Make sure you ask for this when you do your taxes this year!!! Potentially large credit for you!

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the name of the game!  This credit is available to you (in the US) if you are 'moderate or low income' and have made income in 2010.  That's right, you could qualify to get a substantial credit just for working!


Moderate or low income covers more people than you'd think-I happily took advantage of the EITC last year and a received a $400 tax credit!  (Please note: a tax credit is different than a refund.  A tax credit is a reduction of what you may owe and a refund is the $ you will receive back if you qualify).  Some family members of mine received an $800 tax credit each last year because of the EITC!  


If you want more info please go to the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96406,00.html


I say 'please' because last year I spoke with an IRS rep. who said that the US Federal Govt. is thinking about getting rid of the EITC because not enough people are aware of it and using it!  The horror!!! 


Please use this so we don't loose it!  It's the clever thing to do ;)

Chocolate Wands!

Mmmm don't these look good? ;)  They are yummy, easy to make, and fun to eat!  

I started with a cooling rack loaded with mini stick pretzels

Then I used my make shift double boiler.  I took a small pot, filled it half way with water, put it on med-high heat, stuck a thick ceramic bowl on top, and added my chips.

I stirred these pretty consistently until they melted

Then, (using a potholder because this bowl is hot!) I brought the chocolate over to the table.  I swirled and molded one pretzel tip at a time with chocolate...

And then dipped the tip into a container of sprinkles to coat

I let the chocolate cool on the cooking rack

And then arranged them for serving :)  These make for some clever finger foods with just the right amounts of salty and sweet.  If you want to try this project with some alterations you could use white chocolate, big pretzels sticks, let your imagination go! :)

Photo Editing Is The Icing On The Cake...Or Cookie!

Recently I had lunch at Panera with a good friend ;)  Before leaving, I purchased a very Valentinesy cookie (heart-shaped, bright pink, sprinkles, etc.-you know!).  As I looked at it more I couldn't help thinking that the cookie was almost a symbol of a shade of femininity and (for lack of a better word) girly.  


When I got home, my partner was looking particularly "manly": dark blue tee, jeans, unshaven, etc.  I asked him to stand holding the Valentinesy cookie over his heart and I took a few pictures of him like that.  My idea for the shoot was that strong "masculine" symbols can and do hold fragile, femininity with great care and in high esteem.    


When I was finished getting my shots I got to do one of my most favorite things in my photography process: viewing and editing.

(This is the photo before any editing)

(This is the photo after using a editing option called "Stamp" on Photoshop Elements 8).  I like that the Stamp feature picked up on fine lines and details while blocking others out.  It made my subject look even more rough and "manly".  Now the hand holding the focal heart is more pronounced and possibly even looks more protective of it.  

After cropping, the photo can take on a completely different story.  This picture could be used to represent loved ones who are far away; holding our hearts; trying keep us near.

I use photo editing to tell a story.  A story can twist, wind, deepen, and go further still past an original photograph.  What's the story you want to tell?

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If you're looking for lower cost photo editing software try Photoshop Elements.  It's not the full Photoshop, but has it's key features and it costs less.  It's what I use and I'm very happy to have it. 

Picasa and Picnick are two free photo editing programs that I've seen others do amazing things with.  I used Picasa before I purchased PSE.

Inspiration!!!

(This photo was edited in PSE using the stained glass window option)

Are you inspired yet?!  ;) 


I really love magazines!  While I'm flipping through them I often find a pictures that make me say, 'hmm, that's neat!'.  When I see something I like, I tear it out and keep it in my 'inspiration file':

I use my file to create paintings based off what I like in the photo.  This helps me when I am staring at an intimidating blank canvas.  When I sift through my file and find something that I really like, I keep it in the forefront of my mind and express it in my painting.

Bright orange color and flower shapes

A fancy headed stalk

A punch of purple and an interesting bulb shape

Another way to capture something that catches my eye is to keep my camera ready!  (pun intended!)  When I see a shape or a pattern on TV, I pause the channel and snap a quick pic:

The stems coming off the center of this piece are simple and most likely something that I can recreate without too much of a headache.   


I hope this encourages you to make your own clever inspiration file! 

Art Class-Week #2: Fabric Painting! (Part 1)

I'm a little late with this blog post-this is what we started on last week in class.  

Last week we started part 1 of a 2 part project.  Part 1: Painting fabric. 

Our instructor asked us to use a plethora of supplies and paints to create interesting patterns on fabric.

 

This classmate painted different spots on her fabric and then folded it over to create a neat kind of wrinkled look.  She told me her color scheme was inspired by St. Patrick's Day!

Another classmate used plastic shapes to stamp on patterns and mix colors.

 

I painted a design on one side of my fabric and then folded it over so that both sides had the same image.  I used a few sharpies to color in some of the white space, and then cut shapes out of my fabric.   

For the part 2 of this project this week we're going to use the shapes we cut out for ..... to be continued ;)

:-) Hair Dye Happiness!

Recently I've been wanting to give my hair a color kick.  I used to dye it all the time in college, but haven't colored it in the past couple of years.  I saw an ad in a magazine advertising a new hair dye in a foam version; the foam is advertised not to drip so there's less mess.  Back in college dying my hair was such a fiasco!  Dye drips on the sink, floor, shower curtain, me, etc. so I thought this foam would be an improvement.  

