If you are like me and you walk around harping about how people are so wasteful about fashion (both ecologically and financially), then Wardrobe Refashion challenges you and I to put our time and energy where our collective mouths are. If you join Wardrobe Refashion you are committing yourself to the WR pledge: “I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of “new” manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed__________________. ” Of course, nikkishell (head refashionista) and the other refashioners aren’t Nazi’s. If you need to buy clothes for work, or underwear you are permitted and you get one “Get Out of Jail Free” pass. And of course, buying handmade items new from private vendors is allowed (we’ve got to help each other out, right?). I’ve been reading the blog all day and I have tons of inspiration. I’m still a little too chicken to sign up for this go around (I don’t think I’ll have the time! School and all that bunk) but come hell or high water, I swear I will have pledged by this time next year. Hopefully you can get in on the fun sooner.

I do not have any offspring. I have, however, reached the age where people around me are procreating and frankly, I’m a little freaked out. But just because I don’t feel ready to be someone’s mom doesn’t mean I don’t love my friends’ kids. I found Wee Wonderfuls the other day and snapped my fingers. Now I know where to go when I’m looking for baby shower gifts and birthday present ideas. Hillary Long’s Wee Wonderfuls has great photos and colorful project ideas for many a kid oriented craft project. And, unlike a lot of kid sites, this one also has the prerequisite design sensibility that Pack Rat craves. Check out this totally rockin’ Japanese craft inspired back pack (below). Hell, I’d wear it. She also has a handful of free patterns (the pointy kitty below is so freakin’ cute I could scream) and a book that you are guaranteed to spend hours pouring over. Plus, in true Pack Rat fashion, many of her crafts involve thrifted materials. For more on this, check out her older blog, Thrifted Craft. I hope when I do finally have a wriggly mass of cuteness of my own people will make this kind of stuff for me. And I will try very, very hard not to keep it for myself.

Greetings and salutations you wonderful readers you. Now, as you may recall from our previous conversations, er, blogs that although I appreciate knitting, nay, relish in the fruits of the knitting labor, I am not myself a knitter (yet. I’ve got a pair of 8 needles and a ball of scavenged yarn. Look out world!). I realize, however, that many of you are and far be it for me to be all selfish and withholding of information. In that vein, I present you with Cast On, what looks to be an awesome knitting podcast site. Hosted in the UK and full of wonderful accents, Cast On presents you with podcasts on such varied topics as non-profits such as Cast On for Kenya, ways to combine crochet and knitting, knitting challenged such as knitting a mobius strip and more. Or, join their Knitting Scouts program. Even I, the uninitiated, am able to appreciate the knitting merit badges Cast On offers as encouragement to the committed knitter. Things like the “MacGuyver” badge, and the “Knitting Under the Influence” badge can really stretch you to the limits (I chortled outloud at the “I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application” Badge and the “I’ve Been Rejected by a Knitting Publication” badge. All aforementioned badges are pictured below). Any way you slice it, Cast On seems like a knitter’s paradise. Let me know if you like it.

You thought you were dismissing the mainstream by making your own clothes and buying from independent, small business owners instead of shopping at the mall–didn’t you? Well guess what? It looks like there is yet still a road less traveled that you and me both can spend some time exploring. Check out theanticraft.com. This site is dedicated to the darker, more ironic side of Craftlandia (the greatest land in all the world) and the lovely ladies of AntiCraft are doing their best to bleed the cute out of all this new wave craft brewhaha. Their clever projects come chock-a-block with sardonic humor like this breakfast tray pictured below. And of course there will be no surprise here when I tell you part of the reason I love them is for their online magazine. Seriously people, who among you does not look forward to new magazines every month? I want to see hands before you start to judge me and my obsessions.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone into the library sciences. I mean, who doesn’t love organizing and categorizing things for easy reference? I remember when I was little (about 10 or so) I used to spend my free time arranging and rearranging things in my room, mainly books. I would alphabetize them by author, I would cluster them by ascending or descending height, I would sort them by color (and then by height within their color assortment), or I would divide them into genres and then alphabetize within the genre…well you get the picture. Actually, I love collections in general, but a collection that gets the designation of a “library” sounds a bit more comprehensive then just a plain old collection. Anyway, I mention all this as a very round about means of getting to the subject of today’s blog, the Vintage Pattern Lending Library. Not your normal fair of books and magazines, this library traffics in vintage sewing patterns exclusively. Non-members can purchase pattern reproductions at reasonable prices (rule of thumb seems to be that the older the pattern, the more expesive it is). Membership programs start at $10 and the benefits include being able to borrow patterns from the library for $5 a month, as well as discounts on all the “for sale” patterns they offer. This is a great resource for every seamstress looking to customize their wardrobe with classic pieces and not simply the most current fads. I absolutely love the many retro possibilities, as they have patterns from my favorite fashion decades, the 20’s, the 50’s and the 70’s. Not to mention, if you have any need for costume patterns, their resources go back into the 1800’s. the Vintage Pattern Lending Library is not only an important resource, but a fun one too. Check out a small sampling of what they have to offer below.

