Homo Habilis: Bringing Back the Handy Human

Credit: www.readymademag.com

Dust off your opposable thumbs and pick up a copy of ReadyMade magazine, the how-to must-read for the crafty set. Instructions for projects like making your own jug band -- or, heck, making a jug out of rubber bands -- read like they're written by Martha Stewart with a hangover and a fresh tattoo. The pert (and -- warning -- sometimes R-rated) writing style, clean design, and focus on reuse and recycling set the bimonthly apart from fuddy-duddy mags like Fine Woodworking or Country Craft. For one thing, it's fun to read even if you prefer your products prepackaged and your laminating left to the professionals.

ReadyMade is also a good read because it doesn't limit itself to DIY. It includes offbeat interviews with people like car designers (because, you know, they make stuff), product blurbs (usually for things made by other crafty-handy people), and quirky travel recommendations (like the Crazy Horse Memorial, under construction in the Black Hills of South Dakota, or the very, very quiet Abbey of Gethsemani, in Trappist, Kentucky). And if you take enough slide film on your trip, you'll find instructions on how to loop them together into a lampshade. Now, where did we leave our pliers?

ReadyMade

• www.readymademag.com [1]
• $5 per copy; one-year subscription $22;
• Free copies (excluding postage) available to educators;
• contact chelsa@readymademag.com [2]