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A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home: Painting, Crafting, and Decorating a Cheerful, More Inspiring Space
Step inside the world of Elsie and Emma, the sisters behind the décor blog A Beautiful Mess . With tiny budgets and a crafty, can-do attitude, they overhauled each room in their first homes with DIY projects using family photos, vibrant fabrics, flea-market finds, and affordable furniture. Now, you can learn how to paint, craft, and decorate your way to a happy, bright space with distinct personality. In the same upbeat spirit and modern style found on their blog, you’ll find fresh, all-new projects
• An inspired geometric-pattern coffee table made of balsa wood
• A hand-lettered statement wall featuring your favorite quote
• A quick and easy electrical tape update for your refrigerator
• A set of beautifully designed serving dishes
And more!
Packed with bonus styling tips from hanging the perfect gallery wall to making mismatched furniture work, Happy Handmade Home is design inspiration for personalizing your own space.
• An inspired geometric-pattern coffee table made of balsa wood
• A hand-lettered statement wall featuring your favorite quote
• A quick and easy electrical tape update for your refrigerator
• A set of beautifully designed serving dishes
And more!
Packed with bonus styling tips from hanging the perfect gallery wall to making mismatched furniture work, Happy Handmade Home is design inspiration for personalizing your own space.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
67 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
September 1, 2014
There's two sides to this book: on the one hand it's really gorgeous. The photography and lay-out of the book is really good: it feels friendly, warm and much like the blog of the girls. The tips on decorating your home are a bit obvious but cute, and seeing how the ladies decorate their homes in definitely an inspiration.
However, on the other hand: the DIY's are disappointing. Nine ways to paint a toothbrush-holder? Why would you customize a perfectly fine toothbrush-holder? Why would anyone want to decorate a toothbrush-holder at all? Oh and the coffee-filter-flowers decorated bed: why?
So in the end: buy the book if you love the girls and the blog. Just make sure to expect a fun, easy read and gorgeous pictures, and not the next-best DIY-bible.
However, on the other hand: the DIY's are disappointing. Nine ways to paint a toothbrush-holder? Why would you customize a perfectly fine toothbrush-holder? Why would anyone want to decorate a toothbrush-holder at all? Oh and the coffee-filter-flowers decorated bed: why?
So in the end: buy the book if you love the girls and the blog. Just make sure to expect a fun, easy read and gorgeous pictures, and not the next-best DIY-bible.
September 4, 2014
Should have been subtitled "How to Use Paint to Piss Off Your Landlord or Lower the Value of Your Home."
August 28, 2014
Rolling my eyes...
because painting a toothbrush holder, stamping the side of a dresser drawer and covering my refrigerator/ coffee table/ clothes rack in electrical tape is something I should seriously consider as an adult? You've got to be kidding me. I feel like these are crafts for 14 year old girls, not full grown women.
because painting a toothbrush holder, stamping the side of a dresser drawer and covering my refrigerator/ coffee table/ clothes rack in electrical tape is something I should seriously consider as an adult? You've got to be kidding me. I feel like these are crafts for 14 year old girls, not full grown women.
October 26, 2014
Lame-ish. The diy aspect was laughable, and really some of it was just silly junk. Though most of it looked nice nearly all of it is just insanely juvenile or impractical for an actual home that people live in. If I wasn't already familiar with their blog, I would have been pretty taken by the photography of this book, but don't let it fool you.
December 4, 2016
If you are already a fan of the authors' blog, just appreciate their home design style (which I have no idea how to characterize – maybe "shabby not-so-chic"?), or are a lifestyle blogger looking for some inspiration on good house and garden photography, this book will be a nice little visual treat for you. However, most of the the DIY projects are either completely unappealing (decorate your refrigerator with geometrically-arranged electrical tape!) or totally impractical (make your own wallpaper with your home office printer!). The few projects you might actually want to undertake are either self-obviously simple (spray paint this vase for a lovely… spray-painted vase!) or ludicrously complicated, but with absolutely no detail to the instructions (to make a cute and really complicated plush toy animal: 1) sketch your design, 2) make a pattern, 3) cut it out and sew it up!). To further muddy the waters, some of the instructions are flat-out terrible; for instance, it has been proven time and time again on the various crafting fail blogs that Sharpies do not make very effective media for painting on either ceramic dinnerware or clothing. The authors did a huge disservice to their crafting-novice readers by not just telling them to go out and buy a couple of damn ceramic pens and some fabric paint already.
