Gingerbread ~ Holiday Cards ~ Free Cards Friday

Finally! A good Gingerbread recipe :)

I have had terrible luck in past years with gingerbread - but this one, YUM! Especially when I substituted syrup for the molasses - they were so good I could hardly stand it :) My boys loved baking these.

this recipe courtesy of my littlest's pre-school. I made them a cookie sheet-sized man for snack a couple weeks ago - and what do you know, after they decorated him and put him in the oven, he escaped and they searched all over the school for him! They found him in their classroom, and munched him.

3 C flour (I used whole wheat)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1/2 C white sugar

1 large egg

2/3 C unsulphured molasses (on the second go-round I used maple syrup, and that was my favorite!)

Whisk flour, salt, soda and spices. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat til well combined. Gradually add flour mixture til incorporated. Refrigerate for 2+ hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut to shapes. Bake 8-12 (more, in my experience). Done when firm and edges start to brown.

"Cooking is like love.
It should be entered into
with abandon
or not at all."
~Harriet Van Horne

(wanna hear something crazy? I searched online for quotes about baking with children and very quickly landed on a page with quotes about cooking children, hmmm)

Holiday Cards are now available!

3 styles of Holiday Cards are now available ~ head on over to the online shop to grab some! (while supplies last, of course)

It's Free Cards Friday! Add your comment to THIS blog post (here at the blog or on the Facebook page) throughout the weekend and be in the running to win some cards ~ I'll choose the winner on Monday.


Have a great weekend,
Love & Sincerely, Katie

Enchanted is Complete - Free Cards Winner - Thursday Starts the Forty Minis Collection!

Good Morning!
Enchanted is now complete, the newest painting to come out of the studio.





Thursday starts The Forty Mini Collection - with Wist being the first 10x10" painting to be available in the Online Etsy Shop - let me know if you would like to receive an email each Thursday when the new 10x10 is released - otherwise, look for the new one here on the Painting Motherhood Blog , on my website, Facebook, and in the Online Etsy Shop - each Thursday morning before 8am (ideally!)


Holiday Cards are here!



Have a lovely and inspired day!
(I just put daylight lightbulbs in my studio - so it feels very cheery and noon-ish in here)



The Free Cards Winner for last week is Suzanne, thanks for playing everyone, and for your feedback on the Conscious Parenting post. Thank you Lela, Phil and Jacqueline!



Love & Sincerely,
Katie


Don't forget, the The da Vinci Arts Middle School Art Fair is Coming Up!

2508 NE Everett, Portland Oregon
Saturday, December 5: 10-6pm
Sunday, December 6: 10-4pm
This is a fun event packed with great art by over 70 local artists

da Vinci Arts School Art Fair & Sixth Street Gallery Silent Auction and Anniversary Celebration are Coming Up

The da Vinci Arts Middle School Art Fair is Coming Up!

2508 NE Everett, Portland Oregon

Saturday, December 5: 10-6pm

Sunday, December 6: 10-4pm

I'll be pleased to present a whole new gaggle of Glass Art Charms at this event - as well as new original paintings, 8x10 prints, 12x15 Limited Edition Giclees, Holiday Cards...

This will be the fourth year of this event for me ~ and each year it gets better with a diverse arrangement of over 70 artists, an art creating area, refreshments and a raffle drawing. As well as some art from da Vinci middle school students. This is a great place to do some Holiday Shopping - my friends Jeni and Megan (http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlemamasdesigns) will also be there. As well as an artist I admire, Lisa Kaser (http://lisakaser.com/).


I'd love to see you there!

Also!

Sixth Street Gallery is having their 5th Anniversary Celebration & Silent Auction
105 W Sixth Street, Vancouver Washington
Saturday, December 5 from 5-9pm

This event features Live Music by Myles Lawrence & Joshua English, Refreshments and Wine, Raffle Prizes, Holiday Gift Items and a whole lot of exciting fun! Not to mention a Silent Auction bursting with good things.

At the gallery, I personally will have Glass Art Charms, original paintings, 8x10 prints, Holiday Cards...

I'd love to see you there, too! What a busy holiday weekend!

The Free Cards Winner for last week is Michelle! Thanks for playing!

Have a great week!

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Free Cards Winner ~ Last Years Holiday Cards on Discount for Facebook and Blog Friends/Fans!

Hey!

Virginia is the Free Cards Winner this week - those cards are going to travel a looonnnggg way :) Thanks Virginia!



