Toboggan Hill Studio

Chimera Trailer

2011-06-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is why we can never get rid of anything that looks like it "might be useful someday". Because my husband is a creative genius.

(You'll have to click on the photo to read the fine print.)

The Least of These

2011-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was a wonderful First Friday in Gettysburg. Great shows, perfect weather, and pleasant company. I had 2 paintings at the Finer Edge Gallery in the show called "The Least of These". You can read about the exhibit here and here. And I'll be at one more opening related to the Gettysburg Festival on June 17th.

Here are the 2 paintings I submitted:

Fiberglate

2011-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Fiberglate (definition): when one speaks, with utmost confidence, regarding a topic about which one knows nothing. The level of confidence is inversely proportional to the actual degree of knowledge. Example:

Caroline: How is a bottle rocket propelled?

Brett: Well, as everyone knows, the turbo entabulator overcomes the universal force detractors to coincide with the cardinal grameters. In addition, there is the modial interaction of magneto reluctance and capacitive directance. Or it could be the prefamulated amulite.

Caroline: I think you are fiberglating.

Click here for the classic example. Quality is sketchy.

Drawing from Life

2011-03-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Minimalist Running Footwear

2010-08-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

I read the book "Born to Run" and it changed my whole outlook on running.

I did a lot of research on barefoot/minimal footwear running and ultimately made my own huaraches out of some vibram rubber sole and cotton cord. And I love it. I will never go back to running shoes again. The overbuilt, super-padded running shoes actually only came into existence in the 1970s. Our feet, which ran strong and barefoot for millions of years, have been turned into wimps in 30 years. Here are some pictures of how I run - and I've never felt better as a runner! If you Google or YouTube barefoot running and huaraches you will find a ton of info about barefoot running, making your own footwear and the research to support it. I've put some of my own favorite articles below.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Here are several articles about barefoot running (they are interesting, really, not dry and technical):

A Harvard Study

A Penn State Study

Popular Mechanics

Science Daily

Great Daily Mail article!

And Another Boat

2010-08-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

This boat type is called a "Micromouse" and it is just over 6 feet long. I built it in about 2 weeks, working for a short time each day. It was fun and easy to build. Thanks to Gavin Atkin for developing this great series of boats and publishing free plans! This was my 3rd boat, and by far the quickest build.

It is called "Lotus" and this is the design on the foredeck.

All painted up and ready to go.

Is it a Mouseboat or a Catboat?

Listing a little but what great fun! Paddles wonderfully!

Darn! I forgot the skegs and it weaved a bit. Back to the boatshop!

Faux Brick Tutorial

2010-04-25T12:42:00.001-07:00

Well, what a mish-mash this blog is! I really need to stay focused. But hey, look what I did here.

Larsen Bakery's Vegan Donuts

2010-02-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

These donuts are brilliant. They are nothing like the dense, cakey, vegan donuts I've tried in the past. Yes, they do violate almost every nutritional principle I've come to believe in, but they are unbelievably reminiscent of the donut-store pastries I enjoyed in my pre-vegan days. And to top it off, they are only 160 calories each.

You can get these Bavarian cream-filled donuts at Vegan Essentials. Eat them quickly after they arrive (no problem there) since they are shipped fresh and contain no preservatives. After putting a dollop of the chocolate frosting on top, we just warm them up for a few minutes in the toaster oven, then spread the gooey frosting around. Amazing. With products like these, there are fewer and fewer excuses to eat animal-based foods.

Daiya Cheese

2009-12-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Daiya is an unfortunate name for a spectacular cheese substitute. So far, I have had 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (using the cheddar) and 2 small pizzas (using the Italian/mozzarella). Pros: it does melt and stretch, is delicious, and the grilled cheese is EXACTLY like I remember. Cons: it is very expensive and hard to find (I got mine from veganessentials.com), and the mozzarella, while extremely good, is not a replica of the mozz I remember on pizzeria pizzas. That said, if you are a committed vegan, this 'cheese' is a dream come true. I highly recommend the splurge!

By the way, the photo shows a skillet pizza I made using the Mother Earth News recipe by Genie Dickerson. I doubled it.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-27T06:23:00.001-08:00

There are lots of vegan pumpkin pie recipes out there, but I'm in the process of developing my own because I have yet to find one with a somewhat creamy filling, that is not derived from silken tofu. This recipe, therefore, is in its beta form. Although it firms up nicely the day after it is baked (be sure to plan ahead), the unbaked filling is alarmingly liquidy. Also, although my daughter thinks it is just fine, I feel it is a little too sweet. So I may tweak it to include less soymilk and sugar, and a bit more cornstarch. Even with its slight imperfections, I can't seem to stop picking at the leftovers.

