I love flowers

Ceramic Heart Boxes!

You know how every parent thinks their kid is the cutest kid? I think I can relate, cause I think my Art Students are the most talented Artists! My 3 and 4 year old Little Artists made these Ceramic Heart Boxes. I prepped them with pre-flattened clay and a heart cookie cutter. The steps were the following:

1.) Cut two hearts out of the flattened clay.

2.) Skor the edges of all hearts and apply slip to edges.

3.) Take pre flattened clay and skor the edge, then mold around one of the heart shapes to make the sides of the box. When the heart is shaped the way you want cut off the excess on the top with a wire clay cutter.

4.) Roll a tiny ball for the top of the box. Skor and slip the ball to the other heart shape.

5.) Fire in the kiln at 3000 degrees. When it comes out talk to the students about cool colors and warm colors. (This is my favorite part! I ask the kiddos what something thats hot? They say, “The sun!” I say “what color is the sun?” They say “Yellow!” I make a list on the board of all things that are hot and coincidentally, Those are all of our warm colors! I told the kids that because the heart means love and warm feelings we are going to use “warm colors” some of them get bummed because they want to use other colors, but I have found when it comes to childrens art if they are provided with too many colors they mix them all and get brown anyway I’m not sayin’ thats not “pretty” or “artistic” but I think it’s my job as a teacher to show them what different color combinations can do for their art!

How to be a Girly Girl…

Girly Girls….

Love to paint their nails!

Wear lipstick!

Get their Beauty Sleep...Shhh!

Kaitlyn’s 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday Princess Kaitlyn!

Gift from the heart :)

Look at that face! Nap time is approaching!

Mommy and Daddy Woods

Aunties!

Uncles!

Happy Birthday Princess Kaitlyn!

Auntie Marie, Auntie Lana and Kaily Mae

Kaitlyn’s royal subjects wished our LifeGroup Princess lots of hugs and kisses on her 1st Birthday! A beautiful, bubbly, friendly Princess with a sweet tooth…my kinda gal! Love you Kaitlyn! Love, Aunt Irvina

Messanger Birds Art Lesson

Its so interesting how one image or thought can inspire something completely different. Take this Messanger Bird Lesson. My friend Lisa at the Art Center had found an image of some “Peruvian Messanger Birds” made out of clay. They were tiny and held a tiny note for someone. I saw the picture and was inspired to teach about messanger birds, but not with clay, the lesson I came up with was this Messanger Bird Lesson using watercolors and colored pencils.

I  had my kiddo art students make these awesome dawson Messanger Birds for an Art Lesson. I started out handing them a piece of paper and I asked them to think of someone who lives very far away and to write them a message. Then I told them what messanger birds and honing pigeons are. I showed them how to draw a bird from shapes and then to connect them. Then I asked them to imagine that bird taking their message from their house to the person who lives far aways house. They drew their lesson in colored pencil and then filled it in with water colors.

The lesson instigated some cool conversations about places the students have been and the art of letter writing vs. texting or emailing.

Jessica Burkhart Art Show – Alta Coffee

Jessica Burkhart Art

Jessica Burkhart Art

Lisa Thompson Designs Inc.

Jessica Burkhart Art

Lisa Thompson Designs Inc.

Jessica Burkhart Art

Jessica Burkhart Art

The always amazing Jessica Burkhart debuted at Alta Coffee in Newport Beach, Sunday Night. The work of the gorgeous Jessica Burkhart spoke for itself. While the  lovely Lisa Thompson Designs put together a gorgeous spread of sweets, treats and flowers for all of us art affecianados to fill up on sugar that we needed since the art was so breathtaking we were losing our balance . And as always the “Vino Vixen” herself Jamie Alcorn kept our pallettes soaked with rounds of wine. And as always expected myself the “faux art agent” of Miss.Burkhart inserted awkward Art Showing moments wherever I saw fit!

If you are interested in any of the art pieces you see above please inquire at jessicaburkhartart@yahoo.com

Ciao! Irvina

Birthday Cake Balloooooooooooooooooooons!

Happy Birthday Ari! Yummy!

