Newest Crafts Reviews

Crafts

The Girl on the Wall: One Life's Rich Tapestry by Jean Baggott

Autobiography

Jean Baggott is now seventy two and in the final year of her history degree at Warwick University. After almost a lifetime of bending her life to the needs of other people she has decided that now is the time to look after herself – the eleven year old girl whose picture hangs on her wall. She plans to achieve what that girl would want her to achieve and from this she's found great fulfilment. Full review...

Abc 3d by Marion Bataille

Crafts

Wow. This is an ABC book with a difference. The publisher's notes say it's "astoundingly beautiful" and it is. Marion Bataille's careful, ingenious alphabet pops up from the pages to amaze and entrance all who look. From A, a proud pyramid on the inside cover, to Z, standing on its side at the end, each letter of our alphabet has a personality of its own. E morphs into F, V mirrors itself and becomes W, and U is a cascade of parabolas. Full review...

How to Research Local History by Pamela Brooks

Crafts

Find out all about your house, village or town, the subtitle of this book announces. In my view, it tells you much more than that. For any historian, and not just in the field of purely local studies, this volume is probably as near to indispensable as they come. Full review...

Writing for Magazines by Adele Ramet

Crafts

From being an avid reader (and maybe a passionate book reviewer) to writing for magazines yourself is a pretty logical progression. Yet like any other competitive field in life, it's a very hard one to get into – and doubtless getting harder all the time. Full review...

Times of Our Lives by Michael Oke

Crafts

I am currently writing my autobiography as a long-term project and something to leave for my children, so I was interested to receive Times of Our Lives by Michael Oke, which is advertised as the essential companion for writing your own life story. Full review...

A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves

Crafts

I have always written really – diaries every day for years, letters, stories, poems… Ciao and Dooyoo fitted into this perfectly and increased my confidence, as I received better feedback over time, gaining crowns here and Premium Fund payments on Ciao. I am not a particularly confident person, I have quite low self-esteem at times, but I love writing and believe it is my one talent. I think everyone has something they are good at. Full review...

Dragons in Watercolour (Fantasy Art Series) by Paul Bryn Davies

Crafts

This is where my love of the fantasy art range of books from Search Press continues...

So far I have reviewed Painting Fairies in Watercolour and Painting Unicorns in Watercolour and I'm pleased to say that this book lives up to my expectations as much as the last books did. Full review...

The Calligraphy Handbook by Emma Callery

Crafts

I chose to try and learn calligraphy, as it was something that would enhance all my many other craft projects. So did this book help me? Full review...

Stash-Busting Quilts by Lynne Edwards

Crafts

I have got a frighteningly-large stash of fabric. There are shelves full of it here in the workroom. Some of the drawers in the bedroom are used for fabric and let's not even mention the boxes up in the attic. I've started being a bit secretive about exactly how much I have and when I intend to use it. "Oh, yes," I'll say "I know exactly what I'm going to do with that" and hastily change the subject. If you're at all serious about doing patchwork you'll be nodding your head and probably muttering "The attic! I never thought of the attic!" Full review...