Christmas Day

This year, my family gathered for another wonderful Christmas. It is such a special holiday for us as we celebrate the birth of Christ. On Christmas morning all of my children were home early for breakfast – what a blessing to be together again! Then we spent the day visiting first with Al's mother and then with mine. It was a very special day with the family as we reminisced on Christmases past and made memories to cherish for Christmases to come.

Susan

Celebrating Christmas with the Studio

Yesterday everyone from the studio gathered at my home for a Christmas party. We all had a wonderful time together sharing laughter and conversation. Vicki's husband was kind enough to prepare a fabulous lunch for us – he is a wonderful chef! After lunch we spent some time walking around the farm… Jeannie even brought a pumpkin for the pigs. They were so funny to watch as they rolled it around and finally dug in! Then we gathered back in the house for our traditional gift exchange which is always fun. I was thrilled to receive a bird feeder and a birdbath from everyone. I have a perfect place for them, where I can view the birds as they feed and play every morning. It was good to celebrate the blessings we have each received over the past year.

Susan

5th Graders Visit the Studio

This year at the studio we have been hosting field trips from our local elementary school, Winget Park. In total there are seven classes of fifth graders that will come to tour the studio and learn more about how art is used commercially. It is so much fun to show them around and share my passion for art that started long before I was even a fifth grader! One goal is to expand their awareness of how art affects their everyday lives. It is a delight to see the excitement in the children when we show them our process from drawing and painting to designing products on the computers. We have met numerous aspiring artists as well! It is wonderful to share art with children and I have been inspired by their curiosity and boundless imaginations. I'm excited about the next three groups that will be coming to visit in the new year!

Susan

A Christmas Cake

Today at the studio we had a visit from our friend Po who owns one of my favorite restaurants in our neighborhood, Lui Lui's. It is always a wonderful treat when the studio orders lunch from there, as we often do, and Po has become a dear friend over the past several years. She is always sharing wonderful things with us beyond her Chinese cuisine, like the lovely orchid she brought the studio this fall. Today she brought a delicious cake for the holidays. It was absolutely gorgeous, so I wanted to share a picture with you all. The butter cream icing wasn't so bad either! We all enjoyed it tremendously- what a special treat!   ~Susan

Elfin' Around!

Click the link below for a special holiday message!

It's Elf Time!

Susan

Spreading Holiday Cheer through the Studio

The day after Thanksgiving is always bustling everywhere with holiday preparations and our studio is no different! My dear friend and member of my staff, Beckie, is our resident decorating virtuoso and on Monday she was already busy dressing up our workspaces! She helps everyone embrace the Christmas spirit with the additional touches of light and color. Our tree is up and beautifully lit, we have candles in each window and our wreath is hung invitingly on the front door. Inside the Farmhouse Studio we are fortunate to work on winter and holiday themed artwork throughout the year. It is especially a joy this time of year to spread cheer in our community and prepare for this special season of love, goodwill and spectacular wonders.

Susan

Thanksgiving at Winget Farm

I hope that each of you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family
and friends! Mine was spent on the farm with family – we had a great
gathering and the day was filled with joyous moments. Thursday morning
Al and I visited his mother with our children. We shared breakfast and
were blessed in the time spent in conversation with her. Then, we
returned home to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. Over twenty people
gathered in all, including my mother, two brothers and their wives and
children. I cherish the moments when we can all be together in one
place – we shared a lot of fun and of course, a lot of food! The
children spent time roaming the land on the gator and enjoyed loving
on all of the animals. My young nieces especially loved sharing peanut
butter with my son Mac's pigs, Grace and Henry.

I truly have so much to be thankful for, I'm glad that we have a day
devoted to recognizing our many blessings with those we love. I hope
that each of you had a special day of thanksgiving as well!

Susan

Sunflower Pumpkin Muffins

One of my graphic designers, Audrey, brought in a batch of pumpkin muffins to share with the studio this morning. They were delicious and put me in the mood for all of the wonderful pumpkin treats that are traditionally shared this month as we approach Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin rolls… I could go on and on!Here is the recipe for the muffins to try for yourself:

Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. sugar1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon1 egg, beaten
1 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl combine the egg, milk, oil and pumpkin. Pour into flour mixture slowly and stir until moistened. Then stir in the sunflower seeds, careful not to overmix. Spray muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes 12.