My buddy Ari visited ol’ Newps from the Bay Area this weekend. It was his Birthday so in Nini Style I wanted to make him a cake. When I realized I didn’t have the proper frosting and coloring tools to do what I wanted I went to plan B and made my own “Decoration/Balloons of Ari and his friends.”

I took construction paper and cut it to a balloon shape then took pics of Ari and dudes and added little balloon saying over their heads. I then took silver wire, coiled it around my finger and glue gunned it to the back of the balloons. I think this idea was WAY cuter that the original. Isn’t it interesting how sometimes your dissapointment can be your fortune? I do!

xoxo

Nini Spice

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be.” – The Alchemist

Now this has to be the sweetest love story since The Notebook. My beautiful, intelligent writing mentor “Miss.J” was courted for 7…count them 1..2..3..4..5..6..7 years by the handsom “Mr.C” I’ll give you the 20 second commercial to this story…She worked in a coffee shop by the beach…he came in for a cup-a-Joe…He stood at the doorway and saw her pretty face pour a soy milk double latte and thought, “Thats the woman I am going to marry” …like a man he freaked out and didn’t return to the coffee shop for 3 months…when he did he asked her out…she said..”No, you’re not my type.” …he countered…”Can I be your friend?” …she shrugged…”Sure.” ….letters…emails..friendship.. and seven years later he proposed in Europa! Then he went and smuggled my beautiful and intelligent friend off to the dirty South…(is that racist to say “Dirty South?” I’ll have to check) Anyway, these are pics from her last night in Newport with us. I look at them and just smile at how this woman has changed my life and so many others. It’s amazing the impact one woman can make by just LIVING. xoxo

This makes me want to get a pooch!

Lovers

I have a BAD crush on Matthew!

She liked her tea cup! Jeannette is definitely a “3 Cups of Tea” kind of a friend.

L-O-V-E U!

We will be very sad, very, very, very sad!

Jeannette! Don’t leave us I’ll cry!

She left us for this handsom beast!

 

 

 

 

Tirtzah’s Bridal Shower…Purple Roses, Pumpkin Pasta and Prayers Galore

 

Aint to shabby a spread!

 

Hair clips were the parting gift…cause a good bride knows how to accessorize.

Yes, I'll have seconds thank you!

I heart these arrangements! The roses weren’t as purple as I wanted so I added purple cabbage to the vases

Diggin' into the Pumpkin Pasta..Thanks for the recipe Christy! Tirtzah and my new favorite Grandma! She's so chic!

Hostess trying to listen to 3 conversations at once…I’m such a spaz it’s almost cute.

 

I met my sweet friend Tirtzah of 5 years through my lifegroup at ROCKharbor. She is the sweetest fellow INFJ’r I know! We have had many deep and facinating conversations over tall Chai Latte’s. I was incredibly honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid in her wedding this December. We hosted the bridal shower, a palette of silver and purple at Tirtzah’s Aunt Brenda’s house in Corona del Mar, CA. I cooked a Pumpkin Pasta for the lunch entree and Brenda made an incredible chocolate cake and cheese cake for dessert. I loved meeting Tirtzah’s family, the women in her family were witty and hilarious. The shower went off without a hitch with lots of fun purple hues, wedding trivia games and my favorite touch was a mini veil for Tirtzah, to wear during the shower. I was inspired by the adorable veil my friend Becky wore at her Vintage Wedding this summer. I included the Pumpkin Pasta recipe below since it has been requested by so many.

Pumpkin Pasta a la Christy Winston

2 T. Olive Oil
1 lb. bulk sweet Italian Sausage, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh sage leaves, chiffoned (=2 T. )
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. fat free half and half
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 lb. penne rigato, al dente
Romano or parmasean
Heat oil ( 1 T) in large skillet. Add sausage and brown, drain oil and transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Return pan to stove and add remain T. of il. Saute garlic and onion ( tip: add onion first – saute till tender, then add garlic – prevents burnt garlic!) Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to pan. Reduce wine by 1/2 ( 2min.) Add stock and pumpkin and stir sauice until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat and stir in cream. Season with cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer mixture 5 – 10 minutes to thiicken sauce.
Return drained pasta to the pot it was cooked in. Remove bay leaf!!! and pour sauce over pasta. Toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with lots of shave parm cheese and sage leaves.

Serves: 4

Thankful Day 09