Pack Rat Magazine. The name you’ve come to love.

Let me level with you guys.  I’m pretty tired today so you’re probably going to get a series of shortish blogs.  Don’t hate me.  In fact… I think I’m just going to post all of the links in this one little blog.  Dont’ worry, I’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight, I promise.

First up is Pepika.  This is Amigurumi central for all of you who love the Japanese softies.  You can buy patterns, finished softies and there are even a few free patterns for you to digest, like this one for the “holiday chick.”

Next, try out Bodocus a.k.a. the Best Online Documentaries.  It is as the name suggests, a catalogue of the best free online documentaries.  There’s stuff on musician Jeff Buckley, Buddha, and global warming just to name a few.  They claim to have 659 videos available and sound like they are an excellent resource.

And finally, looking to be part of an on-going art project?  Check out Moleskine Project, a website dedicated to displaying doodles done in moleskine journals. Its goal it to give all artists, both good and bad, a place to showcase their work.  It’s about diversity and equality in art.  And some of it is pretty good too.  Like this Untitled piece below.  And that is that folks.  See you tomorrow!

Pack Rat Magazine brings home the bacon.

Go sit on your credit card before you check out this site.  Otherwise you’re going to give away the bank when you see these to-die-for home furnishings at Velocity.  So modern, so sleek, so innovative.  I could go on and on.  Obviously some of this stuff is not very Pack Rat ($85 is not a reasonable “sale” price for a pillow), but they do have a few things $30 and under, like the smattering of examples I offer to you below.  And like all great design, even the expensive stuff is inspiring, and some of it I’m sure you could replicate at home (including the $85 pillow).  So consider this worth while window shopping, if nothing else.

Pack Rat Magazine, high in potassium.

I have been sooooo excited to tell you guys about this awesome artwork I found from Tony Ariawan. I’ve been holding off mentioning him, because I wanted to write something about him in the February/March issue of the magazine, but unfortunately for me he lives in Indonesia and I have not been able to contact him But I didn’t want you guys to miss out, because his “Stop Haunt Me Everyday” photo collection is so electric and exhilerating. And he does them all on Photoshop CS2! Can you believe it? He has even posted a quick tutorial on how he does it on his website, Area 105. Just stunning.

Pack Rat Magazine knows how much wood would a woodchuck chuck.

Good morning you lovely people! Welcome to a brand new day full of possibilities. Valentine’s Day is coming up in two weeks and while we here at Pack Rat abhor the greeting card industry, we think it’s nice when people trade thoughtful gifts with loved ones. And what can be more thoughtful then something handmade? If you’re not quite sure what to make, try this tutorial for a gift can of goodies. Gift can did you say? Why indeed I did. More personal then the traditional box of chocolates, a handmade decorated can is not only sweet, it’s a load of fun for both the gifter and the giftee. And although the folks at Splitcoast Stampers have chocked this tutorial full of advertisements for their products, the same basic idea can be completed with things around your house, so don’t get intimidated. Happy crafting!

It slices, it dices, and it more than suffices. Pack Rat Magazine.

Okay, this blog I lifted word for word from the Museum of Civilization, Canada website. They have a fabulous article about the Indian street art called rangoli, along with a tutorial on how to do it yourself. Just visit www.civilization.ca

“In India, art is an important part of daily life. One of the most common ways in which people in India include art in their lives is by drawing rangoli, which are also known by other names like aripona, alpona and kolam.

In villages across India, women draw these designs each morning on their doorsteps, in the courtyards of their homes, or in temples. Using rice powder or crushed limestone, they start with a grid of small dots, then fill in the design with a series of lines. Rangoli not only add a touch of art and beauty to the home or temple, they also protect the family or holy place.

The designs are handed down from mother to daughter. Some of these designs are very old, dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. Flower and animal motifs are sometimes included in the designs, but geometric lines are the heart of rangoli designs. There are also many different styles of drawing, varying from region to region across the country.”

Pack Rat Magazine likes rainy Saturday afternoons, long walks on the beach, drinks with umbrellas and saving you money on crafts.

‘Ello mates. Today I found two fun sites. One full of British slang, and another called the Insect Lab. They’re both the dog’s bollocks! Insect Lab is the brain child of artist Mike Libby. Real insect forms are fitted with old watch parts to create cyborg-like art pieces. They remind me of a device used in one of my favorite series, His Dark Materials (boy, you guys are getting to see what a fantasy nerd I am this week). Any road, I think they are just aces, and while they are a bit expensive (think $400 or more) they certainly are inspiring. So click the link, take in the site, come up with your own clever idea and Bob’s your uncle!

Pack Rat Magazine. We could beat Chuck Norris in a cage match…craft off.

Okay, so usually I try to find inexpensive crafts for you guys to do, since as you know we at Pack Rat would rather you empty your junk drawer for supplies, then empty your wallet. But, sometimes amazing crafts just can’t be made with recycled supplies. Like this D.I.Y. tutorial on how to make glass beads. Although I will probably never try my own hand at this, the process is captivating and if someone at random opened up their glass workshop for me to try, you bet your ass I’d be attempting to make beads before I did anything else. So I figured I’d pass this link along, in case some of you out there do have friends with open and available studios. If nothing else, it makes me a little nostolgic for the Mr. Roger’s episode where they go to the glass factory. That one and the crayon episode were always my favorites.

Pack Rat Magazine a day keeps the creative block away.

Here’s a sharp, helpful paper project for you guys. I dropped in on Paper Source and found a handy how-to section. I thought this project for an envelope book looked like just the thing to corral the paper clutter that is my life. Even better, it is a cheap, easy craft to keep my hands and my imagination busy. I’m thinking that this might make a nice Valentine’s Day gift too, if you filled each envelope with a little love note or forget-me-not.

Faster, stronger, more fuel efficient then your old craft magazines. Pack Rat Magazine.

The brilliant thing about creativity is that it is so unexpected. When you see a project that is truly imaginative it is at once both a connecting and a disconnecting force. On one hand if you connect with the piece, then for an instant you are sharing the creator’s point of view. On the other hand, there is that sense of disconnect, that the creator was able to see the world in a way that you had not yet been privy to. The age old reaction of “That’s clever, but I could have thought of that.” And the unspoken rebuttal “But I didn’t.” This is all a lot of lead up to a blog photo project at FunMansion called Food World. Although it’s no Starry Night, when I saw these food tableaux I couldn’t help being swept away into this fantasy of a miniature world. They are just so charming and witty, how could anyone resist?

Pack Rat Magazine. It’s what’s for dinner.

Mama Mia! I stumbled on to Born of Beads last night and holy cow, Karly Manley makes some serious stuff out of beads. She seems to deal primarily in dragons (there’s one she named Fflewddur Fflam after a character from The Prydain Chronicles, one of my favorite fantasy series ever), but her work in botanicals is exquisite and her cats…well let’s just say I’m a little cat nutty to begin with so of course I am over the moon about her kitten earrings. Her stuff is pretty expensive, which is understandable considering how much time and work must go into each piece. But even if you can’t afford to buy, it can only help inspire you to look.