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When Jenn Erickson (Rook No. 17) emailed me with a link to her review for Microcrafts by Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz and Margaret McGuire, I was positively blown away. Instead of simply crafting what was in the book, she took Sarah Goldschadt's precious little owlies and made something entirely her own.

An owlie mobile.

"My girls had ½ days at school last week," she wrote in her email, "so we finally had time to slow down and spend two entire afternoons on our first project from Microcrafts. The girls chose the mini owls, and we turned both into mobiles. We’re looking forward to making more crafts from the book over the holidays.

Jenn was kind enough to share her photos with us. Have a look at them after the jump, and be sure to visit her wonderful blog.

After all the hours you’ve spent cooking Thanksgiving dinner, chances are you’re not in the mood to scrounge for ingredients or run to the grocery store to ready your next meal. And let’s face it, you’ve got tons of leftovers. With this recipe, you’ll have everything at your fingertips. This is the best casserole you can make with everything that’s left over from Thanksgiving.

Just heat up a bit of butter in a skillet. Throw it all in: celery, turkey, sausages, green peas, carrots, corn… even the gravy. And those croutons? Crush them and top the layer of mashed potatoes with the crumbs. Bake quickly. It’ll come out bubbly, crusty, buttery and packed with all the flavors of a perfect holiday feast. It’s easy and quick.

When I show people my miniature creations I often hear, “You must have a lot of patience!” I have no more natural ability to be patient than anyone else. Patience is a learned skill and we are all capable of learning. I don‘t have any special capacity for patience, but I do practice it quite often. As most of us already know – you get good at what you practice.

I would like to share some of my own tips for cultivating patience while working on miniature craft projects. Three strategies that have been helpful to me in my crafting include letting go of expectations, being open to learning, and walking away. I hope that these suggestions will help to get you through the inevitable frustrating moments of crafting on a miniature scale.

1. My first tip for practicing patience is to let go of expectations that your project will turn out perfectly. There’s nothing wrong with having high standards, but it’s also important to remember that crafting is about learning and having fun. When I let go of my ideas about what my finished project should look like, I am able to enjoy the process of creating without the fear of imperfection hanging over my head. Art projects tend to have a life of their own. Trying to force creativity into a fixed and rigid end product not only takes away the fun of creating it also sets up the perfect storm for frustration, disappointment and impatience. So, my first tip is to just have fun with your Microcrafting, and not worry too much about what your project will look like in the end.

2. The second tip I have for practicing patience in creative endeavors is to remember that you are learning. No matter how many years I have been creating miniature projects I am still always open to learning. Every time I sit down to create something I know that I might learn something new in the process. Remaining open to learning helps keep my attitude enthusiastic. Patience comes most naturally to me when I am open to whatever might happen during the process of crafting. If I make a mistakes while in that open enthusiastic mode, I am able to view fixing them as opportunities to learn something new. Not only does being open to learning help you to experience patience, it also helps you to grow as an artist and crafter.

3. One last tip I would like to share is that sometimes it’s best to just walk away. When I feel myself becoming frustrated or impatient with my project often the best course of action is to take a deep breath and set my creation aside for a bit. I seem to make most of my mistakes when I work on projects while feeling impatient or frustrated. When I start feeling like I should chuck my project into the trash bin it is usually a good idea to take a deep breath and do something else for awhile. When I return to my project after taking such a break I find a renewed happiness for the work and a fresh perspective on whatever was tripping me up. A break can go a long way toward keeping you from giving in to impatience and throwing in the proverbial towel.

I hope that you all have a wonderful time creating your own versions of the projects from the Microcrafts book. I’m sure that practicing patience will help you get through any rough spots you might encounter and allow you to fully experience the joy of creating. Have fun Microcrafters!

In most parts of the world, apples are abundant and sweet this time of year. You know what’s also probably still abundant and sweet? All that leftover Halloween candy you’ve got piled up, that you keep eating for breakfast on your way out the door. Don’t deny it, I’m onto you.

If you’re growing tired of all that unnatural, corn-syrup filled sweetness, maybe its time to go with something a little more homemade, fairly healthy and just as sweet.

Behold, apple pancakes. With apple slices, plump raisins and crunchy walnuts, this apple-licious recipe (adapted from Recipes Every Man Should Know by Susan Russo & Brett Cohen) is sure to please. Just whisk, mix, pour and watch the griddle transform the batter into a delicious breakfast treat.

It just so happens that we have six, yes you read correctly, six production prints from the Gig Posters: Volume 1 calendar to give away.

These are huge high quality production prints on heavy weight poster paper. That way the poster won’t get too damaged when you drool all over it while admiring the awesome artwork. Featured artists include Feist (pictured!), Beck, James Brown, Juliett & the Licks, Queens of the Stone Age and Danzig

How does one win such a sweet poster you might ask? It’s so easy that a pre-rehab rock star could do it. All you have to do is post a comment about your favorite band. Be sure to include your email address, so we can contact you! We will chose six of you at random and send you one of the posters.

It’s that simple. Then you can gloat to all your friends about how you have some backstage production materials from Quirk.

Ever wonder what is actually going on behind the scenes in the Quirk Books office? I’ll bet you imagine it’s all zombie pizza parties in the conference room and Nerf gun fights in the basement. I’m not saying if these things are true or not, but 10 lucky AIGA student members will have that chance to see what really goes on in the Quirk offices and enjoy some pizza and drinks.

See, I wasn’t completely lying about pizza parties.

The tour is from 8 p.m. to 10p.m. on November 15th. Quirk Books is one of 8 companies around Philly that are opening their doors to design students so they have a chance to see what really goes on behind the books, ads, and graphic designs.