The internet is one gigantic bear hug of free-for-all creative stimuli.

Take BleuArts for example, a crafty blog about “art and the art of crafting” was kind enough to post this free knitting pattern which will purl your way into crafty Star Wars delight.

Now if only we could knit a Harrison Ford.

via Glitty Knitty Kitty 

Craft books have come a long way, baby.  Before, it was all tea cozies and pot holders.  Now - you can stich your way into your very own Anthropologie.

Buzzville is buzzing over Amy Butler’s new book, In Stitches. (Spiral bound so it lays flat! Modern gals think of everything!)

For my Type-A, super-hyper, instant gratification, easily distracted sensibilities - I’ve always secretly thought that needlepoint might be an achievable craft for me to explore.

In the meantime, I’ll drool over other craft blogs like SeamSters which spotted this adorable vintage needlepoint design book at a flea market.  And she’s also written several informative and inspiring posts about my (closeted, maybe someday) needlepoint explorations.   

For Garth Johnson of Atlanta, GA craft is not just glue guns and glitter; and art is not to be taken too seriously.

His blog is “A compendium of craft masquerading as art, art masquerading as craft, and craft extending its middle finger” - and he’s not lyin.  From crocheted g-strings to knitted condoms, you can rest assured that Extreme Craft will go to the extremes to find any bizarro glitch in the arts and crafts world. It’s funny and irreverent, it’s glitter and glue guns.

Juju Loves Polka Dots is a blog maintained by a London-based crafter “who sometimes get[s] paid for making things…[and has] written and contributed to numerous craft books.”  We love that she has red, pink and blue hair; that each post begins with a short poem, and we love love love all her delightful shopcasting throughout the blog…books, craft items, her artwork, you name it. Her blogroll of “beady”, “funny” and “inspiring” sites is great too.

Little Birds is a beautiful, nostalgic, thoughtful and wonderfully crafty blog by artist and maker Stephanie Barnes in Portland, Oregon.

It’s a DIY diary filled with personal anecdotes on motherhood and life in general, peppered with unique recommends from fellow crafty businesses, and great photography.

Little Birds is just wonderful, but my heart really melted with this craft project she did with her kids - they made a (bio) diesel fuel station and car wash! Adorable.

images via little birds 

It’s like we just found a gaggle of creative shopcasters:

Whip Up is a multi author site with contributors from around the world united by a passion for making things, for beautiful design and for a desire to share ideas with others.

From tutorials, to fun children’s crafts, to design, to eco craft,  Whip Up is a one stop DIY/Crafty/Inspirational blog with a continual flow of creative, explorative information.

With 20+ contributers, you can always count on a creative tidbit from a unique perspective. And even though “crafty” still conjures up images of crocheted kleenex box cosies for some, Whip Up stands firm on believing there is something for everyone…

 
We’re for that!

If there is one thing we love to see, it’s a passionate shopcaster.  People who know what they love and want to share it with the world are #1 in our books.

When I discovered A Passion For Scrapbooking, Decorating & Shopping I was excited to discover mainly new items found by someone who is excited about scrapbooking - what I found instead are new discoveries from all shopping arenas.

Not just an over-enthusiastic shopcast, this site is also a wealth of information, links, suggestions and inspirational lifestyle tidbits. 

Check out her About page for a mongo link roll, and then have fun searching her site for oodles of scrapbook info and other crafty/shopping ventures. 

 

At ThisNext we have no end of respect for the time and commitment it takes to keep up a blog…especially if it’s in addition to working or running your own business.

Crafty blog MAKE IT knows this all too well, but is still dedicated to providing craftsters with “stories and tips about how to turn your creativity into business”.

Her Tip #10 is one we all can follow: make time for your projects.  How?
- stop talking about it and just do it
- get rid of cable
- wake up an hour earlier

We’ll be looking for you on the next Apprentice, oh wise Make It blogger. 

For the urban-DIY-crafty-Martha is ok, but I don’t trust her set, there is no source of inspiration greater than ReadyMade Magazine.

Like any proper publication worth it’s salt (well we think anyway) ReadyMade also has a great blog, written by a whirlwind of creative doers who post daily with how-to tips, design information, events and more.

Like the magazine, ReadyMade’s posts are short, to the point and always useful. We especially like the “Ideas We Wish We’d Thought Of” category.

So get out your glue gun, hack saw & go get em tiger. 

There’s the gleeful little witch up Canada way by the odd name of the kitchener bitch who’s just NUTS about knitting — especially vintage knitting of stockings, caps, sweaters and more from yesteryear. 

Like her fellow knitting apassionata (she’s got a great blogroll), she’s making her own yarn from raw wool, collecting the best and sometimes most bizarre patterns, and showoing off her “finished objects” with a style and personality that can’t be beat. 

Take a look.  The colors alone are worth remembering and returning for more…

Beer geeks, perk up your ears: The Spirit World has corralled up a flight of beer podcasts for your listening enjoyment. Personally, we prefer that beer go in our mouths, but you may find it equally enjoyable in the ear. Programming material ranges from listening to guys talk about the beers they’re drinking to a combination of beer and music. But whatever your predilection, there’s bound to be some brew worth listening to. And heck, any opportunity to add a new sensory element to something as beloved as beer is something we approve of.