Deep Fried Kudzu: Magic City Art Connection

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Magic City Art Connection

On Friday, Shug and I picked up Daddy from the office and went over to the Magic City Art Connection in B'ham. A lot of the artists are the same from year to year - our favorites this year were:

Julia Peerson and her metal dress sculptures
Twisted Sisters and their copper lighting
Robert Taylor's metal lawn decorations
Martha Beadle's fiber art
YardBirds:

...and of course Chris Clark:

The festival ends Sunday at 6pm.

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Hi, I'm Ginger, a 35-year-old, 7th-generation Alabamian.

I am married to the best person I have ever known, and we are just smitten with our son, who was born in June!

I love to travel, cook, read (nonfiction), and do crafts.

I enjoy self-taught / vernacular art, dioramas, chenille, seersucker, Indian mound sites, WPA books, letterpress design, gardenias, camellias, orchids, festivals, handmade things, and Southern traditions/culture/folklore.

I am a graphic designer. I like to make things look pretty.

I try to be a collector of experiences.

My home includes a kitty named Tchotchke, and one day soon I'd like to add three or four fancy bantam hens to our backyard family!

You can email me at:

ginger [at] deepfriedkudzu (dot) com

Crafts

Picture Marble Magnets!

Glitter Pumpkins and Indian Corn for Fall

Pretty Pink Scarves

Katie Brown-Inspired Fleece Blankets

Ultrasuede Fall Placemats

Forcing Amaryllis and Paperwhite Bulbs

Covering Bookcase Shelve Backs with Fabric

Buckeye Garland

Magnolia Garland

Perfume Sachets

Fleece Scarves with Fringe in Team Colors

Square Chanukah Feather Wreath

Round Pink Feather Wreath

Melt and Pour Glycerin Soap

Beeswax Candles

Bottle Tree

Sushi Magnets from Sculpey Clay

Button / Shell Necklace

I Love You Banner for Valentine's Day

Felt Cupcakes with Sprinkles

Adding Fringe to a Knit Scarf

Mardi Gras Feather Boa and Decorations

Making a Knitted Necklace

Birthday Cake from Felt

Felt Hamentaschen Refrigerator Magnets

Felt Ice Cream Cone

Design a Welcome Mat

Giant Paper Pom-Poms

Making Chalkware from Chocolate Molds

How to Make Felt Balls

Independence Day Tassel/Doorhanger

Bottlecap Magnets and Thumbtacks

Painting Already-Glazed Ceramic Pieces

Embellishing Canning Lids

Making Night Lights With Shrinky Dinks

Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub

Shrinky Dink Magnets

Football Season Challah Cover

Making a Mosaic Table

Scrapbook Paper-Decorated Birdhouses

Making an Upholstered Headboard

Updating an Armoire with...Chalkboard Paint

Making an Indian Corn Swag for Fall

Making Resin-Poured Decorated Bottlecaps

Organizing and Labeling with Scrabble Tiles

Domino Magnets and Thumbtacks

Valentine's Day Ribbon Wreath

Make Your Own Lip Balm

Watermelon Sculpey Magnets and Thumbtacks

Page Pebble Refrigerator Magnets

Custom Pic Shelf / Drawer Liners

Homemade Postcards

Monkey Bowl

Jingle Bell Wreath For My Xmas Friends

Ornament Wreath For My Xmas Friends

Making Magnets from Scrapbooking Brads

Mardi Gras Wreath / Ornament Wreath

Preppy St. Patrick's Day Banner / Garland

Springtime Wreath

Read here for 2nd night Passover 2005 themed "Road Trip Seder". Kooky & fun!

Favorite Recipes

Country Captain Chicken

Lime Buttermilk Chess Pie

Pralines

Pompano en Papillote

Tomato and Pesto Tart

Buttermilk Coconut Pie

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Collard Greens

Chicken and Beef Sausage Gumbo

Pecan Encrusted Fish with Baked Grits

Boiled Peanut Butter Cookies

White Barbecue Sauce Potato Salad

Lemon Bars / Lemon Squares

Chocolate Cake

Summery Lemon Pie

Chilton County Peach Cobbler

Watermelon Rind Pickles

Chicken Clemenceau

Pompano Meuniere Amandine

Hush Puppy Fritters

Summery Lemon Chicken

Pimento Cheese (My 'Menna Cheese)

Tea Cakes

Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Sage Chicken and Sausage

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Yummy Latkes

Lamb Chops with Poached Pear

Pistachio Mexican Wedding Cakes

Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Orange Roughy Saute Meuniere Amandine

Comeback Sauce

Mayhaw-Glazed Chicken

Caper and Garlic Rack of Lamb

Pan-Fried Duck with Muscadine Sauce

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pie

The Green Bean Casserole

Corn Pudding

Southern Latkes: Pickle Latkes

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Peppermint Bark

Red Grape and Pecan Chicken Salad

Spinach, Leek, and Horseradish Gratin

Whipping Cream Biscuits

Sour Cream Pecan Pie

Pain Perdu / Lost Bread

Homemade Creole Cream Cheese

Krispy Kreme Cheesecake (Seriously!)

