Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Similarly, give a gay a handmade decorative box and he’ll fill it with treasures. Teach a gay to use a glue gun and get ready for a lifetime of bedazzling.
Somewhere that last quote is embroidered on a pillow, perched proudly on some queen’s sofa.
It’s also pretty much the mantra of fabulously gay fashion designer, Mark Montano, who’s made quite a good living hosting TV shows and writing how-to books.
As if it weren’t enough to create his own publishing empire with The Big-Ass Book of Home Deco; our favorite page-turner, Window Treatments & Slipcovers for Dummies (we say NO to slipcovers for smart people, too); and, the wildly popular tome, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts, he’s come out with a sequel.
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2 is out with 150 new projects. Some are really cool, like book-page lined envelopes and earthy woven-cardboard vases.
Then there are bizarre things like creepy doll-head nightlights and backpacks made out of old pillowcases.
But regardless of your opinion on each and every item, the message is clear. Art can be found in the everyday and armed with a few crafting essentials, any gay can become an artist.
And a really cheap gift-giver.
Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2
$12.81 at amazon.com
(View the entire Amazon.com collection of Mark Montano books here)
www.markmontano.com
Photograph by Auxy Espinoza