Me & Mom.....

It's Mother's Day, and although Mom lives far far away from me, I am thinking of her. The chance to visit only comes but a few times a year as the distance between Denver and Seattle is certainly more than that short walk between our homes used to be. Thank goodness for email and the phone as both assure me that she is doing well, meeting new friends and creating again! It truly pleases me that she is "following her bliss" as she types in her emails, staying up late at night and designing primitive folk art. Thanks to Mom, I too am doing the same thing! It's comforting to know that while I am busy at work sculpting or painting a papier mache character, she too is in her studio creating a treasure in textile. It is a long distance bond that cannot be broken with the same driving force to release our creative spirit and share smiles and joy through our creations. Thank you Mom for instilling in me the notion to apply my talents and to create. I am truly grateful and so happy to see you doing the same.....

Love,
~ Johanna



* Photo from last summer's family visit to Colorado. There, the two of us stand on the top of Vail Mountain, holding hands and swinging our arms back and forth. Fun times indeed!

Frightfully Fun Spider!...

So, if yesterday's "Peek-a-boo" post had you intrigued, well here are few more images of my first spooky Spider Candy Cup! He just listed on eBay this evening and over the course of the next 5 days will be looking for a Halloween home. If you would like to provide him a cozy cobweb, please place a bid before Friday night and thank you for your generosity and your interest! You can visit my Spider Candy Cup Auction Here!

~ Johanna


* With or without his candy egg cup base, he is quite the whimsical arachnid indeed!


* I designed this special fellow, inspired by EHAG's Black & White Fright Challenge, going on this week!



Thank you for your interest!

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Peek-a-Boo!

Well, I just snapped some photos of my Black & White Fright EHAG Challenge piece. I know, I know, he's not quite ALL black and white, but I hope that he will do! I have decided to post him on eBay tomorrow night instead of Tuesday, so he'll be a 5-Day auction. Stay tuned for a link to his page with lots more pics. And yes, he's a frightfully-fun spider ~ My first spider candy egg cup! More to come......

Thanks,
~ Johanna



You can click on the Black & White Fright Logo Badge in the left-side column to visit the various works of B&W EHAG art available throughout the week. Keep checking back as more items will be listing daily!

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Celeste Strikes Again!....

I thought I would sneak one more Collector's Catch piece in before the month of April came to a close. Yesterday, I worked on all sorts of things from designing our front porch vestibule addition to snowmen for Bethany Lowe, and then I finished off the day by painting the final details on "Crescent Kenny" here. I snapped some photos of him before I made a late dinner, and then prepared the graphics for his debut. After a long day of design galore, he posted to my Folk Art Originals page at 11:15pm, and by 11:21, my collector friend, Celeste had caught him! I didn't have a chance to even start on the blog post tease as she was so very quick! What's her secret? I don't know, but she's hard to beat! I believe this is her 4th "catch" so far. That makes her the Queen Catcher I do believe :) Anyone out there wanting to conquer Celeste will have to refresh my Folk Art Originals page habitually and tap into your psychic powers or pull out those good luck charms! It's true that my friend Sandy was able to catch "Batilda," my last CC piece in under 20 minutes, so there is hope for some of you out there wanting to be the next Catcher! All I can say is good luck, and thank you ALL for your interest and determination as it keeps me excited about what I do......

PS... I will be posting my EHAG Black & White Fright Challenge piece on eBay, this weekend. Stay tuned here for a possible tease.......

Happy Catching,
(and thank you Celeste!)
~ Johanna

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos & Designs are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Recipe for Sweet Indulgence...

I LOVE to cook, but I don't claim to be a baker. Of course, I love cookies and cakes, pies and other sinfully rich delights, but just looking at these delicacies can pile on the pounds. However, I will make an exception for a special occasion or request. Yesterday was JP's Birthday, and he asked that I make him a Chocolate Torte!



Twist my arm right?...Hardly! I have a weakness for chocolate torte, and so jumped at the chance. I went digging for a recipe that I made him 7 years ago for the same occasion. My notes said, "Best so far"... and "Excellent!" So, we went ingredient shopping, and pictured above is the end result! We cut into it and savored each bite moments before midnight. Tempted? Well, I thought I would share the recipe with you just in case.... Warning, this is RICH, so share it with your family and friends so you don't find yourself regretful from eating it ALL :)

Flourless Chocolate Torte Recipe
Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:
3 oz - unsweetened chocolate
5 ea - eggs
1 c - sugar
1 c - butter, unsalted, melted
3 oz - semisweet chocolate
1/4 c - cornstarch sifted
1/2 tsp - vanilla

***GLAZE***
6 1/2 oz - semisweet chocolate
2 tbs - butter
1/3 c - heavy cream

Directions:
Over hot water in top of double boiler, beat the eggs and sugar until mixture is very light and almost white in color. Remove from heat. (I started out with a hand whisk and realized after several minutes that I might be standing there for hours. So, I hollered for JP to grab the electric mixer and whisk attachment, and eventually I arrived at the desired result. Eggs, slowly cooking over a double boiler make me nervous, so luckily he was around. In this blend, I actually used all natural cane sugar, so it was a bit more creamy in color once all fluffed up)

Meanwhile, melt the butter and skim off the foam. Return to heat and melt the chocolates within the butter. ( We went to Whole Foods and purchased bar and chip chocolate in their bakery / coffee bar. I was in search for Callebaut Belgian chocolate, as JP is from Belgium and that's a popular baking choice out there. However, it was unavailable, so we bought a 6 oz bar of dark South American chocolate, and about 6 oz of German milk chipped chocolate. I say experiment. If you love chocolate, you can't go wrong :) Next time, I think I will use more dark chocolate and less milk chocolate, as this particular torte is pretty sweet!

Beat the sifted cornstarch slowly into the cooling egg mixture on low speed and until thoroughly blended.

Stir the vanilla into the chocolate mixture, and then pour the chocolate mix into the egg mixture and stir by folding until it's uniform in color. Spoon into a 10-inch springform pan that has been greased and floured.

Bake at 325 F for 20-25 minutes, until torte slightly pulls away from sides of pan. A knife inserted in center will NOT come out clean, so do not over bake! (I took mine out after 22 minutes. It was rather jiggly in the middle, and after about a minute, it deflated a bit leaving a central depression, perfect for the glaze) Cool in the springform pan, and remove from ring.

To make the glaze, melt remaining chocolate, butter and cream and spoon over the cooled torte. Refrigerate and chill completely. Every bite is rich, dense and delish! I suggest serving it with raspberries or strawberries and a hot cup of cappuccino!

(I would credit the writer of this recipe, but I found it online 7 years ago, printed it off and added to my 'lil recipe book. I've changed it a bit, and all I can say is that it won't disappoint if you're a chocolate lover like me!)

Happy SWEET Birthday JP!
xoxo,
~ Johanna