Funky Junk

Kids Can Do It

by Renee Schwarz (Illustrator)

Projects Include a
robot pencil sharpener - bungee bug bracelet - guard dog coat hook - chess set

Genres: Crafts

Library Binding

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Renée Schwarz has been making toys and other things for as long as she can remember. For the last ten years, she has written and illustrated children’s craft books. Using different techniques and odds and ends to make her strange creations is what she most enjoys. Books are her way to share the different ways she knows about how to make things, but she likes it best when her designs evolve into other things.

After studying Fine Arts and Art Education at Concordia University in Montreal, she made toys to sell at craft fairs. Soon after, Renée started creating one-of-a-kind pieces for magazines and teaching adults and children how to make their own crafts. Writing and illustrating a series of craft books was just another step in sharing the fun of making things by hand.

After growing up in Montreal, she moved to the country a few years ago. Now she lives at the far end of a country road in the middle of the forest. Her world is populated with odd little creatures spying on visitors. She goes in to the big city every few months to look for inspiration and to pick up odd things to make into new creatures. If you see someone trying on empty boxes at the grocery store, it just might be her — they make great masks! Renée loves making things and most of her crafts are functional but with a funky twist. In fact, she finds it really hard not to add eyes and noses to random things.

Perhaps it’s because she’s a tad nearsighted (but never really got used to wearing glasses) that she sees the world a little bit differently. Faces peek out here and there, door handles between metro trains suddenly look like Pinnochio: a long nose, screw eyes and a surprised O mouth!

Who is watching you now?

Reviews

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/31/21 ~ Maker space ideas; most items won't be readily available at students' homes.

[Robin E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A craft book using odd household "junk", like making a chess set from bolts and nuts. The junk used in this book tends to be more hardware in nature (bolts, wires, etc.), making this book more appealing to boys than your typical crafty book.

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great, thorough directions. A good way to teach kids about different hardware, but the projects are a bit underwhelming. 8/9/10 year old boys would probably like the projects.

[Tessa Sells · Rating 1 out of 5]

i dont like the book.