book review // wise craft

I am a fan of seasonal things. Meaning, I love the four seasons and making projects and decorating according to spring, summer, autumn, and winter. So, imagine my delight when the publishers of Wise Craft sent me a copy of this book and I opened it up to find 60 projects divided up over four seasons. I mean, before I looked through it I had high hopes, but this element...this entire concept...well, it just took Blair Stocker's book far beyond my expectations.

The real idea that Blair presents is making things without breaking the budget through recycling, repurposing, and general thriftiness. I like all of these things and try to follow this ideal in the things I craft, so obviously I connected with this concept. But as I said, the seasons spoke to me.

Each season starts with a little table of contents where you can get a visual glimpse at what is to come. And one of the things you notice as you skim these intro pages is that each season has it's own color scheme. More lovely!

What you'll also find is that there are common elements scattered throughout the book. For example, each section has a small quilt to make, and there are several projects involving glass or ceramic painting. There is great variety in the designs, but there are unifying elements too, which I love.

These fantastic flowers from the spring section show up in different ways through the book. I find them and the projects they are used in to be so charming.

The summer chapter is full of bright pinks and ice cream colors, and might just be my favorite overall section.

Fall has a nice combination of autumnal ideas, as well as a few spooky projects. Zombie Barbies? You'll want to check out this book if only for the fun that is this! I have a feeling my mom would be more likely to appreciate painted dishes instead.

There are a few Christmas projects in the winter section, but there's also a nice amount of flannel and wool and warm snuggly things that are less holiday specific for a whole season of style.

One of the things that makes this book special is that the author shares about her life throughout the pages. You really get the sense that you've been invited into her home and family. These things that she shows you how to make are special to her, and that makes them special to the reader.

There is so much to love about this book, and I highly recommend that you check it out!

Find Wise Craft at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or at your local book shop.