Elderberry Hedge: 'The Bonny Baker' Bakery & Cafe

"'The Bonny Baker' Bakery & Cafe"

(May 28, 2012)

Watercolour, approx. 7x10"

    What can you say about Bonny? Well, for one, she's a real sweetie!  Her sunny disposition has most everyone in the village flocking to her bakery/cafe and her delectable desserts keep them coming back!

    When Bonny first moved to Elderberry Hedge she was looking for a unique location and she certainly found it when she happened upon an overturned milk crate - just the right size for what she had in mind.  The open front of the bakery allow the aroma's from her daily baking to waft through the hedge and entice many to meander down the well-worn path for a quick bite.

    Bonny discovered her love for baking when she was just a l'il mouseling.  She perfected her chocolate chip cookie recipe by the age of twelve and moved on to pastries in her teens which have won blue ribbons at the county fair every year since.  She really loves baking fancy cakes and cookies, but breads have become something of a speciality as of late.

    Throughout the year Bonnie runs Baking 'Funshops' (because baking is never work!) for villagers of all ages because she feels that everyone deserves to feel the wonderful sense of accomplishment that comes from baking something yummy from good, simple ingredients!

     

    ♥ Cath- 

       

   

  

   

Awww!

"Blue Jay Chick"

(Spring 2006)

    Taking their first few hops and pops in the grass as they begin to explore the world outside the nest... so cute!  Over the past several years I've watched many young birds get their start by hopping around the yard.  The parent bird is always perched somewhere nearby - watching.

"Robin Chick"

(May 2012)  

   Sometimes the parent will make their presence known using the not-so-subtle swoop overhead method... other times I've noticed that they sit somewhere just out of sight - waiting, watching - a single sharp chirp from the parent alerts the chick to start hopping toward the sound of the call. 

    This l'il robin chick was having a seista in the backyard on Saturday afternoon, well, that is until I heard the shrill call from it's momma alerting it of the approaching paparazzi (me!) and it started it's hippety-hoppity way home...

    I ♥ the little tufts of fluff still holding on and poking between the more mature feathers - darling!  

    ♥ Cath-

 

Steadfast Love

Another wonderful reason to be thankful and full of praise for our heavenly Father!!

♥ Cath-

Plein Air Painting!!! :)))



    Today I was able to enjoy the first half of a birthday gift that my loving hubby gave me - a day at a Kim Rempel Plien Air Painting Class!  Woo-hooo!! 

   

    The Good Earth in Beamsville hosts Kim's classes and their grounds are beautiful!!  There are so-o-o many lovely little vignettes around the property and their gardens, WOW!!   Not only is it a lovely treat to be able to paint anywhere on the property but part way through your day of painting you get to sit down in their refreshing bistro and enjoy a beautiful gourmet lunch and decandent dessert - YUM!!   Now anyone who knows me knows there are two things I love: ART and GOOD FOOD!!  ~ I tell you these classes were made for me!!  

    The above photograph is the vignette that I chose to paint at Good Earth today.  I have admired that split-rail fence ever since I laid eyes on it at my first-ever plien air painting class back in July 2011 - all silvery in the sunlight and the rhododendrons in full bloom - simply inspiring!! 

    But I've always been intimidated by layers and layers of green foliage - I love looking at it but painting it is something else altogether! I pondered it for a few moments and then that split-rail fence starting calling out to me so I decided to leap in with both feet, set up my easel and have a go at it!! 

This is my painting about an hour in - just before lunch break...

...and by the end of the day it looked like this:

"Nicolette's Garden"

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16x20"

    You can see I took some artistic license in a few areas. In particular I swapped out the background foliage for a blue sky - if I were to paint the same vignette again tomorrow I would do the same thing -

I ♥ blue skies!

    A wonderful and inspiring day!!  I'm feeling very blessed!!

    ♥ Cath- 

A few of my favourite things...

"Mermaid Lagoon" from the BIG map...

and the "Sea Serpent"

and also the "Pirate Map Medallion"

These pieces have been a part of my life for two weeks now - so I'm still thinking about them and all I learned while designing each 'character' and the line work that defines them.... 

I hope you haven't minded more pirate postings! 

Fair winds, me mateys!

♥ Cath-

What I've been up to....

"Pirate Prop Map"

(approx. 15"x26")

    I've been busy helping with the set design of VPS' "How To Be A Pirate" mini-musical.

Design painted for gymnasium doors

       It all started with a pirate map for the actors to use... that was just a warm-up for the BIG (7.5 foot square!) map for the stage backdrop...  That big ol' map was a lot of fun to work on! 

    I racked my brain to think of all the pirate-y things I could include in the map and came up with classics like "Mermaid Lagoon" and "Hideaway Island", and then some of my own original names: "Village of Pillage" and "Whale-y Waters"... I worked away at the lines to make them look as though a feather quill had been used to scribe them - I'm happy with how it turned out!  Here are the details in a thumbnail arrangement:

        After the map was completed it was on to the two pelicans for the stage... I constructed a complete chicken wire framework of a pelican body but due to stability/balance issues I put it aside and started from scratch with some laminated (glued and layered) pieces of cardboard.

    I drew a profile silhouette of a pelican and then padded it out (to look 3D-ish) with newspaper.  A few brushstrokes with some paint and a cheeky l'il pelican took shape and my math skills proved sufficient in designing him to stand straight and balanced! 

    I had made a fish in the same style and wasn't sure how I was going to use it until I talked to my Mom and she suggested a fishing pole over the pelican's shoulder with the fish dangling from the line... a couple modifications and voila! A fishing pelican! Thanks Mom!!

   

    Here is a photo of the pelican before he left home and two showing his place on stage in the play:

    The second pelican was completed soon after - a simple painting of a pelican in flight:

Pelican getting adjusted for hanging...  Will be hanging much straighter by showtime!

    The set design was a complete team effort and my daughter's amazing teacher Mrs. Preece was the one who imagined up all the coomponents that were to be in the set - I set to work on my 'jobs' (as seen above) - she set to work too and constructed the whole front half of a pirate's ship complete with a mast (with working hoist for the Jolly Roger!) and by showtime it will have working sails also! I told you she was AMAZING!!  As for the ship all I can think to say is, "My, she's yar!"

    Here's the overall set design - which, by the time I see it Wednesday morning at dress

rehearsal, will have been tweaked and adjusted to perfection by the wonderful Mrs. Preece! 

I can't wait to see it!!

    

        And now you know what has kept me so busy and away from my watercolours!

        ♥  Cath-

Pathways

"Pathway on Eagle's Nest"

North of Bancroft, ON

(July 2005)

    Pathways.  You can describe life as being made up of pathways.  Pathways represent choices, roads we choose to take with either determination, hope, or simply faith.  Sometimes we look ahead clearly envisioning our paths, other times we stop and look behind us to see the kind of path we have traversed. 

    For me it's a little of both, I sometimes do pause and look back to see where I've come from, thankful to God for helping me through it all, but the real joy comes from the few occassions that I'm blessed with seeing the next small portion of the path clearly laid out... inspiring joy fills me up when I realize that there is still some more of the path to tread - I'm not done yet - still more to do, more to learn, more to give.  I take the next step knowing there may be inevitable difficulties on the path ahead but I also know God is with me the whole way - for that I'm thankful to Him each and every day!

     ♥ Cath-

"Eagle's Nest Pathway"

North of Bancroft, ON

(July 2005)

 "Bruce Trail Pathway"

Jordan portion along 21st Street, North of Ball's Falls, Jordan, ON

(Summer 2007)

"Red Bridge Pathway"

Twenty Valley, Jordan, ON

(Summer 2007)