Croq Zine - The Blog

fish made with glam paper scraps

Materials:
cheap acrylic paint
a sponge or rag, paper towels, etc.
cardstock (or regular paper)

Lay down some newspaper to protect your work surface.

glam paper atc

Take some acrylic paint (the cheap 44-cent a bottle kind is great, and make sure to splurge on a bottle of metallic, too), squeeze a dab onto a paper plate (or a piece of cardboard, or whatever) — maybe two colors next to each other, get a sponge damp and squeeze as much excess water out as possible, and then sponge the paint onto the paper.

Do not be alarmed by the words “sponge” and “painting” being used in the same sentence. This is not fuddy-duddy stuff. This is highly glam. Trust me. Especially with the aforerecommended metallic paint.

Experiment with just sponging lightly, more heavily, with smearing, with smearing in a circle (to make “rosettes”), with streaking, with layering of color, with adding metallic paint after the first round of paint has dried (or not). You can’t fail this project, so just try whatever you want.

Once you’re done, you’ll have sheets of unique fancy paper. You might have to iron it after you’re done and the paper is dry but sort of curled (just iron on a low setting and use a paper towel over the painted part of the paper to keep paint from getting anywhere). You can then use this paper for anything — making greeting cards, making Artist Trading Cards (cut it in 2.5×3.5″ rectangles), scrapbooking, embellishments for any kind of paper art. Oh, and don’t forget to check the scrap paper you used to protect the counter — it can be very cool too. I made this fish here with the scrap paper left over from my project.

Sheets of this unique paper would make a FAB gift for anyone who likes paper crafting, and this also makes a great project for

even more fish

kids.

kiddie sculpture

I actually kind of like this as a sculpture!

A couple years ago, I found myself without a full-time job. I lived in a house without a television, and this was before the advent of web TV (or even Youtube type stuff). I had an entire room in my house devoted to my own personal crafting, and a desk that had layers of projects on it, so that the untrained eye (that’s anyone but me!) couldn’t tell where one project ended and the next one began.

I spent hours every day crafting, sewing, painting, and generally craftin’ it up. People frequently pegged me as “so creative!” in astonishment. I modestly (and truthfully) pointed out that instead of having children, a job or watching TV, I did crafts. I believed (and still do) that “being creative” is equal to just sitting down and doing something–anything.

And, when I wasn’t being craftastic, I blogged about my projects, read about other people’s projects, and engaged in the online crafty community. I think we were all doing that back then - back in the innocent days of the old Glitter boards (back when it was the old Getcrafty, before Supernaturale was born) and the young upstart days when you could navigate Craftster without getting instantly overwhelmed. Back then we were all still trying to figure out who “we” were as a crafty community.

As easy as it was to be plugged in a few years ago, it’s exponentially easier now. In addition to bulletin boards and forums, we have sleek blogs that have topics and target audiences (complete with advertising opportunities), social networking of all flavors, micro-blogs like Twitter, podcasts, RSS feeds, and forty-five  other ways to get stuff from our brains directly uploaded to other people’s brains. You can’t even leave the house without your iPhone internet access anymore. People are constantly keeping each other informed on every aspect of their lives. If you are a crafter, you snap photos with your phone to upload to Flickr to stream on your blog that other people have feeds for, and then you announce the blog entry on Twitter and link to your Tumblr site.

It was amazing to have a year or so where all I did was craft and post my craftings online. It was amazing to be part of that online crafty circle. I have made some true friends - some of whom I’ve met in real life and some who are just ASCII comments and jpgs on the other side of the world to me, but who aren’t any less true friends. I value those friendships and connections!

These days, my crafty free time is taken up with creatively figuring out how to make yet another meal that doesn’t resemble yesterday’s dinner but still uses the same ingredients. I expend my crafty energy picking up tiny pieces of paper that my toddler just “learned” to cut up with his safety scissors. I don’t even have a free table in my house where it’s easy to sit down and create when the spirit moves.

What few unfettered minutes I steal, I waste away online, checking up with my crafty peeps who actually have time to get stuff done. I guess I need to unplug myself from all the tentacles of internet connectedness, and get my hands dirty (and by dirty, I mean covered in paint, adhesive, and glitter!)

yes, i really have 20 lbs of zippers in my garage

Ah, the old salad days of yore, when I spend who knows how much money adding to my crafty stash. I still have a garage full of stashtastic stuff that I have toted halfway across the country with me. I just can’t bear to part with the twenty pound bag of multicolored industrial zippers I got at a dorm garage sale in 2002. Of course, when a new project comes up, I just have to go to the craft store to pick up “one or two” things necessary for completing my new opus.

The last crafty things I purchased were for a holiday ornament project I have yet to do: white glitter, fabric stiffener, and balloons (can you figure out what my project was from that list?). You know how long ago the holidays were…

I have put a moratorium on purchasing any new supplies this year. My stash is too large already, and with two little ones, I’m lucky if I have time to eat dinner, let alone wax crafty.

