Loads of crafty goodness - or why I (heart) CraftyPod

I have a serious addiction to craft blogs. My Google Reader* is overflowing, and I find myself subscribing to new blogs almost every single day. One of my favorite things about finding a new blog is checking out the blogroll on each one I find. I've stumbled on lots of other good blogs through random blogs I find. Random web sufing and stumbling is one of my favorite things to do. A lot of it has to do with finding things I love ... like CraftyPod. Ohhhh how I love CraftyPod.

I can put my blog addiction to good use - finding things for my newsfeed at BurdaStyle.com and each week, I highlight a favorite craft blog of mine for the subscribers of the Stitch Lab newsletter. I think I'll start posting those highlights here, too. If you want to sign up for the Stitch Lab newsletter (especially if you are local to Austin - you really need to sign up!) go to the schedule page. The weekly newsletters are fun and full of great info.

So here's my "blogspiration" for this week - Treat Your Ears to the Joy of CraftyPod - Enjoy!

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(all images from CraftyPod.com)
This week, treat your ears to the fun and joy of CraftyPod - a podcast and blog that's all about making stuff. I stumbled on CP almost a year ago through a link on another blog (hooray for "blogrolls" - links in the sidebars of blogs. They speak to my love of stumbling upon things) I instantly fell in love with Diane's witty blog posts and quickly became addicted to her bi-weekly podcast.

The quirky, fun shows are sprinkled with Esquivel music and just the right length - usually 15-25 minutes. They make for excellent listening while on the treadmill. I ended up going back and listening to every show she'd ever done, and now I get all kinds of excited when she posts a new show. She's interviewed everyone from the Crafty Chica to the gals who run BurdaStyle.com, and one of my favorite shows (which actually had me in tears at one point) was an interview with her mom about their life-long tradition of making Gingerbread houses. She makes you want to get up and ... well ... make something. Through her thoughtful interviews (I swear, I think of her as the Barbara Walters of the Craft World - she's a fantastic interviewer) she inspires great love for all kinds of crafts and all levels of crafty skills.

In between posting shows, she keeps her blog full of fun projects, fabulous vintage craft book finds and information about the classes and workshops she teaches all over Portland. She leads a highly successful chapter of the Church of Craft, and her views on how crafting and community building go hand in hand make my heart sing. If you're lucky enough to live in Portland, or know someone who is, check out the DIY Alert she runs - listing all the crafty happenings in the PDX area. I don't live in Portland, but I'm still signed up for the DIY Alert newsletter. She stocks it with great interviews and handy links.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Diane in person when I visited Portland with my husband last summer. I attended one of her Church of Craft meetings, and her bubbly, warm personality made me love her even more. She's like an ambassador for crafting: you can't be around her and not fall in love with making stuff.

So go an enjoy her blog and podcast. Together, they are like an encyclopedia of all things crafty and good.

* And if you are a Google Reader user, email me at averagejanecrafter at gmail dot com. I've recently discovered the joys of "sharing" blog posts that I like through Google Reader. Come share with me!