grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Z is for Zentangle

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As a child I loved to color and draw and doodle. Was there anything better than a new box of Crayons, the one with the sharpener in the back? Filled with a rainbow of possibilities, I could spend hours studying the various shades and memorizing the color names—Brick Red, Cornflower, Green Yellow (not to be confused with Yellow Green)…
I recently began drawing zentangles as part of my regular writing practice. (Thank you Crescent Dragonwagon and Fearless Writing!) Zentangling is like a Spirograph without the plastic frame. A small piece of artwork, the results are often surprising, sometimes reflecting my mood or surroundings, often an image of my writing. 
Doodling for adults.

With each stroke of the pen, I zone out and juice up the right side of the brain, the expressive and intuitive side.  Anything that awakens the right-brain helps with creative writing.

Skeptical? I’m not surprised. That’s your critical, analytical left-brain preaching…

A – Z Blogging Zentangle

talya

“Drawing makes you look at the world more closely. It helps you see what you’re looking at more clearly.” 
― David Almond, Skellig

Musical Pairing:

Drawing, Barenaked Ladies

I did it! I blogged through the alphabet. Thank you to everyone who played along. If you are a new follower, I hope you will continue reading Grace Grits & Gardening long after Z…

Z is for Zentangle.
Til next year…
A to Z April Blog Challenge.
Happy May!

Wine Cork Craft Project

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We drink wine in our house. As a result, we have bowls and bowls of wine corks. Only so many can be used as decorations. 

I decided to put a few to work this spring as garden markers. This project is simple and quick. 
All you need are corks, wooden skewers and a sharpie marker. 

Secure the skewer to the bottom of the cork. The skewer is sharp so it can easily be screwed in. Cut or break the skewer to the size desired. Label the cork with the plant and stake it in the ground.

That’s it!

Annabelle, my garden helper:)

talya

Grace Grits & Gardening

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

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Although my nest is empty, I still love to dye Easter eggs. This year I decided to dye eggs using food and spices on hand.

I started with red onion skins, blackberries, cinnamon (ground & sticks), green onion tops and cilantro, beet juice and turmeric.

After boiling water, steep each ingredient for ten minutes while grinding and stirring the various ingredients to release the juices. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to each glass.

To enhance a few of the colors, I added a bit of ground cayenne pepper to the cinnamon, spinach leaves to the green and a splash of red wine to the blackberry. (Next time, I would not use green onions—spinach worked better.)

The beet juice produced a beautiful rose color. The turmeric was vibrant. Soak in the refrigerator overnight for best results.

naturally dyed easter eggs
(left to right) purple onion, spinach/cilantro, blackberry/wine, cinnamon/cayenne, beet, turmeric
A word about boiling eggs: The eggs we buy today are very fresh (i.e. free range, etc.) The fresher the egg, the harder to peel—the white membrane is not mature and sticks to the shell. A teaspoon of baking soda in the boiling water will make the egg easier to peel.
And don’t forget to use the eggshells in your garden. Crushed and sprinkled around flowerbeds, they will fend off slugs. Or mix with your soil as compost.
Happy Easter!
Grace Grits and Gardening

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!