Enjoy and I invite you to please share your own pumpkin recipes with us!
Susan

Erin Hills

On our trip to Wisconsin to visit Lang Corporation, Jeannie and I were also fortunate to make a special trip to visit our old friend Bob Lang at his new golf course, Erin Hills. Bob was the previous owner of Lang. He was the first to believe in my art and publish it in the Lang calendars. I am delighted that our friendship has remained strong throughout the years, even though he has now moved onto another venture in his life. And wow, what a venture! I was so excited to finally visit Erin Hills, the golf course he has been working on for so many years. The landscape there is truly breathtaking. Bob's artistic eye is evident in the attention to detail found throughout the course and it's clubhouse. Walking the course was inspiring for my own artistic vision. Visit his website to see for yourself, the photos there are only an introduction to the true beauty of Erin Hills!

http://www.erinhills.com

Susan

Visiting Our Friends at Lang

Recently I made a trip to visit Lang Corporation in Delafield,
Wisconsin with one of my longtime artists and best travel buddies,
Jeannie. We had a great time, catching up with our old friends and
making new ones as well. This is our 26th year with Lang!
Their display room was gorgeous and we had the best time looking at
all of the new products and designs they had for us to view. We also
discussed plans for our 2010 line of calendars, as we are always
designing ahead and looking towards future trends to best please you,
our valued customer! It was a tremendous visit overall.
There are many great calendars and products to come through our
partnership with Lang… so keep your eyes open and be sure to view our
current Lang products by using the "Let's Go Shopping" link on our
website.

Susan

Winget Auto Detailing!!?!

I love sharing my gift of art with family and friends outside of the
studio. But today's project was perhaps my wildest artistic venture to
date. I could not resist sharing some photos with you all… a look at the
more rugged side of Winget Art! My youngest son Sam's trucks are his
greatest passion. He builds them, drives them and loves working on
their mechanics – I was honored to take part in the detailing when he
asked me to paint flames on the hood of his current vehicle. Sam built this
one from scratch! I had never painted a car before and had a blast at my
first attempt. I probably won't go into the auto detailing business just yet
but it was a fun project all the way!

Susan

Ninety Birthday Cards!

Today is my Mother-in-law's 90th birthday! Mom is a wonderful woman
that has touched so many lives over the years; a loving wife, mother
and grandmother she has always held family close and requested a quiet
afternoon celebrating with us on the farm. Yesterday we took her to visit
Winget Park Elementary School, which was named in her honor, to see
the mural of our farm that I painted with my studio. The children at the
school had also made a DVD of themseleves singing Happy Birthday to
her which was so special!

Then we celebrated her 90 years of love and nurturing with the family
on the farm. Our biggest surprise was yet to come – we knew that many
friends would want to play a role in her birthday celebration so over
the past few weeks we collected birthday cards, hoping to collect 90
cards for 90 years. As the word spread, the cards flooded in from
distant family, old and new friends and past students she taught at
South Mecklenburg High School. We had so much fun reconnecting with
folks from around the country- the experience of collecting was so
dear to us as everyone shared their memories and stories of Mom
throughout the years. In the end we collected over 120 cards! Mom was
thrilled at the display and I know she will enjoy reading the cards
over the next couple of weeks. It was a wonderful way to celebrate!

Susan

Children's Bookfair

This afternoon I had the pleasure of returning to Providence Baptist
Church for the pre-school's annual bookfair. I particularly enjoyed
returning to Providence because it is the church that I grew up in and
where my mother still attends today. It was wonderful to spend time
with the teachers and meet some of the children as I signed copies of
my Tucker books for them. Currently we have created two children's
books about the lovable, curious bunny named Tucker- Tucker's
Four-Carrot School Day and Tucker's Apple Dandy Day. Visit our online
store to share Tucker with your loved ones!

http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/26013/Susan_Winget/index.aspx


