Craft Crap

Flange CD Lamp

2013-08-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

I saw this amazing thing on Pinterest, a lamp made from old CD casings. Light and use of light is my favorite kind of art, so I repinned the photo. The artist who created it hadn't shared the recipe and though many others had commented on it, but I couldn't find HOW to do it.

So I decided to just figure out how to do it by doing it.

Ingredients:
cds
light source
wire

First I needed the light source. Ikea sells these, but the ones at amazon are a little bit cheaper and you don't have to get into a fight with your husband at Ikea.

I have three boxes of old cds "waiting to be burned", so I didn't need to worry about finding that supply.

We have tons of wire from old theatre projects, and a life-long love of the arts and crafts. I just needed to figure out how to attach the light source to the cds in an attractive way.

A trip to the hardware store! I needed something circular that would serve as an internal frame to hold/attach the cds too, that would also allow the cord and light to nest inside. I told myself I was an artist, and it was ok to walk up and down the aisles aimlessly looking at all of the items in hopes of finding the perfect way to repurpose it. Screens, sink drains, netting, finally resting on a large flange about 6.5 inches in diameter. AND it cost less than $2.00 so if it didn't work I needn't be bitter.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

2012-01-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite coffee cake. It is really easy and fills the house full of deliciousness smells!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Yield: Serves 9-12

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

This easy Cranberry Coffee Cake is made with Greek yogurt, fresh cranberries, and has a streusel filling and topping.

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 large orange
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup plain Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries

Streusel Filling and Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 stick unsalted butter

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan or a bundt cake pan (my preference) and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set dry ingredients aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beat until smooth. Beat in the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in the fresh cranberries.

5. To make the streusel topping and filling, place the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed.

6. Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with half of the streusel topping/filling. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling, spreading gently. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel.

7. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Broccoli Soup

2012-01-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

This Broccoli Soup is easy to cook and very nutritious. I got the recipe off of "About.com" sub-header: low fat cooking.

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped
2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

Preparation:

Heat oil on medium heat in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Gently sauté onion and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add potato and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender in 2-3 batches, and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat gently until ready to serve.

Serves 6.

Per Serving: Calories 88, Calories from Fat 16. Total Fat 1.8g (sat 0.3g), Cholesterol 1mg, Sodium 83mg, Carbohydrate 13g, Fiber 3.1g, Protein 4.9g

Sunday Cooking

2012-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday is the new cooking day at MuckenReel's house. I am trying to get us eating less processed foods and making a lot of items from scratch. Today I made a Cranberry Coffee Cake for our breakfasts and Broccoli Soup for dinner with a side of Blue Cheese Crostini with Honey. Everything turned out great.

Cheers to more cooking in the New Year.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

2011-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

My oh My!

My handsome husband got me an immersion blender for Christmas. This was the TOP item on my list with the Ipad 2 being a close second. I am in heaven.

We celebrated our personal holiday on Monday night, so first thing I did after work on Tuesday (ok, partially AT work on Tuesday) was to look up a good soup recipe to break-in the new blender.

Le Recipe!

1 yellow onion, chopped
3 tbs garlic powder
I carrot, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
(squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
3 cups vegetable broth
Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper

Combine garlic powder, onion, celery, and carrot in large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree. Add spices to taste.

Soft Honey Gingersnap Chip Cookies

2011-12-18T14:38:00.001-08:00

Honey-Gingersnap Chip Cookies

Yields: 3 dozen

Baking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2.25 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1.25 teaspoons cinnamon

1.25 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 large eggs

3.5 cups all-purpose flour

11 oz bag of white chocolate chips

1 cup granulated sugar for coating the cookie dough balls

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the honey, oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Mix well until combined.
Add in the eggs and beat until smooth.
Slowly add in the flour.
Stir in the white chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on the lined baking sheets, about two inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes, the cookies will still look soft. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the sheet (5 min) and then place on a baking rack until completely cooled.
Eat.

This recipe was adapted from one on the blog "Two peas and one pod"

A MuckenReel Holiday 2011

2011-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

The 2011 MuckenReel Holiday Season

This year the Holiday seems abnormally quiet. It might have a lot to do with Tiger's back still not being up to par. When someone is not feeling well, the social pace grows slower. So we haven't accepted many invitations because of it, and I have done more walking and baking than in years past. This is good news for the people around us that we ARE seeing in the next couple of weeks.