You think it’s easy scouring the internet day in and day out to find all the useful bits of info and flair that will make you guys happy? Well think again Mister(s) and/or Missy(s). Fortunately for all of us I don’t have to carry the burden on my own shoulders alone. Marimello.blogspot.com is keeping it real for all us crafty McCraftersons, bring us the 411 on what’s interesting in the world of independent handmade goods. And, not content to supply us with fun links and a good old fashioned heads up about forthcoming events, Ms. Marimello herself, Marie, is also the purveyor of fine crafty things. Check out her lovely handmade baby bib and washcloth below. And you thought a nice, hot shower couldn’t get any better.

In other news, Paul reminded me of something very important over the weekend. For all you Pack Ratters in training out there who are looking to save yourself some bling by making your own things, remember that sometimes the best way to save money isn’t even to make something, its to fix something you already have. Paul’s cellphone crapped the bed this weekend, or so we thought. Something had come loose inside and his charger no longer fit into the phone. We went down to the mall (ugh), poked around in the local cell phone store and found that even the “discount” phones these days are going for $100 (double ugh). With nothing left to lose, we went down a few shops, ducked into a dollar store and bought a set of tiny screwdrivers that would fit in the wee screws that held his phone together. Went out to the car, popped that sucker opened and apparently his power supply had simply gotten knocked out of place. Paul moved it back into place, closed the phone back up and BAM! Charging in no time. So the lesson here is: if you think it’s broken and you are already prepared to buy a new one, why not give it a go and try to fix it? It can’t hurt, and the problem may be easier to solve than you think. Of course, this excludes anything that may injure you if you try to take it apart, like a car or a plugged in blender. Use some discretion people. That’s it, class adjourned.

Whuddup playahs! I’m just about done with my summer class and it’s a good thing, because I’ve got the decorating itch and I need some time to scratch it. While I wait for my responsibilities to hurry up and get it over with, I’ve been soothing myself with decor8, a blog about, you guessed it, decorating. First of all, I love the name. There’s something appealing about the number eight being added to words, like la8r. It automatically picture an 8 ball and that image is always pleasing. And then second, the content is a daily tasty treat. Filled with design suggestions, inspiration snap shots (check out a few good rooms below) , and the insider tips on where to get the goods, blogger and designer Holly Becker really puts her color wheel on the table in revealing her decorating secrets. Look for book, fabric, and furniture suggestions, as well as guidelines from a professional about things like curtain height and pattern combinations. I figure its a safe bet that if your crafty, then you’re kookoo about make your home a work of art. At least…I am.

Eeep! Ohhh! And other squeals of delight. Since Pack Rat is ostensibly a crafting magazine, I often use this blog as a vehicle to let you all know about the many cool craft and d.i.y things I come across. But my other, not-so-secret love is the peanut butter to crafting’s jelly, the hot fudge to crafting’s Forbidden Chocolate Explosion ice cream, the mango to crafting’s eel maki (can you tell I am hungry?) and that is thrift shopping. *Sigh* I just love thrift shopping. The search, the thrill of the find, the quiet moments when you are pawing through the racks, eyes, mind, and heart open to whatever might cross your path. I won’t say that it’s spiritual, because I know you will laugh at me. But I’m thinking it very hard. And so, to the rest of you enthusiasts out there, I say you need to checkout The Thrift Shopper. Oriented towards non-profit thrift stores, The Thrift Shopper offers a national directory of stores, a forum for all of us crazies to share our love and newest finds, a daily blog, a section for members of the non-profit thrift store industry, and (drum roll) an online magazine. The magazine, called The National Thrifter, is my favorite part (big surprise), as editing team Cookie and Michael focus not only on thrifters and their finds, but also such interesting topics as the history of common thrift store staples like carnival glass and view finders, an interview with a media relations rep from the Goodwill, and how-to tutorials to help you clean up, fix, and revamp you thrift store finds. This is a true resource for both the novice and the expert thrifter alike.

Hi everybody! Oh how I have missed you. I hope you like my clever word smithing. The Blair here refers to Blair of the Wise Craft Blog. She is the friendly, winsome voice behind a blog that is not just a catalogue of brightly colored photographs of projects she is working on, but a thoughtful, comforting musing on the world around her. Reading the snap shots of her life in the Pacific Northwest is like getting a letter from a good friend. Its relaxing and refreshing and will make you smile. Not to mention that the way she spends her time is inspiring. Visit her website to see a hand bag she made out of thrifted wool, or her strawberry pie, or her butterfly curio. And, she is generous enough to often include a how-to for her more popular projects, like the one for fabric flowers shown below. Clips from her on-going creative endeavors are interspersed with beautiful photographs of her children and her lovely home, and scans from her favorite, most inspiring books. This little blog is an excellent quiet corner for us all to share in Blair’s fun and replenish our selves for our own adventures.