Susan

Mary Beth's Quilt

Every member of my staff has their own unique talents and artistic gifts. Today one of my artists, Mary Beth, brought a beautiful quilt that she hand stitched from pieces of fabric we designed for Benartex. The patterns come from our Kansas Song collection. Quilting is a wonderful art - dear to so many families as the craft is often passed down through generations. Mary Beth used the same pattern that she learned from her grandmother years ago. Beautiful works of art are created in the unique hand of each quilter and embody wonderful stories throughout our history. Our family has old quilts passed down from both my grandmother and Al’s grandmother. They are heart-warming heirlooms as they always remind us of them. For all of these reasons, I love incorporating quilting elements and themes into my paintings. Please share your own quilts, quilting stories or other crafts with us at Winget Art, you can post a comment below or e-mail us at wingetart@susanwinget.com. We would love to hear from you!

Susan

Visit the following sites to view some of our fabric collections with Benartex:

http://www.fabriclovers.com/index.php?p=view_category&search_text=susan+winget&x=0&y=0

http://www.piecestotreasure.com.au/catalog/index.php?cPath=57

http://www.thefabricdeli.com/search.asp?keyword=susan+winget&search=GO

Caramel Squares for Sam

Last weekend my youngest son, Sam, came to visit from college. It was wonderful to have him home again! We decided to get the family together for dinner and I made caramel squares for dessert. The recipe I used is from our church’s cookbook and Sam loves them! Since I knew they were his favorite, I made plenty of extras for him to take back to school and share with his friends. Below is the recipe to try for your own family and friends.

Enjoy!

Susan

Caramel Squares:

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Stick of Margarine

1 Egg

1 Cup of Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

A Pinch of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 Cup of Nuts

Directions:

First preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, melt the sugar and margarine together and let cool. Next beat the egg into the mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the caramel squares from the oven and allow them to cool before cutting them into squares.

Take it to the Hoop!

My daughter-in-law, Megan, recently began a new job as the director at our church’s afterschool program through the YMCA. She loves working with the children and I know that our community is pleased to have someone of her faith and dedication to keep the program going strong. Yesterday Megan and my son, Mac, erected a basketball goal at our church for the kids. I know they will be delighted to have an area to play basketball outside this fall. I always encouraged my own children to be involved in athletic activities. They are a great venue for teaching the important life skills of teamwork and good sportsmanship. The new basketball goal will surely be a blessing to the afterschool program as playtime and learning combine!

Susan

Tussie Mussies

A couple of weeks ago I visited our local farmer’s market with my friend and co-worker, Jeannie. Our friendship started over twenty years ago when we first met as artists and we’ve been painting together ever since! Jeannie and I love attending local festivals and events together and today was National “Enjoy More Herbs” Day at the market. Walking through the market we discovered a table hosted by the Charlotte Herb Guild. They had an assortment of information on herbs and recipes to share, but one particular item caught our eye. They were called tussie mussies- lovely arrangements of herbs with cards attached. The cards were very sweet and added a personal touch as they explained each herb’s symbolism. Originally a Victorian bridal bouquet, tussie mussies are now given as thoughtful ways to show someone you care. I purchased one for my mother-in-law and she absolutely loved it! They are beautiful arrangements and give fresh, lasting scents. What a wonderful way to send a “hello” to a loved one!

Susan

Visit the Charlotte Herb Guild’s website for more information on tussie mussies, their history, and how to make them.

http://www.geocities.com/charlotteherbguild/links.htm

Appalachian’s Big Victory

What an exciting day for football! Today our beloved Appalachian State University beat Michigan University, 34 to 32. Al and I are not alumni ourselves (Go Tarheels!) but we have supported ASU for several years as it is our oldest son Mac’s alma mater and where our youngest son Sam is currently a freshman. Sam was at school watching the game at a local pizza place and from the sound of it, the place was packed with screaming Mountaineer fans! I know this because he agreed to call us every few minutes with updates, since we were unable to find a broadcast of the game ourselves. Of course Al and I spent the afternoon by the phone, anxiously waiting for the play-by-play. It was an intense game! I agreed with the newscaster who called it a “David versus Goliath” event as our boys were practically unknowns playing at the largest collegiate stadium in the country, among thousands of Michigan fans. As it came to the final minutes of the game, Al was able to find a scratchy radio broadcast of the game. The two of us gathered closely on the edge of our seats as we heard Appalachian block a 37 yard field goal attempt to win the game! We were already celebrating when Sam called to give us the news. Hoarse from cheering, he stayed to celebrate the victory with his friends and meet the team as their buses returned to campus. It is such an exciting way for Sam to kick-off his first year at ASU, I know it is a game he will never forget!