Here is our Holiday Tree. We put it up a few weeks ago, and it helps fill the house with that lovely pine scent. We didn't have many decorations, so strung popcorn. It looks great.

Today, we are putting the finishing touches on our co-worker and friend gifts. They will contain some or all of the following:

Brushetta

Soft Ginger Snap Cookies

Peppermint Brownies

Chocolate Mint Thumbprints

Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you are all surrounded with joy.

Molten Brownies

2011-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite treats, and I make them a lot for cast parties when we are producing shows.

Molten Brownies.

Needed:
1-2 boxes of Betty Crocker Brownie Mix.
The ingredients the mix requires (oil, eggs and water), powdered sugar, fresh raspberries/cherries/blueberries or candy corn.
cupcake tin and liners (regular size or mini)
1 hour of your time

This recipe is so easy, and so good.

Blend the brownie mix and pour the contents into the muffin tins. I prefer the mini-cupcake tins as you get that "one bite" of delicious chocolate that is usually more than enough.

Undercook the brownies by 5 minutes. For those of you with a good bakers nose, the second you smell the finished brownies, pull them out. That will ensure the brownies are still undercooked in the middle.

Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top - for bigger cupcake brownies - this could be a 1/2 of a tablespoon. You will need much less than that for the minis.

Right before serving, put the fresh fruit or colored garnish candy on top. These will crystalize the sugar if kept on too long, so be sure to pull the fresh fruit off before freezing any leftovers.

Enjoy!

Holiday Tree!

2011-12-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know how this happened, but somehow in the 5 years I have been sharing a life with my husband, we never got a Xmas tree. Maybe it is because trees in Los Angeles can run upward of $100? Maybe we usually visit my family over the holiday, or have shows, or the 2-foot metallic holiday tree was just enough. Who knows.

This year, with the help of a timely Groupon, we got our first tree for $45 bucks. It smells of pine, and will hopefully last at least a week in our warm climate. :)

The problem is, we don't have any ornaments. And I'm trying to adopt a new attitude with purchases. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse". My BFF Lorna does this by refusing to make easy purchases if it is something you can do yourself.

So today we are stringing popcorn and making crepe paper flowers for our Holiday Tree. Fingers Crossed!

Cranberry-Pear Compote!

2011-11-13T14:38:00.001-08:00

Who: Amy Elizabeth Mucken
What: Canning Seasonal Pears with Fresh Cranberries into a delicious paste!
Where: Our home
When: 11/12/11 - that means it is magical.
Why: Preparing to host a Thanksgiving event at our home, as well as prepare small gifts for special people in our lives
How (& More):

I just finished working 350 hours in one month. Don't get me started, and I KNOW! So the first thing I wanted to do after sleeping for three days straight - was get back to crafting.

Luckily my hankering timed beautifully with the release of SkyRim so my handsome husband, Tiger Reel, was happily occupied on the nearby sofa.

Fresh pears were still to be found at the Farmer's Market and I bought 12 pounds and had plans to triple the recipe I found on the Simple Bites site. I still love this site, and have found it to be an amazing source of inspiration.

I made batch one on 11/12 - I prefer to do it without white sugar, so did a 1 to 1 replacement with honey for the sugar required in the Simple Bites recipe. It leaves a delicate tanginess to the recipe, but I like it. I also doubled the cinnamon just to give it a good Holiday Kick!

Kitchen shot: Cranberry Pear Compote, Canning Handle, Mitts & Le Creuset utensil holder.

Cranberry Compote Cooling before the jar-boiling process.

Into the bath!

Batch two came out even better - and I look forward to playing with the third batch tomorrow night when my friend Maggie Hollinbeck is in town. Canning is more fun with friends. :)

A Whole New Brand

2011-09-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

My handsome husband, Tiger Reel, was sitting at the table tonight as I was making the label for my Spicy Peaches. He suggested: "don't call it "spicy peaches" that is boring. Call it ATOMIC PEACHES."
"Won't people be afraid to eat them if they are atomic?" I muttered
"No way, it is for the post apocalyptic person, they like atomic. They need it to live!"

