Easy Cherry Chip and Cola Cake Recipe

What's  your favorite soda?  Cream?  Birch beer?   Orange?Vanilla?  Black Cherry?  Coke? Pick one of your favorites or what  you have on hand and one package of cake mix.  That's the easy recipe for a two ingredient cake.

Make the cake this way and save putting in eggs, oil, and those calories.  You can use a diet soda if you like.

    TIPS:  

1. Use a room temperature can of soda. 
2. Empty the cake mix in a bowl and form a well to pour the soda into, then use your mixer or a wooden spoon to blend. 
3. Use a larger bowl than you might normally use as the soda will foam up and you don't want it to overflow the sides (forming the well should prevent that.)

I used to buy mixed cans of soda from Shop-Rite and Pathmark when I lived back East.  Any flavors they had, I could pick what I wanted.  There was none of the, "you are forced to buy a package already selected for you," as now.  Where you live are you able to pick and choose your flavors that way?   I have a soda about once a month, so it's not an issue, but I do like freedom of choice.

I used the "Betty Crocker Super Moist Cherry Chip" because I thought it would go nicely with Coca Cola. You can use a different type of cake mix.  The Hershey's, "Chocolate Lover's Frosting" was a recipe from the container of Hershey's Cocoa.  Chocolate and Cherries, I have to say, "YUMMM! ♥♥♥"

Hope you enjoy this easy recipe.  I like to be in and out of the kitchen when it's summery and hot and this cake allows that.  Thanks for stopping by and also for clicking on the poll.  I think I will link this post up at Katherine's Favorite Things and at Terry's Link it up Thursday.

A Pleasurable Task, a Brave Girl Win

Whoopdeedo! I had the pleasure of winning a giveaway from Geri Centonze, and selecting one of her 5x7 prints was a task because of all the fabulous choices.  I went back and forth between having a portrait of Adam Levine looking at me, wait that's not a problem ;) to looking at angels and contemplative figures, to choosing between other portraits of celebrities, story characters and people both living and of historic significance.  

Finally, I decided on someone who I thought looked quite brave and she has brunette hair and green eyes the same as someone like me.  I like the wardrobe, the owl in the tree, the moon in the sky, the buildings in the background and the pumpkin in her arms and the color palette used.

I like everything about this painting.   I totally enjoy my selection, go to the end of the post to see her revealed.                                                                

        

This is Geri: 

 

"I discovered the ACEO art form in 2008 and have been creating them ever since (just over 2000 to date).  In my real life I'm a wife, mom and "bunny" to 3 adorable granddaughters." 

How do you keep up with Geri when she is painting, drawing, creating recipes and sharing all kinds of techy tips?  Visit her newest blog:  Eat Paint Learn, "I'll be sharing the yummy food I eat while still following Weight Watchers, the art I create whether it's traditional or digital media.  I'll also present some video tutorials and revisit some from my old blog in a video format."

Try the blog where I first met her: My Heart Art by Geri, and the blog: Geri Centonze Art go there to see her amazing "Speed Paint Videos" and some of her paintings in the series, "One Hundred Humans." 

Geri's, "Print Gallery" is available to view here.
She also has an ebay shop.

Here's my brave girl:
"Thank You, Geri! ♥"

We'll Get You My Pretties, at Celebrate Oz

Hey, I'm still playing around with PicMonkey and that led me to think of Flying Monkeys and the Celebrate Oz blog party that is scheduled for July 19.   I wanted to let you know about it and tell you to get off your broom or out of the bubble you're in and head over to sign up for the blog party.  

You don't have to be an artiste (note the "e") you just have to make something Wizard of Oz related.  If you write, paint, draw, make jewelry, bake, what have you- just add your blog link to the list in the sidebar, leave Linda a comment on the post that you're rsvping the party invite, make your stuff and show your creation(s) on July 19th!  That's it,  my pretties.  Oh, snag Linda's party button from her post when you go and put it somewhere on your blog too. 

I could show you what I'm working on, but then I'd have to drop a house on you.  And the jokes keep coming.  Seriously, I have to start whatever I'm going to make, as soon as I unstick the lollipop from my seat.  Ahh to be in Munchkin Land when the chocolate roses are in bloom.  If there weren't any chocolate roses, there should've been ♥

Have fun visiting the blogs participating in Celebrate Oz.  Where's my bucket of water? 

