Pack Rat Magazine, now with 300 horsepower.

So, I think that maybe this is a leak, and we aren’t suppose to be able to see it without buying the March issue of Vanity Fair, but I came across a spread in their most recent issue that I just had to share with you. Based on Alfred Hitchcock’s most beloved thrillers, Vanity Fair has reshot some of the most iconic moments from his films with the leading ladies and gentlemen of today’s Hollywood. I just love it. Even though I’ve seen it here, I also bought a copy so I can pour over the glossies. Just lovely. Here are my favorites below.

Hi kids!  the Feb/March Issue is finally out and rarin’ to go.  Click on the pdf link below!  And remember, if you think you could do better, you’re welcome to show us what you’ve got. Submission deadlines for next issue will be March 20th.  Happy reading.

issue3.pdf

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!

For more cool finds, check out Pack Rat Magazine

Strolling around the internet today provided me with the opportunity to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of South Park fame, use their powers for good instead of gross. Apparently, they have been creating short animation clips based on the audio recordings of philosopher Alan Watts. Their crude animation style of seemingly simple childish cut outs blends nicely with Watt’s rich, minimalistic oratory style. Below is the short entitled “Music and Life.”

Looking for more crafty goodness? Check out Pack Rat Magazine Issue #1 and stay tuned for Issue #2 available December 1st.

Anyone who knows me even a little knows how dangerously in love I am with all things hand drawn (and even some computer graphics too). I say dangerously, because if you unwittingly start a conversation with me about, say…cartoons, you’ll wander away from my soap box hours later, blinking at the light and stumbling. Since, loyal reader, I’m sure you’d rather I don’t recreate that experience for you here, let me just say that cartoons and animation are one of the great modern art forms. You can see how far we’ve come from Steam Boat Willy with amazing new feature films like Persepolis (also a series of ground breaking graphic novels that I highly recommend) by Marjane Satrapi. This intimate look of a young Iranian girl growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution is stunning. See for yourself at the website persepolismovie.com

Visual art consumers and creators alike will get a kick out of ourstage.com. Our Stage is a forum for indie bands and film makers to take the products of their creative genius directly to the audience. Music videos and movies are posted on Our Stage and its up to the viewing public to judge the top contenders. Then, at the end of the month, fans send text message votes of who are their favorites. Those votes decide who is the top dog. Its a great place to go to see new talent and hear an electic mix of music. And obviously, if you are an artist its a good way to get your stuff seen and heard without going bankrupt. Check out this cartoon below, one of my favorites so far. Greek gods working at a fast food joint. Hilarious.

I’ll admit it. Today I am not feeling very insightful and creative, so I’m phoning it in a little by recommending you go to homestarrunner.com. I say phoning it in (a.k.a. half assing it) because I realize that most hip and with-it people already know about Homestar, Strong Bad, Strong Sad and the rest of the gang. But, on the off chance that our hip and with-it readers have simply been too busy and have up to now miss out on the greatness that is
homestarrunner.com, I humbly present it to you. Homestar Runner is a cartoon character and his dimwitted adventures and those of his friends are free (Pack Rat’s favorite word) for viewing at the website. There are two things that make this site fan-freaking-tastic. A) Its freeness. Viewing the cartoons are free, playing the games are free, most of the down load are free. Free. B) Strong Bad is the weirdest, funniest, most out-of-left-field character this side of Space Ghost. He is Homestar Runner’s nemesis and he is a luchadore (spanish wrestler, like Nacho Libre but waaaaaay funnier. Check him out below) that never wrestles. He and his brother, Strong Mad, and his side kick The Cheat stir up trouble for Homestar and his friends…Did I mention it is free? Anyway, it is hilarious and a wonderful distraction at work, err, thing to do on your lunch break. And one last bonus, you don’t have to download anything to view the cartoons, they’re all flash video and run directly off the site. Yee-haw!

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.

All right, if you haven’t heard already, one of the most exciting things to hit the indie craft scene is in the works right now. That’s right, the Indie Craft Documentary is on a roll and you can be part of the action. The inspired love child of Faye Levine (mother of Flying Fish Design) and artist Micaela O’Herlihy, this documentary will be dedicated to the indie craft movement. They’ve gone from one end of the country to another, filming craft fairs, interviewing artists, and generally peeking behind the curtains into the backstage world of new wave craft. But it is a big endeavor and they can’t do it alone. Thousands of crafters and craft appreciators alike have already pitched in, and you can do the same. Visit their website at indiecraftdocumentary.com, or check out their etsy shop. The money you spend there will go toward the project and you’ll have a freaking awesome new treasure coming to you in the mail. I ordered mine today and I’m already looking out the window for the mail carrier.