We already decided to only leave the house for essentials this weekend, like liquor and toothpaste, so we were thrilled to stumble upon one last 'best of' list for 2007. Craftster, the hub for all things handmade has compiled the most comprehensive list of the best craft projects from 2007. A bonus of this forum-based site is that most crafters post step-by-step instructions and photos for making the projects they list. We're bookmarking this......

So maybe you didn't have time to make any of your gifts this year. We didn't do so well in that department either. But that doesn't mean we're not going to wrap our store bought presents all pretty and fancy-like. You don't have time for that? Well here are some honest gift tags you can print out on card stock and tape to your to presents. Just click on the image below for a......

If you haven't made it to the Curiosity Shoppe yet, what are you waiting for? It's one of our new favorite shops on Valencia Street. After having an e-commerce site for a year we were thrilled to hear that owners Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom were setting up a brick and mortar spot in our fair city. Not only do we adore the choice of products for sale in the shop, we're big fans......

The DIY cool kids are having their holiday bash tonight, and you, yes you, can get in on the action. We like ReadyMade parties because of all the style tips we get by gawking at all the hipness that surrounds us. The holiday party is especially great because local merchants, makers, and creative people hock their wares for the first two hours. It's the perfect place to pick up a unique and cool present.......

This lifted our sad, oil soaked hearts. The Craft Gym will be hosting their 2nd annual Craft-Off competition this Friday. Following the model of Iron Chef, there will be a secret 'ingredient' revealed to teams before the 30-minute DIY battle begins. A random assortment of craft supplies and tools will be available for teams to use in the creation of their creative masterpieces. Prizes will be awarded to the winning team, who will be......

View Larger Map Talented local designer and fiber artist, Leslie Yang of Feisty Elle, created a Google Map marking favorite local crafty spots, from boutiques that sell handmade wares to yarn and art supply stores to craft museums. Email her at Leslie at feistyelle dot com if you want to add to her list. And be sure to check out Leslie's beautiful selection of accessories available for sale on her website. Leslie is also a......

Looking to do some crafty shopping or have something you've been making that you want to share with the world? Here are a few ways to get your fix. Modern Times, one of our favorite independent bookstores in the city, will be hosting their first ever craft fair in August and there's still time to register to sell your crafty goods. For up to the minute registration forms and info check out their myspace page. When: August 11th Noon-8pm Registration deadline: August 1st We've already told you how much we love the SF Craft Mafia, meet them for yourself and do some crafting with them on August 12th at Stitch Lounge. The event will feature DIY activities, including jewelry making, clothing customization, and cupcake makeovers. ...

Oooh, we love giving stuff away -- and this one's for the dedicated craftster/stoner crowd -- the good folks at the hip DIY local publisher Chronicle Books want to teach you how to build your own bong. Duuuuuuuude! Namely, we've got a copy of the book Build This Bong to give to one lucky winner, randomly selected by the '-ist contest machine -- you can learn how to build a bong or hookah out of......

Who needs the Sopranos when there’s the San Francisco Craft Mafia? That’s right, we said craft mafia. You got a problem with that? We hope not, because this group is taking over the city, organizing crafters of all stripes, helping to build up a community and a movement that’s showing no signs of slowing down. The first Craft Mafia was formed by three crafty business owners in Austin, Texas in 2003. The women came......

We have good news, and good news, and we also have more good news: you SFist readers have generated more TextMarks. So there are now additional Muni stops at which you can get arrival predictions via text-message, yay! If you'd like to generate a prediction keyword for your favorite bus stop, check out our instructions here. The full list appears after the jump, and we invite all readers to participate in the success of this......

SFist Jenna has your low-cost Friday and weekend covered! Whether you're expecting a tax refund or if you had to cough up a pocket-full of dough to the IRS, we've compiled a list of things to do in the city on a budget, all for the cost of a movie – or less! Tonight: Jeffrey Brown at GRSF. Eager to get an early-bird preview of the Alternate Press Expo? Head over to 618 Shrader, where......

