Crafty Book Review: Paper Made!

Kayte Terry may have your dream job. According to her bio, she is the merchandising manager for Anthropologie, a crafter, and a freelance fashion and prop stylist. Swoon!

She also happens to be the author behind the super fun craft book Paper Made!, which features 101 projects all made with paper. And, of course, the photography and styling is gorgeous.

You can find Paper Made! on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble. Prepare to lose yourself in a paper wonderland!

The projects are beautiful and would make lovely handmade gifts for the holidays. You don’t have to be a creative genius to successfully complete the projects. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and Kayte always lists all the items you need to complete each project.

The book begins with some tips on techniques and tools. There is also a great list of resources, suppliers and blogs to check out.

Projects are rated by level (1-5) so you can create something as simple as the Piece of (Cup)cake Paper Flower or as complex as the Modern Fete Silhouette Chandelier. There are instructions for everything from shelves made of books to jewelry made with paper. What a crafty way to recycle!

Posted by Rori of MadeByRori.

Crafty Book Review: Big-Ass Book of Crafts and Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2

Ok, crafty people, get out your supplies, clear off your table and get ready to make something awesome as Rori from Made by Rori reviews the Big-Ass Book of Crafts and Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2 by Mark Montano.

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts features 384 pages of projects including olive oil body lotion, a drinking-straw starburst hanging light, and kid-art napkins (also pretty fun for us grown-up kids). This full-color collection was published in 2008. The photographs by Auxy Espinoza are beautiful and make it hard to choose which project to start first.

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2 is the same length as the first and was published in 2011. It’s not quite as good as the first, but the projects are still pretty great. New projects in this follow-up include concrete planters, zipper pumps (pretty awesome way to add new life to an old pair of heels), and 99-cent-store shadow boxes.

One of the great things about both BABC books is how customizable the projects are. It’s incredibly easy to personalize just about all the projects to suit your taste or the taste of a lucky recipient. The best part of these books is the explanation and instruction provided. Although some of the pieces require access to a sewing machine or certain tools, most just require collecting the supplies, grabbing some glue or scissors and getting creative. There are more than 300 projects between the two books, so every artist and craft addict will find plenty to love.

Mark Montano is the crafty guy behind both BABC books. He has written several books including The Big-Ass Book of Home Décor, Pulp Fiction, and Dollar Store Décor. You might remember him from TLC’s While You Were Out and other TV shows. You can find Montano’s on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

Links:

Mark Montano on Etsy 

BABC on Amazon  

BABC 2 on Barnes and Noble