Pecan Sandy Hamantaschen

Fresh-Fresh-Fresh Pizza

Chilled Avocado Soup

Liver With Hot Pepper Jelly Appetizers

Koolickles

We're planning our garden right now, ordering seeds!

In 2005, I got my first digital camera - a Sony Cybershot - and since then I've just been taking pics of everything. Lucky (& happily!) for me, some of them have been published!

In 2006:
1. Biloxi Lighthouse in Leading Lights Magazine
2. Monroe County Courthouse pics in OnSite Review Magazine

In 2007:
1. The cover of Juke Joint Soul CD
2. Courthouse protest in Harvard College Economics Review
3. Archibald's BBQ in Southern Belly
4. Katrina pics in Louisiana PBS documentary, Surviving the Storm

In 2008:
1. Home pics in an urban design and architectural pattern book for Michigan City, IN
2. Perry County Courthouse pic in Thicket Magazine
3. Boll Weevil Monument pic in the French Journal Insectes
4. Bryant Store pic in the Goodman Theatre, Chicago, magazine OnStage

For 2009:
1. Indian mound pics used in the movie The New Daughter

Av and I travel soooo much, and we really try to avoid most all chain restaurants. I highly recommend the places below next time you are in any of these towns!

Favorite Restaurants/Food:

1. Commander's Palace, New Orleans, LA -
Don't Miss: every single thing there is *amazing*. Be sure to have Creole cream cheese cheesecake for dessert, too!

2. Antoine's, New Orleans, LA -
Don't Miss: the fish, the soft shell crabs, and the baked Alaska...and the service is incredible.

3. Doe's Eat Place, Greenville, MS -
Don't Miss: steaks (one steak serves two easily) and tamales.

4. Prejean's, Lafayette, LA -
Don't Miss: incredible fish dishes, like the Catfish Oscar Prejean.

5. Lusco's, Greenwood, MS -
Don't Miss: pompano, and the atmosphere - with the tables with curtains and the little buzzer.

6. Jacques-Imo's, New Orleans, LA -
Don't Miss: 'Godzilla Meets Fried Green Tomatoes'. Oh yes.

7. Big Bob Gibson's, Decatur, AL -
Don't Miss: barbecue and white chicken sauce. White sauce got started here.

8. Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn, Hattiesburg, MS -
Don't Miss: beef ribs.

9. Drago's, Metairie, LA -
Don't Miss: charbroiled oysters.

10. The Bright Star, Bessemer, AL -
Don't Miss: trout almondine, snapper throats, prime rib.

11. Ezell's Fish Camp, Lavaca, AL -
Don't Miss: Ezell's is a *real* fish camp - right on the water with excellent catfish (obviously), fried pickles, and hush puppies.

12. Duchess Bakery, Cullman, AL -
Don't Miss: doughnuts early in the morning while they are still hot.

13. Mary Mac's Tea Room, Atlanta, GA -
Don't Miss: the the vegetables, the pot likker, the lovely lady that comes by and rubs everybody's back. Mary Mac's is old-line Atlanta, the Atlanta that's easy to love.

14. Gambino's Bakery, Metairie, LA -
Don't Miss: the Doberge: it is six layers of yellow butter cake with custard between each layer and the whole production is covered in fondant.

15. Rabideaux's Sausage Kitchen, Iowa, LA -
Don't Miss: anything and everything they have there is wonderful!! Bring a cooler.

16. The Dillard House, Dillard, GA -
Don't Miss: the process: your table automatically gets everything on the menu that day, and you can ask for more of whatever you like. Expect three or four main dishes, six or so side dishes, and dessert.

17. McGuire's Irish Pub, Pensacola, FL -
Don't Miss: Everything there is wonderful - especially the prime rib.

18. Vrazel's, Gulfport, MS -
Don't Miss: just about any of the seafood dishes.

19. Wintzell's Oyster House, Mobile, AL -
Don't Miss: Wintzell's is just fun! There are three Wintzell's now, but only go to the original - the one downtown on Dauphin Street. Obviously famous for their oysters.

