View source for Craft-A-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects by Sarah Goldschadt

{{infobox2
|title=Craft-A-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects
|author=Sarah Goldschadt
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=A seasonal project for every day of the year with straight-forward instructions.  It's more suited to girls than boys but is a great introduction to the idea that you don't have to buy everything you need.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=432
|publisher=Quirk Books
|date=October 2012
|isbn=978-1594745959
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=1594745951
|aznus=1594745951
|cover=1594745951
}}

Looking back on my childhood the most useful skill I acquired was that of making things.  I was the daughter of a man who made a greenhouse out of a derelict bus, so it was inevitable that something would rub off on me.  Well over half a century later it still stands me in good stead: I can see ''how'' to make things, ''how'' to solve problems and my imagination was fired up at an early stage.  Not everyone is lucky enough to have a bus-to-greenhouse converter in-house, but the best start is being encouraged to make things ''regularly'' and learning that you don't always have to buy everything you need.  A drum roll, please for Sarah Goldschadt's ''Craft-A-Day''.

The projects are simple, with something there for even the most ham-fisted of children to excel at.  They're linked to the seasons and time of year, so you get snowflakes in winter and strawberries in summer.  There's no overt connections to religious festivals, although there are bunnies and eggs around Easter and stockings in late December.  It's a wise move - no child is going to feel alienated by a religious festival with which they don't connect.

Some of the projects are repetitive - cupcake toppers appear regularly.  The designs change, but the principle is the same.  It does, however, ensure the child a regular supply of cupcakes...  Cards appear regularly, as do gift tags and ornaments, but the fun is in the making, in acquiring the skills rather than in producing a range of goods.  The book will appeal more to girls, although there is absolutely no reason why boys shouldn't wear hair ornaments, you know!

Instructions are clear and simple.  Where they go beyond the basic, as in making a pattern, transferring a pattern onto felt or printing on fabric with a stencil there are more detailed instructions at the back of the book.  Templates are supplied to ensure a better finish and it will be possible to use these in other projects.  The book is beautifully presented and - miracle of miracles - actually stays open at the page you're using without needing two pairs of hands.  Adult supervision will be needed for some projects - at least to begin with - but I spotted nothing which I would regard as a dangerous activity.  It's a great way of getting the imagination working.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Children who want to make their own cupcakes will find [[Make and Do: Bake by Kathleen King]] very helpful and ultimately they might be needing [[How to Make Money: Smart Ways to Make Millions by Christopher Edge]].

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