Heeey-yooooh! It’s magazine time again. Welcome to Issue #5 of Pack Rat, where the fun never ends. This issue we bring you fashion, art, and more crafts than you can shake a stick at. (Well, maybe you can shake a stick at them. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions about your ability to shake sticks at things.) Marvel at the creative prowess of Valiant clothing designer, Mykel Walker. Wonder at the thrifty chic fashion we found, all in the ballpark of $30. Thrill at the grotesque beauty unearthed at the Museum of Bad Art. Plus, we have some cool craft tutorials too.

Pack Rat magazine’s alias is Nick Soapdish. It’s French.

Quick update on the magazine. Perhaps unsurprisingly we are running behind schedule. This time we have a pretty good excuse though, as we had a major computer crash and ongoing computer bugs that we are trying to deal with. We hope to have the July/August issue to you asap.

To that end, I’m going to keep these next few blogs brief. I found a “how-to” for these cunning oil cloth lunch sacks over on Martha Stewart’s website. It is actually the second time today that I have stumbled on to a website or article relating to Martha Stewart, and it’s not yet 10 am. I wonder if it’s some kind of sign?

Pack Rat Magazine thinks this is f*$@ing good ham

        So I know that for many people there’s no such thing as too much beer. But, for girl drink drunks like myself who don’t really roll with the brewski, the day after a party you might find yourself saddled with a fridge full of bottles. Thankfully, Gomestic — a site dedicated to improving all things domestic — has a top ten list of all the other things beer is good for. And I can attest to their suggestion that you marinate meat in it. Delicious!

Pack Rat Magazine knows the last digit of pi.

Well, well, well. You’re back again are you? Looking for a brand new way to stretch your dollar, to turn your trash to treasure? I knew you’d come back, they always come back when they see what kind of clever websites I feature here at the Pack Rat blog stop.  And you’re in luck, today is no different. So please, direct your attention to RePlayGround.  Their motto is “embrace your waste,” which I love, and the site is full of groovy ideas and tutorials.  Take a gander at their ceral box wallet, pictured below.  I also dug their paper tube fruit stand.  And, because they clearly are wearing some smarty pants, they’ve come up with the wise notion of selling kits and tip books full of even more bright ideas on how to put your garbage to work.  A great stop for some quick ideas.

Pack Rat Magazine likes to stir the stew

Well, we here at Pack Rat are pretty much across the board omnivores, but we have our misgivings about the meat industry and have nothing but love for our vegan brethren and sisteren. So, coming across the Post Punk Kitchen, a public access show devoted to tasty vegan meals even made me excited. Delicious sounding recipes like black bean and sweet potato stew, brown sugar fruit cakes, and roast squash pasta have me drooling. If you’re vegan this sounds like a sure thing, and even if you aren’t, who can resist a yummy new recipe?

Pack Rat Magazine wants to know; where my girls at?

Well, ask for recycled craft blogs and you shall receive them. I came across two different blogs that occupy opposite corners of the recycle movement spectrum. One called The Visible Trash Society, the other is Haute Nature. Visible Trash Society takes a look at what artists in this country are doing with refuse and waste. They scout out a lot of street art and side of the road finds, like the picture of street artist’s Joshua Allen Harris’s Air Bear below. Most of what they hone in on is perhaps more “folk art” where as Haute Nature, as the name implies is the more high end, sheeshy poo poo version of recycled crafts. Both are fantastic sites for inspiration, and Haute Nature actually has some d.i.y. tutorials, like the one for this dollar bill koi fish pictured below. I don’t know about you, but I’m endlessly facinated by how people can reinvent waste into something people want to see. I also love thinking that the art materials people are using have a history, a past, some kind of story. So, check them out. Compare, contrast and over all, enjoy!

It’s Pack Rat Magazine, b*tches!

Okay, so I know I’ve been awol recently and I’m sure you’ve all be struggling to find the will to live without my sage words of advice (JK) but I’m back and the reason for my prolonged absence and subsequent return is that I’ve been working diligently on producing for you all (or y’all where appropriate) issue numero quatro of Pack Rat. This issue we help the Earth in the spirit of Earth Day by doing what we do best: recycled crafts and lots of them. We also talk with jewelry designer Becky Houle, a.k.a. The Vicious Kitty, look into what this whole letterbox craze is all about and, with the help of Cat Morley from Cut Out + Keep make our own letterbox stampers, hit the thrifts for some inexpensive crafting supplies, and just about a zillion things more. Head over to www.packratmag.com/zine to get in on the action. I missed you all and I’m glad to be back. Happy crafting!

Pack Rat Magazine invites you to choose cake or death.

‘Ello mates. Welcome to a lovely Monday morning. The sun is shining and the air is warm in Bean Town today, I hope you can say the same wherever you’re located. Today, we’re going on an open house tour. Please wipe your feet as you step inside the Scrap House. Built over the course of two months in 2005 by San Francisco based artists, architects, and designers, designed and built this single family home made entirely from reused and reclaimed material. I don’t know what I like most: the wall made from phone books; the chandelier made from assorted lamps; the other wall decorated with keyboards; or the bedroom decked out in street signs. And it gets so much sunlight! I want to build my own. Now, if only I had the slightest clue about architecture…

Pack Rat Magazine: 1984 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist in crafts

Good afternoon friends. So glad you could join me here at the Pack Rat Corral, where we rope up the best darn D.I.Y. finds this side of the Mississippi (and across it, too). Today’s great find is about Geekware, a line of recycled tech crafts made by Acorn Studios and more specifically artist Nicola. Fun treasures range from circuit board earrings, keyboard key rings, and (my favorite) the CD clocks. She also has a fantastic blog about recycled craft and techy-nerdy craft which I found to be completely addictive. And, a fun projects page with recycle d.i.y. ideas like a tie coin purse, or an empty CD tower bagel carrier (just take a look below). This is a terrific stop to get inspired.

Pack Rat Magazine: the queen bean.

So I came across this site for a store (?) called Jill Killjoy. They make all sorts of colorful, playful stuff, upcycled out of thrift store finds and other detritus. Most of their stuff has a David the Gnome type feel to it…in a good way. The only thing I can’t wrap my head around is whether or not their products are actually for sale. The site tells you what each project is made of, and it lists the sizes available, but none of the projects have a price and no where on the site are the instructions if you are wishing to purchase any of their fine goods. The Jill Killjoy team does, however, seem to attend craft shows. It’s a mystery. If you’d like to get to the bottom of it, or you’re just looking for some good upcycle inspiration, check out some of my favorite projects below, including the Pi Pouch.