And he is on to something.

Why am I making all this food suddenly? Sure, we try to eat every day - sometimes even more than once. Then it hit me. I am experiencing my pre-apocolypse nesting period. I need to hoard a bunch of the food I love so we are prepared. Who knows what we will need while we wait out all the Hollywood Riff-Raff as they run and turn into zombies.

So there is my canning brand: Healthy Food for the Post-Apocolyptian. that is a new word - like how now we are an American, then we'll be a Post-Apocolyptian. It works.

So we have our thesis or mission statement if you will... Now we need a name for the Canning Company so we can continue our branding. Ideally it will be less than 24 characters and less than 3 words. Any ideas?

Atomic Peaches (the canned good formally known as "Honey-Spiced Peaches"

2011-09-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

This recipe was my second attempt in canning. I am doing basic water bath recipes so as not to get overwhelmed and to get a sense of what looks right and wrong.

Last Monday, my husband had an epidural for his herniated disk. I knew he would be in and out of consciousness throughout the day so that meant: project day! I stopped by the Poinsettia Farmer's Market and picked up 10 pounds of fresh and delicious looking peaches.

This was my first time blanching. I practiced the face a lot first - 1) scrunch your lips like you ate 20 sour balls. 2) Open your eyes wide in painful surprise. 3) hold your breath.

My main source for guidance (and by source I mean I followed it step-by-step without fail) was the Honey-Spiced Peaches Recipe on the Ball Canning Site.

Blanching was crazy easy. I don't know why boiling water is terrifying, but I get very nervous when I am around it in large amounts. I had purchased an Asian strainer that is AWESOME and used that to transport the peaches in and out of the boiling pot into a cold water bath. This made them very easy to peel and I found it both fun and meditative.

I sliced about 1/2 of the peaches I had before I realized I had left the oft-crunchy outer chunks of the pit on some of my fruit. Ideally I would have trimmed that - but we have no time for details like that in the Post-Apocolyptic, so suck it.

This recipe probably took me 3 hours to do from start to finish. I made 9 pints of Atomic Peaches with the 10 pounds of produce. After adding the cost of the cinnamon sticks, all spice, cloves, jars and equipment - each jar cost about $9.00 to make. You roll your eyes, because you can buy the Hines version for $1.19 - regular price! Yeah, we'll see what you are willing to pay when the Zombies are clawing your windows for 16 hours a day.

The Atomic Peaches will be debuting on our dessert trays tonight under some delicious vanilla frozen yogurt. I'll update you later to tell you how they fare.

A Share & Show Craft Series

2011-09-25T19:21:00.001-07:00

I am contemplating hosting a Craft Series. The structure is still in an embryonic stage, but I think it is developing towards a great direction.

Every month - maybe a Saturday morning from 10am - 2pm, we hold a Craft session. Each week is "hosted" by a fellow person who has a simple craft they can share and show the rest of us.

Hence the name: Share & Show

For example, I have a friend who makes beautiful flowers out of crepe paper. If she was interested, she would "host" and I would produce. We would make a list of items each person would need and she would give a 5-30 minute tutorial at the start of the session. The producer would be in charge of paying for all supplies and handling any leftover items.

The guests would sit at tables and move about watching each other's projects, we would all chat, make our flowers and all leave with a walk-away. 10 flowers (or whatever the host / producer stated in their invitation).

People would need to rsvp, and mimosas and coffee would be provided.
There would be a craft supply fee to cover costs each week.

Hmmmm....

Brushetta in a Jar

2011-09-25T19:20:00.005-07:00

What is not to love about this idea. Aw crap I forgot that I invited the Whozits over tonight. OH! We have "Brushetta in a Jar"! Now this social occasion is fun AND easy again! phew!

This recipe was my 3rd canning attempt and I'm still sticking to the water bath methodology. I went to the Farmer's Market and got 10 pounds of plum tomatoes. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting up 10 pounds of plum tomatoes. But do as I did and work while having SNL in the background - it makes your work more fun and I am pretty sure each time you laugh, more joy is put in the jar so you are sure to have an even bigger hit when serving this up on social occasions.

How to put more funny in your food.

