The Time Machine ~ Art Share

I recently joined Creative Souls to broaden by art world.  Decided to take it slow so I signed up for the monthly ATC Swap. 

The theme was Time

You can view my piece HERE

This is the piece my partner Kaylene of Gum Nut Photography made for me.  It's all digital, but you wouldn't know it from the photo would you.  Pretty cool huh! 

Thanks Kaylene for the fun Time Machine ATC.

Grow Your Blog

Hey, I'm Caroline and this is my official "Grow Your Blog" Post, hosted by 2 Bags Full

Welcome to my blog, please sit back and enjoy a tasty beverage of your choice, listen to some fun tunes and have a great time.  I am excited to meet new bloggers and I'm glad you have stopped by. 

I'm a wife, mother, assembly artist, struggling writer, amateur chef and avid reader.

Glitter Tart Designs was launched in 2008 and has developed and changed as I have learned more about my art, grown my family and been influenced by other lovely bloggers.  I hope to continue to grow and share that growth here on Glitter Tart Designs. 

Posts on Glitter Tart Designs are all about my three main hobbies. 

Art:  I share mine, create tutorials, share others art, and host swaps.

I received this in the mail today from one of the swaps I took part in.  The theme was Time. You can view my creation HERE

  Recently we moved into a new house, a wonderful house, a house where one day the basement will be my dream studio.  But right now it doesn't have walls or a floor.  It works, I create in it, but the pictures aren't so pretty.

 Here is where I spend my days.

I know...it's a mess...I am normally working on multiple projects at a time.

Have to have my tunes, and I have swap art all over for inspiration.

This is the only storage I have put up on the unfinished walls.  I figure the less I put up, the more my husband has to step over, the quicker I will get walls.

 Yesterday I created this piece amidst all the chaos in my studio

I'm not giving this piece away but scroll down and I am giving away a piece of my artwork. 

I also do monthly art giveaways, January's post can be found HERE and I always have a link/button on the sidebar of my blog.

***

Recipes:  When I’m not covered with glitter in the Studio I like to throw flour around my kitchen.  My favorite thing to make are cupcakes and I share my creations, tips and recipes.  One day I hope to launch an online bakery, The Lone Goose Bakery, but I’m in no rush. 

This is a photo of my Ettrick's Brownies (one of my giveaways).  I topped them with some really yummy Chocolate Rum frosting, powdered sugar and a raspberry. 

So sorry if I made you hungry...I think I must take a break and go make some before I finish my post.

***

Reading:  My art is inspired by many of the books that I read and I read a broad range.  I’m a member of two book clubs and I always have a pile of books that has nothing to do with the clubs to read. 
I review as many of the books I read as I can.

My most recent review was on The Physick Book Of Deliverence Dane

And I have plans to review the following books soon, Finale, The Light Between Oceans, The Paris Wife, The Shoemakers Wife and Order of the Dimensions

I've also hosted read alongs in the past, that is where I pick a book and everyone reads it and answers questions/discusses it for a chance to win prizes. 

***
Now onto the good stuff :)

Since I am dedicated to 3 main things on my blog I thought I should give away 3 things.

1.  Any book from my Amazon store GlitterTartReads (at no charge) if you win you just tell me which book you want and it is on it's way.
2.  Ettrick's Brownie Mix (yep, just like Betty Crocker but better)
3.  A piece of my artwork

Just leave a comment
tell me which prize you are most interested in or rank them from most to least desired.
I will draw the 3 winners Friday February 1st.

Good Luck

Please feel free to contact me privately about anything, I love meeting new people and connecting.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history – the Salem witch trials.

 

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie’s grandmother’s abandoned home near Salem, she can’t refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest—to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

 

As the pieces of Deliverance’s harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem’s dark past then she could have ever imagined.

 

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials in the 1690s and a modern woman’s story of mystery, intrigue and revelation

Review:

 

The Physick Book of Deliverace Dane had me at "Salem," I am obsessed with anything having to do with the Salem Witch trials, fact or fiction.  I also have a tendency to gravitate towards books with past and present story lines.  So it looked like this book would have it all for me.  But try as I might, hope as I read, it just didn't do it for me.

The book opens with a Prologue that is very intriguing!  So don't skip the Prologue.  I did have some trouble with the words, they were spelled the way they were back in the 1600's.  The historical section is brief and then we are in the early 90's.  Most of the historical sections are very short and I found myself constantly wanting more of the past story line, most likely that is because historical fiction is my true love. 