I've got some packs of last years Holiday Cards floating around, and wanted to put them out there for a discounted rate - excited for the 2009s but still love the 2008s!




I have:
•4 boxes of Snowmen (each set has 10 cards/11 envelopes),
•6 boxes of the little girl, called Waiting Up,
•2 boxes featuring 5 Snowmen and 5 Waiting Up

The interior message for Waiting Up: "May the warmth, joy and wonder of the season be yours!"


The interior message for Snowman: "Celebrate the spirit & joy of the season!"



They were $15 last year (and the 2009 sets will be $15), but right now they are just $11 each box for my blog readers/facebook friends & fans - let me know if you are interested and I'll post them in the Online Etsy Shop just for YOU!!



Have a great week! Back to work!



Love & Sincerely,

Katie

Holiday Cards Are Here: Warm Friendship & Holiday Baby ~ Free Cards Winner, too

Spreading (Early) warm holiday greetings! Ha ha!

I'd like to introduce you to the 2009 Holiday Card Designs: Warm Friendship and Holiday Baby.

Each Crystal Clear Box contains 10 full color cards and 11 envelopes ~ $15 each.

The interior message for the Holiday Baby Holiday Card is: "May you find comfort & joy while sharing the magic & awe of the holidays."

The interior message for the Warm Friendship Holiday Card is: "Wishing you a season of warm friendship & whimsical happiness."

I am Currently taking Pre-Orders for these cards - your package will ship within 10 days!

To order some, visit the Online Store.

Melissa is the Free Cards Friday winner for last week - thanks Melissa! Your cards are going into Tuesday's mail. And thank you to those who find the time and energy to stop in and say hello on these posts!

I'd like to introduce you to my mentors and say a bit about finding your own - stay tuned for an upcoming post.

Love & Sincerely, Katie

Free Cards Friday! Holiday thoughts already?

It's Free Cards Friday again, and I can hardly believe it!

Comment on this post (on the Painting Motherhood Blog or on Facebook) and be in the running to WIN Free Cards! I will choose the winner on Monday.

Tonite, I am working on my paintings for Holiday Cards - yikes, and to tell the truth I'm running behind ;)

I'm enjoying the little snowman and birds (yes, another snowman by popular demand!), as well as the mother sharing joy with her child - I'll show them to you as soon as I have them finished, and allow you to pre-order if you think you might like to send some this year.

IMAGES: last year's Holiday cards!

My boys decorated their rooms for Christmas today - despite the ghosts and spiders hanging in the family room - I had to convince them to wait on the holiday lights, though...

I wish you a wonderful, relaxing, inspired, rainy, Fall-ish weekend. I love this weather, most of the time!

Love & Sincerely,

Katie

2 New 8x8s for Thursday! Only 1 left - next week!

Today brought two new 8x8 paintings for the 85 8x8s for $85 Collection - they have both been claimed - and next Thursday brings the FINAL 8x8!

What an enchanted adventure this has been and I am ever so thankful for all of the wonderful mothers I have met along the way ~ thank you so much for your support, feedback, excitement, ideas, purchases, sharing and referrals.

Gaze

Cherish

November will the The Month of Giclees!

Throughout November, I will release 4 Limited Editions - a new one each Thursday morning ~ each containing SEVEN (7) in stock 12x15 high-quality Giclee prints in a limited edition of only 30 (numbers 8-30 will need to be ordered, but are available as well!).

The first of 4 Giclee offerings will be released on Thursday, November 5.

WHAT IS A GICLEE? You may be wondering...

Giclees are Museum quality Fine-Art reproductions, also called Archival Prints. These are the result of highly advanced digital printing technology using fade-resistant archival (acid free) inks known to last at least 100 years.

A Giclee is the closest to an original painting as you can get. These prints are made using an ultra-high-resolution printer, using enhanced smooth matte acid free paper.
The color, quality of materials, and overall look makes a Giclee much more valuable than any other type of reproduction. Notably more valuable if the edition is limited to 100 prints or less, and if the Giclee has been pencil signed and numbered by the Artist. Which these will be!

Each Thursday morning I'll surprise you with the painting that is offered as a Limited Edition Giclee (these will replace the 85 8x8s for $85 Collection releases, since the 8x8 Collection will be COMPLETE by the end of October!) - so stay posted by making sure you are on the email list!

Also, FYI - I will be releasing two new Holiday Card designs, and also a few boxes of last year's designs. STAY TUNED! There will be a snowman and bird style, for sure :)

Have a great day!
Love & Sincerely,
Katie