Review: My Big Creative Activity Book

My Big Creative Activity Book by Roger Priddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4 stars is based on my daughter's review. The projects were very kid-friendly and gave her a chance to play with every craft medium in her room - glue, glitter, paper, felt, rocks, markers, paint, etc. We actually covered a schoolbook with a fabric book cover and it was the hit of her classroom. And, I'm happy to report, I finally know how to make those woven hearts you see at Valentine's Day!



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Review: Sewing With Felt: Learn Basic Stitches to Create More Than 60 Colorful Projects

Sewing With Felt: Learn Basic Stitches to Create More Than 60 Colorful Projects by Buff McAllister

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Cute book for young crafters. With help, little ones could make many of the projects and once they are 8, kids could make most of them independently. Some of the projects are a little odd or dated but the average child would probably find a handful to make.



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Review: Fa la la la Felt: 45 Handmade Holiday Decorations

Fa la la la Felt: 45 Handmade Holiday Decorations by Amanda Carestio

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Cute projects aimed at winter and Christmas. The level of difficulty varied by project and some including felting wool sweaters (which it did provide instructions for) while others were simply cut and stitch. A nice supply of beads and other decorative bits are necessary but the end results will be cute and festive.



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Review: Make It in Minutes: Felt Accessories

Make It in Minutes: Felt Accessories by Taylor Hagerty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Truly a book of projects you can make in a minute. Great projects for my 7 year old and I to make together - cards, envelopes, mouse pad, iPod case, etc. If you have felt, embroidery floss and a pair of scissors you can make dozens of fun accessories. Some of these items would be fun crafts for Brownies or slumber parties.



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Review: Gifts From the Heart

Gifts From the Heart by Authors of Instructables

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



These Instructables booklets are nothing more than web links and featured products but I enjoy most of them. There's typically 10-15 items, all with step by step instructions and plenty of pictures. This one was Valentine's Day focused (which makes it odd that I stumbled across it in September...) but I found two projects for my daughter and I to make together and the season won't matter! My favorites are the solid perfume and the fabric postcard.



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Review: Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Spellbinding Jewelry, Creepy-Cute Toys, and More!

Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Spellbinding Jewelry, Creepy-Cute Toys, and More! by Margaret McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent book! My 7 year old daughter is into wizards, vampires and other things you would find in a Halloween book. She wants to make almost everything in this book...and I'm tempted to sign us up for a knitting class just because the projects all look like so much fun! We'll be making lots of things from this book! I'm going to look for more from Margaret McGuire - hopefully we can find other themes and extend our crafting fun!



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Review: Candy Construction: How to Build Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff out of Store-Bought Candy

Candy Construction: How to Build Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff out of Store-Bought Candy by Sharon Bowers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



My family has Survivor parties twice a year to kick off each new season. We take themed food and after 20+ seasons and multiple attendees, I have run out of ways to make snakes, turtles, beaches, huts and other Survivor items out of food. I came across this book on Amazon and thought it would be perfect. It was. While there are pages of trains, pirate ships, chess boards and popular party themes, my favorite sections were the Creepy-Crawlies and Woodland Creatures. They can renew Jeff Probst's contract for another 10 years now because I have enough ideas for all of the parties!

I also liked the holiday items. The Pilgrim hats are quick and easy and will be fun at Thanksgiving. Santa's sleigh will be cute at the Christmas dinner table and I have plans for eggs at Easter.




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Review: Extreme Pumpkins: Diabolical Do-It-Yourself Designs to Amuse Your Friends and Scare Your Neighbors

Extreme Pumpkins: Diabolical Do-It-Yourself Designs to Amuse Your Friends and Scare Your Neighbors by Tom Nardone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book had so many excellent carving ideas that I can't decide what to do this year! The Property-Defender Pumpkin is incredible and it's top of my list but I don't want to stop there. If I can come up with a way to make fake fixings, I'm putting the hamburger pumpkin on the table as a centerpiece, too. Great book (and much better than it's sequel!)



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Review: Extreme Pumpkins II: Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors

Extreme Pumpkins II: Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors by Tom Nardone

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



It's almost pumpkin carving time and I was looking for new, creative ideas. This book did have ideas but most of them would be more appealing to 9 year old boys than any adult reader. Puke, poop, snot...yep, all there. I was looking more for clever than juvenile. That said, I did like the one with eerie writing and I think I can use that for the office pumpkin carving entry, and I'll be able to fashion a zombie out of one. It was ok.



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