The gravy was extremely easy to boil and this entire process was completed in less than 3 hours, with an hour of that being I have to boil my jar in batches of 4. So it could be less if you have more equipment.

Tomorrow I will stop to purchase some crusty bread for the big taste test - fingers crossed!

Makes about 7 (8 oz) half pints

What could be more welcoming than warm, freshly toasted homemade bruschetta? Just spoon these zesty tomatoes onto a toasted baguette and garnish with grated cheese and a splash of olive oil, if desired.

You will need:

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
9 cups chopped cored plum tomatoes (about 4 lb or 12 medium)
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until garlic is heated through. Remove from heat.
3.) PACK tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

What is Next?

2011-09-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tasks on my Craft To-Do List:

1) Refinish the inherited room divider I found by the garbage cans. It has amazing possibilities.

2) Canning canning and more canning. Tiger had a brilliant idea and we already have our Brand. "Healthy Food for the Post Apocalypse". I might even get a pressure cooker so I can get even more varieties of food stored away.

3) Paint the upstairs shelves a butter yellow with blue accents.

4) Smaller outdoor versions of the Recycled Coffee Stirrer lamp using strawberry containers as the frame, lighter sticks for the "shade" and round string bulbs for the light. This will look stunning on our back patio this winter. (we live in LA where cold = 50 degrees).

Making more crafty food - like this "Make ahead muffin" and this "Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies" and "GingerSnaps!"

Strawberry Honey Jam

2011-09-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Who: Amy Elizabeth Mucken
What: Made canned jam for the first time in her life: Honey Strawberry Jam
Where: Our home
When: 9/18/2011
Why: Oh please
How (& More):

I have been wanting to can for as long as I can remember. I had a very clear vision of my adult life as a child, and canning, walking the dog and wearing an apron during cocktail parties were a solid part of it. We have a cat that is like a dog, I have 3 aprons, but none seem very practical or efficient and I have never ever ever canned anything - until today.

I found a great recipe on this delicious site called Simple Bites. I bought some pint sized ball canning jars a couple months ago once our last show opened, but never got around to actually doing it. This last week I woke up thinking: NOTHING IS IN SEASON NOW. Then I laughed because I live in Southern California, where many things ARE in season year round. I did some searching, found the Simple Bites site and hunted for the perfect recipe to dip into my new hobby: CANNING.

As an adult I am trying to not fall into the same crafty-traps I had as a younger woman. Deciding I loved biking and buying $600 worth of gear only to realize I only liked biking and didn't use it much. So my first task was to use what I actually had on hand until I knew if this canning hobby practically resonated with me.

I chose the Honey Strawberry Jam as I have always loved my mom's strawberry freezer jam. It is a comfort food, and what better thing to pull off the shelf than something you know will soothe you. I am also trying to stay away from sugars and additives, so this simple recipe also fit the bill.

I woke up at 8am, went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and bought 6 pints of delicious tasting fresh strawberries. I also picked up a jar of Feta Stuffed Olives for my husband. But that doesn't matter here.

The mashed strawberries during their first boiling

I prepped it using a hot water bath. And read all the "Canning 101" information on the Simple Bites site as a helpful guide. I didn't have a "jar puller outer" or a magnet stick, or a pressure cooker, so the finished jars were pulled out (frantically) using spaghetti tones. I am sure you won't be able to tell with the finished product.

With the 6 pints of strawberries, 4 boxes of pectin and 3 cups of honey I made 12 280ml of jam + 3 pints. We'll be tasting them soon! Fingers crossed.

Wooden Picture Frames

2011-08-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Who: Mucken & her friends and nieces
What: Decorating Wooden Frames
Where: In my home
When: Anytime you are feeling crafty
Why: Adding more personal touches to my life and my gifts.
How (& more):

I wanted to have a fun Craft-day with my girlfriends. We get together for parties, or drinks, or shows - but I don't have a lot of tangible memories of these beyond the random FB photo. I had a group of girl friends in college (and after) where we would craft frequently, but I hadn't developed that circle yet in my life in L.A.

I found a site online called Frame USA that sold unfinished (but sanded) frames ready for you to decorate and set to creating an evite.