Pumpkin Pie

8 oz Tofutti cream cheese
2 cups pumpkin (or one 15oz can)
1/2 cup each white and brown sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup soymilk
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (we like Frontier)
-or- 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp each cloves, ginger, and nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add pumpkin and keep mixing until combined. Add remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cover pie edges with foil if they start to get brown. The pie may be a bit wobbly in the middle, but will firm up when cool.

I use the pie crust recipe from good old Betty Crocker:

2 cups flour
2/3 cups shortening (I use Earth Balance sticks)
6-7 Tbs cold water.

Put the flour and shortening in the food processor. (or cut in the shortening) until crumbly. Add water until a ball forms. Roll out and shape into 9 inch pie pan.

The Pomodoro Technique

2009-10-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

Travel Formula

2009-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Unsure how long to stay in a spot whilst traveling? My cousin Lisa has a carefully constructed formula that will take all the uncertainty out of travel planning:

# of hours in car divided by 2 = minimum number of days to stay, excluding travel days. Anything over 5 hours in the car is considered a full day of travel. Add one day for each time zone crossed (for air travel) or add one week for crossing the Equator or International Date Line.

So there ya go!

One More Boat

2009-08-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

I put most of the finishing touches on a 4' rowboat for Eliza this week and we took it out for a maiden voyage to Lake May - a small body of water in Fairfield. The boat plans are called "Peapod" and were free from Hannu's Boatyard on the internet. I built a rather stripped down version, but it floats and rows quite nicely. Eliza wants to call her boat "Thex" - we still need to paint the name on.

I plan to build one last boat next summer - probably something from the "Mouse" family of boats by Gavin Atkin. Then I'll be done. Really.

In the trees.

2009-08-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Not sure what got into me, but I built a tree platform this summer. It's very simple and much like one I built as a child. It is about 9 feet off the ground, but feels like 15 when you are up there. I'll use it for sketching and observing nature. And I have to admit I carelessly used an above-ground swimming pool ladder roped to a tree to stand on while I built it.

Vegan Gâteau au Yaourt (French Yogurt Cake)

2009-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

This cake is often the first one French children learn to make. Typically, the yogurt pots are used as the measuring device. However, I bought the large tub, and while I'm SURE my family would like a huge cake, I opted for conventional measures. Our exchange student Marie requested this cake for her 16th birthday. I found the recipe at the Chocolate and Zucchini blog and veganized it. Très délicieux.

Gâteau au Yaourt
- 2 “eggs” (I used Ener-g egg replacer)
- 1 cup plain or vanilla soy yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup light olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F . Oil and flour a 10-inch cake pan. In a large mixing-bowl, combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture, and blend together -- don't overwork the dough. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let stand for ten minutes, and transfer onto a rack to cool.

I served this with sauce made from wineberries we picked in the woods this July.

June 5 First Friday Show

2009-06-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

I had a blast at the opening of our Reflections from the Fringe show last night. A big hug and thank you to Adrian, our marvelous curator and also all my friends and family who came out to see it. Here is my work from the show and also some great photos of the opening by Nanette Hatzes.

Eliza's Photography Show

2009-04-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that Eliza will be having a photography show at the Ragged Edge Coffee House gallery, The Finer Edge. (http://www.raggededgecoffeehs.com). Her show -which includes 2 other homeschooled teen girls -will be in the gallery for the month of May, then will be upstairs in the coffee shop during the month of June, which is when I will be one of 4 women having a show downstairs in the Finer Edge. So it is really cool that we will have art at the same place at the same time!

Here is a link to the cover of the show booklet and one to the booklet itself.

Eliza's Show

The Booklet - direct link to the PDF

Another Favorite Hobby

2009-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Yes I like to call it a hobby, NOT an obsession. I do love to create, re-do, and browse various organizers and their components. I'm rarely satisfied with pre-packaged ones like Daytimers, and I truly get in the zone when designing or re-doing one of my own. I'm actually a little particular about the components I require and making my own almost always insures I get what I need...until the next inspiration comes along!

This organizer was created because I needed something just the right size - and although I'm not usually drawn to square shapes, somehow this ended up 9x9 inches. There is a fine line between big enough to have a workable calendar size, but small enough to fit into my current bag/purse (another "hobby).

It is constructed from tapestry remnants gorilla glued to foam core. I just recently had to add the brown webbing spine because I didn't allow enough fabric in the original design and it gapped open. At the same time I added the closure system (which has to be quick and easy to use - velcro would have been better, but too noisy).