We got lucky this weekend. Not like that. We got lucky because one of our dear friends gave us a fantastic pair of black leather boots. The boots are brand new, never been worn, tall ones that go up to our knees. We've wanted a pair of boots like this for a while. But we have big calves (ok, this is where it gets weird, because I have big calves and I know for a fact that most of the SFist staff doesn't. Really, I've seen Matty Matt and Rita and Jeremy in the flesh, and not like I was really looking, but they all seem to have very normal sized calves, maybe even tiny ones). We bring the size of our calves up because, instead of denying the very cool boots our friend gave us, instead of turning them away and saying, oh those boots won't fit us, we took one look at them and thought, hey we can run those puppies through our sewing machine and alter them and make them fit just perfect. Which is exactly what we did. And we were so proud of ourselves that it got us thinking about all the other stuff we have lying around that we don't use anymore but could probably turn into something very useful with some cutting or gluing or altering. So this weeks post was inspired by those black boots and our very sweet friend who gave them to us. What follows is a sort of laundry list of ideas and resources for turning old things into new ones. Although it's not a unique concept, the craze to make recycled crafts is more popular than ever. If having a green issue of Vanity Fair is what it takes to get the main stream into the idea of 'going green' again, we'll take it. But for those of us who make it a point to always live resourcefully, no matter what Newsweek is telling us, there are some great new craft books that feature projects with a green angle. Re-Creative has 50 projects that can all be created from 'trash', cast-off, or found items. We like what we're hearing about Danny Seo's new line of books called Simply Green, which teach people how to make eco-friendly gifts and party decorations. Although Craftivity isn't entirely centered around recycled craft projects, it does have some great ideas for reusing cast aside items, including moth eaten sweaters. Image from Needles & Pens ...

We recently snagged a copy of Jay Howell's Dog and Dog Information guide at the art/zine/DIY Goods shop Needles and Pens and LOVED it. Self-described as a guy "who really likes dogs" and "would never kick a dog's ass," Dog Information is a pocket sized instructional guide to, yep you guessed it, dogs. The semi-glossy, heavily illustrated, and locally produced mini-mag comes chock-full of canine stories, hilarious drawings and handy information (like a list of great dog names, how to fend off an attack dog, and more than you probably ever wanted to know about dog genitalia). It’s a must-have for zine enthusiasts, dog lovers, fans of the raw talent of artists like Nikki McClure and people like us, who just like instructional guides regardless of the subject. You can order it online here or swing by Needles and Pens yourself and pick up a copy. At two bucks a pop, what’s stopping you? ...

We hope you already know that two of the best craft and DIY magazines available right now are born and bred in our lovely backyard. Don't worry, we'll forgive you if you weren't aware that ReadyMade and Craft are both products of Northern California, but you've got no excuse if you don't make them both part of your regular magazine reads. ReadyMade, who recently moved its headquarters from Oakland to Berkeley, has had a spot on our bookshelves long before we started seeing copies of it for sale in Urban Outfitters. In classic magazine format, it features music and book reviews, eco friendly tips for you and your home, and pages of projects to build. Each issue is clearly themed, although recycling and reusing have been common threads throughout ReadyMade's life span. One of our favorite sections is the Macgyver page, which asks readers for suggestions on breathing new life into items you may be ready to toss. The most creative entry wins and is pictured in the magazine. ...

We saw our first Sampler two years ago while interning at the ReadyMade offices in Oakland. We looked on eagerly as a big thick envelope arrived stuffed with handmade goodies that included buttons, magnets, cards and other crafty items. You know the feeling of getting a nice handwritten letter from an old friend? Add that with Christmas and that's sort of what receiving the Sampler is like, except you also learn about new artists, crafters and DIY organizations in the process. An excellent resource for crafters who want to learn about other crafters, people who appreciate the arts but don't make them, and independent DIYer's trying to spread the word about what they're up to. Marie Kare is the woman behind the Sampler. A crafter herself, she's innovative and energetic, which, we imagine she has to be, she puts together hundreds of Sampler packages each month. Craftwork was lucky enough to steal some of Marie’s time recently, so read on and find out about the story behind the Sampler....

