Craft Blog Clearinghouse

A friend posted this today on my facebook wall:

Hey Laura,I've been channeling your energy lately with lots of craftiness. Do you still follow (have?) crafting blogs? If so, would you mind sharing which ones? Are there any other must haves that I should know about in the magazine/online/book world? Thanks!!

Oh the crafting we'll do this summer when you're in Minneapolis, Beth!! In the meantime, here are some of my favorites, posted here for Aunt Lola's readers' benefit as well.

First off, magazines. I subscribe to ReadyMade. I've been a subscriber for a few years, and I have to say the quality of the magazine has gone downhill. The projects are often impractical and not cheap. I demand that my craft projects are not just nifty because they use something in a way other than it was intended. They must be useful, attractive, and not cost-prohibitive. I once saw an article in Readymade about how to build your own couch. It didn't use any recycled materials, and the total cost of materials was more than what you would have paid at Room and Board! And last summer I read an article about how to turn a wheelbarrow into a portable backyard fire pit. In the next issue, one wise reader sent in a letter to the editor outlining all of the reasons it was a stupid idea: the paint would melt and be toxic, the tires would melt, the wheelbarrow could tip over, etc. With all that being said, somehow when my renewal date comes up, they always convince me to subscribe for another year!

Now, blogs. This is where it's at for me, because they're free! Here's what's in my Google Reader feed:

Craft Magazine Blog

Chock full of craft ideas every day. I should subscribe to the magazine, but it's expensive and I think is only published quarterly.

CraftStylish

Mostly about sewing and crafting clothes and accessories.

These top two blogs are my biggest recommendations, because they both link to other craft blogs daily, so you'll have dozens of blogs to add to your own RSS feed in no time at all!

Badder Homes and Gardens

Okay, I'll admit it. I subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I received a gift subscription years ago, and even though I'm not a middle-aged mother, I find it interesting enough to pay the super cheap $14/year. So when I ran across the Badder Homes and Gardens blog, the name alone cracked me up enough to want to keep reading. It's definitely rated R, and not really a craft blog, but it makes lots of snarky comments about art and design that give me little bits of release on stressful days at work.

Feast (ReadyMade's food and entertaining blog)

I subscribe to a few recipe blogs because I have a habit of going out a lot, and need to be reminded that I can DIY my meals. Plus who doesn't love trying new foods and recipes?

Fine Diving in Chicago

I just recently learned about this one, and have been impressed so far with the transformation of found objects.

Inside, Out (ReadyMade's home and garden blog)

Fun DIY decorating ideas from ReadyMade.

Make Nice (ReadyMade's craft blog)

Lots of really random crafts.