Comments (0) Best Locally Produced Magazine - 2003

ReadyMade

Published in Berkeley but distributed nationally, ReadyMade is, to borrow a line from its Web site, "a quarterly print magazine for people who like to make stuff." The colorful, crisply designed pub is most appealing for its extensive array of do-it-yourself projects: everything from recipes and costumes to wall sconces made from trash cans or blenders transformed into lamps. Each activity comes with a ratings system that details the relative time, skill, and cash it requires. When the arts and crafts wear you out, you can curl up with ReadyMade's quirky feature stories, which shun the instructional element and simply tell tales of fellow tinkerers, like the late Alabama architect Samuel Mockbee. Each low-budget but surprisingly professional issue is available at many local bookstores and Urban Outfitters.