A CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT THAT IS A SWEET TREAT!

Well it is not often I find myself in the kitchen being creative like my wonderful wife, making edible items that is.  Today wondering around one of our local stores something caught my eye, CANDY!  No not the traditional bars at the check out, or packages sold to the masses like Hershey bars or the like, but a bag of candy 20 plus years ago I would always buy and make decorations with.  It was a fun time for me and the kids, a time dad who is unskilled in the kitchen to have a go at making something fun, as well as something we did not need a fire extinguisher to put out!  This bag of candy brought me back to the time the kids hearts filled with joy and excitement, waking to gifts that just appeared out of nowhere. Decking the tree out with construction paper chains, strung popcorn here and there, and after a while DAD's (that's me) tasty Christmas ornaments that rivaled the traditional candy canes! Well they are older now, have children of their own, and I thought I would pass along how to make these fun and simple tasty treats to those who may or may not have made them before. So Here I go, I do not work for FOOD NETWORK, or THE COOKING CHANNEL so please be nice. You may have done this before, maybe not, and if you have not I hope you try it out!

Find the holiday candy of your choice, in my case Brachs Christmas Nougats with the tree make it easy, but you can use whatever soft candy you feel will make a festive pattern.

Try to select the best pieces that are consistent in pattern as well as thickness. (any pieces that are uneven may create a thin area after baking and crack)

Pieces  that are irregular or have a distorted pattern should not be used, but discarded in the traditional fashion, unwrap and eat! : )

As you can see I arranged 7 pieces in a shallow 3 1/2 inch non stick  pie dish, perfect for this project, you can also use tins from little pies, or any circular enclosed dish depending on the size of the project, but this will go on the tree so 3 1/2 inch is about the limits.

I pre heat the oven at 250 you may choose to make it warmer or cooler, but beware the candy will discolor if it is over heated, i have found 250 degrees for about 5-8 minutes works out fine.( your location may dictate shorter or longer times due to elevation, just a note)

After about 7 minutes and a few peeks in the oven I decided the ornament is ready to be taken out.

and here is the results, the trees stayed in form and it has a nice mosaic look, and oddly enough I managed to get the letter "S" in it, The first letter of my last name, strictly coincidence.

After a few minutes of cooling you will be able to use a fork, straw or some other type of instrument to put a hole in the ornament for hanging purposes, but don't wait too long or it will harden and you might have to break out a drill.(laugh it relieves stress) At this point I like to float the tin in a pan or bowl of cool or iced water to help it cool down evenly.

And here is the somewhat finished product with the hole for a hook or ribbon, to remove this from the pan, I used a sharp paring knife and went around the edge of the pan to loosen the ornament.  And it came out no problem, beware if you try to do this too soon, you may end up bending the candy and distorting the shapes, but i know you will wait.

And here is the finished product hanging on a tree in the yard, I used a silver string to tie it up, but a hook, or ribbon may be the right choice for your tree.

And if you happen to want to be unique, all you have to do is turn the ornament around, and you can have an ornament worthy of hanging off any dorm room tree, and would probably look absolutely in place as you consume some egg nog, or wine or whatever beverage you choose to relax with.

 So There you have it, A very inexpensive, fun way to make something different this year, For you, your children, or even your grandchildren! and the best part is, these are totally edible, and if the old candy cane is not cutting it this year, just walk on over to the tree, and take a bite out of your sweet Christmas treat! I hope you enjoyed my one and probably only cooking craft. All my best and may your Christmas be SWEET!

I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE.....

I am leaving on a jet plane, Don't know when I"ll be home again.....That is how the song goes, or went as I have not heard it in a while. Today I finally bid the "JUNKET JET" a fond farewell, out of the shop and into the skies! It has found it's resting place in the yard hanging on the front porch, I have washed my hands of this flight to a Land of fantasy nowhere. May it be alive in the air, and bring me much criticism.some just don't consider it art! but to me it is as cool as the vapor trails off a real jet engine at altitude. When I feel inspired I may pull it down and work on it some more, until then........Good bye  my wayward friend!

SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO NAIL IT!

I don't know what the header made you think, But sitting around the house today, missing my wife because she is in the hospital in Boston, I was reflecting on our 25 plus years of marriage. I have known my wife for 29 years give or take a date or two. after our 5th year of marriage, 2 children just getting out of the military, her spinal cord started acting up, she has cancer in her spine when she was 12, spent most of her teen years in Children's in Boston.....Well to make a long story short (I hear the applause) She has never been out of pain, a 7 out of 10 always, she raised our children, put up with me and my antics, went from being paralyzed to walking even though she cant feel on her left side. all these years, in and out of hospitals never complaining about anything, always smiling through tremendous pain, and now she is going through it all over again. And the reason for the blog post is???? I welded up a little figure that depicts a person finishing the race of life, in victory, first place! This is how I see my wife someday, she is running the race, pushing it through, when the finish line comes we don't know that is up to GOD! BUT! she has never gave up and quit, and I know in my heart that when the time comes she will cross the finish line like my little piece of art. Enjoy! Oh by the way these are just nails a nut, washer  and a little welding

Dont hold on too long!

We are all artists, we all have good days and bad, for most of us we use our crafts to diffuse stress in our lives, but sometimes it is not enough. I found this in my e-mail this morning and found it to be worthy to share with everyone. Wishing you all the best for today, may it be stress free and prosperous. ~
A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked;
 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

 Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

 The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
 It depends on how long you try to hold it.
 If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
 In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

 He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
 We won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water,
 You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
 When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
 'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

 Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.'
 So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't
pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
 
 Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
 And some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
 Just in case you have to eat them.
* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
 If you die in the middle of it.

* Drive
carefully. It's not only cars that can be
 "Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
 
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
 It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

 * When everything's coming your way,
 You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world,
 But you may also be the world to one person.
 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

 *A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery
 On a detour.
 Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today...I did :

AFTER THE CUTTING!

Blade Art, Always in bloom!

Well with my promise to keep the blog in art form, here is my first post of an old friend I found the other day. What is one to do with all the materials one uses in his/her daily work related activities? Throw them out? Leave them in a pile with hopes of throwing them out? or taking them and creating something useful out of materials that were once useful but have lost their luster, their appeal, in this case their EDGE!  In the photo you will find three different cutting blades used  by me when i had a landscape construction business, We have mower blades, diamond blades for saws and chain saw chains. you can only sharpen them so much, as I did, minus the diamond blades (center flower) so out comes the mig welder and in about 25 minutes the flower appears on the scene. It has made it's way around the yard a few times, and the other day after trimming the ornamental grass down for the fall, Presto! I find my hidden friend! So I though I would post a pic, to keep the recycling spirit alive for all those who labor in the summer to make it through the winter, maybe, you can get those blades and make some art! As to the title, everything this is comprised of was used for cutting, and there is a subtle flower pun in there also!

NO TWO BLOGS ARE THE SAME!

"Garden bug misses his flight to freedom"

Feeling the need to separate art from my blog about my two wonderful Pembroke welsh corgi's I have decided to make my very own "JUNK ART" blog! As I work on pieces, find raw materials that have been discarded, and/or just have some whimsical,  off the wall statements to make, I will be able to post them separate so the blog is strictly related to art, although I do believe there is inspiration for our crafts in the pets we all love and cherish it would be best to keep them separate. so here is to a new beginning! Wishing all the best.