Are you listening to the Joy the Baker Podcast yet? Get on it!

One of my favorite things about the show is the camaraderie that has formed between so many of the listeners. A few months back two such listeners, Kelsey and Molly reached out to the Homefries community for title suggestions for a cooking blog share. Thus, Double Batch was born.

This gave me the idea to see if anyone might want to team up for some crafting posts. To my delight, Helen from About Abode responded and we started sharing ideas. Not only does she love many of the same things as me - she has a 2 year old daughter named Lucy (just like me!) and is from the UK (where I was born!). A small world filled with like-minded craft lovers...

So here's the results of our Homefries inspired fun times...

Paper mache!

You all know it and it sounds so easy-peasy. When Helen suggested it I quickly jumped onto Pinterest and got all kinds of crazy ideas. Luckily she talked me down from my ambitious idea to create a taxidermy unicorn to a simple bowl. GOOD CALL.

What I used...

Newspaper
Flour
Water
Mod Podge
Frying pan
Plastic wrap
Spray oil
"Decorative" paper

What I did...

Tore strips of newspaper into 1 x 12 pieces
Mixed 1 part flour with warm water until it was a soupy glue
Covered the bottom part of a pan with plastic wrap and sprayed lightly with oil
Dipped each piece of paper into the glue, ran between my fingers to release excess moisture and applied to my mold

I applied four layers in all, letting them dry in between for about an hour.

Note, I live in California and it was 90 degrees, so my drying time was pretty quick.

After everything was dry and sturdy, I trimmed the rough edges down with some scissors. I decided I wanted to decorate my bowl with more text rich paper. I cut 2 x 2 inch squares out of an Alice in Wonderland book and applied them with Mod Podge.

The end result was cute and simple. I filled it with photos to display by the entrance of our apartment.

Ta da!

Who wants to share a craft next???

xo Becky

Last week on The Joy the Baker Podcast Tracy and Joy posed a challenge to their listeners - share five of your current obsessions with the world. So, here you go: 1. Nails Inc. Special Effects: At first I thought it was a ploy. What's so special about it? Looks like glitter polish to me. But, oh no! It really is special. This polish illuminates really well against all colors and picks up the light in amazing ways. I have received numerous compliments especially under low lights (most frequently by waitresses). It's really worth it, I swear.

2. The Joy the Baker Podcast: This show has been on for close to one year and it makes me look forward to Thursdays. I love to settle in to a lame task at work, slip on my headphones and escape into the world of unimportant girl talk. Every episode has me laughing and wishing the show was live because I've had way too many "oh, tell me about it!" moments where I wish I could call in. These blazin' ladies also serve up a big chunk of creative inspiration that keeps me going. Listen, you won't be sorry.

3. Instagram: Instagram is a super fun social networking tool that focuses on sharing photos. I love getting glimpses into people's every day lives and sharing a bit of my own. There's something very intimate about this uncomplicated way of communicating that has me smitten.

4. Chevron stripes: It all started on my birthday when I got some storage containers from Target. And then I bought more, and more. And then I got some dish towels, and then I saw this headboard, and oh... This pattern just makes me HAPPY.

5. Up All Night: My favorite new show of the year staring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolf. Not only do I love seeing a working mom on TV who actually works, it's hilarious. Also, I'm pretty sure if these characters were real they would all be my best friends.

This challenge was HARD! I had way more things I could have listed, but managed to wrangle myself in. Good job, me.

xo Becky