Susan

A very sweet treat...

After lunch today, we had a special treat to celebrate Audrey’s birthday. She is one of my graphic designers here at the studio. Her grandmother, Joy, made a wonderful blueberry coffee cake for her to share with us. Joy is known by her family and friends to make delicious desserts, and this one is Audrey’s favorite. All of us at the studio enjoyed the cake so much, I wanted to share the recipe with you!

Bon Appetit!
Susan

Joy’s Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups of Butter
2 1/2 Cups of Sugar
2 1/2 Cups of Self-Rising Flour
1 Cup of Sour Cream
2 Cups of Blueberries

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the eggs, butter, sugar, flour and sour cream together. Then, lightly sprinkle the blueberries with a pinch of extra sugar. In a regular bundt cake mold, pour in a third of the batter and then a layer of blueberries. Repeat the layering step two more times. Bake for 1 hour or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

Be creative! Instead of blueberries, try apples, bananas, or crushed pecans sprinkled with cinnamon. Or add chocolate syrup for an extra moist cake!

The Love of Horses

“The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.” ~Sharon Ralls Lemon, Editor of Horse Illustrated magazine

This past weekend I headed to Brays Island to spend time relaxing and riding horses with my family. It is a beautiful island full of historic southern architecture to visit and endless nature trails for riding. We were thrilled to take our own horses on this trip; my daughter Erin drove the trailer down herself! I love to ride horses- it’s an exciting way to explore a landscape and I feel more connected to God’s awe-inspiring creation everytime I saddle up! Everyone in my family appreciates the strength and beauty of these amazing animals, as we have raised several horses on our farm. We love them as members of our family, are grateful for their help on the farm and enjoy riding whenever we can. Erin is especially drawn to horses and has fostered special relationships with each of ours. She is involved in every aspect of riding from basic care to elaborate dressage training and sees horses as a catalyst for healing in children and adults. I love watching her ride and am amazed by her control and agile grace as she does so. Erin’s connection is a joy for me to witness and I am so proud of her many accomplishments in the equestrian field. Horseback riding is much more than a hobby to her, it is a passion that I know she will use to touch the lives of others for many years to come.

Susan

My Mother's Birthday Celebration

Our home on the family farm is often the gathering spot for special family events. Everyone loves returning “home” to the farm to share fellowship and festivities with one another. Yesterday my relatives joined Al and me to celebrate my mother’s birthday. The afternoon was spent visiting the barn and exploring the land on the gators, our farm vehicles. The children love visiting and feeding the many animals - the horses and pigs are always up for a peanut butter treat too! It was just the way my mother wanted to spend her special day, surrounded by family and fun. For dinner we had a casual cookout - however, it is always an event when my husband, Al, and brother, David, are in charge of the grill! We spent the evening sharing cake, stories, and many hugs. Our mother has blessed us and her grandchildren with much joy through the years and it was wonderful to spend the evening together showing her our love. It was a delightful day for all!

Susan

Empty Nest?? - NEVER!!

This morning Al and I woke up extremely early to make a trip to Boone, North Carolina. The mountains up there are so beautiful! The trek was not for vacation though; it was to move our youngest child, Sam, into Appalachian State University for his freshman year. Having made similar trips in the past with my older children, I knew that it would be a trip of mixed emotions. The feelings of joy and pride as Sam embarked on a new chapter in his life were familiar, as were the sad goodbyes said with heavier hearts – which never gets any easier, even for the third time!

Al and I returned home thinking we were officially "empty-nesters." But, just as everything seemed a little quieter, I heard our dog Scout playing in the kitchen and the pigs squealing down the hill from our house. Then my daughter Erin called and asked to bring friends over for a barbeque. So, I guess our nest isn't that "empty" after all… and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way! -Susan