E-Mail This Article to a Friend Snow madness? Find crafty things to do this winter to avoid losing your cool BY KATE COHEN

It’s been a brutal winter, what with the snow and below-freezing temperatures keeping us cooped up on the weekends a bit more than usual. We’ve already organized our closets and declared — and won — the war on dust; what else can we do to pass the time while the mercury drops and the snow piles up ever higher at the front door? The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting yet more snow for February, so here are a couple of ideas for whiling away the hours until the locks thaw.

For those blessed with the baking gene, it’s natural to want to whip up something sweet when the snow starts to fall. But even for the rest of us who don’t know a pastry brush from a turkey baster, there’s Anne Byrn. Amazon.com has her cookbooks The Cake Mix Doctor (Workman, 1999; $10.47) and Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor (Workman, 2001; $10.47); both are full of easy recipes that start with a simple cake mix. Add a few ingredients like chocolate chips and instant-pudding mix, throw it all in a bundt pan, and have an awe-inspiring cake in about 45 minutes.

Make a point to visit an art store in between storms and thank yourself once you’re holed up. Pearl Art & Craft sells a wide variety of origami paper ($1.88–$10.80), along with The Great Origami Book (Sterling Publishing, 2000; $12.95) by Zulal Ayture-Scheele. Or organize old photographs with Kolo photo albums and photo corners, sold at Pearl and the Art Store ($3.60–$46.38). The heavy-stock pages held between canvas or leather covers make for a classy keepsake.

Sick of staring at that dreary coffee table your roommate found on the curb last summer? Turn it into something beautiful with mosaic tiles. Both Pearl and the Art Store sell a rainbow of colored square tiles and broken china ($1.76–$17.60), along with the grout ($10) to set them. Pick up a how-to postcard at the Art Store to get started, or order a complete kit from Pearl online ($20).

Photoshop tricksters take note: Artist & Craftsman Supply sells Folex inkjet iron-on transfer paper ($12) and sticker paper ($17.50). Turn your customized graphic into a T-shirt or decal, or find inspiration on the Internet: for instance, JohnKerry.com offers printable iron-on T-shirt designs, including one that reads dated dean, married kerry. Find cheap white ($2) and colored ($2.50) T-shirts at Walgreens.

Been there, done that? Then start a new hobby by using stamps to make personalized greeting cards. This is no potato-and-paint project; with the right paper and grown-up stamp designs, followers of this hobby soon forgo buying pricey cards for the satisfaction of making their own. Get started at Artist & Craftsman, with stamps that range from cutesy to art nouveau ($4.50–$12) and colored ink pads ($4.50–$5.95). Look for inspiration from an idea book like Maggie Wright’s Making Cards with Rubber Stamps: Over 100 Illustrated Projects and Inspirational Ideas (David & Charles, 2003; $16.09) from Amazon.com, and get serious with a starter kit ($195–$229) from Stampin’ Up!, a booming stamp-supply company that organizes Tupperware-party-esque gatherings for people to learn how to stamp — and buy the proper equipment. It might sound crazy to drop $200-plus on stamping supplies, but if it’ll cure snow-induced cabin fever, then it’s worth the investment.

Where to find it:

• Amazon, www.amazon.com.

• Art Store, 401 Park Drive, Boston, (617) 247-3322; www.artstore.com.

• Artist & Craftsman, 580 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 354-3636; www.artistcraftsman.com.

• Pearl Art & Craft, 579 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 547-6600; www.pearlpaint.com.

• Stampin Up!, www.stampinup.com.

• Walgreens, various locations; www.walgreens.com.