I don’t think I was successful. I wonder if I’ll ever get the hang of this blogging stuff! Anyway, just go to http://www.campcactus.blogspot.com for a look at some of the beautiful things that will be available at the show.

Also wanted to show off my latest creation, a new paper-tiled mirror. I’m trying to get a few done for the Camp Cactus Holiday Show and Sale, coming up the first weekend in December. I’ll post more info on that soon!

The LOCAL 14 Art Show & Sale is less than one week away! Right now there are close to 100 artists busily putting the finishing touches on pieces of art and taking care of details such as tagging and inventory. It’s a busy time for everyone associated with this wonderful show.

Bob and I continue to enjoy the garden, even as the summer winds down. We have been good stewards of the vegetable garden’s bounty, eating lots of fresh veggies, canning and freezing, and giving away multiple bags and baskets of fresh veggies to family, friends and co-workers.

Over the Labor Day weekend Bob harvested a big basket full of tomatoes, eggplant and beets. We took a few photos before the veggies went to their respective pots… here is a close-up of the basket. In addition to feeding our bodies, these beautiful vegetables have also been feeding our souls. Look how beautiful!

Within hours the tomatoes were simmering in a pot with celery and onions. The sauce is now in the freezer and will be enjoyed throughout the coming months in a variety of dishes. The eggplant went into the oven and were roasted for baba ganoush, which we devoured last night with shish kebab and grilled garlic naan. Mmmmmm! The beets are going to a friend who loves fresh beets. Earlier this summer I canned two batches of pickled beets!

We discovered a few new favorites in the garden this year. One veggie was quite a novelty and posed a bit of a mystery. We picked up a tray of Veronica Cauliflower at the nursery. We were surprised at the way the plant looked as it grew, and started calling it Alien Cauliflower. We were even more puzzled when I saw a picture of this mystery veggie in Sunset magazine, and they called it Romanesco Broccoli! I did a bit of Googling, and found that, depending on where you are, it is called both Romanesco Broccoli, Romanesco Cauliflower, and Veronica Cauliflower. It’s a strangely beautiful vegetable, looking like a piece of fractal art. The taste is mild and slightly nutty. We plan on putting this in again next year. It’s quite the conversation piece. Here’s a closeup of this oddly beautiful vegetable…

The garden continues to pump out the produce at an almost alarming rate of speed. What to do with all those zucchini? One thing we’ve done with this abundance is to make zucchini relish.

Canning is a time-honored tradition, one that my grandmother taught my mother, my mother taught me (AND my daughters!). It seemed that it was becoming a lost art in this high-tech world, but with the current economic conditions people are looking for ways to save money and make the most of what they have. Canning is one good way to do that.

Bob and I REALLY went back in time to put up the relish, enlisting the help of a Universal Food Chopper that is more than 100 years old!

Since the Universal Food Chopper makes a bit of a mess (zucchini, onion and pepper juice everywhere) we set up the grinding station out on the patio on a plywood work surface.

Here I am, getting a workout on the Universal Food Chopper.

This kitchen relic has a patent pending date of 1899 stamped on the side. It is a simple tool, consisting of a chute through which the vegetables (or other food items) are processed, a crank with turns a large corkscrew-like piece inside that pulverizes the items going into the chute.

A bit of cranking and grinding, and before you know it, you have a juicy pile of ground up veggies.

My recipe for zucchini relish, which came to me from my mom, consists of ground zucchini, ground onion, ground green and red peppers, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, salt, and lots of elbow grease!

Anyone wanting the complete recipe with quantities and cooking instructions can send me a comment and I’ll email them to you.

Below are photos of Bob, who also got into the grinding act, and the finished product!

It’s mid-July and our gardens are going gang-busters! I thought I’d post a few pictures. I had never been much of a gardener until I married Bob. His love and enthusiasm for gardening is contagious! We have a sort of arrangement… he is in charge of the vegetable gardens (this year there are three!), I’m in charge of the flower beds, and the shade garden out front is a joint project. It’s a big yard, so these gardens keep us busy during the spring and summer months.

It’s amazing how fast things grow. Just a few months ago there was a bare patch of ground where now there are rows of corn, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beets, peas, lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, eggplant, zucchini, cantaloupe, cucumbers… did I mention the zucchini? 

The picture above was taken almost a month ago, so imagine how big it is now! We’ve already had stuffed zucchini Italiano, zucchini bread, grilled zucchini and have used it in stir fry. We’ve also taken bags of zucchini to our workplaces and I’ve given it away to friends.  This afternoon I got the other ingredients needed to make zucchini relish and I will be putting up jars of that to enjoy for months to come.

This shot of the Zorko Veggie Garden #1 is also about a month old. Farmer Bob is seen enjoying his morning cup of Tully’s.

Well, I’d better get busy… I have a pile of zucchini waiting!

Why have this powerful tool at my disposal and not use it? So, I pulled up a few digital images I took from my garden and started experimenting with some of the filters in edit mode.

 

Here’s a shot of my Oriental Poppies that I took in Macro on my trusty digital camera. I cropped it even further, then selected the sponge filter. Cool! Seeing the photo in this way makes me want to 1) find ways to use these altered images in my paper arts and 2) use the images as inspiration and pull out my watercolors. I think this would make a great painting!

How’s this for wild? A close-up of my dwarf gingko takes on a psychedelic look using the neon glow filter. Wow! I can see endless possibilities for fun and creativity here. I’ve only scratched the surface, I know. Much to learn! 

I’m downloading some recent shots taken from the backyard, and couldn’t resist sharing this picture of a handsome flicker enjoying a bit of suet from one of our feeders. Flickers are one of my favorite birds.

It’s a Saturday, and Bob is at work, and it’s overcast outside… so I’m going to seize the opportunity to work in the studio today. I have lots to do! I’m going to get another cup of Tully’s (our favorite coffee), put on some good tunes, and get in a creative groove. I still have things to do to prepare for the Camp Cactus Summer Sale (see post below).

Wow! Time sure flies! Here it is, June already. I just got a jpeg version of the promo postcard for the upcoming Camp Cactus Summer Sale, so I’ll post it here.

This is a collaborative art show and sale that Portland artist Jane Russell has graciously hosted in her wonderful studio since 1992. Jane has invited a number of artists from the area to participate and assembles their work boutique-style throughout the studio.

She has recently finished a remodel of the studio. I’m anxious to see it, although it’s hard for me to imagine a studio more charming even before the redo. It’s a wonderful space brimming with creativity!

This will be the third year Jane has invited me to participate. Thank you, Jane!  She holds two shows each year, her summer sale and also a holiday sale. Both are not to be missed!

The Summer Sale begins Friday, June 12th with a preview evening from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be wine and goodies on hand, and you’ll have a chance to get the first look at the beautiful offerings presented by over 30 artists. Shown to the left is a list of some of the artists whose work will be featured at the Camp Cactus Summer Sale.

I will be bringing an assortment of my Note Totes, embellished notebooks, wearable art pins, and handmade soap.

I will also have a few of my lastest projects, my paper-tiled mirrors. These have become something of an obsession with me! The 10″ square decorative mirrors have wide wooden frames that  I cover mosaic-style in matboard based tiles. Some are covered in beautiful papers, some are painted in luminous acrylics, and all are coated in resin so that they resemble ceramic tiles. Each mirror includes a tile that features a favorite quote. Scroll down further in my blog to see an example. I will only have a few at the show, as they are time consuming to make and I’ve already given some away to friends and family. Hopefully by the time Jane’s holiday show rolls around I will have more. 

That’s it for now. I need to get busy in the studio — there’s a show to get ready for!