It’s cold and damp and I know what you’re thinking: “What’s the best of the web? No really!” Luckily for you, we have the answers to that question, but not necessarily a warm blanket and working heater during this bizarre winter season. With a range of blogs covering foodie deliciousness, art, music and crafty projects, we also offer a contemplative winter spin for this edition with some quality writing on the big ol’ interwebs. Chew on some food for thought with these great blogs behind the cut, as described in their own words!

“A lot of blogs tend to be a mix of news and links to interesting things or new bands and books that people should check out, but I’ve never thought my taste or awareness was particularly good for that sort of thing. While I do use Jeffrey Brown Comics as the place for people to find out about new projects or events, I mostly try to post things that most people wouldn’t get to see normally, as well as a lot about process. As an artist I’ve always been interested in the working methods of other artists, so I like the idea of my blog showing that behind the scenes side of creation as much as I can. I don’t post as often as I should, mostly because of time – I’m a stay at home dad much of the day, and when I’ve got time I usually want to get drawing done as much as possible. I think maybe that keeps me from posting more unnecessary nonsense, too. Recently I taught a comics class at The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, and I’ll be teaching again next year – this last semester I managed to post about some of the class assignments, so I hope to continue expanding that and add an element of teaching within my blog as well.”

“I started my blog, Go Flying Turtle about five years ago simply as an online platform to speak my mind about things like music, food and art. It was very random at first, but later began to focus more on the art and creativity part. I discovered that keeping a blog has, in many ways, kept me accountable for staying creative and making art again – something I had neglected for far too long. Seeing my own work online and being able to share it with others has been a gratifying experience for me over the past few years, and as with seeing the work of others, both online and in person, I hope to inspire people in some small way to find some creative spark inside and use it for good things – something we all have but often neglect in turn for more fleeting sources of happiness.”

“At Organic Cosmetics Online, We are interested in hearing what you have to say about natural and organic cosmetics or makeup. We absolutely love natural body care products and knowing they are supporting health makes it even better. Avoiding toxic load on our bodies helps to improve our health and that of the planet. Help us make a difference by educating and having fun in the process.”

“Kendra’s Card Company is my personal blog where I share daily paper crafting creations to help inspire other crafters.  Usually my creations are handmade greeting cards or scrapbook pages, but I also include gifts I’ve made, other altered items & photographs.”

“You can take a collection of words and measurements written long ago, and turn it into a physical object. You can create something that looks, smells, and tastes just like it did hundreds of years in the past. And that’s the next best thing to time travel: it lets you understand a little bit about another way of life.

Sometimes delicious, occasionally disastrous, Four Pounds Flour is a non-scholarly look at the history of food. It focuses on, but is not limited to, 18th and 19th century American cuisine. It’s a lost world of rich foods, of mace and marjoram, of butter and cream. I first learned how to cook these recipes over a wood stove at my first job in high school. Later, they inspired my thesis, a restaurant reinterpreting historic cuisine for a contemporary audience. Now, I do it for the daily adventure.”

“Inmod.com was founded in 2003 out of a passion for great design and a vision to offer it at prices truly within reach. Inmod is a modern megastore with a constantly growing collection and a focus on eco-friendly options, as well as a specialty retailer that takes customization to a constantly evolving level. Recognized by Furniture Today as a top 20 Internet Retailer for Furniture, Inmod provides a customized shopping experience with “Design Your Own Pillow” and “Design Your Own Duvet” and remains the premier online retailer of modern classic reproduction furniture. Reaching out to home and contract market, Inmod prides itself on an exceptionally high level of customer service on sales, projects and budgets of all sizes.”

“At Scratching Through, Linda Sheets is a Scratchboard artist who is dedicated to spreading the joy of Scratchboard to the world. If your hands are busy scratching out art, less time for bad behavior.  She teaches classes and demonstrates Scratchboard techniques for the company that produces the product she uses,  Ampersand Art in Austin, TX. Her website and blog contain her thoughts, artwork, demo’s, and anything else she is currently up to.”

“You can find a Chinese restaurant in every city in America; Thai and Indian food have made culinary inroads; Italian is the favorite cuisine of many; and of course, French food is as coveted as ever: but have you ever had Eastern European food?  Whether you know it or you don’t, Russian Season is worth getting excited about.  RussianSeason.net is a food blog run by a mother and daughter based in Latvia.  This mother-daughter duo focuses on raising awareness to the cuisines of Russia, the Baltics, the Caucasus, former USSR, and beyond through delicious close-up food photography and recipes.  Follow them step by step as they cover Borsch, Slovak garlic rolls, and Pierogi, and round out your virtual meal with a dessert course: Kulich, cakes, and cookies galore!  Super-informative and peppered with the random tidbit of the blog editors’ day-to-day lives, RussianSeason.net is absolutely delicious.”

“I decided to create WAHM Resource Site because I love to share information and connect with other moms and mompreneurs.  I have a strong passion for helping others and feel a resource blog does just that.  WAHM Resource Site is dedicated to moms, children and families.  You will find helpful tips; resources, work at home jobs, family friendly giveaways and much more.”