Saturday 25 July 2009

Art in Action 2009 and American cookies

Just starting off on a humorous note: I just LOVE love love these cute cows, which JJ brought back from a foreign trip and which now live on our kitchen table.
I have baked these cookies below but more of that to come!
This year Art in Action was muddy and wet on some days but on the Saturday we went we were blessed with lovely sunshine! Having been for many years now- annually!- I didn't go for 2 days just the one and no classes for myself, I had booked one each for the kids online.

This was the most fabulous wall hanging in the ''market'' tent which was to raise awareness and do charitable fundraising for people in Africa. All of the panels are BEADED- it's all solid beads and absolutely amaaaaazing.
This swan(?) was at the Derwent pencils stand and was drawn on fabric with permanent ink watersoluble pencils.
My main passion: the textiles tent was a bit dissappointing but only because I'm not into weaving or batik that much and there were no stunning embroiderers such as the eminent Alice Kettle or Verina Warren. It was a new crew though and that was good to see, after all you can't have the ''same old same old'' every year can you?

The silk painting and marbling class was absolutely grrrreat and I learned a huge amount even by watching the goings on!

A young one intent on her silk painting....
Marbling tray with carrageen solution and some red ink droppered on...
A student making marbling patterns with a stick...

Our efforts at silk painting!!!
Our marbling page: it was a shame you could only do one page each: I could have done only marbling and done 5 or 6 it looked such FUN!

Some of the class efforts including the teacher's and ours.
We had drawing and media classes too but these were not booked in advance and great fun was had with watersoluble crayons above....
Last year my kids had a whale of a time in the ''Windsor and Newton'' tent and tried out lots of fun things but this year W&N had a nasty sign up saying'' no kids allowed'' and mine were very upset as they had been looking forward to it !!!
Luckily Derwent were just amazing and very supportive and helpful and the drawings below were made with their excellent watersoluble pencils- by my kids!

Copper enamelling was also a success- we did also do this last year- and a star and oval were made this year.( a hedgehog and seahorse last year)
Never did like waiting but her oval is sitting on a mesh grid awaiting first firing...
Lovely results!!!!

Then it was time to bake and a friend had recommended this book: available from Amazon or other bookshops or from the local library.














There is soooooo much to choose from and all are shown in these gorgeous mouth watering, delectable photographs that you don't know what to make first....
I choose the choc chip cookies but the rocky raod bars and lemon meringue pie will be following shortly!!!














First time EVER( in about 20 years....) I use the ''paddle '' attachment on my food processor and it was fine on the butter and the sugar but halfway through adding the flour: it BROKE!!!
So here I am mixing it by hand and it was hard work: this is unbelievably thick and ''sticky''!!!









I was hoping happy eggs would make happy cookies and then happy children?!!!Suffice to say that one young lady has been harder to please or to get to behave than ever recently- no names, no names!!! Just DO NOT mention the words: KUMON and have you done it yet- in the same sentence.... Or room - tidying- ( beware the tantrums!) or even hair brushing.......( DUCK!)









I added this chocolate chopped finely to make it go further and I didn't want toooooo much chocolate or it has a certain ( UNDESIRABLE) effect on the aforementioned young lady.
And here they are: they were ( you don't expect there are any left do you?) DELICIOUS!!!! And just for the record: the recipe said you get 24 cookies, but they must be GIGANTIC because I had 34 cookies and mine were on the very large side!!!


































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