I awarded them a second star because there were two enticing recipes for really luscious-sounding drinks included in the various "Throw a Party!" sections: Birthday Cake Martinis and Peach-Basil Mojitos. However, I then had to dock them back half of that star for the following reasons, also related to food and beverage recipes:
Eagerly leafing ahead, hoping that this book would somehow redeem itself via the inclusion of more yummy recipes (spoiler alert: it did not), my tastebuds suddenly did a wet little jig upon seeing a photo of an artfully-calligraphied menu of a delicious-sounding meal: Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, accompanied by Feta & Lime Corn Chipotle Mayo, Mango Salsa, and a dazzling array of additional sides. But alas, cruel sadists that they clearly are, the authors DID NOT INCLUDE RECIPES FOR ANY OF OF IT (with the exception of the aforementioned Peach-Basil Mojito).
Then, to add insult to injury, the people in the photographs were EATING the delicious Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, accompanied by the Feta & Lime Corn Chipotle Mayo, the Mango Salsa, and the entire dazzling array of additional sides! EATING IT UP! In PHOTOGRAPHS! Do I need to even to tell you how delicious it all looked?
Note to self: Do not skip dinner before reading lifestyle books or blogs where food is likely to be featured. It never ends well.
The final, horrible straw occurred while I was frantically leafing ahead through the pages, searching in vain for the recipes to these amazing south-of-the-border delights (which, by the way, are not only not in the book, but are not on their website either, nor do the authors give any clue whatsoever as to their origin), when I again stumbled upon a recipe, this time for for Cinnamon and Olive Oil Waffles.
Wait, what?
Yes, you read that right.
Cinnamon and OLIVE OIL. And we're not talking a quick wipe-down of your waffle iron for sticking control quantity of olive oil either – we're talking olive oil as a major ingredient: 2/3rds of a cup of it in a recipe yielding 4-6 servings of waffles. That's a lot of olive oil per serving; what were they trying to do, make the waffles nice and… slippery? It didn't even call for extra virgin olive oil, and just to make sure it sounded extra gross, it's also got 2 cups of buttermilk in it, too. (I know, I know – most people like buttermilk pancakes, so why not buttermilk waffles? Because there's also nearly a freakin' cup of straight-up oil in the mix as well – that's why the hell not!)
Lest you get all excited, as I did, that because of these sightings of several noteworthy (for wildly varying reasons) food-related items, this book might justifyits purchase price a walk to the library, let me promptly disabuse you of that notion. I'm afraid there are recipes for only a grand whopping total of four items – the two alcoholic beverages and one household lubricant battercake already mentioned – plus a perfectly serviceable but completely unremarkable chocolate chip cookie.
So that leaves us with a total of 1.5 stars. I probably should have knocked off more than a half star for these culinariliterary faux pas, but I thought that might have seemed unnecessarily punitive. Food was a minor part of the book, but clearly a major part of my physiological and psychological state as I sat down to write this review, but your mileage may vary. I'm sure you'll find entirely different reasons to hate this book!
I awarded them a second star because there were two enticing recipes for really luscious-sounding drinks included in the various "Throw a Party!" sections: Birthday Cake Martinis and Peach-Basil Mojitos. However, I then had to dock them back half of that star for the following reasons, also related to food and beverage recipes:
Eagerly leafing ahead, hoping that this book would somehow redeem itself via the inclusion of more yummy recipes (spoiler alert: it did not), my tastebuds suddenly did a wet little jig upon seeing a photo of an artfully-calligraphied menu of a delicious-sounding meal: Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, accompanied by Feta & Lime Corn Chipotle Mayo, Mango Salsa, and a dazzling array of additional sides. But alas, cruel sadists that they clearly are, the authors DID NOT INCLUDE RECIPES FOR ANY OF OF IT (with the exception of the aforementioned Peach-Basil Mojito).
