With our crazy, hectic, work-a-day world I know that while most of us would love to take the time to search out all that is indie and good, most of us settle for what is simple and inexpensive. Well, what if you didn’t have to choose? *Insert a mental image of a velvet curtain being drawn back.* Tah-dah! There you have it, Modish is the website you’ve been waiting for. Consider Jena Coray, the creator of Modish your new best friend. She patrols this great world wide web daily, digging deep to come up with the best indie gems around. Her site is dedicated to promoting indie businesses which she does with relish, featuring the most beautiful and creative indie finds, from jewelry to clothing, to artwork. And, like your best friend, she has your best interest in mind. Her most recent blog features artwork that is pleasing to both the eye and the wallet. Check out the awesome print below that goes for just $10 ($10!! For original artwork? That’s nearly unheard of.) And, like a true friend, she likes to give gifts. Every month she gives away an indie goodie box if you sign up for her newsletter. So raise your glass to friends!

P.S. This little guy’s called “Fluke, the Mutant Blue Cardinal.” How clever is that? He’s good by himself, or paper a whole wall with him!

Nothing is better than people who don’t take them selves too seriously. And Rob and Corinne of Threadbanger.com, are definitely those kind of people. Their online show covers all my major areas of obsession, such as thrift shopping, clothing repurposing and general d.i.y. projects. The nice thing about their tutorials is that they don’t get bogged down in unnecessary tangents and explanations. They are quick, to the point, and leave plenty of room for personal variation. And, as I was mentioning before, they are so loveably dorky that you can only describe them as cool. Their shows are full of song parodies and weird little sketches. Like the Napolean Dynamite tribute in their most recent episode. Plus, they are a great place to find out about cool new indie projects, like the guys from inspir(re)d who are riffing on the Gap’s inspi(red) clothing line, selling their stuff on ebay and donating the money to charaties that help fight AIDS in Africa. But why tell you about it when you can see it yourself? Check it out below and go to their website where they have a new episode every Friday after 12pm.

Mad cool that is! The Crafty Scientist is a hip website run by one of the lovely ladies from CROQ. Here is where she vends her wares, and how very wearable they are. She cleverly pairs together retro fabrics and re-purposed threads to make unique creations. Although everything is reasonably priced, her cute handmade soaps are the best steal at $4 or less a bar. But her talents really shine in her sewn creations. I have a total crush on her “retro gnome” skirt and her tote bags made from place mats just scream with the kind of creative ingenuity that we here at Pack Rat drool over. I bet you won’t be able to look away. See her archer tote bag and re-purposed place mat tote below.

Resist the awesome allure of The Sampler. What is The Sampler you might ask? Well, although it sounds like a radio drama super hero (”tonight’s episode of The Shadow features special guest, The Sampler”), it is actually an indie craft breeding ground. Check this out, if you subscribe then every month The Sampler sends you a little bundle of indie products from an assortment of indie businesses (think “kid kits” from the BSC, except with cool indie trinkets instead of chinese checkers). Can you imagine? Every month a gift bundle in your mail? It’s like you get 12 birthdays a year instead of one. What’s good for the goose is great for the gander (whatever the hell that means). The only thing better than being a member to The Sampler is being a contributor. If you have an indie business, The Sampler is where you want to be. It will get your name and your URL out to your potential clientèle and you’ll be in good company, having your name associated with other popular indie business such as CROQ zine, Sublime Stitching and more. Plus, if you contribute you get a free Sampler for that month. Sa-weet. Roll on over to the website to see samples and read cool how-tos like these featured lamps made out of colanders.

I cannot get enough of boygirlparty.com. Susie Ghahremani is just too talented. Her art often centers around folksy animals in dreamy settings. I especially heart the constellation owls and the spitting squids. The squid to-do list, with its little bubbles for “done” and “not yet” can only be described as clever. And, as if visual arts weren’t enough, Ghahremani also is a musician. You can hear a bevy of her catchy pop tunes for free on her website. I find her stuff truly inspiring and (best of all) affordable. Her post cards are 4 for $4 (and totally framable), her owl tote bag is $10 and her must-have apparel line starts at $20. She is officially a Pack Rat favorite!

