Mosaic Monday

It’s Mosaic Monday at Mary’s. Please head over to Little Red House and see all the wonderful mosaics made from all the wonderful photographs everyone is taking.
I am still experimenting. I used some shadowing on these photos and some different framing. I am really glad we are going away next week. I need some new pictures! I have a new little camera and a mini tripod so I will do some more experimenting. I hope the weather is good so that I can take pictures. I have upgraded my camera – now I need to upgrade my photography. This truly is all consuming. I will have to upgrade my time management as well!

The shadow frames were fun. Trying all the different frames and effects is time consuming but well worth it.
Again, I would like to thank all of you who have written comments. I have tried to visit all of you and leave a comment on your blog. And thank you to my followers. The number is growing and I am most appreciative.

Pink Saturday

Well, it’s Pink Saturday at Beverly’s and I have just a small offering today. I saw this little pink vase at Deb’s Flowerbed Farm a couple of weeks ago. It was just sweet. I snapped some pictures of it before I even did Pink Saturday!
The vase is not terribly old but does have some age. There are no markings but it is hand painted. The hydrangeas pick up the pink.



The little flowers look like forget-me-nots. I can just see the vase being turned into a lamp for a little girl’s room. This week I am including a post I visited last week. Mary at Across the Pond helped me with some formatting. Thank you, Mary.
Now let’s go and see what everyone else did for Pink Saturday!

A good weekend……

Well, we had a wonderful weekend. Good friends from South Portland came for the weekend and we played a lot. I worked on my blog for a while and then forced myself to work on a quilt I started in Sarasota which needed some reverse stitching on a puckered seam!
So we sewed and cooked and talked about chocolate! We went through Ina’s cookbooks and decided to make Chocolate Ganache Cake. My goodness!
We went antiquing and shopping. We took pictures of the lake and my quilt.

The quilt in the background is one I started a couple of years ago. I had some trouble with all the bias edges so I gave it to a friend and said, “Here – can’t deal with this!” I loved the Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics but just couldn’t make it work and I had lots more fabric and other projects that needed to be done. Well, he talked about it and had some trouble as well but he figured it out and finished it. He was putting the binding on this weekend and I loved it! So we made a deal and sealed it with the Ganache cake!


Again I am playing with all these programs (giving new meaning to couch potato). At least my fingers are moving.


I am trying to use my own backgrounds and collage on top. I will try Photoshop next! I need to frame each picture first for more definition but I will keep trying. I am very persistent…..
I’m not sure that just one program will do it all. So I am using them all because each one has definite advantages.
Now for the cake. This from Ina’s Parties! Book.

1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 extra large eggs at room temperature

1 16-ounce can Hersey’s syrup

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

GANACHE

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces chocolate chips, semisweet

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

We garnished with nasturtiums but Johnny Jump-ups would have been perfect
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Butter and flour a 8-inch round cake, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat or the cake will be tough. Pour the batter in the cake and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Let it cool thoroughly in the pan.
For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Place the cake upside on a wire rack and pour the glaze evenly over the top. You can tilt the rack to smooth the top and drip it down the sides.
We had it for dessert Sunday night. It was outstanding. However, we had for breakfast Monday morning and it was even better! This cake can definitely be made ahead and refrigerated. Glaze before serving.

Mosaic Monday

Today is Mosaic Monday at Little Red House and Mary is the Hostess. Stop over and see what everyone has done and say hello.

I can’t believe it’s another Monday. Next Monday we go back to Camden for our anniversary! I hope the weather will be good as I want to take lots of pictures. I will take my computer as well so I don’t get behind looking at what everyone else is doing!
The flowers in the above mosaic are from Sherman Farms. The mums are arranged out in front of the stand. I took scads of pictures. It was hot and a lot of them were blurry. I have a tripod but I would feel a little awkward in a parking lot or pulling up in front of someone’s house….you know what I mean?

What I learned this week….

I am going to post a little post. I have been experimenting with some of the suggestions that Susan at Between Naps on the Porch and Bill at Affordable Accoutrements have made this week. I am going to try to digest all the stuff I read and share what I learned.
I am absolutely overwhelmed by the comments and questions this week. I was almost ready to pay my sister to leave a comment! This blogging is a lot of work! Fun, but work.
I am enjoying Windows Live Writer and I am doing my mosaics in Picasa, Big Huge Labs and Photoshop Elements 7. I will link everything on Tuesday if not before but I really need to get ready for company!
Thank you again for all your support.