Recipe Review: Double Chocolate Muffins

I joined Pinterest back in.......

 Whenever....I joined Pinterest. 

Anyhoo, I was really excited because there are so many unique things on Pinterest. Do it yourself projects, pictures, artwork, recipes, decorating tips, yummy recipes, health tips, fatty recipes, fashion for men and women, education, recipes that are drowning in butter, crafts for kids...have I MENTIONED THE RECIPES?!

Maybe Pinterest wasn't the best thing for me, because I love recipes, especially new recipes, and the worse the recipe sounds for you...the more I'll want to make it. 

So...what happens when you actually make a recipe from Pinterest? 

Well, I decided to make breakfast since my nephew was staying over, and what better than muffins. (Which are basically fairy cakes for breakfast!) 

The recipe I used was this one:  Double Chocolate Muffins

How did it come out? 

It didn't rise.

It wasn't the chocolate muffin I was looking forward to. It was brown.

It tasted brown.That's it. It tasted like, nothing, no flavour just brown. 

The chocolate chips were the only things that gave these ruddy things any flavour! 

On top of that they were a bit thick/heavy. 

 AFTER ALL I DID FOR THEM.

I stirred them, I gave them sugar, milk, and baking powder...and this- this is how they repay me. Their maker. I bet this is how GOD FEELS SOMETIMES!

Not the muffins I wanted.

♦ Art Appreciation Monday! ♦

Welcome to the second ever "Art Appreciation Monday", I hope you enjoyed last week's artist Matt Nguyen! I think it's so much fun to find new artists, and friends along the way. 

I am aware...that there is one MAJOR problem with my post's name...it says Monday, and all "Art Appreciation Monday" posts should and MUST be posted on a Monday...alas, even though today is Tuesday, I will post my late Monday post anyway. :) 

Do I have a reason for the late post? Yes, I do...but that story is for a later post.

Now on to the art!

Introducing....*Drum-roll!* sheWolf294 of Deviant Art!!!! :)
I thought we'd start off with the painting that first drew my attentions to sheWolf294!

Although I haven't watched Supernatural yet, (believe me I get plenty of criticism for this...trust me though, there are only SO MANY hours in ONE DAY!) :) I still appreciate artwork from the show and quotes from it!

This is Castiel from Supernatural, in sheWolf294's  masterpiece, Stars

sheWolf294 has a beautiful combination of colours, with all the different hues of pinks and purples.
She also catches the facial expression brilliantly, Castiel looks so hopeless... so disappointed...
 I now want to watch Supernatural more than ever, now that I've seen this picture! :)

I don't know about you, but I'm SO excited to do another interview!

Ariana: What's your name outside Deviant Art?
Stefanie H: My name is Stefanie H.

Ariana: Are you human/boy/girl?
Stefanie H: I’m a girl obviously.

Ariana: What Country/Planet/State are you from?
Stefanie H: I’m from Bavaria, Germany


Ariana: Do you have brothers/sisters/only child?
Stefanie H: Nope, I’m a only child

Ariana: Do you have any pets?
Stefanie H: I used to have pets, but at the moment: nope

Ariana: Birthday?
Stefanie H: 29. April

Before we continue with the Question and Answer with sheWolf294,  I believe we should look at a few examples of her gorgeous artwork! :)

One of my absolute favourites by her, is her painting, Gallifrey

And for those of you who don't know what Gallifrey is, it is the home planet of the Doctor, from Doctor Who. :) I love the mediums used in this picture and how the mountains are twisted and curved in the background....and then there is the city of Gallifrey, so beautiful!

Ariana: What inspires you most to paint/draw?
Stefanie H: Mostly music, but also my environment (like friends, family etc)
oh, and also other artists (no matter if they’re from the past like Van Gogh or present, like many artists on Tumblr/Deviant Art)

Ariana: How do you cope with lack of inspiration?
Stefanie H: Well, I take a break and spend some time with other activities :’D Or waste some time on Tumblr.

(Oh my gosh, I understand completely! It is easy to waste a lot of time on Tumblr!) ;)

Ariana: Do you have a favourite media to paint/draw with?
Stefanie H: Photoshop!

Ariana: Do you have a favourite thing to paint (movies, people, animals) what is your favourite thing to paint/draw?
Stefanie H: Mostly my favorite scenes from movies/series I watch. But I’m open for everything.

Ariana: When did you decide you wanted be an artist?
Stefanie H: I started to be interested in art or generally drawing/painting since I was in kindergarten :D

Ariana: Do you have any interests outside of painting/drawing?
Stefanie H: Er, I’m kinda interested in backing, but not that much, that I would consider it as a life-time job or something.

Ariana: How do you wind down after painting/drawing?
Stefanie H: Just relaxing a bit and doing minor things/ listening to music

Ariana: Do you have a favourite food/drink?
Stefanie H: Well, that’s a hard question…. I can’t decide, there are so many things. I think I’ll go with chocolate cake and cola (:


Ariana: What would your advice to other artists be?
Stefanie H: Hm, I would say, that they should never give up, and keep on drawing/painting. Also keep practicing, even if you might don’t see a change in a short time, you get better with everything you do!

