Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Happy Handmade Home is a fairly thick paperback book that features around 75 home-related craft projects. There's a section for each area of the home: living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, playrooms, studio spaces, outdoor spaces and small spaces. The projects and interiors shown are bright and cheerful. I love the authors' casual approach that celebrates charming imperfections. However, I think the high number of projects is partly responsible for the low quality of individual pieces. This would have been a better book with half the projects and twice the instruction. A lot of the projects are of that special breed you only find in DIY books. I am not going to nail coffee filters to pallet strips and call it a headboard. Or decorate my china with a Sharpie, or duct tape aztec patterns on my fridge. When I spend the effort making something, I want it to be... well, nice. I was thinking messy along the lines of those tags on Anthropologie stuff that tell you that your silk pillows may have natural variation because they were woven by hermits on some tiny island in Micronesia. Not 'preschoolers decorated my living room' messy. The writing style is encouraging, but I wouldn't call this book beginner-friendly. For example, the Quotable Wall Art project includes directions like 'purchase or cut pieces of thin wood' and 'stain the wood'. It doesn't tell you what tools you'd need or how to go about staining wood if you've never done it before. The Painted Dresser project says to clean and lightly sand the surfaces, prime and paint. That's it: no in-progress photos or tips on making the project successful beyond 'don't stress yourself out about the perfect color.' The Cross Stitch Stool doesn't actually give you a cross stitch pattern, it just says to make your own design. This project did have a supply list – and left off embroidery thread. And does anybody follow the recipe or drink instructions in DIY books? The cover promises 'painting, crafting and decorating'... I wasn't expecting recipes for cookies and martinis, though alcohol may explain the floor lamp 'makeover' on page 143, which features black paint glopped on with a wine cork. Still, this book does have a charming energy to it. There are some nice tips for decorating on a budget, like making random dining room chairs match by painting them a vibrant color. But on the whole, it's one of those vanity blog books that is mainly a snapshot of the authors' lifestyle and interests. They seem like lovely people, but I was hoping for more out of this book.