That doesn’t mean I can’t add to my kiddie craft stash, though! I admit I’ve fallen prey to the siren song of the loss-leader school supply aisle. Washable crayons for a dollah? Let me stock up! My toddler has a full arsenal of washable art supplies, from markers to paints, as well as every type of art paper a 2 year-old could possibly need for his precious scribbles. He even has a pair of high tech safety scissors (they don’t look like they did when I was a kid! They’re now entirely made of plastic–safe enough for my seven month old to chew on, if they fall into his hands.) I vicariously craft through my toddler, who sits in his high chair long enough to paint a few strokes on one wooden figurine before he gets bored and wants to “run around like a crazy guy.”

I’m actually quite the eco-crafter, too. I find it hard to throw away a lot of my trash because it has potential to be used as a craft item. Egg cartons, colorful cereal boxes, used wrapping paper, twisty ties, bread tabs, cans, milk cartons. I have a major case of tightwad angst against throwing this stuff away. It’s good stuff! I’m sure the day after our recycling bin is picked up, I will NEED that huge olive can for something! Hey it would be great for potting geraniums!

As a stay at home mom, you would think I have time for all that crafting I wished I could do back when I was working. I feel guilty, though, even starting a craft project when I know there are seventy-three domestic tasks I have been putting off. I feel like I just have to do those (Item fifty-two: sew blackout curtains for my toddler’s room so he won’t keep getting up at 6:30 every morning!) before I can start anything that is just for fun.

So when I add to my craft stash (okay, okay, I admit it, I did buy a vintage sheet at Goodwill recently. It would make such adorable reusable grocery totes), what I’m really purchasing is the idea of crafting. It’s just not enough to purchase the materials, you have to actually use them. Otherwise, they become the fabric of just another crafty quilt dream.

Sometimes you just need some fast food, like pizza. Yeah, pizza sounds good. But I don’t have any dough made. And I’m hungry now. I guess I’ll have a grilled cheese. Aww, grilled cheese again?

Wait, I have an idea! What if we combined the pizza and the grilled cheese sandwich to make a whole new kind of fun fast food? We’ll call it the “Pizza Sandwich!”

The pizza sandwich is one of those deceptively simple meals that twists grilled sandwiches just enough to inject some fun into your meal. I imagine this would be fun for kids older than Lewis who are excited by the idea of pizza. Lewis doesn’t know he should get excited by pizza yet, so just cooking it is fun enough for him! Just eating tomato sauce is fun enough, apparently!

This recipe is great for my two year old, who can help mix spices in tomato sauce, spread the sauce on the bread, and sprinkle cheese and olives.

Start the recipe with two slices of bread per sandwich (if that isn’t obvious), and butter one side of each piece lightly.

Get your huge can of tomato sauce. Put some italian seasonings in some tomato sauce (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic, onion, etc.) or use some ready-made spaghetti sauce in your favorite variety. (As you can see, I get tomato sauce in the BIG can. It’s sooo much cheaper that way, and you can just freeze it in 2 cup storage containers for use in other recipes when you need it.) Spread the sauce on the non-buttery sides of the bread.

One great thing about this sandwich is that the tomato sauce helps moisten the bread, as does the butter. If you have bread that is heading toward getting stale, this is a good use for it.

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on the bread. Feel free to improvise with your favorite kind of cheese. Your toddler will have fun decorating the bread with the cheese. When he’s done, fill in the sparse areas to help fill the sandwich out! I pressed the cheese into the tomato sauce to help adhere it so it wouldn’t fall out of the sandwich when I put the sandwich tops on.

Collect your favorite pizza toppings for the next portion of the recipe, such as olives, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. Non-traditional toppings also work here. You can use leftover ground hamburger or lunch meat, for example.

For our sandwiches, we just added sliced olives (also purchased in the big can, and then divided in two large containers, one of which was frozen for storage. They thaw well!), which makes for a surprisingly satisfying vegetarian pizza sandwich.

Don’t forget to put the olives on your finger and then eat a few!

Once your bread is sufficiently decorated, top the sandwiches with the other pieces of bread, and (parent) cook like a standard grilled sandwich, until cheese is melted and sandwich is warmed through, bread is browned a little.

Ways to cook: in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, in a sandwich press (panini maker, George Foreman grill, etc.), or in a toaster oven (that’s what we did).

Toddlers are pretty handy when it comes to simple recipes! Lewis loves to use the blender to mix up liquid ingredients. This particular recipe doesn’t have much in the way of liquid, but I let him mix the dry ingredients to make sure the lumps are all broken up.

I modified this Better Homes & Garden pancake recipe to make a dry “buttermilk” pancake mix. I was toying with the idea of making up a bunch of the mix so I could quickly make pancakes, but honestly, regular pancakes are pretty quick to make anyway. I didn’t have any eggs, so I used soy flour instead of eggs, which is really what makes it feasible for a dry pancake mix, as well as the dry milk powder.

If you are a camper, this mix would be great to take along with you for an easy outdoor breakfast. You can omit the baking soda & vinegar for an even easier mixing experience (if you do omit them, add an additional 1 teaspoon baking powder to the mix). You could probably even add the oil to the dry mix if you were going to use it within a couple days, and then all you’d have to do is add water (1-1/2 cups is equal to a soda can full of water, so you wouldn’t even have to bring a measuring cup!). Just put it in a zip-top bag and pour the water in when it comes time to mix it. Dispense the batter from the zip-top bag. Easy!