Ariana: What is your favourite Doctor Who villain/and/character?
Stefanie H: My favorite villain is definitely the Master! :D And my other favorite character is the Doctor!

Ariana: What's your favourite line from Sherlock?
Stefanie H: There are quite a lot. But I mostly tend to say “not my division”.

Well, I must say, I don't know what Lestrade would say, but I believe that art is certainly your division! 

Here is some stunning Sherlock related artwork, by sheWolf294!

This masterpiece is called, Deep End

I love Moriarty's face, it has that insane look to it, he is disappointed about killing Sherlock...but he has to.  This stunning picture holds all the beauty and tenseness of how I felt when I first watched the episode, The Great Game! 

The last picture I'm going to spotlight is not from a tv show or movie...it is called, Sunset

It looks so quiet and peaceful, so gentle and serene...I am so glad that Stefanie could capture this into her artwork and make the spectator feel so much when looking at such a beautiful piece!

While she has so much beautiful artwork, and there were SO many pieces I wanted to share with you! But, I want YOU to go and check out sheWolf294's other pieces! If not on Deviant Art, than try her Tumblr!

Tumblr

Deviant Art

You'll also find that by clicking the names of the art pieces, it will take you directly to the Deviant Art page on which they're posted!

As always I must thank sheWolf294 so much for agreeing to be part of my "Art Appreciation Monday!", even if it is Tuesday! It is so amazing to get to speak to different artists, and see just what each of them do, how they do it and why! ☺

*****All the artwork belongs to sheWolf294. There are links in blue which will direct you to the originals.**********

DO NOT USE ANY OF THE ARTWORK/WRITTEN WORK POSTED HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!!!!! 

If you want to use some of the artist's artwork or written work, contact her through Deviant Art, here.

No excuses Anderson! ;) (Animation also by sheWolf294) 

Thank you!

The Staff and the Sword: Books #1 and #2

How does one begin to describe a truly fantastic series?

DISCLAIMER THE FOLLOWING CONTENT MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS....

A Cast of Stones, 

our story opens up in the village of Callowford, with Errol Stone, the village outcast, the village sot, beaten by the village priest Antil...Errol, is sent by a churchman, to deliver two letters to the hermit priest Pater Marten who lives alone except for a reader by the name of Luis. Errol is offered a half crown for delivering the letters to Pater Marten, and is to receive another half crown when he returns with the proof that he has indeed delivered the letters to Pater Marten. On his way there, a mysterious cloaked figure appears to be following him and it isn't long before the assassin takes a shot at Errol, unfortunately causing Errol to jump into the pool, destroying the two letters which were meant for Marten and Luis.

Errol had little idea, that when accepting to deliver these letters, he sealed his fate forevermore. 

Errol, is cast into adventure with the hermit priest Pater Marten, the reader Luis, the warrior Cruk, and the perfect hero Liam. 

But there is one thing which Marten, Luis and Cruk did not expect, that all the times they are attacked in A Cast of Stones, it is always Errol that the bandits and assassins target. Which is explained later, so we think that he is an omne...but was that really the simple truth or was Patrick W. Carr hiding something from us...

Here is a small hint: yes.yes.yes.yes.Yes.

The Hero's Lot, not The Hero's Lost- (as I almost mistakenly gushed it, in front of the author..), within the first few chapters, Errol gets put under another compulsion, in which he has to go and kill Sarin Valon, (yes, the compulsion is administered by the Grand Judica, the church itself....)

So....why is the church so desperate to send the only omne to his death by sending him to kill a man who could see their every move in the last book?!

*Coughs*

Traitors in the church.

*Coughs* 

Once more do we depart on a deliciously colorful and thrilling adventure, with returning characters, Namaan Ru, Rohka, Conger and Rale, whom were all delightful in the last book...(I thought Namaan Ru was really cool, despite the fact he held Errol against his will and made him cast lots for a profit... he was still good...in a way...) Pater Marten, Luis and Cruk have to leave Erinon though, because alas, the fact they drew lots questioning the future king- to put it plain, the church wasn't really thrilled with that.

So they set off in different directions, but in the end, they are destined to fight together, fight to escape.

Now, if you were waiting for Errol Stone to do something stupid...I'll tell you now...uh...I don't know that guy when he is in the tavern, and the woman is singing,( no spoilers... I'm just saying) I don't know him at this part of the book...because here he was incredibly stupid.

In The Hero's Lot, we get to meet Namaan Ru's uncle which is utterly fascinating, and the betrothal dance is really interesting too. Not to mention the blood rose which is very endearing and poetic...