Eliza's VAGF Chocolate Cupcakes (vegan, agave, gluten-free).

2009-01-19T09:34:00.001-08:00

These cupcakes are so yummy! They aren't as moist as some other recipes, but still delectable - just makes that coffee taste better. Also, they have a slight crunch from the flaxseed, but I think it is a nice texture. This recipe is a combination of 2 recipes out of Vegan Cupcakes take over the World. It is an excellent cookbook.

Eliza's VAGF Chocolate Cupcakes

2/3 cup soy milk, almond milk (or other milk substitute)
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup canola or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup white rice flour
2 TBS ground flax seed
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 325. Mix the 'milk' and vinegar in a large bowl and allow to sit until curdled (about 2-5 mins). Beat in agave nectar, oil, and extracts. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth. Fill liners two-thirds full. Bake 20-25 minutes until a knife comes out clean. These cupcakes improve as they cool in texture and flavor.

Frosting (optional)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2TBS water

Mix all ingredients together vigorously with a whisk. It will thicken as you mix it. The consistency ends up being somewhere between a glaze and frosting.

A better video!

2008-12-28T11:36:00.001-08:00

Again, the key word here is 'foster'.

2008-12-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a little movie I quickly threw together featuring Chip, the ram lamb we are fostering. He came to us on Christmas day (his mother was sent to slaughter) and has been living cozily by the woodstove.

Angel Pig: 9-15-00 ~ 11-30-08

2008-12-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Jewely came to us in a cat carrier in September 2000. She was a runt, obtained for us from a hog farm by a well-meaning (but misguided) friend. She was sickly, and needed special food and a heat lamp. With gentle care, she soon became a lively member of the farm and began to thrive. Let out of her area, she'd follow us around the yard, playing like a puppy.

True to her Yorkshire White breed, she rapidly expanded to around 500 pounds. Sometimes her play was a little rough; one of her favorite tricks was to get behind someone and send them airborne with a well-placed snout between the legs. The day Jewely did not follow us and began to wander into the field, we quickly enticed her into the barnyard with a molasses cookie and there she spent the rest of her life, except for one traumatic escape, which resulted in the installation of electric fence around the barnyard. For many years after, whenever Jewely went into heat, she'd stare at that spot in the fence where she was once able to get out and search for a boyfriend. If she wasn't staring at the fence, she might be obsessively dragging weeds into the barn for her nest.

Given a bale of hay, Jewely would make an impressive mound for her bed. Visiting her in the barnyard during her 'special time' was the only time it was somewhat risky to be around her. It was that old snout in the butt trick, but it was not so funny coming from a 700 pound pig. Our driveway runs along the barnyard, and if Jewely was out browsing when I drove up from work, she would race me up the hill, ears flopping and barking loudly. Yes, pigs bark.

She was alone for much of her life, except for the various chickens and pigeons who inhabited the barn. Then, in 2005, we got Spi, a pony, for Eliza. Jewely followed Spi around like a puppy, nibbling his tail and generally being a pest. For the most part, it seemed like unrequited affection, although I did once see Spi licking Jewely's back. Ultimately, when we connected the barnyard and pasture areas, her friends included 6 goats and 4 horses. Even with a new 7 or so acres to explore, Jewely stayed in her known barnyard area. Only once, just this past fall, did she explore the upper pasture. She spent the entire next day resting in her bed. Unfortunately, she never got up again.

She had been fighting an infection, which we treated successfully with antibiotics. But she went off her food, which is a big deal for someone who rolled joyfully in such treats as leftover cherry tarts and frosting covered cookies (I used to have cafeteria duty in public school and the amount of lunchtime waste was truly disturbing; the kids all knew I was saving goodies for my pig.) She loved to eat - with literally lip-smacking enjoyment - almost as much as she liked a good belly rub or back scratch. And true to the porcine stereotype, her mud hole was a source of great pleasure to her. Now when I walk by the barnyard, and see the mudbathing spot that she carefully constructed to hold water, I feel a pang of sadness that I won't see the muddy venus rising out of it again.

She died quietly sometime during the night of November 29th. I think my husband, who fed and talked to her every day of her eight years, and nursed her with water three times a day in her last month, will miss her the most. She brought joy to many, including total strangers who would pull off the road to watch her standing serenely out in her barnyard, her innocent eyes gazing back with friendly curiosity.

(Photo of Jewely with angelic tranformation copyright 2008 by Eliza K.S.)

More Comix

2008-12-04T15:46:00.001-08:00

Gee this is turning into the Eliza Comic Blog!

