Here's an enjoyable thing: a 1/1000th scale model of San Francisco's most well-loved, peak-topping TV tower. This adorable wooden version of the once hated landmark is cut from 1/8th inch plywood using fancy high powered lasers, which just sounds high tech. Also: it would look nice on a desk. more ›

Put down the mouse and stop trolling Etsy.com for handmade accoutrements, San Francisco's original twee craft fair, hip goods bazaar and excuse to order bloody marys while shopping will return to Wisconsin Street in Potrero Hill this Sunday after a lengthy eight-month break. more ›

"You know, you can make Kombucha yourself, right?" more ›

Although SF Zine Fest is all about tables and tables of choice zines, comics, phenomenal DIY doodads, and more -- psst, be sure to read Laura Beck's article on making her very first zine -- it's also a great opportunity to learn from a bevvy of successful independent publishers and local scribes. This year's workshop and panel roster promises to have something for every zine geek, and then some. Behold. more ›

LITERARY: Join The Rumpus and SMITH Magazine for some Beautiful Beginnings, featuring music by Dave Smallen and Amores Vigilantes, comedy by Will Durst, and authors Richard Ferguson, Piper Kerman, Raina Bird, Lisa Brown, and the Six-Word Memoirists. When you're there, be sure to pick up a copy of Nikko: Concrete Commando, the Rumpus' first chapbook, about the story of Nikko, an SF kid who etched his name in over 1000 local sidewalks in the '60s. more ›

DIY geniuses, listen up: the 5th annual Maker Faire Bay Area, taking place May 22-23 in San Mateo, CA, is looking for a few good artists. Who like fire. And metal. And robots. And geeks. And rockets. And loads of fun. more ›

by Natalie Cadranel One upside to a lagging economy is that it encourages people to become more resourceful and creative about how they spend their time and money. After our recent move to Oakland, we've been inspired by the many East Bay nonprofits offering training and space to work on their own projects and enjoy the gratifying feeling of learning how to do everything from wrench bikes to mend clothes or create their own holiday presents for family and friends. Not only are these hands-on activities a great chance to learn valuable skills and get involved with the community, but they also offer affordable alternatives for those with less and less disposable income. more ›

In September, Kathryn Hill of Apartment Therapy's "The Kitchn" brought to you a DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte, which was strikingly similar to Starbucks' famous autumnal treat. more ›

There's no getting around it--the holiday season is upon us. And while you could hunker down in your apartment, grow a beard and hibernate till February, perhaps one of the best ways to navigate the utter insanity of these next four weeks is to find a decent way to deal with it. Enter Etsy's Handmade Ho Down, where this Thursday, popular Bay Area artisans will gather at 1015 Folsom Street to sell their handmade wares. Etsy can't shorten your gift list any, but they can make the process a bit easier (and make it so you won't have to visit the mall, aka Holiday Hell). more ›

Although this week's weather might not agree, summer--at last!--is coming to an end. Soon we'll be busting out our fall line from the back of the closet, putting extra blankets on the bed, and paying PG&E more money. More importantly, Starbucks will roll out their annual treat of legend and lore, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Blue Bottle's got nothing on Starbucks until they introduce a sickly sweet treat like this.) But at almost $4 a pop, who can afford Starbucks version of black tar? Not us. more ›

In addition to the SF Street Food Festival on Saturday and the Rock Make Street Festival on Sunday, there's also SF Zine Fest going on all weekend. The event is an annual celebration of independent and underground publishing, featuring a long list of exhibitors who represent all types of DIY publications, such comics, arts and crafts, literary presses, and more. more ›

The Bay Bridged, Noise Pop,Tartufi, and WhizBang Fabrics bring you the 2nd annual Rock Make Street Festival this Sunday. The six-hour party will consist of approximately 60 Bay Area vendors selling their handicrafts, visual arts, and fashion, nestled between two stages featuring 12 local bands, including Tartufi, Music for Animals, The Don'ts, and the Odawas. more ›

Another weekend full of fun events is soon upon us. FuncheapSF and The Squid List have exhaustive lists, and here are a few highlights. more ›

DIY, fashion, cheese, and pride -- who could ask for anything more?! Here are just a few events going on this weekend: more ›

Broke-Ass Stuart, the man behind Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco and New York, is hosting a cheap-ass Fuck the Recession Party at the Rickshaw on Wednesday night. more ›

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 for a little DIY inspiration in 2008. more ›

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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 of their blog, Smarts & Crafts. Lauren and Derek have also been posting every Wednesday over at Design Sponge , sharing great project ideas for fixing up any space. And now they've teamed up with Todd Oldham to host a holiday crafting challenge on You Tube. Or at least that's Todd up there in their shop asking people to send in videos of their favorite holiday crafts and DIY projects. Winners will be posted on the You Tube homepage so get out that camera and get crafting. more ›

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. Follow SFist's shopping credo, "one for you, one for me". Somehow we think even Reverend Billy might approve. more ›

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... more ›

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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. more ›

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! more ›

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. more ›

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 fun experiment, since Muni's never going to get around to it themselves. And even if you find commuting to be boring as shit, we still love you. more ›

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! more ›

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 more ›

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? more ›

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. more ›