After driving to 3 stores and not being able to find this magic foam dye I was getting a little bummed.  While I was pursing the colors at Kroger I came across a L'Oreal Paris hair dye in a convenient no-drip cream!  I thought, well this will work too! 

I came home, used the cream dye, and have to tell you that I LOVE it!  My color came out great and neither my neck or bathroom are dotted in dye drips ;)  Also, I think the cream conditions better than liquid-based dyes because my scalp is not irritated like it has been with other dyes.  I hope this helps someone out there who's looking for an easier and more clever way to color at home!

xo French-Kissed Toast xo

Ok, I have to first tell you that this whole project came about after I saw a
Valentine's-themed photo contest that I wanted to enter ;)  The contest requires that you take a picture of naturally-occuring or people-made hearts!  If you'd like to find out more go to: Valentine's Day Competetion

So after thinking for a bit I decided to make and then take photos of clever,
heart-shaped french toasts (much to my honey's delight!) 

I used the heart-shaped cutter that I used for my home made Valentine's post and cut out hearts in 3 pieces of bread (the cutter is big so it ate up most of the pieces of bread).

Next I mixed 1 egg, a splash of vanilla extract, and a 1/4 cup of milk together in a bigger bowl

One by one, I dunked a heart on both sides and, (with a bit of melted butter), into the pan it went!

Then onto the table they went with some syrup and butter for a very sweet and
sweet-toothed guy to enjoy ;)

I had a fun time with this project ;)  Thanks for reading!

Our project from lastnight's Art Class :)

I'm taking a very fun and cool 10-week art class through my local recreation & education department.  The class is called 'Girls Nite Out'.  I thought I had an idea, but I wasn't sure what the class would really be like.  After meeting for the first time tonight, I'm in love :).  I was welcomed into a rustic, but warm and homey backyard studio that was stacked with craft supplies, layered in paint, and occupied by some very nice womyn.  It was someone's Birthday tonight so she brought in cake for the whole class!  Another classmate brought in homemade cookies-I couldn't believe the sense of community I felt :)

The teacher for the class has been doing this class for over 3 years (been a local artist for much longer than that) and my classmates were a mix of old and new participants of it.  She set us to work giving us this picture, wires, bells, and other interesting items and told us to go for it!

I was amazed at what my classmates created along side me!

 

 I started curling some wire and ended up with a sort of fish sculpture :) 

It was just great to be able to have the time, space, and a very supportive environment to cleverly create in.  My goal is to report to you each week what we make, so stay tuned!

Who says valentines are just for kids?!

I have always really liked Valentines Day!  With someone or single-who cares?!  I see Valentines Day as a day to celebrate relationships/friendships and tell your buds/family how much you love them!  I know...it sounds cheesy, but that's me!!!! ;)

This year I decided to try and make my own valentines by making my own clip art!  I made a cool valentines design on card stock using cookie cutters as stencils, Crayola mini stampers, etc.and then took a picture of it.

I saw a stamp that I really liked in a Martha Stewart article and practiced drawing it on pink post-it's.  I thought the design looked cool so I took a picture of it too and then used a pant program to make the background space pink to match.

I uploaded my 2 valentinesy pictures to Walgreens.com photo and selected to have my pic's printed out as "wallet size".  When I picked them up there were 4 of the same images on 2 4X6's:

I cut them out and played around with different colors of card stock, shapes, and placements.

I used double-sided tape to stick everything together-I think it works better than glue ;)

Now I have some clever Valentines clip art that I made myself (!) and can use again and again in different ways.  Along with sending out cards in the mail, I might send out a "handmade" email wishing friends V-Day happiness and use the pictures in the email to warm up my message! 

Home Made Brownies! Easy, Clever, and I'm Never Going Back to the Box!

 

My friend and I were talking the other day about  how brownies made from pantry ingredients were probably better than the box mixes we usually buy.  I decided to try that thought out and loved the results!  Not only are these some of the best brownies I've ever had, they don't taste like preservatives!  Woohoo ;)  I found a great recipe from allrecipes.com and just made a few changes based on the comments others had written & what was in my pantry/fridge.  Here's the recipe that I'm sticking with:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

Mix 1 stick of very softened (room temp or it will cook the eggs) salted butter, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a large bowl and set aside.  I used a fork to break up my eggs really well.  (To soften it, I leave my butter out for an hour or so or I nuke it for a minute and then let it cool to room temp.)

Next mix together 2 cups of white sugar, 1/2 cup of bakers chocolate (powder), 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt really well with a fork in a medium bowl and set aside.  Why a fork?  Because I don't have a whisk or electric mixer and spoons/spatulas don't combine dry ingredients as well ;)

Add 1/3 of your dry ingredients to your wet, combine well, and keep adding a little at a time then mixing until the dry's gone.  Lightly spray a 9X13 inch deep pan with non-stick spray, add your brownie batter, and stick it on the top rack of your oven for 25 minutes.  My oven cooks things crazy quickly (sometimes burning them) so it might be a little longer for you-when you can stick a knife in the middle and it comes out clean, it's done. 

As soon as take the brownies out, use a knife to go around and loosen up the sides and make your cut lines. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  I found if I cut right away it's easier to get them out than if I do it later.

Enjoy :)