Eliza's Post-Thanksgiving Comic

2008-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

I have to post these wonderful comics by my genius daughter!

Ragged Edge Coffee House Opening

2008-11-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

These are 100 cards that will be featured in show called Affinity for the Infinitesimal at the Ragged Edge Coffee House (http://www.raggededgecoffeehs.com) in Gettysburg PA. The opening is Friday 11-07-08 from 7-9PM. The show will also include 100 small works by Nanette Hatzes. Each piece is 2.5x3.5 inches - the standard size for an ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals - often sold on ebay). The works are for sale at the coffee house and will be available for sale online when the installation is taken down in early December. Thanks for looking and please email me with any questions!

Here is a link to the whole set (if you don't want to sit through the slideshow:
Flickr Set

Almost a Teen

2008-10-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Uncle Eliza's Guide to Being Perfect

2008-09-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

by Eliza K. S.

Be cool, be awesome, be attractive, be you.

Hi, my name is Eliza, and I'm going to tell you how to be perfect. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, but I try to think I am and make other people think so too. You see, it's impossible to be literally perfect, but you can still be awesome and virtually perfect. But you don't want to hear this, do you? You want to be (almost) perfect, don't you? Of course you do! If not, why are you still here? So, without further ado;

The basics of being perfect

Admit and accept

You have flaws. Deal with it. Knowing you have flaws is the first step to fixing them. Accepting is more important than admitting, but they're both very important when trying to solve any problem. Accepting something is believing it with all (or at least most) of your brain. This is crucial! If you skip this step, nothing will get done. Having a problem and not accepting it is called denial. Denial is bad. Admitting something is getting to the point where you can tell other people, even if it's just one or two people that you really trust. This is good because if you don't admit something, no one can help you, so you're alone, just you and your problem at some classy, romantic, candle lit restaurant. No matter how much trouble you have getting a date, you don't want that.

Believe

You can be awesome, you can be smart, you can be talented, and you need to know it. If you don't believe, you'll be more likely to fail.

Watch the 'tude

A good attitude is a very good thing to have when trying to be happy with yourself and fix problems.

Instead of saying “I'm fat and ugly” someone with a good and positive attitude might say “I'm overweight, but I can deal with that. I don't think I'm very good-looking, so I should try to focus on positive aspects of my appearance, and try to fix whatever negative ones I can.”

Work on it

If you've managed the first three steps, that's great, but just that won't magically solve all your problems. You have to work on them, one or two at time, until you've gotten them all. As much as you may wish you could snap your fingers and be done with it, it won't happen.

To be continued in Part 2.....

photo courtesy of sideshowmom at morguefile.com

Sushi Pocket - Altered Bag

2008-09-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I won this cute little mini-backpack at work. It had a logo on the front, so it begged to be altered. It's pretty cool with mini pockets inside and lots of ways to hang it.

My Altered Purse

2008-09-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

I just got this great bag at a thrift store and of course HAD to alter it! All that black was crying for adornment...and I may not be done yet. I mean, come on - how about beads? Felt? Assorted baubles? The little owl is part of my new logo at www.veganjewelry.com. Brett said " are owls peaceful? are they vegan?" Well, whatever their personal values, they sure are CUTE!

Schrodinger's Letter

2008-09-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

So here I sit with the notification from Adams County Arts Council about whether I got into the juried exhibition. Is it like Schrodinger's cat? Is there both acceptance and rejection contained within, only solidifying into an answer when I, the observer, open and read? Well, whatever. The painting of Sara was accepted! The cat lives!

10/3/08. The cat not only lives, but this painting won Honorable Mention at the show. Better than kittens!

The Best Video on YouTube

2008-09-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

IMHO

Our Brooklyn Trip

2008-08-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver (in Wordle)

2008-07-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

First Five Days

2008-01-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

So far so good. One drawing every day in January.

Field Kit

2008-01-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

I love little bags and portable things. Here is my latest field kit (that I actually carry in my bag everywhere) that I sewed from a piece of felt. It has pencils (regular and mechanical), watercolor pencils, watercolor brushes (regular and fillable), sharpener, erasers (regular and click), a ruler, white charcoal and 2 pigma pens of different thicknesses.

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have no idea why I continue to start new blogs and write nothing on them. But here we go again. Maybe my New Year's resolution will be to actually make use of this one. I'm often impressed with the blogs of others, but resisted starting my own for a long time. Because it's so...overdone. This picture is an oil done with Torrit Grey for a Gamblin Color contest. I didn't win, or even place, but I love the picture. I'm considering using it as a grisaille and painting color over it.