Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration

I checked this book out from the library first a few months ago and read it so much I felt I needed to own it. My Pinterest board is brimming with ideas that I never do. Having a physical book with beautiful and approachable crafts has been great! Not to mention any girlfriend I share it with peruses the whole thing. I do not subscribe to anything Martha Stewart Living, so this was all very new to me. The step by step instructions are easy to follow and the diversity of projects and levels of difficulty make it very approachable for any level of crafter. While it obviously doesn't contain every craft idea out there, the topics are varied enough to make you think and research your own adaptations. I'm a botanical print lover, and there were plenty of leaf and flower ideas here to keep me happy for hours!

Excellent shape and timely delivery

With just a brief look through I already got several ideas that I can incorporate into my work. I like that Martha makes use of natural items and the quality of what she makes will make marvelous elegant gifts and home decor. The book has nice photos and explanations. I cannot wait to read through each project. Even if I learn 1 new thing I consider it money well spent... In my initial look through I learned quite a few new ideas....for me this is a 10!

This really IS like an encyclopedia of crafts. Martha, love her or hate her, knows her way around all this home-y, domestic stuff. (I have been known to watch her PBS baking and cooking shows.) She kind of reminds me of my mom and grandmother that way (her cooking/baking shows do too); they always had some little crafting-type tricks (or cooking/baking tips) for entertaining, or for quick/easy but surprisingly elegant decorations. There's a lot of that in here, too. There is stuff in here I know I'll never do. And in truth I'm more likely to read about a lot of crafts than do most of them. But when I do want to craft something specific, say for low-cost home decor or party favors/decorations/gifts, this book will have what I need to know. The paper crafts especially are enticing. There are sample projects, of course. But you can easily extrapolate from the sample crafts to create your own. There are some really nice, old-fashioned crafts in here, too, like curled paper crafts, which always look so refined (I had no idea how easy they actually are). Of course, you must have the right supplies (and if you buy what every project says you'll need, it'll cost a fortune, if you don't already have the tools and materials on hand). Supply lists (tools and materials) are clear, instructions are clear. There are diagrams and photos and step by step instructions. It's pretty great for a beginner, or even for someone at intermediate level. There are some more advanced crafts as well -- the ones I'll probably never do -- something for everyone. I bought Mark Mantano's Big Ass Book Of Crafts at the same time as I bought this book (both used) off Amazon. Even though some of Mark's stuff seems hipper or cooler or more chic or edgy, some of it also seems cheesier, cheap-looking (or downright trashy). The crafts in this book are much more elegant and classic. But you could use the craft techniques and projects here in Martha's book to make things as edgy-cool as you want, just by varying colors or materials slightly. So I think I'll get more use out of this book. That being said -- some of the crafts in this book are just too old-fashioned and kind of fuddy-duddy. I don't see myself ever doing them. And anything requiring needle-craft -- forget it; I couldn't crochet my way out of a paper bag.

Birthday gift for sister. She loved it. Well made book with great glossy pages and photos

So many crafts, not always as easy as you think to replicate.

I wanted this book so badly even after reading a few reviews that said it wasn't that great. I want to say that I love Martha Stewart and her magazines, but I wasn't that impressed with the craft ideas in this book. There were a few projects that involved sea shells, which are way out-dated for my taste, some crafts that involved glitter, which I've always thought was common sense, a section on beading, which peaked my interest, but not enough to run out and purchase the necessary supplies, a section on botanical pressing...another that is out-dated for my taste, and so on. I saw where another woman reviewed this poorly because there was no section on sewing, which is true. There is only one project that involves any sewing and that is the one where you make a tiny acorn with a real acorn top and a fabric bottom. You may sew an inch by hand and that's it. The projects I found interesting were the glass etching project, which I've successfully completed. I was a little disappointed that you can find this on her website with the same exact photos and all, and it's FREE there! I found the stamping projects, and screen printing projects very interesting and I may attempt those as well. The stamping section sparked some interest as well and I'm probably going to give it a whirl too. My advice is to look at this book in a library or book store before you purchase it! Then, if you are still interested, purchase the book from here, of course. Also, check her website for the crafts featured in the book. I think they are all there with similar if not the same photos...and once again, they are FREE there. I hope this helps=)

En líneas generales está bien y te da muchas ideas, algunas repetidas de libros anteriores, lo malo es que está en inglés y que no trae un CD con plantillas de las cosas que realiza. Por lo demás lo recomiendo a quien le guste hacer este tipo de cosas.

Ich mag diese Art von Deko im Haus, wie sie Martha Stewart hat. Es hat was elegantes, aber nicht spießiges. Es ist modern, ohne kühl zu wirken. Diesen Eindruck vermittelt auch diese "Enzyklopädie". Es ist eine Sammlung der Highlights aus den Martha Stewart Magazinen. Es sind wirklich viele Tipps drin, die inspirieren und auch gut erklärt sind. Einen Punkt Abzug gibt es, weil ich mir doch noch mehr Weihnachtsdeko-Ideen gewünscht hätte.

Libro splendido e facilmente comprensibile, spedizione puntuale. Lo consiglio a chi vuole iniziare a cimentarsi nel fai da te tutti i giorni

ただ情報量の多さと質で妻は絶賛しています。英文ですが実際アメリカの書店で購入するより安くアマゾンで購入できました。感謝。

This book is packed with ideas, beautiful pictures, great ideas, all bound up in a quality book. There is so much information I see something new each time I crack it open. The projects a top notch & simple to follow. This book is an amazing gift for any crafter.