Book Review: Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts by editors of Martha Stewart Living (Magazine)

I was recently given the opportunity to check out the e-book version of the latest Martha Stewart craft book, Handmade Holiday Crafts, and I am SUPER glad I did, as just going through the Halloween pumpkin section gave me the courage to try a harder carved pumpkin than I've EVER done in my life!

That's sorta the secret of Martha's success if you ask me- she pushes you to try something new or harder than you've ever done. Even if it doesn't come out perfect, you know you gave a valiant try and 'nobody can out-Martha, Martha!', so it's ok if it doesn't look like hers!

While her Halloween section was pretty intense, I didn't go that over the top, as I needed to go in smaller steps (next year is another story!). But the party ideas for next year? Oh yeah,I'm ready! Here's my sample pumpkin:

Yup, a shaded, cut Hello Kitty! We WERE gonna do Toothless (from HTTYD), hanging upside down like a bat, but when I put it up to the pumpkin, we realized our pumpkin wasn't TALL enough and if we shrunk the design, we'd loose the detail, so Plan B! It really wasn't too bad- all in all it was 2 hours from start to finish. Considering the amount of lines and shading, not bad at all! Was it impressive? Well yeah to my family and friends! LOL. It looked pretty cool from the street too! Now for the one we let Kiddo do half the work on, we went with a basic cut design:

I went back and added some more dimension to the cuts, so get a better look when lit. It was pretty cool!

What else is in the book?

Yup, she covers ALL the basic holidays from January through Christmas. I really liked that the book runs in chronological order, as some of the designs can be 'reused' as the basis for the next holiday craft (like Fall/Halloween to Thanksgiving). Most of the designs I have seen on her show or in her books/magazines/website, BUT it is super to have them all in ONE book that is easy to access! And, yes, some of them may not be HER idea, but one of her editors, but you know they meet HER standards! AND if you aren't crafty, then this IS the book to have, as many of her table decorations and accents can be altered for other holidays by choice of colored paper or attachments!

Now there is criticism about the book, that many of the crafts would not be sustainable over one year of storage. However, having made crafts from her ideas before I can tell you it is ALL in HOW you store them! Some things, yes, are NOT made to be reused, others if you are careful you can. But sometimes it's more fun to make new ones every year, and made it a family tradition! Crafting CAN be a great stress reliever and is great for get togethers, no matter what age the participants are! And yes, this book WILL inspire you!

I am already thinking about her Christmas ornaments for gift ideas from Kiddo for her teachers, Easter ideas to incorporate into Kiddo's birthday party in the Spring, and 4th of July party invites and decor for an Anniverary party for the folks! And I'm not sweating it, if I can't find the exact craft products used in the book locally-that's where the web comes in, or we can use a substitution. Nothing says 'Martha' like making do and making it uber special! You can check out the Amazon link for a preview of the New Year's ideas. many of them could be used for ANY party, no matter the theme!

This is one book you need to add to your bookshelf, but keep on the coffee table, so it will remind you of how to make the (mostly) simple crafts that really add that extra punch to your holiday decorations and gifts that made them super special, and help you to continue/make traditions with your kids!




Disclosure: I received this book, from the publisher, Crown Publishing Group, via NetGalley, free of charge, for blog review purposes. I received no other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post.Nor was I told what to say about the book!