Andrew Wagner, soon-to-be former editor in chief of American Craft and a founding editor of Dwell, has been named the editor in chief of ReadyMade. The magazine recently relocated from San Francisco to Des Moines, the headquarters of Meredith Corp., so he'll start fresh there May 4. Wagner expects the magazine's website to pick up major steam thanks to his plans to broaden its online presence with a DIY project archive, some exclusive stories online, blogs, and photo galleries.
Sometimes I am blown away by the utter creativity and DIY know-how of CasaSugar readers. That was the case when I discovered the photos of KateDavis's dining room in the Su Casa group. She writes, "I wanted a change in my dining room, and after coming across Damien Hirst's 'Valium' online, I knew it would be perfect for my dining room.
While the fallout from the current economic crisis is absolutely troubling, one friend who was recently laid off told me that her layoff has inspired her to live more simply. As she put it, the financial crunch has helped her to focus on what's truly important, such as spending time with family and friends, and working on her home craft business. Even though she no longer has money for much in the way of movies or extravagant dinners out, she's finding some unexpected pleasures in her new, simpler, frugal lifestyle.
If you were intrigued by my DIY upholstery project, but have an easier time learning things by watching them instead of reading them, then I have just the help you need! The fine folks at ReadyMade created a very helpful video showing you a slightly different technique for reupholstering chairs.
To see the video for yourself, read more
If you read Casa regularly, you've probably noticed that people are making vases out of almost anything these days (pipes, plastic bottles, honeycomb, light bulbs). Quite frankly, a makeshift vase (coffee can, glass bottle) is not the hardest DIY. But, when I came across a DIY from ReadyMade for a vase made from floral foam that was cheap, easy, and most importantly, water retaining, I was pretty impressed.
Yesterday I told you about how I sewed a hammock for my backyard by riffing on instructions from the Getaway issue of ReadyMade magazine. If you want to get the exact instructions from the magazine, head down to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. In fact, I urge you to do so, as there are a ton of other cool Summer projects that will keep you occupied and crafting this month.
I picked up the latest issue of ReadyMade over the weekend, and was delighted to find it brimming over with fun, easy projects for Summer living. One project I started nearly immediately was making their hammock project, which was explained in the article "Re-Kindle." Basically, all you need for this project is an old sheet, a sewing machine, and some rope.
Peter Rojas showed up in the pages of the June/July issue of ReadyMade to talk about RCRD LBL, his free-music website. This endeavor, combined with his status as the founder of both Engadget and Gizmodo, puts him in a place of deep respect for me, but also — and I'm trying to make sure I say this with great dignity and professionalism — Crush Status. Our geeky Romeo is taken, but at least it's to a worthy match: Green, geeky gal Jill Fehrenbacher.
We all know that money doesn't grow on trees . . .
ReadyMade’s Green Design Issue is available in a paperless edition. And good news: this first installment of the online edition is absolutely free. Check out all of the cool DIYs, online exclusive pieces, and clickable table of contents.