Candied Violets and KnitWits

There are lots of ways to make sugar coated violets.  Since my two violets are blooming profusely, it was time to make a few to top a basic buttermilk cake from Lottie and Doof.

This is what they look like after 14 hours in the fridge

Be sure to give yourself a day for the egg whites to dry, making them ahead of time so that they will be ready for cake decoration.

Several KnitWits were served cake and ice cream yesterday sans the violet toppers since they were still drying. Should have read the recipe two days ago. Oh well.

Still knitting on the chevron Delancey cardigan and am half way through one sleeve.  Pictures later.

Remember it is Fiber Arts Friday!

 and linking with a new site, from a home schooler in South Africa

Acrylic Impasto Technique

For the church sanctuary display beginning on Sunday, April 27, and continuing through the summer in Ordinary Times of the liturgical season, I decided to try the impasto technique of raising flowers with thickened acrylics.  Not having any thick acrylics on hand, YouTube came up with a way to make a stiffener for paints.  It can be seen here.  But I still prefer buying the Liquitex product.

A few close ups of the flowers using both a palette knife, brushes and thickened acrylics, along with twigs glued onto the canvas and painted over with acrylics:

Fimo clay shaped and baked at 225 degrees lilies

'

This is the completed 36" x 24" canvas:

...to be paired with the poppy finished a few weeks ago:

24" x 36", acrylic

Does it make you feel like spring may be closer than we think?

Cheerful Acceptance of Penances (?)

Again this Lenten season, Floss is hosting a weekly link-up on Sundays and Mondays in which people reflect on thoughts, ideas, books, sermons, people, poems, art ... just about any process leading up to a personal reflection prior to Easter.  This link will take you to a plethora of bloggers giving pause.

A thought I read on Jean's blog Saturday has given me pause.  Instead of paraphrasing, I'll just re-post it here. In part, says Jean:

One of the two or three things I can remember from a lifetime of sermon-listening is the suggestion that the cheerful acceptance of the penances life imposes on one can be more meritorious than laboriously carrying out the ones one has thought up for oneself. (I got home from church that day and found that the Aga had gone out, which sort of underlined the message.)

Isn't that brilliant?  To cheerfully accept your burden, or if not cheerfully, at least one can just pick up that cross and get on with your living.  The Scripture reading at church yesterday was to pick up the cross and follow Jesus.  To emphasize that point, there was a wooden cross at the altar; it was lying on it side, hauntingly taunting communicants at the rail with its message of picking up one's burden. Which brings me back to what Jean wrote about laboriously carrying out the self imposed burdens of consequence versus just the acceptance and picking up of life imposed burdens, perhaps the more meritorious act.

It comes down to picking up penances and keeping to the higher ground: Lent.