Crafting for Poor People

Amy Sedaris, writer, actress, and comedian is mostly known for her portrayal of Jerri on the hit comedy series Strangers with Candy but she is also an enthusiastic crafter and all round champion of old-timey, kitsch things.

Her book Simple Times, Crafts for Poor People which was published last year is a thick tomb of neat ideas for turning trash into…well more trash. But of the good, sparkly, unreturnable-gift kind.

Complete with sections on Poverty, Sad Teenagers, Gifting, Jesus, Crafting with Illness and Sexing, Amy doles out her crafting wisdom for all us newbies with wit and class, the emphasis being on returning to a simpler time of “ice cream pie and holding hands”.

The book caters to the sane and not so sane, those with physical or mental illness, the drunk and stoned and is even suitable for people with a criminal record. It is especially handy to those of us who don’t have much cash, making it perfect for a uni student like me!

Standout projects include trimming lamp shades with hair swatches (surprisingly, it looks quite cool), doll wig doorknobs, painted rocks, “cut-rate sandwich bag condoms”, a “killing jar” for butterflies, doily seat shields for the nudist who has everything, fluffy tampon ghosts, a teenager’s secret box (so no one will know about your crushes), matchstick crucifixes and tips for styling your “pleasure patch”.

But here’s the best part the book includes recipes, with the confectionary section urging us to make fudge and “poor man’s toffee”. The wheat-free organic cookies made with almond and tapioca flour are a sure fire hit for those gluten-free friends of yours and with flavours of nutmeg and cinnamon they won’t taste like weirdo health food.

The best cooking tips however are in the Sausages section, which funnily enough directly follows the Sexy section. Here, Amy includes instructions for making fillings for sausages and what casing to use. The Chorizo recipe is probably the best in the book.

On a serious note though, you have to be warned this book is less detailed instruction and more comedic poems and general 70s-styled hilarity. This is a coffee table book that is sure to make you laugh however I must admit there are a few projects that will wow you and are genuinely useful.

Whether you use it a light read when you have had a particularly rough day or you actually tackle these crafty projects, Simple Times is sure to put a smile on your dial!

And remember glue googly eyes to everything, humans connect with things that can look at them. Who knows? Maybe they can connect enough with said crafty object they might even pay you a few dollars for it. And poor people love a few dollars.

By Roxanne Groebel

Image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/george_eastman_house/3122869991/