It’s that time of the year when our heads turn to celebrations and gifts. Here are some of the latest books to turn it into a more innovative exercise:
WORDS FOR PAPER, ART AND CRAFT CREATIONS
by Monica de Beer
(Metz, R150)
This is quite an unusual addition to the more obvious selection of craft books. It is about inspiring artists and crafters to show them how to make use of words in their creations whether cards, scrap-booking, wall art/graffiti or fine art.
Think about it, it’s not only which words we select, but also the way we write or print them that could have a huge impact. There’s nothing like a home-made card to add value to a bought gift because it is about time and effort as well as creativity.
The bulk of the book is filled with words which is all about making your hunt for specific words much simpler. And if you don’t use any of the words given, it could simply inspire you in your quest to create something unique.
IDEAS GIFTS – 50 IDEAS FOR HANDMADE GIFTS
(Human and Rousseau, R175)
Another craft books that comes from a magazine, this time the popular Ideas, and what they’re hoping to do is help you select original gifts. It’s about decorating a pretty bottle and filling it with sweets, making your own soap, or own fabric stuffed toys, an embroi-dered apron or even games for the road. There’s nothing they don’t tackle or try to solve and then show you the easiest way to go about making and wrapping your own gifts – magnificently.
Everyone knows it is the ones made by friends or loved ones that last the longest, so check this one out and get the whole family involved for some gifts of real value that matter.
FAST ART – FOUR STEPS TO FReSH IDEAS
by Angie Franke and Monique Day-Wilde
(Metz, R175)
If you’re keen on paint brushes and creating your own works of art, but short on inspiration, this is the solution. Fast art is exactly what the title implies, but it also hopes to inspire new ideas if that’s what you’re lacking to get you going. It’s also not that you have to follow every word they say, but their ideas might also encourage your own and show you ways to go about achieving the best results. Again, these are also great gifts which might even start a practice among friends and family to put in the time to make those annual presents particularly special.
The projects have been divided into fabulously fast, fairly fast and just fast, which gives an indication of the time involved. They pro-mise, the only thing that could slow you down is waiting for the paint to dry.
Have fun, involve the family, which might see some hidden talents emerge.