Things finished & beginning

It is done.

Erelas

     After several months- honestly much longer than it should have taken- the Beacons of Gondor have all been painted. (You can see the first three here)

Very likely my favorite- Min-Rimmon

     This series was a great exercise in watercolor techniques & landscapes. Especially the whole "the scenery gets lighter the further away it is" part. I was terrible at that in school.

Calenhad

      Trying to achieve different skies was a lot of fun. Though there was quite a bit of aggravated wiping away of paint and starting over.

Finally, Halifirien

      I still have another five of these small watercolor pieces left, so I may have to do another series..... But that will have to wait a few weeks. In the meantime I have a few drawing to finish up and possibly an attempt to carve the Tiger Monk before I leave (one week tomorrow!!).
     During the trip I decided to dye smallish rectangles of cotton with gathered bit and pieces of vegetation as my dad and I drive across the country. I have eight rectangles cut out- the first is dyed from materials gathered at home (see below), and the last will feature vegetation from the farm on Bainbridge Island. In between will be collections from wherever we stop. Each will be decorated and ultimately sewn together to make a cover for the back seat of my faithful Green Bean.

        Here's to the weather improving, I for one am ready for a warm-weather adventure.

Amon Din, Eilenach & Nardol

Amon Din

Eilenach

Nardol

      After missing the finished Nardol for several weeks (I couldn't bear to work on the later beacons without having these three together), it has been found in a likely place behind a large piece of furniture, so here I am, feeling rather silly. Anyways, these are painted on- I think- 3 by 5 inch pieces and are my interpretation of the seven beacons that run between Minas Tirith and Firien Wood on the border of Rohan (between the Great West Road and the White Mountains).
     Three down, four to go!

Possom, a bread for wooing and some lino blocks

      So, a few weeks ago on Thanksgiving, my mom called me during lunch. A opossum had crawled into the warm air vent that comes from the dryer in the laundry room. It was gone the next day (and I hope it was able to enjoy a bit of time in the warmth, although little critters do not belong in air vents), but my mom snapped some photos of it. Then last week, this little fellow showed up again under the bird feeders and has the same ear markings as our previous guest.
     Looks like it is doing alright. Possums are really cute when they aren't bearing their teeth or playing dead, and I think a lot of people don't look at them beyond this. They're just misunderstood, poor creatures.
     On a different topic I am sharing a really awesome bread recipe. It is so good that you should be able to woo friend and foe with it. It is modified from Paul Hollywood's recipe in 100 Great Breads, which I recommend for anyone with an interest in bread making. Although I'd check your options in book purchasing, as the Amazon price is a bit more than I remember paying for it.

 You will need:
- 4 cups of while flour, leave the bag out for dusting
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 15 grams yeast (I use Fleishmann's dried)
- A bag of dark chocolate chips; you don't technically need the whole bag, so feel free to snack on some
- A can of tart or black cherries, washed and shaken as dry as possible (Or use a cup of fresh or frozen)
- Warm water to mix; about a cup but it may vary

Makes two decent sized loafs

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, chocolate chips and yeast. Add the olive oil, cherries. At this point I usually mix it together to figure out how much water I'll need as the cherries will already be moist. Slowly pour in the water and mix. There isn't an exact measurement because this is different for every time the bread is made, but I usually use about a cup. Mix well; if the dough is too moist, add more flour as needed and if it too dry add a few tablespoons of water at a time until it is doughy enough.

Because you'll squish the cherries a bit, thoroughly flour your hands and wrists (repeat as needed) and knead the dough. To knead: tip out dough onto a floured surface and make an indent in the middle with the palm of your hand before folding the dough sides or a side in. You can do this with either one or both hands, or if you don't have the space, knead it in the bowl (great skill to have in a cramped apartment!). This bread doesn't take much, only 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic.

Put the dough in a floured bowl and cover with a dish towel or unused garbage bag and keep somewhere warm for an hour or until it had doubled in size. I forgot about the chocolate chips yesterday and left it on the heater- they will melt and it will be messy if this happens so keep that in mind. After an hour, heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Divide the dough evenly and shape into two loafs. I usually make cross hatch marks with a knife on the top.

When the oven is warm enough, put the loaves in. Because the loaves will be pretty large baking will likely take 45 minutes to an hour. After the first 30 minutes I like to check every 10 or so. The bread is cooked through when there is a hollow sound when tapping on the bottom with your finger. (Don't worry if it is a little undercooked, I'm only just starting to really figure this part out myself)

Allow to cool a bit and enjoy! P.S. It makes a wonderful birthday/anniversary/holiday/etc. gift for people and usually doesn't take long to finish so storage isn't often a problem. Now go win the hearts and eternal affection of people!


This is a tear-into bread too. Who needs knifes and stuff?

So far the only bread recipe book I've really enjoyed. I've made over a dozen on the breads and they are all wonderful!

     

      I've also been working on stuff for my shop (Hoping to open by either next Tuesday, but no later than next Friday, woot!) including one of a kind business cards and thank you notes and original drawings, possibly some patches as well if I can find a suitable ink in the house. As you can tell I may or may not be continuing my Middle Earth theme with the thank you cards.....

And lastly on the side I am going to learn how to knit socks! This rusty red wool has been staring at me the last few weeks and it's finally time to start I think, although probably finish setting up shop first...