5th Anniversary

Five years ago today I married my best friend! I am so happy to have met him, and get to spend my life with him. Our love has grown with each passing day! Just look at how our family has blossomed.

Morning Surprise

This morning I slept in way late and woke to a wonderful smell. At first I thought my husband was cooking the left over pizza for breakfast, but no it was Homemade BREAD! Ahhh, the smell of home made bread is so wonderful. And the taste is just beautiful. The warm, steamy, and soft bread almost melts in your mouth, except for the slight crunch of the perfect crust. Please Sir, can I have some more? To the side here I have photos of the still warm and very beautiful bread Trent made this morning. Aren't the designs he cut into the dough just amazing? They look like artisan bread, straight from the bakery ovens of France. Here is a brief bread history lesson from Trent himself (who worked for awhile in a French-style artisan bakery in Colorado). He says that the traditional French (and other) bakeries would cut different patterns into the bread tops to indicate the different flavors (ie:, olive, garlic, rosemary, whole wheat, rye, etc. [with sourdough versions of each]). Each baker had his own special marks, some of which were quite complex and ornate.

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By the way, here is the recipe for a basic half-wheat dough (enough to make these two loaves):

*2 cups very warm water
*2 Tblsp dry yeast
*3 Tblsp sugar
*1 tsp salt
*2 eggs
*4-5 Cups flour (any mixture of white and wheat...for these ones Trent used 3 1/2 Cups white and about a Cup of wheat). Start with 4 Cups (total) of flour, and add more as needed...

Mix all the above ingredients together until dough forms (dough is good when it makes a ball that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl...again, this is where you can add that extra flour if needed).

*Add 1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) softened butter to the dough and thoroughly mix it in (...Trent says "Use REAL BUTTER, NOT margarine!!!")

Mix with dough hook for about 2-3 minutes (or knead by hand for about 10 minutes). (Dough should be soft but not at all sticky).

Immediately divide in half and shape into oblong loaves and place on cookie sheet (not too close together). Let rise about 5-10 minutes, then use a very sharp knife to SOFTLY slice patterns into the tops of the loaves (Trent lightly dusted the loaves with white flour before cutting the designs to make the designs more visible). Let rise for another half an hour or so, until roughly double in size.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Storage, Inspiration, and Charm

(Quaint Handmaid)

In my studio you will not find shelves with neatly stacked boxes, all labeled and organized. You will not find vast shelving units, and large clear workspaces. You will be sure to find something so cluttered and horrific that I am not willing to share any photos or go into any further details. :) I will, however, share these inspiring images of what I dream of my craft room/art studio becoming someday!

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STORAGE UNITY

(Lovely Days)

Ah the vast shelving unit. It makes me so happy to see everything put away, when it actually has its own place. In my studio there is no such unit. But there are plans and dreams of making one.

(Zukes Us)

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"Tacked" and charm

(Zukes Us)


All art studios need an inspiration board. This is something I do have but it lacks beauty and charm. I dream of something that is beautiful even when nothing is tacked on it.

(Lovely Days)

(Quaint Handmade)

(pottery barn)

Fashion Friday: New Love

I don't claim to know a whole lot about fashion, in fact I am pretty naive about it. One thing I DO know is that I'd like to know much more about it than I do now. A few days ago I followed a link on Mer Mag out of curiosity, thinking it wouldn't really be my cup of tea, but ended up saving files and files of images I just loved! It really surprised me how many looks I adored.

Milly By Michelle Smith

I had become a little bored with my wardrobe and have now found a new hobby of looking at runway fashion shows for inspiration on how to mix up my existing wardrobe to be more interesting. It has been really fun and rewarding. Since I have so many beautiful styles saved up I will be posting more fashion love in the future. Enjoy your Friday every one! ;)