Someone in Oakland is not doing their part to keep the city clean and safe; instead, they are stealing trash cans. Not just any trash cans, but $1500 stainless steel trash cans. We are trying to comprehend trash cans costing $1500, as well as the black market potential for $1500 trash cans that weigh 120 pounds. We doubt these are the same "vandals" that had their way with hundreds of Berkeley parking meters a few......

SFist interviews Leah Kramer of Craftster...

Saturday: we're hitting the YBCA (700 Howard Street at Third) for the SFist Krissy-recommended Kronos Quartet and experimental musicians, Matmos and Walter Kitundu collaboration. Sure, we love the Kronos Quartet and Matmos, but we're also eager to see the extraordinarily threatening Kitundu in action. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., buy tickets here. Sunday: we can't miss Maker Faire, the DIY get-together to beat all get-togethers, at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. There are......

Saturday: It's POMO 2006, which means all sorts of Filipino stage performances at YBCA. Our POMO pick is "Bronze Lit: FilipinoAmerican Voices in Literature", at 2 p.m. today, in which writers including Jaime Jacinto, Jason Bayani, Jason Perez, Jean Vengua, Leny Strobel, Marianne Villanueva and Barbara Jane Reyes read from their works. And it's free! Sunday: If you haven't already, go see Awesome; I F**kin' Shot That! at The Bridge. Never mind the mixed......

Last week we gave you some ideas for what to get the animal lover on your gift list. This week, we're going international -- looking at various international aid organizations that you might purchase a charitable gift from this holiday season. We first heard about microfinance a few years ago and have been fascinated by it ever since. It's so DIY and personal and operates on the level that we can really see making......

If you're interested in DIY online publishing, you should be with us at Webzine this Saturday and Sunday from 12noon - 6pm at the Swedish American Hall. Registration for the whole weekend is only $22 in advance or $30 at the door. Anyone who registers before Thursday night also gets free admission to SFist's Webzine kickoff party, which features Red Stripe beer specials and DJ sets by Karen from KALX and DJ Roxy Fox of......

Wednesday nights at the Beauty Bar features Hip-hop and Dancehall at "Flavor in Ya Ear." Come for the music, stay for the $2 Cuervo shots and $3 rum-and-cokes, and leave nauseous. 'Indie' more your thang? It's DIY DJ night, "Indie Circus," at the Hush Hush -- bring a CD or an iPod and spend fifteen minutes looking for something besides the Bloc Party and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah that everyone else also thought......

SFist interviews Krissy Teegerstrom...

SFist interviews Rebecca Gholdston...

roundup of the Bay Area weeklies...

SFist has always been interested in the whole world of 'zines. We have worked in the publishing industry, and are fascinated with the idea of do-it-yourself (DIY) publishing. All you need is an opinion, some creativity, and there you go! Cellspace, located at 2050 Bryant Street, is hosting San Francisco Zinefest 2004 this Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free to the general public from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. If you wish to exhibit your......

Calling all feminist hipsters (and those looking to pick up the same) – the second Ladyfest Bay Area will be hitting the Mission this weekend (July 29-August 1). Ladyfest is the feminist DIY post-riotgrrl community art, activism, and punk rock festival, which started in 2000 in (where else?) Olympia, WA, and has since spread throughout the land and throughout the world. So naturally, girl bands play, spoken word poets rant, knitting circles purl, self-defense classes take out the eyes and kneecaps of the oppressor, and positive female energy rules the day. It’s volunteer-organized, non-corporate sponsored, and appears mainly to have been advertised by spray-paint stencils on Valencia Street....