Hello and happy Monday! I’m trying to be very peppy today in an effort to pump myself up for a very busy week of fun and exciting magazine work. Yippee! I think it’s working. First off, I want to thank all the blog readers who posted kind words of support in response to the post [...]

When I saw a pile of unfinished oak blocks over at my friend Dan’s house I thought it would be great to turn them into lovely crayon holders. So Dan fired up his drill press and got to work. Then he passed a box of drilled out blocks to me. That was my cue to [...]

On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll hear from Kristen Rask, owner of Schmancy, a Seattle shop featuring fun and quirky handmade toys. Just a few minutes into the interview you’ll probably begin to wonder when Kristen finds time to sleep because operating a cool shop is only one of her many creative projects. Kristen is [...]

I can’t believe it’s Saturday already. This week has been a complete blur. Here’s a recap: * I sold more looms this week than I expected to, so I’ve been busy making more. (A special thank you to my lovely customers. You folks rock!) This uptick in sales comes at a good time because layoff [...]

When I quit my day job in early July it was as traumatic as a birth. As I walked down the back “employees only” hallway the last time as an official staffer, I cried like a baby while trying rather unsuccessfully to hide my face behind a vase-full of sunflowers. It was a pretty pathetic [...]

CHICAGO – Heavy rain and flooded roads slowed me down but didn’t deter my first Renegade Craft Fair experience. Even though I spent the day looking rather drenched, I met loads of fabulous people and foolishly exposed my camera to the elements to document the trip. Above you’ll see the massive amount of business cards [...]

Download the show (you may need to right-click the link) Listen to show in browser Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes RSS feed for podcast She’s a crafty med student at Northwestern University who loves to sew. He’s a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, oil painter and designer. And Miss Bettie Lou Sweet Waters [...]

When I took the girls to the weekly Fulton Street Artisan’s Market last Sunday I wasn’t able to visit with vendors for very long because the good behavior clock was running. There comes a point during every outing where the kids just can’t take it anymore. They’re 2 and 4, so this is completely expected. [...]

This week my craft column is about Joleen Rumsey, a musician and fashion designer. She’s a hipster seamstress who sings, plays keyboard and sews outfits for The Icicles, a super cool band with an international following. (Icicle songs have been used in commercials for Target and Motorola.) I had to write about Joleen after my [...]

Download the show (you may need to right-click the link) Listen to show in browser Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes RSS feed for podcast It all started with an American montessori teacher living in Mexico and her blog, “Montessori by Hand.” The blog was to be a place where other montessori teachers could post tutorials [...]

Download the show (you may need to right-click the link) Listen to show in browser Subscribe to CraftSanity on iTunes RSS feed for podcast If you have a handmade business or plans to launch one, be sure to listen to this episode of CraftSanity featuring Meg Mateo Ilasco, a California designer, writer, and owner of [...]