Top 10 Crafting Books to Check Out – Part 2

Here is the rest of my craft book list that I think all creative people can enjoy:

The Complete Book of Retro Crafts: Collecting, Displaying and Making Crafts of the Past by Suzie Millions

Go retro with this book. Perfect for hipsters, baby boomers and those who love anything vintage and retro. You’ll surely love the projects that would bring back the glory days. Not only that, but this book also includes pictures and historical notes that would make you know more and understand the nitty-gritty of retro and crafts.

Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle by Susan Wasinger

With all the problems and change brought about by global warming, wouldn’t it be great to create crafts while making sure that the planet benefits from your projects? Eco Craft is the perfect book for your goal. Not only would you enjoy making all the projects listed in the book, you’ll also be able to minimize waste and help save the environment.

The Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life by Lisa Occhipinti

We all love books, but there will come a time when you have to give some of your books away to free up some space for your new collections. With The Repurposed Library, you don’t have to throw or give away books. Transform your books into mobiles, wreath, vases, shelves and even a tablet/Kindle “keeper” for those who want to feel like they’re reading the book in its true form. You can even make these old books into decorative pieces for your home.

You Are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy by Abbey Hendrickson

Doing something fun can make you feel happy and satisfied. You Are Awesome is a book of crafts that would make you feel happy without having to do anything drastic. Abbey Hendrickson is a popular blogger that would guide you with the step-by-step instructions of each and every craft in the book. Have fun and be happy.

One Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric! by Patricia Hoskins and Rebecca Yaker

With One-Yard Wonders, you’ll surely discover the wonders of sewing. Even if you are a newbie in the world of crafts and sewing, or an experienced seamstress, you’ll surely find the projects in this book easy and fun to do. As the book promises, you’ll be able to turn a yard of cloth into anything: accessories, jewelry, pouches, bags, baby items and even banners for all occasions.

 

Top 10 Crafting Books to Check Out – Part 1

Are you looking for a new hobby or just want to try out doing some crafts? Crafting can be fun and enjoyable, especially if you like the idea of creating something new from scraps or old material. Here are some of the best crafting books to check out (or give to your crafter friends).

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts/The Big-Ass Book of Crafts 2 by Mark Montano (and Auxy Espinosa)

This book is packed with everything craft-related, from stationery, paper products, sweaters, body products, ornaments and other ideas for your home and for your friends. What makes this book more interesting is the way that Mark Montano wrote it: with witty titles and funny (yet helpful) instructions. You (or your friend) will surely love this big-ass craft book.

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts by Martha Stewart

In this book, Martha Stewart compiles her endless crafts projects in one book. All the crafts that you want to try, with detailed instructions and visual guides can be found in this book. The Encyclopedia of Crafts is just one of Martha Stewart’s several books that you can check out. Perfect for beginners and expert crafters.

Craft-a-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt

Are you looking for a new and fun 365 project to start this year? Try to make one project a day with the help of this book. Craft-a-Day is packed with projects that would keep you busy every single day of the year. The book is also divided into weekly themes that would make your craft-making easier and more fun.

Go Crazy with Duct Tape by Patti Wallenfang

Who thought that duct tape can be used to make jewelry, bags and accessories? With this book, you can create almost anything and everything with duct tape. Duck Duct Tape is available in different colors and prints, perfect to customize your accessories and things. The book also provides detailed instructions to help you along the way.

Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds by Amy Bryant Aiello, Kate Bryant and Kate Baldwin

Terrariums are perfect to add a dash of nature to your home. You can also give these away for your friends and family. This book will help you in creating these whimsical and magical crafts. It is a perfect project for both crafters and gardeners. Mix and match different plants and stones to create your own style.

*Stay tuned for the next post to see what other five titles can bring you lots of great ideas for different types of crafts!*

One Good Thing A Day – Project Day 9 – Gachapin Craft Project

Gachapin.  He’s tall, green, has one tooth and looks like he’s stoned.

This Japanese character is quite famous and well-loved by many -including many otaku, or hard-core enthusiasts.

Here’s a car I passed by that freaked me out but also gave me a great project idea just for fun.

I decided to gather a few materials from my “leftovers” pile to see if I can get the right colours for a cut out collage type of artwork…..

… and I remembered that I had a few shikishi boards (decorative calligraphy boards) from Daiso (¥100 shop) a long time ago.

It was pure luck that I had one with a green fade on it!

I went online to see images of Gachapin and see if I can make a nice cut out. I started with the main body and arms, followed by his tummy area, which was just layered pink cardboard paper over peach magazine paper.

The eyes were basically black cardboard paper and some white paper from the magazine.

I also had leftover faux chiyogami from a ¥100 shop, so I decided to cut out the groups of flowers from the page and leave the rest for the next project.

I placed everything on the shikishi and this is how it turned out:

Seems like a mini Gachapin shrine for the real otaku!

Simple Envelope Decorations with Fun Tape

I love fun tape because it’s……well….. just so fun to use.

The easiest thing I use it for is creating borders on pretty much anything I want to decorate. Here’s one example of using fun decorative tape to dress up plain envelopes:

In my box filled with plain envelopes, I managed to find two that matched the sakura fun tape that I chose.

All I did was outline parts of the envelope that I wanted and cut off the excess from the sides.

To make it interesting on both sides, I just added a strip to the envelope flap.

You can fold the tape over to create a border both inside and out, but I just taped to the edge and trimmed the ends.

I also made a cute faux stamp with a bit of tape on Japanese weaved tissue paper.

Very simple! Try it next time you have a letter or card for someone.

Simple Chiyogami Butterflies

Here is a simple tutorial to make butterflies.

I’ve used chiyogami and washi tissue, but any paper will do, as long as you have complimentary colours or a very nice contrast.

Here is the basic outline of the butterfly wings:

First, draw this shape on stiff cardboard to make your own template.

Then, outline the template on the back of any decorative paper you chose and cut it out.
***Make sure not to cut out two of the same side! Flip the template so they are opposing shapes.***

Finally, take the cut out wings and stick them on a fine tissue or any lighter material then cut around the wing shape, but larger than the originals to create an outline.

Example:

When you’re done, hang them in the window, stick them to cards or book covers, create puppets by sticking them to popcicle sticks, or even try to do the same thing with fabric!