Crane Debbi - Mixed mania: recipes for delicious mixed-media creations

MIXED MANIA

RECIPES FOR DELICIOUS MIXED-MEDIA CREATIONS

Debbi Crane & Cheryl Prater

{ FROM DEBBI }

to: J.R., Whitley, and Courtney, with all my love.

{ FROM CHERYL }

to: My beloved husband, Mark, and our boys, Reese and Conn, who sacrificed many hot meals while this book was in the works. Also, to all three of my wonderful parents, George and Barbara Karounos and Carol Prater, thanks for believing in me before I did.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE
ARTISTIC APPETIZERS

TWO COOKS IN THE KITCHEN:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS

CHAPTER TWO
MAIN COURSES

TWO COOKS IN THE KITCHEN:
WHAT IS MIXED MEDIA?

CHAPTER THREE
SWEET TREATS AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS

TWO COOKS IN THE KITCHEN!
ABOUT EACH OTHER

CHAPTER FOUR
GUESS WHOS COMING TO DINNER?
MIXED-MEDIA APRON GALLERY

From: Cheryl Prater

Sent: Monday, December 10, 2006 6:45 PM

To: Debbi Crane

Subject: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Hi Debbi:

I have been meaning to e-mail you for over a month. Cate Prato at Cloth Paper Scissors gave me your e-mail, so its her fault that Im bugging ya. My name is Cheryl Prater, and you and I are actually less than six degrees apart. Were like two degrees apart because I knowin a cyber-sensePatricia Bolton and Cate Coulacos Prato at Cloth Paper Scissors. Were practically family. AND we share the auspicious honor of both being CPS cover girls. I am Miss January/February 2007! Do you lead a support group for incredulous cover artists? If so, please send me meeting times and start me on the 12-step program!

Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,

CP

ps: I am also a flat-lander, originally. From Chicago... now in Atlanta.

From: Debbi Crane

Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 2:14 PM

To: Cheryl Prater

Subject: Re: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

When I read the subject line, I almost deleted your message because I have been getting a TON of stock-trading spam with similar subject lines.

CONGRATS on your cover. It IS a big deal and you ARE the poo! My girls, 13 and 14, and I have this thing that we do with my CPS covers. When we see it in a store, we move it to the front or top of the rack, switching it with, say, Knit World or something. In Barnes and Noble, we just spread a few copies right across the eye-level row on the mag rack. Have fun with being on the cover. I try to act like its nothing special, but, really, I just want to run screaming thru town that I AM ON THE COVER OF A MAGAZINE!

There is no 12-step program. Just keep a copy with you at all times, and tell everybody.

peace, love, and paper,

Debbi

D: I am so happy we decided to publish our first e-mail exchange.

C: Because it shows that we met online and yet are dear friends, coauthors, and confidantes?

D: No, because it proves that we met online and NOT on eHarmony, as you like to tell people. Our husbands have always known the truth and, now, so will the world.

C: The truth is, we are an unlikely pair. People, would you believe that we have only met in person twice? We first met in Chicago, April 2007. We were both teaching at the Quilt Festival. I was a little nervous, not terribly unlike a mail-order bride. But as soon as I met Debbi, I was totally at ease. It was like wed been friends since fifth grade. And even before wed MIRL (met in real life), we had planned to go to sleep-away art camp together for a week!

D: No. I told you I was going to Arrowmont that week and you registered for the same class, thereby inviting yourself. While at Arrowmont, we had planned to work on a book proposal, but we were too busy making prints to do that!

C: We managed to do something more important instead: We got to know each other. We collaborated. We toiled in the studio into the wee hours. We talked and talked and talked. Even Debbi got a word in here and there.

D: We learned that we are bound by our birth year, our motherhood, our marriages, our faith, and our creativity. But as much as we have in common, we are still very different. But we learned how to work together and appreciate our differences.

C: Despite our diverse approaches to creating, geographic distance, and differing viewpoints, we have formed an unholy alliance, er, unlikely friendship, and Mixed Mania is the result.

D: Cheryl and I definitely do things differently, and you probably have your own wayy too. This would be a boring book if we were the same.

C: So dig in! Wed hate for your next creative meal to get cold. Ironically while Debbi and I were working on this cookbooky book, both of our families lived on Golden Grahams and Pizza Hut. Make their sacrifice worth it! Bon apptit!

We love this quote by celebrity chef Thomas Keller: A cookbook must have recipes, but it shouldnt be a blueprint. It should be more inspirational; it should be a guide. Anyone can follow a recipe; its the truly great cooks who add their own flavor.

The instructions weve provided detail how we created the projects seen here. But just as you might alter a recipe, we encourage you to improvise with different materials, themes, and colors than the ones we chose or try the project components la carte. Play with the processes by adding your own signature spices and seasonings to suit your unique tastes. Add a pinch of glitter, substitute pastels for paint, or omit an ingredient altogetherthe result will be a flavor that is uniquely your own. The only mistake you can make is to not make anything at all.

Just as you need certain staple ingredients and basic tools in your kitchen, your studio pantry should not be without these basics. This section will cover material any mixed-media artist, aspiring or seasoned, needs to have on hand. For those just dipping their toes into the mixed-media pool, here you will find the basic materials and tools. For those who know their way around a self-healing cutting mat, you may find alternatives to common materials and tools that we use and like. No pantry would be complete without some tried-and-true recipes for composition.

bone folder Use one of these for making sharp creases in paper. Natural and synthetic models are available in most art-supply stores.

bookbinding awl This is a sharp tool for making holes in lots of things, but primarily the pages of books you are binding by hand.

craft knife, blades Reach for these when making precise cuts; change your blade frequently, and use caution when disposing of dull blades.

cutting mat A variety of sizes will be useful. Youll want to have one thats larger than 12" 12" (31 31 cm) to accommodate larger papers.

handsewing needles, assorted sizes We like to stitch... lots. But embroidery needles are especially useful for bookbinding.

heat gun This is a necessity for all impatient crafters and artists! It speeds up dry times and sets embossing powders.

hole punch You dont need anything fancy, just the kind you can buy for a buck at the dollar store.