Then, to add insult to injury, the people in the photographs were EATING the delicious Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, accompanied by the Feta & Lime Corn Chipotle Mayo, the Mango Salsa, and the entire dazzling array of additional sides! EATING IT UP! In PHOTOGRAPHS! Do I need to even to tell you how delicious it all looked?
Note to self: Do not skip dinner before reading lifestyle books or blogs where food is likely to be featured. It never ends well.
The final, horrible straw occurred while I was frantically leafing ahead through the pages, searching in vain for the recipes to these amazing south-of-the-border delights (which, by the way, are not only not in the book, but are not on their website either, nor do the authors give any clue whatsoever as to their origin), when I again stumbled upon a recipe, this time for for Cinnamon and Olive Oil Waffles.
Wait, what?
Yes, you read that right.
Cinnamon and OLIVE OIL. And we're not talking a quick wipe-down of your waffle iron for sticking control quantity of olive oil either – we're talking olive oil as a major ingredient: 2/3rds of a cup of it in a recipe yielding 4-6 servings of waffles. That's a lot of olive oil per serving; what were they trying to do, make the waffles nice and… slippery? It didn't even call for extra virgin olive oil, and just to make sure it sounded extra gross, it's also got 2 cups of buttermilk in it, too. (I know, I know – most people like buttermilk pancakes, so why not buttermilk waffles? Because there's also nearly a freakin' cup of straight-up oil in the mix as well – that's why the hell not!)
Lest you get all excited, as I did, that because of these sightings of several noteworthy (for wildly varying reasons) food-related items, this book might justify
So that leaves us with a total of 1.5 stars. I probably should have knocked off more than a half star for these culinariliterary faux pas, but I thought that might have seemed unnecessarily punitive. Food was a minor part of the book, but clearly a major part of my physiological and psychological state as I sat down to write this review, but your mileage may vary. I'm sure you'll find entirely different reasons to hate this book!
October 17, 2014
First of all, the photography in this book is great. For the most part, the layout is good as well (although the "9 ways..." pages have photos right in the gutter so you can't see them -- major points lost there).
The DIY projects are disappointing. There are a few gems (I like the woven pillow cover and scrap wood letters), but many are repetitive (add glitter! draw with sharpies!). There isn't much fresh here, either; some of these projects are the same ones I first discovered on Pinterest years ago. I found much more inspiration just in admiring the photos of the authors' homes, where they mix and match furniture in various colors against white walls.
If you haven't created a Pinterest account yet, and you aren't afraid of color, you may find some good ideas here. Many of the projects will appeal to the teen set, so there may be some fun mother-daughter DIY afternoons to be had using the ideas in this book. But if you already count yourself a crafter, you may be better off just reading the authors' blog online.
The DIY projects are disappointing. There are a few gems (I like the woven pillow cover and scrap wood letters), but many are repetitive (add glitter! draw with sharpies!). There isn't much fresh here, either; some of these projects are the same ones I first discovered on Pinterest years ago. I found much more inspiration just in admiring the photos of the authors' homes, where they mix and match furniture in various colors against white walls.
If you haven't created a Pinterest account yet, and you aren't afraid of color, you may find some good ideas here. Many of the projects will appeal to the teen set, so there may be some fun mother-daughter DIY afternoons to be had using the ideas in this book. But if you already count yourself a crafter, you may be better off just reading the authors' blog online.
May 4, 2015
Clearly this book was meant for a different generation. I have never read the authors' blog. The book was in the new section at our library so I grabbed it. While I'm still in my 30s, this book made me feel old. I kept looking for actual text descriptions. I love well written narratives about home design. Instead what this books provided is a photo heavy glimpse into these women's style. Pages would go by with little more than a 3 sentence caption. Many of the pictures are beautiful. But, again making me feel old, was the myrid of quirky selfie-esque photos. This is the book for aspiring Zooey Deschanels, which I am totally not.
