July Patio and Allotment Bringing so Much Joy

 

I love the idea of having an allotment and growing my own so when I was accepted three years ago, I was absolutely thrilled. I had to start everything from scratch as I had limited knowledge of how to do it and what to grow. Starting from the premise of growing what you eat, some of the produce that I make sure I have every year are beans, courgettes, cucumbers for pickling, some seasonal salads, and herbs. 

Easter 2022

 

Easter has just gone here in the UK but as I am originally from Transylvania (Romania), we celebrate Easter on a different day, normally a week later. But because I have been living in the UK for the past 17 years, we celebrate both Easters. Not to mention that this always falls around my husband's or my birthday thus making April a celebratory month in our household. Posting this blog between the two Easters and the two birthdays seems like a good fit. 

New Contemporary Floral Paintings using Palette Knives

Not sure if 2022 will be a change of direction for me, but the latest floral paintings are a bit different than my usual paintings. I still created my signature roses using think paint and a stick to create texture, but the artworks are made using mainly the palette knife technique. 

Eclectic Style Art Studio in Devon

 

The first blog of the year is about yet another studio makeover. It is not a new one as I have done this last year, but I just didn't have the time to update my blog. 

I never thought I could pull off such a colourful decor without being over-the-top or kitsch. Not sure I managed to avoid these, but I really like how all the colours come together. This is how I actually imagined my studio from the very beginning but I just wouldn't dare to put all these colours together - blue, green, pink, yellow, and everything in between. 

Hand-painted Christmas Decorations Part II

 

Throughout the years, I have created quite a few Christmas decorations in my own style, from using art prints after my paintings to actually painting the baubles. They were well received in both my Folksy and Etsy shops so I decided to create some more. 

Easy Halloween Cookies

 

As an artist, I have never created anything specifically for Halloween as I don't know how my style would fit with this celebration. However, some of my hanging hearts can be hung with other Halloween and/or autumnal decorations, especially the orange ones. I put some in my autumn tree in the street-facing window and they look rather nice with other handmade items. 

Fluffy Blueberry Muffins

 

I don't have a lot to say about these blueberry muffins except that they are delicious and incredibly fluffy. I followed this recipe without changing anything and the result is so yummy that I struggled to eat just one muffin a day (for breakfast with coffee). The good news is that they keep fresh for 3-4 days without losing their fluffiness. And I also loved that they come out quite irregular shaped so they have a rustic look. 

Hanging Hearts Inspired by Spring

 

When I started painting these hanging hearts, I had no idea where they will take me. I have already created this collection in a different style, but I wanted to create something more arty. I had plenty of inspiration in my own garden and from my daily walks so I didn't need to do any sketches as I had all the images I needed in my head. I couldn't stop until I finished all the plain hearts I had in my studio and the result is a bright collection of spring flowers that will last forever in your home. They can be hung as part of your gallery wall, art collection or Easter decor. 

Orange Cake with Plums

 

I absolutely love baking these sponge cakes using various fruits as they are easy to make and they taste divine. Not to mention the smell in the house when baking. For this cake, I tweaked a little bit the original recipe of boiled clementine cake as I used half sugar and less almond flour replacing the difference with wholemeal self-raising flour.  The taste is as good as the original even with less sugar. Actually, both my husband and I love fruit cakes that are a bit acidic and not too sweet so this was perfect for our taste.