Guest blogger Lydia Regalado is an arts educator, crafter and blogger who writes about people who gather to make things.

Zee Avi performs at Halcyon in Austin at ReadyMade Rocks!

AUSTIN – Austin was rocking this past weekend, and ReadyMade was there to help make sure the creative juices were flowing. This was ReadyMade’s first appearance at SXSW with the party ReadyMade Rocks! The party went down at Halcyon, a hip coffee shop on 4^th Street in Austin. The atmosphere was cramped but teeming with independent spirit. There were acoustic performances by indie rockers Lou Barlow and M. Ward, and throughout it all there was a station where three projects could be made. With support and product containers from one of their its, Ecover, ReadyMade helped SXSWgoers create a bird feeder, an eco-friendly shoebox and a planter for an indoor herb garden. These projects were simple, eco-friendly and could be made with a few supplies.

So, what was ReadyMade’s motivation for attending SXSW? When I asked the magazine’s Kara Szalkowski, she said that DIY and SXSW go hand in hand because of the creative lifestyle of Gen X and Gen Y. “Music is very creative and another way to do it yourself.”

With many DIY magazines folding, I asked about the publication’s future. She steered me to the upcoming April/May issue to make her point.

This issue has brighter colors and photographs, reminiscent of the now folded Domino magazine, and there is more of a focus on living the DIY lifestyle, as well as the range of DIY projects which ReadyMade is known for. Lifestyle for ReadyMade includes music, books, artists, cool living spaces, garden spaces and  recipes. Be on the look out for the April/May issue later this month.