Summer Skies and Skipping Rope

This aceo is saying blue summer skies, kites, chasing butterflies, swimming pools, beaches, and all kinds of other memory making childhood fun!

I'm currently pulled in a few directions with a clouded focus.  You can add clouds to the description, too.  Maybe that's where the tug of war rope comes into play.  Or, this could be the beginning of a tangled web...

I've used watercolors, acrylics, tissue papers, words, and string.  Skipping rope, walking the dog, playing rodeo,  laundry drying out in the sunshine, and more...that's what I see in this aceo.

"Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see..."

Father and Child Reunion

Father's Day is around the corner.  My Dad swam in a sea of estrogen.  By that I mean, he had daughters and no sons.  But I don't feel sorry for him not to have had a son; sure to carry on the family name, I think that's one of those goals, but it's not a guarantee in life.  It would have been great to have a brother, though.

Daddy showed me how to hold and use tools, do some lightweight maintenance on my cars, explained some important things he wanted me to know, too.   He had a lot of responsibility when he was a child, and that burden was omnipresent.  I learned from observing the unspoken.


This aceo captures a little bit of the fire of the relationship, it's not tight, clear, and focused, and there is a gap, a threshold of sorts. There's some shine and hardness and a darkness to overcome.  Fire and light.

It's not finished, perhaps it's the text, "Father and Son" that's prolonging the completion.   My Dad died before he had a chance to see the big changes in his children's lives.  I'm writing this on the 19th anniversary of his passing, but scheduled for a later posting.  You might say he died young, and many people do, our  reunions will come someday.

Do you have that special connection in retrospect of your Dad, whether he's alive or passed on?

Collages on PicMonkey 29Faces Roundup

All of the 29 plus faces for the challenge are in these collages.  Now that PicMonkey added the collage option, I decided to try it out.  The feature works well if your photos are of a uniform size.  A little tweaking is necessary, but keep trying and you will probably get something you like.  For free editing, it's great.  I do miss all of the fonts that Picnik had, the new site doesn't have the font I used on my labels and buttons, a small nuisance.  Go there  and have some fun.





If you want to read any post associated with the face, use the label for "art" or type, "29Faces" in the word search.  You could also go to February 2012 posts, that's when all of these were done.  I did add the couple of doodles on a piece of junk mail, but trying to manipulate the collages to fit the various sizes in, I forgot to add it back.  So here are 28 plus one that was not part of the challenge.  

What do you want to try that you haven't ever done or want to get back to doing?  Will summertime   give you the time and opportunity to go for it?

Five Wishes an Aceo and Cat Stevens

Wish I may, wish I might
Get the wish I wish tonight...

This week's theme at Inspiration Avenue is, you guessed it, "Wishes."

I previously made an aceo with dandelions and wishes, so I've got my wishes all aligned.  Each dandelion represents a family member.

It's a mixed media aceo with braided thread, a scrapbook embellishment and painted in acrylics and watercolors.

At the bottom of the post, there's a video of Cat Stevens, with a song about something vital to getting your wish, if you counted on a dandelion, that is.

Do you remember Cat Stevens?  I used to have his songs memorized and as soon as I played this video, well the words came back to me.

What's your wish?
                                                                       

Watch Out for the Upturned Apple Cart

This aceo has changed over time, a few different layers and color changes, too.  I've put different bits of papers, ribbons, and string on, only to change it out time and again.  Do you get like that- revising until your work no longer looks recognizable?

I think the issue is I lost sight of what the original intention/feeling was that I was hoping to convey.  It must be the chaos, it really does upset my apple cart.

Now it looks as if the dream is peeled away in layers, rumpled and aging, bedding, bandages and pieces of time attempting to stall the revelations.  Even with this chaos the colors are light with flecks of sparkle and someone's life's blood peeking through.  

Do you work better in messy and chaotic places?  Can it be too quiet to concentrate?

Shaking Hands and Shaking Paws Celebrating the Queen

Wishing everyone celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee a very happy and safe weekend.  

Hope your weather is outstanding for the long bank holiday.  

This collage celebrates Her Majesty's love for dogs. 

What do you think, would she rather shake hands or shake paws?