I’ll say right now, I’ll say it to anyone and I’ll say it right to their face: I am a comic book nerd. Straight up. I still remember the first comic book I bought. I was thirteen and I actually gave my little brother money and made him go buy an X-Men comic for me while I hid around the corner. But that was a long time ago. These days I buy my comic books with abandon, relishing in the fact that I am a) one of the dorks and b) a girl engaging in a “boys” hobby. Of course, everything changes. These days I have more or less retired the super heroes in favor of the indie, more true-to-life tales. And I have to tell you, comic books are exploding on the indie scene as people are beginning to realize the opportunity that this crossroads between visual art and writing can provide. I am sure we have several crafties out their, cobbling together their own little graphic novels. Well, if you need inspiration or you’re just looking for a good read, take a look at indiespinnerrack.blogspot.com. This blog is full of fun audio interviews with the women and men behind tomorrow’s Next Big Thing. And there’s even an interview with comic book legend Alan Moore (From Hell, V for Vendetta). So go ahead, push up your glasses, straighten your suspenders, kick back and enjoy the nerdom.

As you know, here at Pack Rat, the more inexpensive-yet-dazzling the craft, the better. But, one of our unwritten loves is also the quick craft. You know, the project you can knock out before dinner? It takes just enough time that you can be proud of it, but not so long you have to wait forever to see the finished results? That one? Okay, now that we’re all on the same page, why don’t you shoot over to onehourcraft.com and start taking notes. They practice what they preach and the blog is full of fun, attractive projects you can make in an hour. My favorites are the Valentine’s Day panties and the Japanese placements shown here.

Oh sure, we all love our iPods and iPod knockoffs. But admit it, don’t you get bored only hearing music you’ve selected? Where’s the mystery, where’s the surprise? I bring this up because I am going to postulate something here. I postulate that the mix will never die. Thousands of years from now, when music that’s no longer music but rather a series of beeps and drones that we download directly into our brains, we will still be up all night compiling lists, mumbling something nearly incoherent about “rock” and “socks.” Mix CDs are to cool people what Hallmark cards with flowery script are to lame-os (I apologize to all the lame-os I might offend out there); a means of self expression via somebody else’s words. When we give someone a mix CD we give them a little piece of ourselves. And that is why, after much rambling, I am whole heartedly endorsing papercdcase.com. Paper CD case not only gives you some sweet origami directions to make your own paper cd cases (”It’s not just a clever name.”), but it also give you list after list of other peoples’ well thought out, made out of love CD mixes. Its like reading a little story about the person. And, if you choose, you can print out the mix listing which, when folded into the appropriate paper cd case, shows the titles, artists and track numbers on the back. Too clever for words. My favorite mix title so far? “The Bastard Sons of Steve McQueen.”

Music Recommendation: The Queen is Dead by The Smiths
Movie Recommendation: Wayne’s World (1992) rated PG-13

This blog is going to be about a website I found today while I was searching out information on this weird new exercise thing called The Glove. Instead of The Glove, I ran across glove.org, a website dedicated to the craft of hand making gloves. Resplendent with patterns, tips, and photos of famous gloves through the ages, the self proclaimed mission of this site is to save this lonely art from extinction. Like an illuminated text, the embroidery and bead work that used to go into gloves told a story. Even kid gloves, the forgotten accessory of yesterday, added a little something. So break out the fabric and thread, and help revive an age old trend. Just think of it this way, how freaking cool would you look with a pair of pale pink gloves with a flaming scull stitched on the backs? Now are you feeling me?

Hello boys and girls. And an extra special hello to you out there in the knitting community. No, no. Don’t bother to put down your needles to wave. I myself have never known the love of a completed sweater. I have knitted a scarf before (one whole scarf!) using the most rudimentary, basic stitches known to woman. It kind of looked like a fishing net. BUT, I know that there are many of you out there that can whip up a stocking hat in five minutes and are looking for the next creative challenge in knitting. If you are not already familiar with domiknitrix.com, I suggest you get familiar quick. Run by the ever talented Jennifer Stafford, this website was the launching pad for her new book and both are filled with hip, unexpected designs and patterns. While most of the patterns available on the website do cost money, Jennifer has been generous enough to provide quite a few complimentary tutorials and a couple of stitch guides (think Malcolm X and Rosie the Riveter). Just enough to whet your appetite for more.