It’s happened. You’ve become a craft addict. Day and night, all you can think about is making stuff. You walk around, mentally mapping out how everything in the world could be constructed. You find yourself staring at a jelly jar for fifteen minutes, imagining its possibilities. And your friends and family are no help. Oh sure, they sit there patiently listening as you outline your plans to make kites from paper bags and purses from your old jeans. But you’re throwing off excitement like heat and they have not caught the fever. Who do you turn to, where can you go? Check out craftster.org, the home for craft addicts. While the craft forum there will most certainly do nothing to cure you, being surrounded by so many like-minded people sharing and compairing the fruits of their craft is a soothing balm. And project directions as well as craft challenges are the ultimate expressions of satiscraftion (that’s craft satisfaction. That’s right. I even make new words), such as with this create-a-cell magnets project. Its the best kind of therapy.

My new favorite crafty girls in the whole universe are the ladies who make up 31 Corn Lane. Falling under the heading of Sperber Pony Gang, Sis Chris, Sis Heather, Sis Aim and Teeter all make bitchin’ t-shirts, rad tote bags and have just about the funniest online chatter ever. For example, here’s their plea for more myspace friends:

“Also, we know this is ever so 2006 of us to ask – but would you pretty please if you don’t mind maybe perhaps be our Myspace pal? We’re relatively new to this whole phenomenon and we feel like total wallflower spazzes since we only have like 6 friends. HEAR US NOW: We want to know you really bad-like so hit us up already!”

How cool do they sound? And their products are mighty fine too. Check out their awesome merch at 31cornlane.com, like this sweet T for only a fiver!

If you have never read a ‘zine let me say that I cannot recommend them highly enough. ‘Zines are the indie equivalent to a magazine and they are radical. They are home made and historically photocopied (however, the e-zine universe is growing exponentially every day). They can be about any subject under the sun, from a history of cracker jacks to manifestos for social action. Even the bad ones are great because you can just feel the creative energy in every hand-written, cut and paste page. What’s even better than a homemade magazine? How about a homemade magazine about making things at home? (How meta is that?) The biggest, brightest example in the d.i.y./craft ‘zine bunch is CROQ. CROQ has awesome profiles on crafters, patterns, guides for the new craft vendors and a ton more. Whether it’s your first foray into the ‘zine world or whether you’ve already built your own library, you definitely want to check these gals out at croqzine.com

…some are looking for stuff to submit to FOUND magazine. You might have heard about this awesome magazine on NPR or seen it at your local independent bookstore (although they certainly sell it at the chains now, too). It’s a magazine dedicated to found notes and photos, among other trinkets and treasures. Anyone who dumpster dives, thrift shops, or digs through flea markets knows that life is one big scavanger hunt. The exhilaration of stumbling across a jewel you didn’t even know existed is one of the best feelings in the world. The FOUND family looks beyond the old couches and trash bags full of clothes the rest of us seek out, and focus instead on all those little scraps of paper we overlook. What emerges are a hilarious and often tragic snap shots of American life. Their website, foundmagazine.com features a new find everyday and the idea has been so popular it has spawned a series of spinoffs, including Dirty FOUND, the sister magazine dedicated to naked, found pictures, and two FOUND books (a third photo book is set to be released). If you’re looking for an inexpensive good time, go out hunting yourself one day. You’ll be surpised by what you come across.

The greatest magic in adult life is that “aha!” moment, the moment where you either think of a new idea or a new idea is presented to you. And not just any idea, the conception, the seminal thought for a whole new project. Be it that jumping off point for your novel, or seeing that awesome hand bag in a store window you want to duplicate, or just walking around with your digital camera, taking snap shots like you’re capturing the world’s littlest secrets. Inspiration is just, well, inspiring. That’s why I love this website I found: 52projects.com. 52 projects is a website (and a book) dedicated to project ideas to help you get into the creation groove and interviews with people who have completed their own projects (writers, photographers, directors, etc.) who talk about their personal experience with the process of creation. If it sounds pretentious, don’t worry, it’s not. The first project I came across was a NYC wide movement called “No Pants Subway Ride,” which is exactly what it sounds like. The pantsless businessman is worth a look alone.

Music Recommendation: Show Your Bones by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Movie Recommendation: A Scanner Darkly (2006) rated R

Or, more likely, save a whole bunch of different animals when you buy through Crafters For Critters. Part indie boutique, part humanitarian push, craftersforcritters.com is dedicated to selling cool handmade goods and donating the proceeds to various non-profit organizations that benefit our four legged friends. Not only is it for a good cause, but the products are clever and affordable, such as the tape measure coin purse or these felt patches for only $1. I buy my favorite designs and then use them as templates to recreate my own version. Then, everybody wins.

I like to think of crafting in this way: it is a disease and the only cure is to share it with as many people as possible. And yet, it is surprisingly difficult to bump into people who are or who you can entice into being passionate about crafts. Enter the Craft Mafia. With a chapter in almost every major city across the country, you are sure to find one close to home. Whether you want to simply chat with other crafters or you are looking to network for your business, craftmafia.com is for you. They host major indie craft events, help promote each other’s business endeavors, and have been featured in numerous national magazines. Spend time getting to know the d.i.y. gangsta side of yourself.

Personal secret: I don’t use a lot of make-up or other girly stuff, but I LOVE the idea of making your own. There something so romantic about the alchemey of handmade, herbal products. I absolutely dork out over home remedies, like the ol’ egg in your hair as conditioner. So, obviously I was as giddy as a giddy thing when I found eco-artware.com/crafts. It has all kinds of fun projects, but my favorites were the perfumes and oils. Here’s one of the receipes below. Check out their site for more great ideas.
Lavender Water
The word lavender comes from the Latin lavare (to wash) and has long been linked to cleanliness.

• 2 cups of distilled water
• 2 ounces vodka
• 10-20 drops essential oil of lavender

1. Sterilize a glass container.
2. Pour the distilled water and vodka in to the glass.
3. Add the lavender oil and stir.

Since you are using actual oils and not lavender blossoms, this sweet water will be fragrant upon completion. Aging will mellow the results and the fragrance can last for at least one year.

If you’ve never been to an indie craft fair, what’s wrong with you? For those of us that love cool, unique, handmade goods, attending one of these is like…let’s see. If I were to write it as a mathematical equation it would look something like this: Christmas + your birthday + chocolate x the Salvation Army raised to the power of Journey. They are just that good. You can find a wide range of types of crafts at an equally wide range of prices. Even if you don’t have the funds to shop, just “window” shopping will get your brain juices sloshing around. Of course, there’s that nagging problem of how do you stay in the know about the latest shows and fairs? Well, bookmark indiecraftshows.com and you’ll be all set. Not only do they keep a running calendar of events for indie crafts, they also have a lovely blog and articles for the neophyte craft vendor. Check them out.

Whether you just love buying handmade goods or you’re eager to try your hand at entrepreneurship, you need to check out www.etsy.com Etsy is a great website where you can get anything from a plate that says “dick head” ($15) to a pair of David Bowie panties ($6). Most of the items are fairly priced and even those out of your (and my) price range are gorgeous to look at. Plus, their search options are awesome. My favorite is looking things up by color! If you’re looking or want to be seen, this is the place to go.