Hi Everyone … today I would like to introduce you to a new mixed media artist … my nine year old granddaughter, Kyra. She had been admiring a mixed media canvas I did (I took a class from Sharon Young to learn the Finnabair technique) and wanted to learn how to do it.

So, I found out that my local scrapbook store, Chico Scrapbook, was having a crop and that Kyra could attend it and try her hand at mixed media. Needless to say she took to it like a duck takes to water.

She had a lot of goodies to choose for her canvas. Kyra did a lot of the prep work at home. Priming her canvas with white gesso, then applying torn crinkled strips of paper for texture and then adding more texture with a Dyan  Reaverey stencil and 3D gloss gel. All this dried overnight. Then the next day at the crop the fun began

Kyra applied all the goodies she chose with soft gloss gel.

Next came the hardest part for her … painting the whole canvas and everything on it with heavy black gesso.

The next part was easier. She applied pink, blue and purple color bloom spray mist.

Sharon Young was also at the crop and helped answer any questions she had.

Sure looks pretty wild at this point.

Now, you would think that she had finished, but no there’s more to do. Kyra next applied white gesso for highlights and her favorite part, applying glitter and beads. Now it was time to go home and let her canvas dry overnight. She worked on her project for about 5-1/2 hours.

Here is Kyra the next day showing off her beautiful mixed media canvas project. She can’t wait to do another project. I think it may be a crown made out of chicken wire!

Well, that’s all for now … thanks for stopping by and until next time … Hugs & Kisses … LindaB

Have you ever had one of those times when your mind becomes a total blank because you can’t think of what you want to prepare for dinner?  Well, Tuesday was one of those times.

You see, I wanted to watch the live broadcast of Jim Hankins, The Gentleman Crafter (http://www.thegentlemancrafter.com), that night, but I still needed to cook dinner for hubby and myself. So, what to have for dinner? Then I remembered, the night before I had dinner with  a good friend in Sacramento at The Cheesecake Factory. One of their menu items that I love (but didn’t order this time) is Shepherd’s Pie.

Now, I know there are all kinds of versions of this dish out there, but this is the version that my family likes. Oh, and I need to give a shout out to my son, Jerry, who added pork sausage to his meat mixture and I now include that in my recipe.

So, here is the recipe that I use to make Shepherd’s Pie:

YaYa’s Shepard Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1 pound ground beef; 1/2 pound pork sausage; 1/2 cup onion, chopped; 1 teaspoon garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon basil; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt; dash of pepper; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped; 1/2 cup carrots, chopped; 1/2 cup frozen peas; 1/2 cup frozen corn; 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced; 1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy; about 2 cups mashed potatoes and 1 cup grated cheddar cheese.

Brown ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic. After meat mixture has browned add basil, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well. Now add Worcestershire sauce, zucchini, carrots, peas, corn & mushrooms; mix well. Stir in beef gravy. Bring to a boil. Then transfer this mixture to an ovenproof baking dish (1-9×13 or 2-7×9).

Next spread mashed potatoes over meat mixture and sprinkle grated cheese over mashed potatoes. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes.

Serve with Cesar salad.

This was the perfect meal to eat while enjoying Jim’s telecast. BTW, be sure to check The Gentleman Crafter’s blog for some very creative mixed media/craft ideas.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time . . . HUGS & KISSES ~ LindaB

What a surprise! . . . I planted some Coleus’s under our old oak tree for their leaf color this spring and I found them blooming. Didn’t know they did this. Learn something new every day!