Pack Rat loves the night life. We love to boogie.

First off, let me congratulate Bonnie from Seattle for winning our Birthday Scavanger Hunt! Bonnie correctly identified the hidden links in our November issue of the magazine. She will be receiving her very own copy of the book, Handmade Nation: the Rise of DIY, art, craft, and design. Yay Bonnie!

On to other news. I apologize for the spotty blogs, but I gots me a j-o-b and learning the ropes has taken up a lot of my energy. What? You thought I did Pack Rat full time? Not a lot of money to be made in free magazines, people. At least not yet. We’re refering to my job as an “investment strategy” for now. But I’m starting to get into the groove, so hopefully postings will go back to being regular, or at least semi-regular

And finally, what you all really came here to read: today’s internet gem is this cassette tape wallet tutorial. Blogger Rachel keeps her blog, Chezlin full of her comings and goings in the craft/college world, including this inspired creation. This adorable little wallet and matching change purse (made from recycled bits, just how we like it) bring me back to a time when hair was big, jeans were tapered, and G&R were all the rage. No, I’m not talking about just yesterday, I’m talking about twenty years ago. And I can’t wait to gut my busted Debbie Gibson tape and make my own.

photos copyright by Rachel at Chezlin

Pack Rat is going cold turkey as we quit our addiction to cold turkey.

Bonjour, mis amies. I feel like that is probably not spelled correctly, but I took Spanish in school, not French, so just considered it a best guess. If you are easing into the dog days of summer, and you’re looking for some footwear that will reflect your laid-back lifestyle, head over to Lady Harvatine’s blog and check out the sweet tutorial for summer slippers. (They’re like flip flops, but softer! and more cozy!) They are super stylish, and won’t make your feet sweat in the summer heat.

And this has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but blogger Liz Harvatine is originally from Connecticut. And as someone else originally from CT, this pleases me. There, I’ve said it. I’m a nutmegger.

Photo courtsey of Liz Harvatine

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 finds itself irresistable drawn to you.

Hiya party people. Let’s get down to brass tacks. If you are just starting to sew, I suggest you check out this helpful tutorial from the Family Homestead, writen by Crystal out of Washington. She shares a quick and easy method for gathering fabric, one of those tasks that seem daunting to the novice (a.k.a. me). This guide will be a time, and frustration saver.

Pack Rat Magazine always carries the one when multiplying.

Terrible news. Project Runway is moving to Lifetime. As if season 4 wasn’t bad enough, now the show is going to be on back to back with that Candace Cameron/Fred Savage movie where they are high school sweethearts until he murders her (which, for some odd reason is always on on the rare occasion I turn to Lifetime). Well we can still remember the golden years. Diane Eng, one of the contestants from my hands-down-favorite season, (season 2) has a hot tutorial called the Harajuk Punk Shirt in Craft Magazine Issue #3 and reprinted online at wetpaint wiki. Make your own and one for a friend.