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Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle – Reuse, Reshape, and Redefine Handmade Craft for the 21st Century
From the creators of the hugely popular craft site, Supernaturale.com, comes a hip and funky compendium of new DIY projects that reshape, reuse, and redefine the concept of "handmade," moving away from country–cutesy, granny craft into utilitarian craft art for the 21st century. Got a pile of extra buttons and don't know what to do with them? Make a cool bracelet. Need some pillows for your new couch, and have a bunch of old wool sweaters? Turn those sweaters into felt! Knitting, felting, leather tooling, glass and metal work––it's all here. CRAFTIVITY is filled with 60 amazing DIY projects that make the most of what you have by taking old stuff and turning it into functional, breathtaking art.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
332 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 19, 2016
Tsia Carson should be a gal after my own heart. She was a founder of the crafting website, SuperNaturale.com and taught at both Yale and the Rhode Island school of design. So I was super psyched over finding her book Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle at a local rummage sale. I thought it would give me lots of cool crafting ideas and inspire my creativity.
And for the most part, it offer some inspiration, but some of Craftivity just inspired a whole lot of “No, just no.”
Craftivity is divided into six sections focused on different types of crafting. Part One focuses on yarn and string. Part Two focuses on Fabric and Thread. Paper and plastic is the focus of Part Three and glass and ceramics is the focus of Part Four. Part Five focuses on the world of wood and metal. And finally Crafitivity winds up focusing on all things recycled and thrift in Part Six-Lost and Found.
Craftivity started out strong with its recipe for dying wool yarn using unsweetened Kool-Aid. I’m not a knitter but I know plenty of people who are, and I bet they would have lots of fun doing this project. In fact, I’m thinking of photocopying the pages to this project and giving them to my knitty friends. I also liked the idea of crocheted flower brooch and making a blankie because who couldn’t use a blankie these days? There is also a segment on the old-school art of spinning one’s wool. I’ve seen this in practice and it’s pretty cool.
Other crafty and clever ideas in this book I liked were making tables using old suitcases and wheels on casters. The end result is both practical and visually quite clever. Remember Shrinky Dinks from your childhood? You can use them to make a Mary Quant-inspired mod necklace. I also liked the projects on how to etch glass to make a lovely decorative pitcher, vase or wine glasses, reviving a moth eaten sweater through embroidering and silk screening poetry onto silk fabric, making beautiful scarves (I was thinking I would do this to make pillows). And a bedazzled table cloth might look fetching on one’s dining room table. There is also a segment on felting.
The segment on paper and plastic had a great idea for a button cuffed bracelet. I know a lady who makes a lot of pretty bling with buttons, and this would be right up her crafty alley. And simple paper bags can make lovely gift bags, but considering I’ve been making my own gift wrap for over a decade this did not surprise me in the least.
But a lot of the projects in Crafitivity seem like a waste of time at best and completely ridiculous at worst, like a crocheted skull? I guess this might appeal to some too-cool-for hipster type, but I thought it was a complete waste of time and materials. I guess a like my crafts a little more useful. The charms of a Tyvek basket were lost on me. You can probably find really cute baskets at Goodwill or at the dollar store. And the project shown on the cover of Craftivity, a crystal encrusted “chandelier” hurt my feelings. I also questioned turning an old T-shirt into a pair of panties, especially ones that don’t look like they’d hold up even on the curviest of hips and butts.
Still, I think some people will find value in this book. I’m sure I’m not the only one with a bunch of plastic bags taking up room in my pantry and with these plastic bags one can make a cute tote bag. For the more ambitious crafters among us, Craftivity shows how one can make a hammock or a wooden bed frame.
In the end, I think Carson’s crafty heart is in the right place. I appreciate her focusing on crafts that can be made with items found around the house, recyclable materials and items found at any thrift store. And though these crafting ideas aren’t the best (in my humble opinion) I do appreciate how they respect a limited budget.
Originally published at The Book Self
https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com...
And for the most part, it offer some inspiration, but some of Craftivity just inspired a whole lot of “No, just no.”
Craftivity is divided into six sections focused on different types of crafting. Part One focuses on yarn and string. Part Two focuses on Fabric and Thread. Paper and plastic is the focus of Part Three and glass and ceramics is the focus of Part Four. Part Five focuses on the world of wood and metal. And finally Crafitivity winds up focusing on all things recycled and thrift in Part Six-Lost and Found.
Craftivity started out strong with its recipe for dying wool yarn using unsweetened Kool-Aid. I’m not a knitter but I know plenty of people who are, and I bet they would have lots of fun doing this project. In fact, I’m thinking of photocopying the pages to this project and giving them to my knitty friends. I also liked the idea of crocheted flower brooch and making a blankie because who couldn’t use a blankie these days? There is also a segment on the old-school art of spinning one’s wool. I’ve seen this in practice and it’s pretty cool.
Other crafty and clever ideas in this book I liked were making tables using old suitcases and wheels on casters. The end result is both practical and visually quite clever. Remember Shrinky Dinks from your childhood? You can use them to make a Mary Quant-inspired mod necklace. I also liked the projects on how to etch glass to make a lovely decorative pitcher, vase or wine glasses, reviving a moth eaten sweater through embroidering and silk screening poetry onto silk fabric, making beautiful scarves (I was thinking I would do this to make pillows). And a bedazzled table cloth might look fetching on one’s dining room table. There is also a segment on felting.
The segment on paper and plastic had a great idea for a button cuffed bracelet. I know a lady who makes a lot of pretty bling with buttons, and this would be right up her crafty alley. And simple paper bags can make lovely gift bags, but considering I’ve been making my own gift wrap for over a decade this did not surprise me in the least.
