Cant believe we are just days away from Christmas!!  I dont think we are gonna see a white Christmas here in Michigan! IT has been in the upper40s and actually it is most pleasant!  I love the snow and yall know that but this is kind of nice too. 
Tomorrow Dec 15th is our last holiday farmers/artisans show.  I was able to find a bit of time, well at 3.00 in the mornings to work on some more snowmen signs.  These 3 are done and ready and I have 3 more almost finished. 

I so love the words around the border! 

This is my favo of the 3 I think LOL

Black currant buttermilk cake with vanilla glaze

Red raspberry muffins

and a red raspberry buttermilk cake   LOVE making bundt cakes!!

cinnamon quick bread

carrots cooked and mashed ready to be made into soup!

crumb topping for bars

blueberry apple bar filling I made

and here are the bars just out of the oven!  These are so yummy!  maybe they need a touch of powdered sugar sprinkled ontop! 

from pinterest!!  Snowflake stamped shortbread cookies.  They are so pretty! and quite tasty too!

the cinnamon bread needed "farmgirl bling"

So that was it for yesterday.  Today is gonna be a busy day I have to make a pot of creamy potato soup, cheddar foccacia, andouille cheese n pepper topped flatbreads, cookies, and mocha cinnamon coffee cakes.   Thank goodness for my mom helping at the kitchen!  Susan made this adorable and very yummy decadent chocolate mint holiday cakes.. arent they adorable? 

chocolate cake, peppermint buttercream frosting topped with chocolate ganache' and marzipan holly

this was 1 of the crates full ready for market filled with linzer tart cookies and some ciabatta rolls.

YUMMY!! 

Goodness with all the shows, markets and orders I have been so busy I am definetly ready for a break.  In january!  LOL  Next week is all about cookies and cakes for 3 markets!  We will be making our annual cookie trays up and then with Christmas fast approaching I want to be sure we have plenty of desserts available.  Red velvet bundt cake with cream cheese frosting, maybe some rum cakes and then let the cookies bake!!  So far we are making cranberry lemon, linzer tarts filled with raspberry or apricot filling, kolachky filled with orange marmalade or honey walnut, gingerbreads, chai crescents, russian tea cakes, peppermint candy canes, decorated sugar cookies, hazelnut shortbread, cranberry pistachio biscotti bites, brown sugar shortbread and make a couple others?  That should be enough!  LOL busy busy week! 

Hope yall have a wonderful weekend!!

Foundry Hall in South Haven winter holiday farmers/artisans market tomorrow!!

Hugs

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Snowman time

Hey yall!!!
Wow hard to believe it was 80 degrees outside yesterday!! and in the 70s today then tonight some storms coming thru and cooling it off!!  I so hope it does cool off some of my spring plants are turning green!!!  Not good!!  but with all the rain and warm weather we have been having things are crazy round here!!

I have been busy painting and altering some spoons into ornies for my friends store Farmhouse Chic.

I bought a bunch of nice large spoons this summer at thrift stores and of cource cannot find them now when I need em!!  I do that so often!

I did paint up some more of my little snow guys!!  I love their little faces.

And this gal is blinged up on an old glass jar filled with sparkles, lace and mini white feather tree. 

I did some of these altered frames last winter and they sold well so need to work on some more for the upcoming holiday season.  Cant really believe it is that time of year already!!  Goodness time flies!!

Hope yall have a wonderful day!!  WE have rain coming and windy today but clearing up and warm this afternoon and rain mostly in am tomorrow so not sure what to do for my market.  Guess I will wait and see what happens in am. 

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Working in my studio sunday!!

OH YEAH~~ it is gonna be a wonderful creative day today!!  what are yall doing on this beautiful sunnny sunday???  I made some more of my silly little punkin stick guys!~~ they are just too cute in a vase or a basket on a side table with some pumpkins or gourds around em! 

My little "Mr Boopie Woopie Boo" in his chair next to mine in my studio! Daddy got him a new stuffed bear last night and he is sucking on the nose?  he usually sucks on the paws and I am not sure why but he has done this since we got him as a wee little puppy~~ too cute~~

I been busy painting some new signs to sell.  Love the soft blue backround.  I have 8 more outside drying, 4 blue and 4 a soft sagey green I mixed up.  And I have 4 skates basecoated hanging out side drying. 

I love this long skiny one with a family of snowmen decorating trees. 

And of coure have to do one with a birdie, a cardinal on this one. 

I am gonna do one with a black crow............hmmmmmmmmm wonder if I have pics of last years ones I know I did a few with crows.?? cant remember how those were done up. 

One of the kids skates I finished this am.  Love the double runner ones that stand.  Just getting difficult to find em.  I add a little battery candle lamp in the tops. 

Both sides have something painted on them.  Too much fun~~

I am off to see if my stuff outside is dry so I can do some more.  And I have scarecrow heads drying in the sun to work with today too!! LOTS to do!! be back soon to share more!!

have a blessed day!!

HUGS

*ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FOR SALE*

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Happy Turkey Day

I hope you and your families have a BLESSED THANKSGIVING DAY!!  We are going to my parents house tomorrow and I have a ton of bakin to do so wanted to wish yall a happy day just in case I dont get on here til late tomorrow!

Here are some new paintings I have been workin on since 3 this am.   A bit different than last weeks, they will be for sale at the DECATUR show we are doing this weekend  HOLIDAY AT NEWTONS WOODS!!  Fri sat and sunday!!  So I am leaving for the kitchen now to bake and am leaving yall with lots of pics to look at!! 

I did make some peppermint swirl bark while at the kitchen yesterday.   I put some hershey's chocolate candy canes thru the hammer process to get a nice fine consistency and then melted down some awesome white chocolate.

Swirled that and decided it needed some color.

Melted some red candy melts down and really swirled that into the chocolate for a nice pinky kind of color. 

Off to cool!!

ENJOY your turkey day yall!! 

Thanks for visiting Chicken Scratch!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Busy busy day

What a busy monday this will be and it is already half over!! I got up extra early to finish painting some signs for the next show and also some skates and a couple of  snowmen dolls that need finishing up.  The dolls are attached onto an old rusty bed spring so they will sit ontop of a tree or on a cabinet or even on a mantle. anywhere. 

I do alot of long signs with these guys all decorating trees and the middle one is reaching for a large special snowflake!   "Believe in the season".

Warm winter wishes sign.  I fell in love with the pale green backrounds last year and still love it. 

I have to send some pics of my works in progress to a show for verification of handmade not resale items.  I think that is a wonderful idea that way everyone is judged on handmade quality items.  And it is truly made locally!! 

So  I remembered to take pics while working on a couple of snowmen signs.  My absolute favo thing to paint!

And I do think this one is my favo right now!! I did a very light blue and ivory sponge technique on the backround, the barn red saltbox house just pops off the sign!! and there is a bit of "bling" on the roof edge and on the fence pieces.  Some great glitter flakes by Martha Stewart!! love that sparkle.

And best of all last night while driving back home I came across a sign along the road FREE STUFF

So I turned around to check out the goods!!  Found a cute little wood foot stool, a small cabinet with a little door and shelf behind, great for hidden treasures, and 5 great 4 ft tall old shutters from houses.  SO the shutters are already base coated and distressed outside just waiting for me to do my magic on em and that little cabinet will be the next thing to get a new coat of some paint.  Gee maybe even a sagey green?   Who knows until I get started it could turn out to be barn red or even black.???     What fun along the roadside!! LOL

 hope yall have a super duper sunshiney monday!!

It is 61 degrees out here right now!! YEAH!! YIPPEE!! beautiful day!!

HUGS

Darlene s

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~