Herbs & Spice make Nice

Play with your food.

Using outdated herbs, spices and other ingredients to craft some beautiful, great smelling art is fun. Whether you’re a grown up or kid who loves art—here is a sample of what you can do with a few of your leftovers. We all know the deep staining power of mustard, ketchup, wine, berry juice, coffee, tea, tomato-based sauces and chocolate—with a little imagination, you can turn these into wonderful art supplies straight from your kitchen or pantry.

This one is very simple. Using a small, store-bought, card-back canvas and painting with one of my good fan brushes, it took just a few minutes—and it smells great. In their natural state, these can even be used as table decorations to set the tone of the meal event. You might even try decorating the rim of a high quality paper plate with your ingredients. It’s a great way to theme your picnic.

Once I did the original, I photographed it and then did a little digital transformation.

In one of my earlier blog posts I talked about the amazing things you can do with your digital art…lamination is another way to preserve your food art images and will make it water-proof. Mod Podge® is an alternative medium to hold it together—offering matte, satin, high-gloss, hard coat, fabric, paper, outdoor, sparkle, glow-in-the-dark, brushstroke, kids wash out and antique versions. If desired, finish with a clear acrylic spray.

My mind is now whirling with new ideas. Hope this adds a little inspiration to your day and helps you re-purpose what could have found its way to the trash.

TIP: Try a number of different surfaces to see what works best for you.
The more porous the surface, the darker the stain. If you are dying fabric,
test a swatch to get the desired color. Using light plastic or rubber gloves
and wearing a smock is advised…or you will be Googling ten worst food
stains and how to get them out.