Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second
More and more, people in small towns and big cities alike are coming home from their high-tech, high-stress jobs (or a tiring day of school) and unwinding with some low-tech, hands-on crafts—whether it’s knitting or quilting or scrapbooking…or anything in between. And if you’ve got the urge to do something crafty, you’ll want to check out AlternaCrafts.
Martha Stewart meets the MTV generation in this hip, how-to book for trendy young craftsters. Author Jessica Vitkus (who, by day, is a producer for MTV2) shows readers how to recycle, reuse, and recreate plain old everyday items with cool and creative results.
The projects in this book won’t cost much—and most of them won’t require a huge time commitment, either. But the ideas are ingenious and inspiring. Vitkus teaches readers how to give a plain T-shirt some flair with just a few simple stitches—or a pair of fun shoelaces. She turns old pants into skirts and shoulder bags—and old T-shirts into a rug. She gathers bottle caps and jar tops to make lockets and magnets. She makes bandana curtains and button-covered flowerpots and chopstick placemats and personalized stationery—and the result will encourage even the most craft-averse to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
Just one quick flip through the book is all it’ll take to get your creative juices flowing—because the projects really are cool…and different. And, to make it even better, they’re simple—and they use a lot of stuff you’ve got laying around the house (like your old Skinny Jeans, which you haven’t been able to wear in years, and—let’s face it—you’ll probably never wear again). The illustrations and step-by-step instructions make the projects anything but intimidating—and the spiral-bound format means that you won’t suddenly lose your place when your hands are otherwise occupied.
The skills used run the full gamut—sewing, embroidery, macramé, knitting, and even plain old cut-and-paste. And there’s no prior experience necessary (though I wouldn’t recommend trying to learn to knit from the two-page tutorial in the book). There’s a little bit of something for everyone here.
So if you’re looking for a way to exercise your creative muscles, AlternaCrafts is a great place to start. You’ll find a great variety of projects that are sure to get you excited about going low-tech.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Happy
0
0 %
Sad
0
0 %
Excited
0
0 %
Sleepy
0
0 %
Angry
0
0 %
Surprise
0
0 %
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
0
0