Dry “Buttermilk” Pancake Mix:

1-1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping Tbsp soy flour

1/3 cup dry milk powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

When you’re ready to use, add to dry mix:
1-1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon oil

Mix until lumps are mostly gone. You don’t want a soy flour chunk in your pancake. Trust me.

Cook in a skillet over medium heat. You will know it is time to turn the pancakes over when they get a little bit dry-looking on the edges (just a little bit!), and you can see a few bubbles rising in the middle of the pancakes.

Makes about eight 4-inch pancakes.

The vinegar is what helps make the “buttermilk” and the vinegar and baking soda reaction helps the pancakes rise more. The soy flour has a little bit of a “green” flavor, so these are better served with a stronger syrup (maple is good).

I like to make “brown sugar” syrup with 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup water. I just put them in a pourable mixing cup and microwave for a minute, stir, then another 30 seconds in the microwave.

I would make at least a double batch of these because the pancakes are great for kid snacks later in the day. Just give ‘em a pancake and let ‘em munch. They also make awesome “bread” for breakfast sandwiches the next day. The secret is to give them a swipe of syrup and butter. The syrup makes the sandwich, really! I know it sounds weird but it’s good! Remember to warm the pancakes, too and then top with a sausage patty (we use Morningstar meatless), and a cooked egg

I know next to nothing about cloth diapering (I know about the ones my mom used in the 80s on my brother… you know, the old school ones that were white, could be folded different ways for different-sized kiddos, and had to be pinned & covered by “plastic pants”), but I do know that there’s a whole world of adorable cloth diapers out there, and as crafty people, such cute cloth diapers are within our means to make!

I’m still exploring the whole cloth diapering scene, but my friend Suburban Belle did refer me to this cool free pattern for Rita’s Rump Pocket, a one-size-fits-most basic diaper which can be made with basically scraps or old clothing. This could be good for me because I have two little boys of different sizes who are both in diapers!

Suburban Belle also referred me to this pattern, the Artistry Baby Diaper Pattern, which she recommends.

Rita’s blog also has this adorable photo of diaper covers she made from the Mile High Monkeys pattern. So cute!

Anyway, I have been slowly researching cloth diapering over the past couple weeks. It’s kind of like soap-making in that there are LOTS of different things to know before you jump in and try it. I’ll keep you updated on what I find out!

I’m loving these hand-etched, hand-painted pendants from PamelaMichelle. Check out this interview with the artist!

Shop name:

PamelaMichelle

What are your main inspirations?
Right now I’m interested in the forms of nature, modern design, Scandinavian art and graffiti. I like mixing inspirations and finding new ways to interpret the things I like to create new ideas and art.

What is your favorite material?
I love wood! I love to cut it, paint it, drill it, form it, burn it, destroy it, etc.

What new technique or craft has caught your eye lately? Want to try anything new?
Screen printing has come back into my artistic picture lately. I took a class in college, and I loved it, but haven’t touched it since. Now I’m picking it back up and being more experimental with techniques and processes. I love it. It’s a fun hobby.

What new item in your shop are you excited about?
My newest items are always my favorites, but this one I’m super excited about!! My Coral Butterfly is part of the ongoing evolution of my work. I plan to make more like this one.

What advice do you have for indie business owners/designers?
Hmmm, I’d say always have fun doing what you’re doing and always strive to be better at what you’re doing.

I don’t have that many, but there are two kitchen tricks I use a lot that always fill me with glee every time I use them because they are just so darn useful!

Use a pastry blender to make guacamole. Alton Brown doesn’t allow one-use tools in his kitchen and neither should you! My husband doesn’t like chunky guacamole (although I do), and I could never pulverize the avocado to his liking with just a fork. Enter the pastry blender! It easily mashes avocado and makes guacamole-making sooo easy!

“Sift” flower with a wire whisk. I admit, I have a flour sifter (NOT the type recommended by Alton Brown - ha ha!), but I never use it (and it takes up a lot of space!). Instead, I put all my dry ingredients in a bowl and then stir them with a wire whisk. So awesome. It breaks up all lumps and incorporates all the dry ingredients beautifully.

I will never be the author of an amazing cookblog, but I do have these two tips to share with you!

Before I had kids, I did crafts all day every day. I even had a bedroom (in our Houston house) devoted to crafting, which was amazing. I sat at my sewing/art table every day, like it was my desk in a crafty office. It was amazing to spend so much time creating!

These days we live in a two-bedroom, and one bedroom is devoted to the kiddos. Our bed takes up most of the other bedroom, and the rest of the house is cozy, but there’s not a lot of space for a craft room or even table. I guess I should clean the kitchen table off and use it for crafting! I’m sure my two year-old would find that VERRRRY interesting! Ha ha!

Wishing isn’t that useful, except to help me define my goals! I discovered a long time ago that most of my “wishes” were things I could fulfill myself with a bit of work!