I decided to have it at my house along with a very simple brunch (see post later regarding Craft & Crunch). I ordered 40 wood frames at $5.00 a piece and created an invite to 20 of my favorite ladies, hoping that at least 1/2 could make it. I would charge them $5.00 each for frames they used.

I had a lot leftover, and still sit a couple times a month, painting or decoupaging as one of our bookshelves in the living room is now a "craft center". I love the feeling of having art supplies so close to hand and it has inspired many a homemade gift instead of a target gift-card or bottle of wine.

The fames arrive wrapped in plastic and the glass and stays are very secure. Each has a hook on the back for hanging, as well as a stand if you prefer to keep it on a surface as decoration.

My nieces came to stay with us for 5 days this summer. My craft center was the saving grace for the "down times" when we didn't have a tour of Hollywood or other fun event planned. The frame above was given to us by Carly White on the last day of the visit as a thank you. The photo does not do it justice, and I'll try to update it with a better picture later. These are cherry blossoms and she did a beautiful job. It now has a prominent place in our loving home.

Another lovely frame that looks better in real life than in this photo. Made by Mucken!

Party-All-The-Time Lamp

2011-06-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Who: Mucken (and her trusty crafty sidekick Tiger Reel)
What: Upgrading a crappy colored lamp shade into a work of art
Where: Our home
When: Last year until forever
Why: I love lights and lamps and want to do more projects involving them.
How (& more):

This lamp was a forced-out-of-necessity creation. I had a very useful standing lamp from Ikea that I had purchased for $20 back in the early 90's. Unfortunately the light maroon lampshade did not match the pumpkin color my husband and I had chosen for our living room walls. What to do, what to do?

I have kept a file of crafts I wanted to do "someday" ever since I started my hoarding habit aka: had a room of my own. One of the items was ripped from a magazine and talked about how to create beautiful shadow paperings in the shapes of leaves to overlay a lampshade. Well, I love crafts, but my talent is minimal. I can't paint unless it is in dot-like patterns and my mad skills last about an hour and a half before I'm ready to move on. This coincidentally coincides with the average cocktail hour.

Then I ran into THIS! - on my favorite website: Amazon.com

I could get 144 of these for FIVE DOLLARS. And I did. The night they arrived my husband and I had planned on sitting and watching a movie, or Top Model, and I said "hey, I need your help for a few minutes..." For the next 2 hours, he patiently opened tiny paper umbrellas for me as I stabbed them into the Ikea lampshade. It looks great!

The lamp is one of our more popular conversation pieces in our home and two of my best girlfriends (Julie Terrell Travis & Susan Brindley) love to mock the fact that all the sticks are still showing on the inside of the shade. It looks a bit like a torture tool, and "maybe someday" I'll trim them, but honestly, that is part of what gives it that homemade look. So suck it.

Craft & Crunch

2011-03-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Who: Me and my girlfriends
What: Thinking of new ways to share quality time together
Where: My home
Why: See What.
When: March 2011, and again in a month or so..
How (& more):

I am a big fan of the quilting bee. Driving a few days in my horse-drawn wagon, weathering the elements and thinking about intricate patterns. Exhausted and exhilarated I arrive at a good friend's home to add my materials to The Quilt. Our communal and supportive way to celebrate someone's marriage or christening. Spending time with the women to catch up on the news. Oh shit. I forgot I live in Los Angeles, and my girlfriend time equates to meeting up for a drink, see a show or do Yoga with a quick catch-up afterwards before we both run to our cars to get to our next appointment. And I dont' know how to sew. Nameste.

This year I tried a new thing called Craft & Crunch. The Working Title was Craft & Chew - but that almost sounded like we would use ABC gum as a crafty-resource. Craft & Crunch still isn't quite right - but you get the point.

I cold-called a couple other Craftarians to see if they would be interested. Boy were they! AND they would bring arts and craft supplies from their homes to help the cause. Thank you Beezus.

We gave it an "open-house" feel with a 11-3pm run time. That would be plenty for folks to eat, craft and shoot the shit. It ended up being even more fun than I hoped, and I look forward to doing it again.

This is me with my "finished" projects. The one on the left is marked with WendyO's wood burner (I LOVE THIS TOOL), and the one on the right ended up going through another 10 hours of work before it finally felt done.

Lacy Altwine made two beautiful frames!