20. The Dinner Bell, McComb, MS -
Don't Miss: it's a revolving tables restaurant. Especially good dressing and eggplant.

21. Walnut Hills, Vicksburg, MS -
Don't Miss: making friends with everyone at your table. Another revolving tables restaurant.

22. Niki's West, B'ham, AL -
Don't Miss: whole fried flounder, and dozens of vegetables available, all of them excellent - when ordering, just think of your two or three favorite and chances are, they're available. Don't miss the rutabagas.

23. Bob's Clam Hut, Kittery, ME -
Don't Miss: Bob's may be a clam hut, but they make the most *amazing* lobster rolls.

24. Faidley's, Baltimore, MD -
Don't Miss: The crabcakes. Best ever. Ever.

25. Joe's Dreyfus Store, Livonia, LA -
Don't Miss: Bread pudding. And cheesecake. We've only had dessert here, but we can't wait to go back for supper.

We travel constantly, so I thought I would share some of the ones I enjoy the most.

Favorite Hotels:

1. The Hermitage, Nashville, TN Treats guests like royalty. Doesn't get any better.

2. Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, LA Ah, the Ritz....as a guest, almost everyone at the hotel will know and remember your name.

3. The Alluvian, Greenwood, MS The Alluvian is a real treasure - the rooms and amenities are first-class. The hotel was completely refurbished by the Viking Corporation, which is headquartered in Greewood as well. I don't really recommend the spa, but Giardina's is a nice place to have supper (skip their tamales, though) - right next door.

4. Le Royal Meridien King Edward, Toronto, ON The hotel location is great - walking distance to the theatres, and the rooms are huge and very, very nice.

5. Le Meridien Apollo, Amsterdam, Holland This hotel has great memories as it was the first place we stayed at on our honeymoon in Europe. The staff was wonderful to us and really made us feel special; the room and room service were both excellent, the location was nice and we had a great view.

6. Imperial Hotel, Copenhagen, Denmark The very best thing about the hotel was its location - it was in the center of the city and we were walking distance to everything. The room wasn't especially large but was decorated in classic Danish design which I love.

7. W New Orleans, New Orleans, LA The W strives so hard to be swanky....and it is. The rooms are black, white, and red; there is a chaise lounge, which automatically makes me happy and the beds are SO comfortable.

8. Le Meridien, Eilat, Israel The rooms are nice but what makes the whole experience is the location - the Edom Mountains and the Gulf of Eilat (the Red Sea). The pool is nice but the beach is wonderful (the hotel puts lounge chairs sort-of over the water and it is niiiice....).

9. Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans The guestrooms here are somewhat small, but they're furnished nicely. The hotel itself has been around since 1886, and the lobby is fantastic. The hotel's in an excellent French Quarter location, too.

10. The Beach Club, Gulf Shores AL This is a condo, not a hotel, but it's our favorite place to stay at the beach. Everything is really nice and I love to 'play house' and cook in the kitchen and that sort of thing. If you get a two-bedroom (which is only a bit more), the master bedroom will open onto the balcony so you can sleep listening to the waves. Nice!

Favorite Shows:

1. The Waltons (The Waltons will always be my favorite show!!)

2. Little House on the Prairie

3. Six Feet Under

4. The Sopranos

5. Big Love and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Favorite Movies:

1. Sunset Boulevard

2. Gone with the Wind

3. This Property is Condemned

4. Coal Miner's Daughter

5. Urban Cowboy

6. Muriel's Wedding

7. Mommie Dearest

8. Driving Miss Daisy

9. The Color Purple

10. Lost in Translation

Book I'm Reading: The Mad Potter of Biloxi: The Art and Life of George E. Ohr

Magazine I'm Reading: Oxford American

Puttering: Straightening...

Listening: Magnolia Soundtrack

Cooking: ...with fresh-out-of-the-garden vegetables

Doing new: Selling books we'll never look at again on Amazon, and decluttering by selling things on eBay

Short-term Planning: Getting the garage organized

Long-term Planning: In the next ten years, I'd like to have a condo on the beach in Pensacola or Gulf Shores, and a farm in the Delta.

Discovering: How to sew. That one's taking a while. A long while!

Feeling: So happy! I am a new mommy!

Favorites:

Book: 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men' by James Agee

Play: 'The Last Night of Ballyhoo' by Alfred Uhry

Poem: 'A Supermarket in California' by Allen Ginsberg

Singer Eva Cassidy

Designer: Zang Toi

Inspiration: Eugene Walter

I have several orchids; I've got a phalaenopsis that once bloomed for over six months. I really like Oncidium Sharry Baby - they smell like chocolate! Yum!