Wednesday Coffee Rambling

I made a batch of breakfast cookies last night but I changed the recipe again. I feel like this won’t be a permanent change because last night’s version, while still gluten free, was not vegan. I used butter and eggs in it, and toyed with the dry ingredients. I just wanted to see how it would taste if I made a more mainstream version. Not going to lie, butter does make everything taste better, but ultimately I prefer my vegan version.

I skipped on the dates in the batter and added cranberries instead. I crushed a bag of pecans with “that much” left in them and added that. Also very tasty. By accident, I threw my sea salt into the batter and was folding it in before I realized what I was doing. Usually I sprinkle it on before baking and press it down a little bit.

However, little bits of crunchy salt here and there, tucked into layers of oats and nestled against chunks of dark chocolate, made my heart sing. I’m definitely doing that again.

I have been looking at everyone’s blogs and it’s making me wish that I had a nifty little art journal to play with. After the last few years of animals and landscapes, I want to make art that doesn’t take 20-30-40 hours to create. I need to loosen things up. I haven’t mentioned that out loud or searched it online but Facebook has apparently been reading my mind. Today an article about loosening up with coloured pencils appeared in my feed.

It’s funny but with coloured pencils I’m very tight and controlled. Put an oil pastel in my hand and that all changes. No line drawings, no careful transferring of images so as not to corrupt the fancy paper. Nope. Just scribble and smile. I love The Frugal Crafter, and after watching her do a review of Mungyo water soluble oil pastels, I ordered them. I had filmed an unboxing for my IG art account but scrapped it because I didn’t realize until 2/3 of the way into things, that I’d turned my work diagonally and the top and bottom sections were cut off. I’m surprised I didn’t turn it all the way upside down, because that’s usually how I write and draw.

I think “water soluble oil pastel” is a contradiction in terms. Making this swatch was fun. They don’t lay down like oil pastels. They’re about as soft as Sennelier, but because their structure is different than a traditional oil pastel, they deposit more pigment in one swipe than a really soft traditional oil pastel. The colours stay vibrant when they’re dissolved in water. They don’t dry like watercolour, though. You can still feel that “never quite cured” oil pastel feeling. I haven’t sprayed fixative in between layers so I’ll have to try that. I’m not sure how I’m going to use them but I’m thinking of using them as really vibrant base layers because I can use the water to push them right into the tooth of the paper. I am excited by gourmet crayons!!

It’s grey and yukky out today, in fact is has been most of the last two weeks, but April showers bring May flowers. Some April sunshine and heat would be nice, though.

I’m waiting for a numerology book to arrive today or tomorrow and I’m excited about it. “Numerology and Your Future” was published in the late 70s/early 80s by Dusty Bunker. She made a lot of predictions about the 80s, 90s, and beyond. She wasn’t wrong. She did a Tarot procession of the US presidents. I’m interested to see how this version has been updated.

Also, I think I may need this notebook in my life: 

Well, my coffee cup is nearly empty, so it’s time to shake the lard off my arse and do the things.