My daughters are an endless source of inspiration. I wrote this column published in today’s edition of The Grand Rapids Press after witnessing one of their recent backseat conversations in my review mirror. We were on the way home from school and I was very pleased to see my oldest applying the day’s lesson to “fill a [...]

A couple weeks back when I thought my column writing days were numbered, I had a bit of a panic because I came very close to blowing my opportunity to write about one of the nicest people on the planet. A newspaper reader had sent me a tip about Bob Roskamp, an 82-year-old West Michigan [...]

I’m not sure why I decided to go public with my mullet story or how exactly this painful childhood memory landed itself in the middle of my latest art & craft column, but it’s all right here for your reading entertainment. And just so you know, I do actually include some informative craft trend info [...]

For the last couple months I’ve been preparing to write my last art and craft column for the local newspaper I’ve been writing for since 1998. After I received a contract termination letter in early November, I resigned myself to the fact that I had been canned from my freelance position. This was a first [...]

Photo by Ryan Pavlovich As my weekly newspaper column winds down to an end this month, I’m trying to tie up some loose ends and write about the people who have been on my list for a long time. This week I featured Rebecca Green, a rising Grand Rapids artist and illustrator and regular contributor [...]

Happy New Year, dear readers! I hope you’re off to a great start in 2012. Today my newspaper column is about how list-making can help you obtain your goals in 2012. You can check it out here and then you can contribute to the conversation over here. I’m wrapping up work on next week’s column [...]

Hello! It’s been very busy around the CraftSanity headquarters as we enjoy the last bit of summer before school starts. It seems the summers fly by faster each year. I’ve been burning the midnight oil working very hard on the fall issue of CraftSanity Magazine due out next month I’m really enjoying the projects, recipes [...]

We finally kicked off the Handmade Tour last week when we visited lovely Northern Michigan. I’ll be posting details and photos of our adventure soon. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the column I wrote about our DIY chalkboard adventures. Abby and Amelia are really enjoying their new boards. You can read [...]

If you’re looking for some fun new books to inspire your summer craft sessions, I invite you to read my column in today’s edition of The Grand Rapids Press. I reviewed eight books worth checking out. Enjoy!

This is Willie James Jones, a man who spends his days drawing hot rods, surf boards, bongo drums and palm trees at Heartside Gallery and Studio, a free drop-in art studio located  in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The studio is frequented by people who have struggled with homelessness, addiction, mental illness and other challenges. I wrote [...]

I bought this print at Friday’s Art Downtown event. It’s called “Keep Heartside Beautiful” by Grand Rapids printmaker Sarah Scott. You can read the column I wrote about her in The Grand Rapids Press today. Sarah is donating a third of the money generated by sales of this print to Heartside Gallery and Studio where [...]

As an alternative to the mass produced Easter gifts that have become rooted in American holiday tradition, Grand Rapids artist Anneke Huisman is offering parents a chance to bring their children to a stuff-your-own-bunny event. You and your child can stuff a bunny pre-sewn by Anneke, owner of Yellow Horse Art Studio and then she’ll [...]

I’m heading out on the road this summer in search of the best handmade goods Michigan has to offer and I need your help. Please tell me about your favorite handmade in Michigan products, artists and creative places. I’m interested in hearing everything from where you buy your favorite honey to where you bought that [...]

Hi Folks. Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been busy working on the next issue of CraftSanity Magazine due out in March. There is a lot of writing, crafting and pattern testing to do in the next 20 days, but I think it will be worth all the effort. The next [...]

I’m taking a quick break from spiffing up my house for the holidays to let you that I reviewed a whole stack of books in my weekly art and craft column that was published in today’s issue of The Grand Rapids Press. And I reviewed more books in the first issue of CraftSanity Magazine. I [...]