 Connie, who you can learn more about by visiting her Facebook page (click the link in the book description) is reluctant to really be a part of any of her family dealings, especially the house her mother grew up in which has been abandoned for years.  But she does what every dutiful daughter would and goes to clean it out so they can sell it.  I find it kind of fun that the author took the time to set up a Facebook page for her character even though FB didn't exist in 1991.

 

Connie discovers much about her family's past and how the women used their knowledge of herbs to help others.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

But then towards the end of the book things take a drastic turn from the herbal witchcraft to a more paranormal, mystical witchcraft.  Don't get me wrong I like paranormal a lot but I wish the author had stuck with one or the other. 

The other fault I had with the book was that there were a few too convenient things.  After all Connie's discoveries are from 300 years in the past but yet people in her life are connected.  I would love to see an author have the characters struggle to solve the issues a bit more or maybe I've just been reading too many books recently that have convenient solutions to big problems. 

 

Katherine Howes writing is good, her descriptions are great and if I received news that her other book was good I would read it.  After all my issues with Deliverance Dane are minor and I think I just expected more. 

 Sometimes expectations can kill a reader.

I am linking up with
please come join us, and check out the other reads.

 

Cupid Pairs them up

I recently discovered a new swap group.

February's theme is

"He loves me, he loves me not"

I'm killing two birds with one stone with this piece.

A few weeks ago I shared with you Alpha Stamps newest swap, a Kit themed swap, and one of my pieces. 

January's swap is Doorways

you can still come join us!

Well, I am still playing with all the goodies I got in the kit.  And made this ATC for the Blissful ATC Swap Group using many items from the kit.

All those gorgeous beads came in the kit!

My latest escapade in the art world is learning how to make my own collage sheets.  Well, I did it!  Above I used one of my images. 

Mens' names on one side.

Womens' on the other.

Now if cupid would just stop playing around and get to work we would know if

"he loves me, he loves me not"

 

I'm crossing my fingers that Alpha Stamps will pick up my collage sheet line.  If not I will be selling them in my etsy store and will make an announcement about it. 

 

Hope you enjoy my

"Cupid Pairs Them Up" ATC

 

Monkey Bread

Okay let's face it, there is nothing pretty about Monkey Bread but oh is it tasty!

Biscuits coated with cinnamon and sugar and butter, yes please. 

 

At first I was going to make my own biscuits but then I remembered my Mama Doris'.

She is the woman that taught me everything I know about baking.  But don't, I repeat, don't eat one of her biscuits.  They are lead! 

Every summer my family would go and visit and she would have biscuits, bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast.  Yum right! 

When my sister and I got older, as did my grandparents, the bacon and eggs started to disappear and wow could you tell how heavy those biscuits were.  And get this...if we didn't eat them she would place them on a dish and put it up in the cabinet for later.  I vividly remember opening the cupboard to get a glass and seeing those biscuits. 

I look back now and smile, I too put uneaten biscuits in the cupboard for later, but mine are store bought. 

Ingredients:

40 Biscuits - homemade or store bought :)

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup fine sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

 

Equipment:

Bunt Pan (buttered)

Plastic bag

sauce pan

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pour Sugar and cinnamon into a plastic bag or a bowl and mix

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces

coat each biscuit piece with cinnamon and sugar mixture

place each biscuit piece into a pre-greased/buttered bunt pan

Bring brown sugar and butter to a boil on the stove, remove from heat and let sit 10 min

Pour over coated biscuit pieces

Bake 40-45 min

let sit 15 min

flip

enjoy!



Filling up the Store for Valentines!

I've been a busy little bee.  Last month, wow it feels like forever ago, many people asked about my Gold Leafed Pear, well, I put together a kit to teach you how to do it.  The best part, when you are done you will have your very own Bird in a Pear!

Not into making art, I get it!  But who doesn't love a nice relaxing bath.  It is how I end almost all my nights.  Takes me away from the days worries and relaxes me.  So just for valentines I've put together some very special Bath Bombs. 

 

You can get everything you see plus more in my shop

Glitter Tart Designs

 

If you would like to see me make a different kit, offer up some of the art you have seen, or have some fragrances you love please let me know.  I am always willing to make something new!

 

Grow Your Blog Party

Yes, I was avoiding work, but sometimes when that happens my blog hopping finds some real treasures.  Today this is what I found and I wanted to share it with all of you. 

 

2 Bags Full is hosing a "Grow Your Blog" party this weekend

 

It is all about connecting and support like minded bloggers.  I can't wait for this weekend to meet some new bloggers and share my love of art, food and reading with them.  Come and join along!

