Hi friends, I missed you yesterday – but it was for a good cause. I had the chance to spend the day at a photographer's studio, assisting with the photo shoot for our July crafts. It's not something I get to do very often, so I jumped at the chance. What fun! I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a few snaps myself so you could have a peek behind-the-scenes. Take it from me, though – the July issue is going to be a real treat. When it's time to plan a photo shoot, one of the things we do is take a look through other magazines to gather visual inspiration. I'm always eager to do this (who wouldn't want an excuse to splurge on a few new magazines?)  and this time around I thought I'd share my favourite magazines with you. I do a fair bit of shopping around when I'm looking for inspiration, starting with the usual suspects and ranging far and wide. Of course, there's inspiration to be found just about everywhere – even in the aisle displays at the local drugstore, where I picked up one of these: Martha Stewart Living is always full of great ideas, and I love the way they style their crafts – simultaneously capturing the fun, messy parts and the beautiful, just-so results of all that hard work. And it's a lot of hard work – check out this behind-the-scenes peek. Because one of the projects we were shooting involves sewing, I picked up the latest issue of Stitch. This is a relatively new magazine, and it seems to get better with every issue. The projects in the Spring issue are beautiful – just look at those colours! Lovely. If you're an avid craft blog–reader you'll likely recognize some of the names of the people behind the projects, including Blair Stocker, Liesl Gibson, and Malka Dubrawsky. Each issue has a great sewing basics section, a combination of full-size and downloadable patterns, and a dedicated section just for instructions at the back – all things I love as much as I love the photos. For more of a DIY-aesthetic, I turned to ReadyMade. This magazine is now a Meredith publication (as in, Better Homes and Gardens), but it's still got lots of that friendly indie attitude that might appeal to a younger set. This issue focused on food and drink, with lots of approachable projects. I love the off-beat use of flow charts, unusual page layouts and eye-popping colour. And I could go for a slice of that dessert right about now, couldn't you? Once I'd made my way through the usual newsstands, I went hunting for two of my  other favourite (but harder to find) magazines. It took a bit of looking before I was able to track down the most recent issue of Marie Claire Idées. Yes, it's in French, and no, my French is not that good. Luckily, the crafts speak for themselves – and they speak volumes. Whether you like frilly, feminine crafts or bright, modern projects, there's something for everyone here, with plenty of scenic French decor in the background. Finally, I also picked up the latest issue of Uppercase Journal. It's Canadian (yay!) and this issue is full of my favourite things – foxes, fabric and Pyrex! It also smells delightfully of ink on paper (one of my other favourite things). And did I mention that it's beautifully designed? Now, it might be a bit of a stretch to call it a crafts magazine in the same sense as the ones above, but as a magazine about people who are persuing their passion for making things, I declare that it counts. What are you reading these days?