CraftSanity Podcasts with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

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Take a walk on the wild and musical side with comedic folk singer Deirdre Flint, 38, of Phillidelphia, PA. She’s the creative woman who wrote the “The Boob Fairy” song that I played at the end of last week’s podcast. I love her sense of humor and wanted to find out more about the woman inspired to write this wonderfully satirical music.

Deirdre is a former elementary school teacher, turned musician who moonlights as a substitute teacher. She plays guitar, writes her own music and the best part is SHE’S EXTREMELY FUNNY! She has a knack for taking those unfortunate and seemingly innocuous moments of life and exaggerating them in her songs with wonderfully humorous results.

Besides her solo work, she tours as the bass player for The Four Bitchin’ Babes and likes to do crafts.

Tune in to this episode of CraftSanity to hear the story of how she got her start as a musician and hear her sage advice for the rest of us creative types who hope to someday find the courage to live an equally artistic life.

You can buy Deirdre's CDs, "The Shuffleboard Queens" and "Then Again" here or here or download them at the iTunes Music store. And check out the first couple episodes of her temporarily abandoned podcast, called Podcast Fondue.

Here's a postcard project to keep your hands busy while you listen to the interview with Deirdre.

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Fasten Your Craft Fairy Wings and tune in for an interview with one of the freest spirits on the planet.

Her name is Violette Clark and she is an extremely brave woman. She’s an illustrator and folk artist who isn’t afraid to stand out. She lives in British Columbia, Canada in the purple house she named the “Magic Cottage” and travels about in the “Glitter Girl” van, a ride she pimped out with a wild paint job and inspirational sayings.

At age 51, she says she feels like she’s finally come into her own. She likes to wear her hair long, take road trips with her “Bohemian Tribe,” and dress up like a fairy for the occasional wish-granting session. She’s not like most people and that’s what makes her so interesting.

In this episode of CraftSanity, Violette is going to tell us how she’s used art to pull herself through the toughest times of her life. She’s a firm believer in the healing power of art. Come along for some crazy craft adventures involving Violette’s inflatable friend, Malcom, fifty purple bras and a revealing photo shoot in the sunflower patch behind the "Magic Cottage."

Here's a pattern for Violette's Creative Spirit Doll.

A Craftabulous Tune: This podcast ends with a great song called "The Boob Fairy" by Deirdre Flint. Visit Deirdre here.

Taking Names: Who do you want to hear from next? Send your guest, product review and show topic suggestions to jennifer@craftsanity.com.

The intro music in this podcast was used courtesy of freeplaymusic.com.

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Tune in to Learn How to Embrace Your Angst


Renée Rigdon and Zabet Stewart aren't ashamed of their anger. They're so comfortable with it, in fact, that they made it their inspiration for The Anti Craft, their online craft zine where they celebrate the darker side of crafting. You won't find any foo-foo patterns or girlie, girlie designs on their site. What you will find an assortment of cool craft patterns to channel your rage against whatever is that ticks you off.

cheating boyfriends
caddy girlfriends
condescending freaks
disease
death
materialistic society
war

It's okay to be mad about this stuff. With patterns like the "Curse Your Boyfriend Sweater," "Snowballs Chance in Hell" and "Flowers On A Grave," The Anti Craft can provide you with plenty of patterns to make you smile despite whatever ails you.

So what's up with these crafting Anti Craft chicks? Are they weird goth girls that hate everything? I'm not going to dignify those questions with an answer, it would only make them more angry. Either you get what they're doing, or you don't. The dark poetic verses that accompany several of the patterns are not for everyone, but neither are other artists' frilly doilies and rainbow dog sweaters. If you must know, Renée, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom and writer, and Zabet, a 30-year-old graphic designer, are both married Stitch'n Bitch members who craft out their angst in Lexington, Kentucky. They're glad crafting is all rage. They just don't believe every craft has to be cute and perky.

So, forget what society tells you about managing your anger and not making a scene. Bottling it up only leads to bulging forehead veins and heart attacks. Instead of feeling pressure to smile with your teeth clenched while feeling like you just might implode, craft out your angst, discontent, disenchantment or whatever else is stewing inside. Own it. Make it your craft supply. Turn it into something dark and spectacular.

Then write down the pattern and submit it to Renée and Zabet. Who knows, your anger might just be enough to catapult you into one of their upcoming issues. Pretty cool, eh?

Here is an Anti Craft Valentine's Day surprise from Renée and Zabet.

Taking Names: Who do you want to hear from next? Send your guest, product review and show topic suggestions to jennifer@craftsanity.com

Music in this podcast was used courtesy of freeplaymusic.com.

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This week meet John Murphy the artist, illustrator, comic author and sock collector. John lives in Asheville, North Carolina where he makes stuffed monsters out of castoff socks.

No joke. You can send your socks to his home studio and he will make you a "stupid sock creature." Or, all you crafty types can make your own following the detailed instructions he published in his book: "Stupid Sock Creatures." (There's even a preview to "Crafting Disaster," a comic series he's working on with a friend at the end of the book.)

John studied illustration and ceramics at East Carolina University. After college he worked as a newsroom artist for the Wilmington Star News in North Carolina, and eventually took his art on the road to California where he worked in the ceramics industry. When a layoff left him jobless in 2003, he didn't stay idle for long. He quickly crafted himself a new gig. He learned to sew and started making monsters out of socks. Since then he estimates that he's stitched hundreds of them, and just recently hired an assistant to help keep up with the orders. This summer he even plans to hire an intern.

For more info on how to get a monster of your own, check out John Murphy's site. There you'll find more awesome creatures like the ones below.



Photos used courtesy of John Murphy.

Like what you see? Check back here for one of John's sock creature patterns. I'll be posting that as soon as I get it.

Feeling inspired to re-fabricate your worn out socks? Do it! It's really fun. I'm no John Murphy, but below is a photo of the creature I managed to create following the instructions in his book. Send me a photos of your sock creatures and I'll post them on CraftSanity.

I went from this:


To this:

I named him Detective Friday after the day I made him. I'm not sure where the "Detective" came from, but I'm very pleased that he can stand by himself. That happened by accident.

Also, check out who won last week's contest.

Coming soon: John shares a pattern

Taking Names: Who do you want to hear from next? Send your guest, product review and show topic suggestions to jennifer@craftsanity.com

Music in this podcast was used courtesy of freeplaymusic.com.