I have no idea if I am one of the originators of champagne croquet in Golden Gate Park, but I’d like to assume I am at least one of the forefathers (foremothers?) of combining the age-old sport with mandatory croquet-related costumery.

On a particularly rainy Sunday in late May, twenty of my most dedicated friends adorned themselves as Mad Hatters, Great Gatsby-ites, and of course, scrunchy-wearing debutantes (ala Winona Ryder from Heathers). Squishing through mud, grass and trees they hauled soggy cucumber sandwiches and canapés to Speedway Meadows - the stinky hippie epicenter of the universe. Set to the thunderous tempo of stinky hippie bongo drums, we hammered, pivoted and Irish peeled our way to a sauced and sneezy experience. And afterwards, our event co-host broke up with her date and he ran off with my best tricorner hat. What could he have done to win her heart back? Well, let me tell you…

HOW TO WIN OVER A GIRL/BOY BY SPENDING MONEY

Hands-Free Solutions: Firstly, with one hand on the mallet and the other on your bubbly there is no way you can possibly cradle your date when he/she turns into a sobbing drunken lout. Red Envelope’s Steady Stick Wine Table and Holders are nothing short of brilliant. The sleek holders fit to any flute and the bamboo surface is perfect for optimal cheese cutting. (Hippies, you can also roll your weed on it.)

The Bevvies: Additionally, if you’re like me and the only magnum you know anything about is Tom Selleck in Speedos, then consider joining Riot Wine Club. Ranging in price from $32-$64 per month, the club’s packages allow you to choose from a range of expert-selected bottles. The fabulousness of this service is that it includes selections from more than one winery. Additionally, Riot Wine co-founder and friend Joshua Duyan mans the blog and provides you with everything you need to know to avoid looking like a classless bumpkin.

Light Up Her Life: I am a woman easily impressed by grand gestures. LA-based Maker Pointcloud recently posted an article on Instructables showing readers how to create their own water-resistant LED picnic blanket. It’s a little complicated, but upon completion your date will be enamoured and you’ll be happy the little bugger is stain-proof. (OK fine, that’s a bit crude)

It’s not even December yet and I’ve already begun my first self-created detox program of the holiday season (lots of green tea and vegetarian sushi to hopefully counteract the effects of way too many Thanksgiving leftovers). And for a little extra help, I might pick up the Biggs and Featherbelle Detox Box recently recommended by ThisNexter modish. Available at Cut + Paste (home of all things D.I.Y. and divine), the collection of handmade self-care stuff includes an Achy Muscles Massage Bar (good for when you’ve overexerted yourself whilst gift-shopping), a detoxifying muscle soak (yummy bath salts), and a dry skin brush (really amazing for stimulating circulation and getting a little energy boost, especially in the early morn’).

Modish suggests picking up the Detox Box to “pamper someone you love,” but it’s never a bad idea to go ahead and pamper yourself in preparation for all the overindulgence that’s yet to come…

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!)

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 

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. 

Gotta keep going with the barbecue theme. Nothing says summer like beer and meat. Sure, you could run out and get yourself a brand-spanking-new smoker and a keg for your next backyard grillfest, but that might set you back a couple large. On the other hand, you could make your very own of each out of readily available items out of the hardware store. MAKE Magazine’s blog offers up tips on making a smoker from a trashcan, grill grate, iron skillet and a hot plate. And if you’ve got an empty three-liter bottle, a cooler, some tubing and a tap handy, you’re well on your way to kegdom. Cost of components of your new wares: $50. Gas to get to and from hardware store: $3.50. Boasting rights over your hand-made contraptions: Priceless.

We love that you don’t necessarily have to drop bank to get what you want, and MAKE’s dedication to the cause brings new meaning to the word “value.” Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some pork chops just begging to be smoked.