The Time Keeper

Recently I joined Creative Soul's, I was feeling a bit stuck, and thought it would help.  Instead of diving in head first I've decided to take baby steps and started with a group that exchanges ATC's based on monthly themes. 

January's theme is Time

and my partner is

Kaylene of Gum Nut Photography

Kaylene and I are on opposite ends of the art spectrum so I hope she likes what I created for her.  I had fun making it and can't wait to see what I get in return.

The Iguana Tree

Summary:

 Set amid the perils of illegal border crossings, The Iguana Tree is the suspenseful saga of Lilia and Hector, who separately make their way from Mexico into the United States, seeking work in the Carolinas and a home for their infant daughter. This harrowing novel meticulously examines the obstacles each faces in pursuing a new life: manipulation, rape, and murder in the perilous commerce of border crossings; betrayal by family and friends; exploitation by corrupt officials and rapacious landowners on the U.S. side; and, finally, the inexorable workings of the U.S. justice system. Hector and Lilia meet Americans willing to help them with legal assistance and offers of responsible employment, but their illegal entry seems certain to prove their undoing. The consequences of their decisions are devastating. In the end, The Iguana Tree is a universal story of loss, grief, and human dignity.

 

Chick here to read an exert from the book

 

 

Review:

 

The Iguana Tree is Michel Stone's debut novel, it was the January read for my Library book club and we got to Skype with Michel.

 

I feel the need to start off by saying that ones political views, regardless of what they are, are going to have an effect on you when reading this book.  Even though that was not Michel's goal.  So if you do have very strong views on the issue of Illegal Immigration, you might want to skip this one.

 

The book starts off in Oaxaco City, Puerto Angel Mexico, with Lilia (Hector's wife) seeming to have a fine life.  Roof over her head, friends, family and a lovely child.  So why did Hector leave for America?  This bothered me the entire book, there seemed to be no reason.  I asked Michel why she left this detail out and her answer was that her editor believed everyone would know about the squalor that the family lived in, how little they got paid.  Michel did mention that they made very little money but otherwise she painted a lovely picture of Lilia and Hector's home. 

From: Toques on Moto Blog
 

To me the book was about longing for more verses being content with what one has.  A basic human drive.  Michel said that the message she was trying to get across was that Bad thins happen to good people and you just have to pick up and move on. 

 

Hector's crossing is successful and he makes a friend on the way.  They end up in South Carolina on Edisto Island.  I have a lot of family in that area and it is gorgeous there.  He gets a good job and is saving up to bring his family to him.  But it wouldn't be a book about good and evil if things went as expected. 

The book quickly descends into a very dark novel.  Bad things happen to all the characters, some of the characters reactions seem out of character.  One of the book club participants asked Michel about how much of the Machismo was intended and Michel said it was the very definition of Hector's character.  Well, I am not an uneducated person but to me Hector's character was the one that never seemed to work, so a bit more explanation would have been nice. 

I liked the title of the book and quickly caught onto the meaning.  "Lilia did not want to leave her spot under the tree.  Emanuel did not hold her there as much as the memories of a carefree life, of a long forgotten weightlessness and belief that all would always be right and under control." (pg 16-17).  When Lilia ends up in bad situations she talks in her mind to the Iguana that had been in the tree outside her home. 


Iguana Papel de Parede
 

Overall I did not enjoy this book, the characters seemed poorly written, there seemed to be no reason for Hector leaving his family and home and really bad things happened.  I admit that after chatting with the author I do have a better appreciation for the book but most readers won't have that opportunity so I will have to stick with my original assessment. 

 

Michel is currently working on her 2nd novel, which is not a sequel (The Iguana Tree needs a sequel, it ended on a horribly sad note).  It too will be set in South Carolina but will be more of a "finding one's way through the cultural differences of the people living in South Carolina." 

 

I am linking up to Art @ Home's: Literary Friday

 

Winter Jar Swap Reminder

 

 Hey Gang...don't forget about my Winter in a Jar Swap

Sign ups close  next week January 15th

See the original post for all the details

HERE

 

In the meantime Look at what I found, more inspiration. 

Miniature Couple in a Jar by Cute Cottage Overlaod

Isn't is just adorable and so wintery! 

We have some wonderful swappers
Plan Lady 19
Art Rocks
Klucking Bear
Art Dust
Andrea L.
The Other Side of Deb
Denise's Delights in her Coffeeberry Cottage
Carol
Scrap Savings

So please come join us, it is going to be fun!
And I think a Linky party is going to be in order, it will be my first :)
 

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