But a lot of the projects in Crafitivity seem like a waste of time at best and completely ridiculous at worst, like a crocheted skull? I guess this might appeal to some too-cool-for hipster type, but I thought it was a complete waste of time and materials. I guess a like my crafts a little more useful. The charms of a Tyvek basket were lost on me. You can probably find really cute baskets at Goodwill or at the dollar store. And the project shown on the cover of Craftivity, a crystal encrusted “chandelier” hurt my feelings. I also questioned turning an old T-shirt into a pair of panties, especially ones that don’t look like they’d hold up even on the curviest of hips and butts.
Still, I think some people will find value in this book. I’m sure I’m not the only one with a bunch of plastic bags taking up room in my pantry and with these plastic bags one can make a cute tote bag. For the more ambitious crafters among us, Craftivity shows how one can make a hammock or a wooden bed frame.
In the end, I think Carson’s crafty heart is in the right place. I appreciate her focusing on crafts that can be made with items found around the house, recyclable materials and items found at any thrift store. And though these crafting ideas aren’t the best (in my humble opinion) I do appreciate how they respect a limited budget.
Originally published at The Book Self
https://thebookselfblog.wordpress.com...
April 14, 2009
Not so crazy about this craft book. There's a not-so-fine line between awesome, well-crafted homemade and really poorly executed, mental-hospital-escapee homemade. This book is more mental hospital escapee. Dumb projects, poorly done. Stick a crystal on a lightbulb and call it a chandelier? Heh! Heh! Crochet a misshapen skull (for why? I think, maybe because the kids think skulls are cool, at the moment?) Whatever floats your boat. The woman who wrote this, I think, teaches at the Parsons School of Design. Scary.
October 28, 2018
Knit a hammock.
October 21, 2019
There wasnt anything I wanted to make, and not my style.
March 8, 2008
I am not as crafty as I once imagined. I seem to like to stick with the same one or two techniques. Learning anything else seems like an exhausting and stressful endeavor. So I didn’t get much from this book. But, though I would never do it, this included two great projects: embroidering a screen door, and turning an old suitcase into a rolling coffee table simply by adding wheel casters.
I will probably do the “holey” cashmere sweater project, seeing as though I already have a holey cashmere sweater from the swap.
I will probably do the “holey” cashmere sweater project, seeing as though I already have a holey cashmere sweater from the swap.
March 7, 2007
this is one of the most amazing craft books i've ever seen. i bought it for a friend, but ended up not being able to part with it.
i have not had any time yet to make any of the projects included (as i'm working godawful hours) but plan on having craft night once or twice a month with this book as inspiration as soon as possible.
i have not had any time yet to make any of the projects included (as i'm working godawful hours) but plan on having craft night once or twice a month with this book as inspiration as soon as possible.
January 17, 2008
I'm in the process of working on several of the projects in this book. My own rendition of the "chandy" (as featured on the cover) is currently hanging in my bathroom, and it looks pretty awesome. Even if the projects featured didn't totally kick ass, the composition/design of this book is just so gorgeous, and it's such a pleasure to page through. It should win an award if it hasn't already.
June 17, 2011
I love the pom pom rug, and the moth-hole sweater.
The craft 'revolution' has been coming for a long while, but I feel like this book really gave everything a kick in the pants, and maybe helped make crafting and making a bit more mainstream. It was certainly the darling of the craft blogs when it came out!
The craft 'revolution' has been coming for a long while, but I feel like this book really gave everything a kick in the pants, and maybe helped make crafting and making a bit more mainstream. It was certainly the darling of the craft blogs when it came out!
April 9, 2008
Craftivity offers fresh concepts, new ways of looking at materials, and a revitalized outlook on the concept of craft. The 40 offbeat, engaging projects will not only lead to ever more project ideas, but to a heightened sense and enlightened view of the creative flair within you.
Read
November 3, 2008So much fun! Some of the stuff is a little bit out there, and some of it tries waaaay to hard to be trendy, but it's got some great ideas in it for anyone with some extra time on their hands (who's that?)
Want to read
March 13, 2008On my wishlist!
April 1, 2009
Some of the projects in here are interesting, but most of them require special materials that I don't have. I need a version of this for people with limited expendable income.
Read
October 15, 2009My favorite project is the embroidered moth hole sweater.
October 26, 2009
Great ideas . . . lots of pictures. Very easy to assimilate and use.
February 17, 2011
Like some of the ideas but most of the time
found myself distracted by the artificial bling on the manicured fingers. Haha...not wowed by the ideas. But there are some good ideas in there.
found myself distracted by the artificial bling on the manicured fingers. Haha...not wowed by the ideas. But there are some good ideas in there.
August 21, 2011
A good primer on crafty things. Adorable crafts: Knit lampshade, shrink plastic necklace, embroidered screen door, moss graffiti, and suitcase coffee table.
December 31, 2011
I love and have made some of the projects in here, but some are just not realistic or anything I would be interested in doing, or would have thought of in a million years.
December 18, 2014
Too scattered and the projects are beyond a casual crafter. Multiple, expensive tools required.
March 14, 2011
Wonderful!
Read
January 3, 2019Great craft book with tons of neat ideas. There's definitely a bunch that I want to try, like the crochet skull, flower broach, baby blankie, and moth embroidered sweater. I absolutely LOVE the pom pom rug! It has really clear pictures of knitting and crocheting too. I love the model's manicure.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews