Is craft the new black?

Recently I have stumbled across an insane amount of craft/diy/home decor blogs. It's like it's the new "black" or something. Everyone is doing it. You're not cool unless your crafty. It's actually find it really validating. You see, I was crafty years before it was "the thing". If I have to be honest I was crafty when it was kind of geeky and weird...now suddenly I'm hip and cool without having to change a thing about myself. I'm slightly amused. I sort of think with the economy people are thinking more about how they can feather their nest or create things that are personal without going into debt. You now have sites like Etsy that give home artisans a venue to sell their wares. As a society we are thinking more about how to keep what we have or make a little coinage doing something that we love. I think it's a throw back to the concept of local artisans hawking their wares in a central market place. I've observed that there are a great deal of sahm's who have jumped on this bandwagon too. I think it's empowering in a way that is separate from being a mom and I so get that. Plus it really gets the creative juices flowing. I've even observed it in my "real" life. Several enterprising women that I know have jumped on the bandwagon and are offering their wares and talents to the public. You go ladies!
I think about my own craft/diy journey. I've been sewing off and on since I was in junior high school. I've always dabbled in some type of creative pursuit; knitting, cross stitching, jewelery making, ceramics, you name it and I've probably tried it. I love creating stuff. In terms of my home and diying it I think it's simply my nature. I'm pretty frugal and I love to thrift shop. Sometime I've joked with my friends and family that I'm the idiot savant of thrift. I can generally see the potential in something that someone has cast aside. I get a visual in my mind of how it would look painted or tweaked...in a new color, with new fabric or hardware. That's a gift I tell you, lol. It's fun and rewarding to see the diamond emerge from that lump of coal I brought home. Plus I get to try out new skills. I can teach myself to paint furniture, use power tools, rewire lamps and other machinery. I get the satisfaction of knowing I did it myself and while it might not be perfect...it's really perfectly fine in my eyes. I've also come to think of it as an educational pursuit. I left academia long ago, probably to never return. But, I still want to learn new things. Crafting/Diying provides me with ample opportunities with my home as my laboratory. My latest interest is my yard and gardening. I know nothing, but with the Internet and all the talented folks online I feel like I've just signed up for a master course. Wish me luck. Hopefully you'll be seeing a beautiful yard and garden emerge over the next year or so.