Marti Hale was mid-joke during this photo, and is always an amazing guest and friend.

Claudia is hilarious, and a very talented playwright and actress. I love zombies too so she is near and dear to my heart.

Julie Terrell-Travis is one of my best-friends and she made the frame on the left for her daughter, Eleanor

Wendy's frame is beautiful! She is one of my "heart girls" and had the killer wood working tools and always classes up the joint whenever she comes over. She is also my cohort/hostess with our Bend & Brunches - which is a take on the Craft & Crunch, but we do Yoga and then eat and visit with the girls who came to class. We are both really lucky to have such inventive women in our lives, and I am undyingly thankful for her support in my path.

Kelly was knocked up with her baby, Dante, and did a lot of beautiful work, not just frames. My supplies would have been sorely diminished had she not come and shared her tools and insights.

Here is a shot of our finished products. Super fun time had by all.

See! I told you Kelly did a few things. The INSPIRE sign was already cut upon arrival, but she painted it and we all learned a few styling tips by watching her work.

I love making food for parties, and folks brought other things to share as well. Quiche, watermelon, potatoes and something delicious that Marti made that I still remember as being great!

Morgan Kays was my best-friend in 7th grade, and we still have a lot of the same tastes. We both ended up in LA and have been catching up on each other's lives via FB and shared chance meetings at The Hollywood Bowl. She is awesome, and I love getting to know her again in our adult lives.

Recycled Coffee Stirrer Lamp

2011-02-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Who: Amy Mucken inspired by Aaron Kramer
What: Recycled Coffee Stirrer Lamp
When: February 2011
Why: I love lamps and light
How (& more): A delicious craft class at Hands-On 3rd

My husband got an 8-week acting job that took him out of the country. This was to be our longest separation to date and I decided that the best way to keep from achingly missing him was the oft-used tactic: distraction distraction distraction. First stop - get back in touch with my crafty-side.

There is a wonderful urban craft center on Melrose in Los Angeles called Hands-On 3rd that offers classes taught by artists to teach back-to-basic workshops. Many of their classes looked delicious to me: Mosaic basics (tiling & grouting!), terrarium building, millinery, and of course sewing, crocheting and knitting. I opted for a six-hour class on how to make a functional lamp out of (mostly) recycled materials.

This class was taught by Aaron Kramer who developed the prototype for the lamp a couple decades earlier. As he states in his book; "Salvage", "If something is thrown away, where does it go in a closed loop planet? He believes there shouldn't be a thing as away or waste. His philosophy for creating sustainable art, while embracing discarded objects for inspiration, is embodied in his motto: "trash is the failure of imagination." When creating his first lamp, he visited a coffee shop and was amazed at how many wooden coffee stirrers there were in the trash. An idea was born.

On the day of our class, Aaron showed up with a bag of used coffee stirrers from Peets Coffee. He recommended we all dig in and use these for our lamps to give it the authentic recycled flavor (and authentic coffee smell).

We were each given a metal frame that Aaron had welded. It was 16" in diameter and would provide the much needed structure for our coffee stirrers.

Our job was to take the coffee stirrers and tuck and hook them into a solid(ish) pattern to keep the light in, and create an interesting lamp shade. The class was six hours, and I figured I would be out in three.

This was my lamp after 30 minutes of tucking and bending. I had a long way to go before I was done.

After almost 6 hours of tucking and nesting in the coffee stirrers my hands were hurting and burning. But I loved my product even though I hadn't seen it in action. I asked Aaron at least three times if I was finished, and he would point to big gaps in my pattern that he could stick a finger through and say "almost". Finally I finished and slathered a coat of glue over the whole frame to help the sticks "stick". Aaron supplied us with a $20 cord & bulb from Ikea so all we had to do after the glue dried was hang it up and turn it on. I was very proud, and in hindsight - wish I had worn eye-liner that day.

This is my lamp in our home. My folks were visiting this weekend for The Oscars, and they helped me hang it and gave the obligatory "It really is!" answer all 127 times I looked at it and said "Isn't it beautiful!?".

I am very proud of this lamp, and my husband and I both think it "classes up" our home. I highly recommend taking a class at Hands-On 3rd, or any other urban arts center you can. It's good stuff for the soul.