Featured Artist: Claire Mojher

Claire had just opened up her Etsy shop, Sunday, when I stumbled upon her beautiful work yesterday, via Etsy's Pounce feature. I took a look at her blog and saw even more beautiful art. I Truly loved every single piece! It was then I asked If I could feature her art in my blog, and she very kindly consented! Claire's art takes on many forms, hand drawn paper dolls, Original paintings, prints of paintings, original sketches, and digital works. Each one individually stunning yet they all carry the same emotion and beautiful drawing technique only Claire's' art has. “I tend to make an attempt at subtle humor in my more gloomy concepts.” Claire says in reference to her style and subject. She graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design and is currently working as a designer at American Greetings World Headquarters. To see more of her work and visit her Etsy shop take a look at these sites- Etsy Shop, Blog, Web Site

Lorajeans magazine, “Where do you live?”
Claire Mojher: Near the blustery shore of Lake Erie is where I find myself living at the moment, in Rocky River, Ohio. I share an apartment with my boyfriend, John, who is also an illustrator. Originally, I was born and grew up in Central Florida, but I didn't appreciate the Sunshine State until I moved to Ohio. Although I love the true change of seasons up here, I miss the lush, humid green of my hometown.

Lorajeans magazine: “What inspires you to create?”
Claire Mojher: Actually, I'm known among my coworkers to be the girl with "stuff all over her walls." I'm an avid collector of visual reference. Every surface of my office at work, except the floor, is simply covered in paper squares and rectangles of things I've gathered over the years. I try to change it out every once in a while to keep my ideas fresh. I know that when I've stopped "seeing" the reference around me that it's time to take it down and pin up something new. I was actually featured in an article of the magazine Marie Claire for my "elaborate" office decor. My inspiration comes from antiquated book illustrations, Victorian photographs, children's stories, album art, theater posters, brand new outsider art, etc. Basically anything I immediately love. Sometimes, it's difficult to say why I'm attracted to a specific thing - it could be a pattern that sparks an immediate idea, or the suggested story behind an unusual portrait, or an astonishing combination of colors. I also tend to get very complex and offbeat ideas from music, usually from lyrics, but also occasionally from classical melodies. Songs with peculiar, intricate verses tend to be my favorite.

Lorajeans magazine: “How long have you been drawing?”
Claire Mojher: My father is a freelance illustrator who has a studio in the home in which I grew up, so as a small child I sat in his studio with him and scribbled and sketched to my heart's desire. He's the one most responsible for teaching me how to really "look" at the subject I was drawing, whether it was a chimney or a person. He also infused me with his strong sense of design. We had shelves and walls weighted with art books of all kinds, which I'd thumb through over and over again, sometimes until they fell apart! I took some art classes in High School, but I felt like it wasn't until my Senior year at Ringling College of Art & Design that I really began to develop my own style.

Lorajeans magazine: What does your workspace look like?

Claire Mojher: While in the limiting space of my apartment, my workspace usually consists of me scrunched down or splayed out on the floor and the sum of the surrounding area scattered with brushes, pencils, scraps of paper and whatnot. For some reason, I'm not the biggest fan of drawing tables. I feel like I can't get my arms or fingers at the right angles or something. Perhaps because, as I remember, I started out drawing on the floor when I was little. When I actually do use a table, it tends to be a brawny wood dining table that was my mother's when she was young. When I moved out,

it was given to me, complete with the paint spatters and rings from the use of my parents when they were young. I feel comfortable using it when I paint, as a tiny drop or smudge of a new color only adds to its character. The blotches I've left on my apartment's carpet isn't quite as charming.

clairemojher.etsy.com
clairemojher.blogspot.com
clairemojher.com

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Thanks a bunch, to Claire for participating in my very first Artist feature! I hope you enjoyed it as much as i did. I definitely plan on continuing these features in the future, so keep checking back.

Trying Something New

I love to sketch but sometimes I get bored of the same old thing, so I came up with a new way to present this one just for fun. I love the way she turned out, but I would really enjoy your feedback on it. Is she ready to sell as a print? Should I do a series?

Sneak peek: Claire Mojher

In all my blogging I have occasionally posted art that inspires me, but have never truly featured an artist. I am announcing the first ever "Artist feature" to my blog and Claire Mojher has consented to be my first featured artist! The full feature will be posted ASAP.