And the ending, (no pun intended viewing a few circumstances which occur at the end), the ending is to die for. Adora and Rohka are two fantastic heroines, and while many people would think Adora would always be simpering and in the way, she is surprisingly useful and isn't annoying at all. The ending scene with Adora and Rhoka wearing the silk dresses posing as merchandise...Patrick W. Carr is BRILLIANT!

Getting back...

  The Hero's Lot, is just brilliant all the way around. 

The Hero's Lot,  has more religious overtones than the first, but beyond that I cannot say it was better or worse than A Cast of Stones, because both books are equally entertaining, and you won't get bored reading either of them so...I would say both of them are exactly the same as far as being brilliantly beautiful works of art, and of course, a good solid addition as ever to the growing fantasy shelf.

An interesting fact for you:

I had little idea, but suddenly whilst reading The Hero's Lot, I became aware of Patrick W. Carr's ferrals.... like I was actually seeing them for the first time...

Ferrals are frightening monsters which have jagged teeth and beast-like faces who bay and howl...and travel in packs...

Feral
Adjective

1. (esp. of an animal) In a wild state, esp. after escape from captivity or domestication: "a feral cat".
2. Resembling a wild animal.

That was clever... very clever. And the poison which is used on Errol in The Hero's Lot, is called Styrich and gives the same effects as Strychnine poisoning, and Papaverine is used to slow the poisoning, an interesting fact about Papaverine is the fact it is an opium alkaloid antispasmodic drug, used primarily in the treatment of visceral spasm, vasospasm (especially those involving the heart and brain.) Now I can't tell whether Errol comes out of that one alive or not...big spoilers like that aren't my area...besides that, I can say nothing more without giving too many spoilers away, as it is the author probably won't be pleased with how many spoilers I've revealed, and he probably won't let me read another one before the release date- ever again. Even if it is to recommend it to all my friends... (I hope that isn't so though.)

For a fast paced novel which appeals to the quick-set time we now live in, this is an admirable novel which if the time is taken to read it slowly, this novel becomes very enlightening in meaning. I was caught off guard when I examined each book closer...and I think anyone who reads any of Patrick W. Carr's novels slowly, and appreciatively, they'll see all the hidden surprises which hide inside the plots. Undoubtedly, The Staff and the Sword series is very good for any fantasy lover, or anyone who simply wants a good read. :)

Now, go read these books! :)

And do you want to know why you should go and read these books?!

© All the characters and plot-lines/summery of A Cast of Stones and The Hero's Lot, belong to Patrick W. Carr, and Bethany House, none of it belongs to me.


© Batman cartoon by How it Should Have Ended, I do not own this piece of artwork.

© Batman belongs to DC comics, and does not belong to me either. (Sadly.)

A Duck in a Cup

Fluffy Ducky in a Cuppy

Since it is almost Easter and to celebrate the first day of spring, I decided to post an Easter-y picture, which I drew for a wonderful friend of mine, to thank her for all she does in my life. And what better way to thank her, than by doing one of the things I do best! Drawing a picture for her! 

I gave the cup and saucer a bit of an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. I know that any little ducklings would not care what company they were in (even if that company is the March Hare and the Mad Hatter) as long as there was a slice of lemon cake, (or any cake at all for this matter...) would join the fun in a heartbeat. 

The Duckling, turned out better than I imagined! On many occasions I've attempted to draw a duck, or duckling, but for some reason, they have never worked for me, until now. When modeling the 'Fluffy Ducky in a Cuppy' after my own pet duck, (Tilly) I found having a reference made it a lot easier. 

The next piece of artwork, is an invitation I made to invite my friend over before she left with her orchestra to go to China, where the orchestra is going to preform. I'm very chipper my friend got such a wonderful opportunity to go someplace new and exciting! 

'Lemur' Invite you to a Party! (No Colour)

Obviously, there is a difference between this 'Invitation' and my 'Thank You' Picture above.

One, was visibly larger, possibly because it was. The 'Fluffy Ducky in a Cuppy'  was drawn on a sheet of white medium weight paper. Whereas, ~ 'Lemur' Invite you to a Party! ~ was a cut piece of paper, so it would fit in a envelope.  Alas, even with that careful planning, the card still came out too big for the envelope.

'Lemur' Invite you to a Party! (Colour)

As you can probably see, the Lemur now has a different appearance, a few lines which didn't stand out before now stand out magnificently. The Lemur, is not eating yellow snow, so put that thought out of your mind completely! 

The Lemur, is snacking on banana ice cream. The reason for the banana, ("Always take a banana to a party, bananas are good." ~The Doctor) since, my friend and I are Doctor Who fans, I figured she'd enjoy the connection. As well as the quote included on the inside of the card. 

As always, on my cartoons, I used my pens, Manga Pens- expensive they may be, but absolutely brilliant when it comes to cartooning. On colourization, I used colour pencils, nothing too special.

Sometimes I use paints, or digital painting, but it depends on what I decide will look best.

For now, I shall bid you all farewell, and begin work on my next masterpiece. :)

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Good Night! ☼