November 10, 2014
I saw this book on the Blogging for Books site and thought it looked like fun. It's not my usual style.I'm not crafty and I am definitely not a do-it-yourselfer. But this looked like a book that even I could manage.
One thing that Larson and Chapman emphasize is that you will make mistakes but they're fixable. Don't like how something turned out? You've changed your mind? Redo it. No harm done. They also emphasize that their projects are guidelines. They provide the directions and inspiration but it's up to YOU to make it yours. As I looked at the projects, I found myself going, "Well, that won't work for me but I could paint it this color and change the shape and it would be perfect." More than a few had me thinking, "Oh, I could do that!" The projects are easy with only a few being complex. I haven't actually made anything yet but I have a list of projects to do and others I'm considering.
The photos are colorful and pretty to look at it. A few of the more detailed projects could have used more photos illustrating the steps but overall they're perfect and add quite a bit. Every project has one, usually more than one, photo to show you the final results. Larson and Chapman have an easy, chatty style that's like talking to a friend. The directions are simple and easy to follow and I was pleased to see that most materials are easy to find and many you may already have around the house. There are even a few recipes included along with projects for the kitchen or for entertaining.
When I finally get around to doing a project, I'll put up a post but in the meantime I recommend this book. If you are already an experienced DIYer, you won't find much in here to challenge but you may find some new ideas. At the least, you'll enjoy looking at the pictures.
One thing that Larson and Chapman emphasize is that you will make mistakes but they're fixable. Don't like how something turned out? You've changed your mind? Redo it. No harm done. They also emphasize that their projects are guidelines. They provide the directions and inspiration but it's up to YOU to make it yours. As I looked at the projects, I found myself going, "Well, that won't work for me but I could paint it this color and change the shape and it would be perfect." More than a few had me thinking, "Oh, I could do that!" The projects are easy with only a few being complex. I haven't actually made anything yet but I have a list of projects to do and others I'm considering.
The photos are colorful and pretty to look at it. A few of the more detailed projects could have used more photos illustrating the steps but overall they're perfect and add quite a bit. Every project has one, usually more than one, photo to show you the final results. Larson and Chapman have an easy, chatty style that's like talking to a friend. The directions are simple and easy to follow and I was pleased to see that most materials are easy to find and many you may already have around the house. There are even a few recipes included along with projects for the kitchen or for entertaining.
When I finally get around to doing a project, I'll put up a post but in the meantime I recommend this book. If you are already an experienced DIYer, you won't find much in here to challenge but you may find some new ideas. At the least, you'll enjoy looking at the pictures.
September 2, 2018
I'm surprised by the negative reviews of this book! I am not in the target demographic, and I've come to this book without ever visiting the blog of sisters Elsie and Emma. Yes, several of the projects are very simple, but the book is full of beautiful photography and certainly gave me a lot of inspiration. I quite enjoyed it!
January 11, 2018
While the introductory section seems interesting but on the whole the book is a bit disappointment. I love the use of pictures, I somewhat like their decor style but the DIYs are so common and not what I was expecting from these creative girls.
May 10, 2015
the photography in this book is beautiful, there are lots of ideas..now I need a bigger house!
May 23, 2025
I’d never heard of these ladies, or their blog, but this book said ’crafts’ so I checked it out. Thank goodness I didn’t pay for it, or I’d be pissed. It’s very basic, and rather lame. Don’t waste your money, if you can help it. It’s not worth it.
A more explanatory review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2 stars, and I won’t be continuing with any more of their crafting books.
A more explanatory review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2 stars, and I won’t be continuing with any more of their crafting books.
December 24, 2019
Fun to look at, with some great ideas although I will never do them. Cute and cluttered, but a great book to relax with.
April 9, 2022
Fun and eclectic-just like the authors! Great photos-perfect for creative ideas.
January 13, 2025
these writers were balsa wood’s biggest fans. OG Pinterest vibes - the cute, the bad, and the ugly.
November 23, 2019
A fun read with lots of DIY decorating ideas!
October 13, 2016
I saw this at the library and was hoping for a little crafty inspiration. I was not impressed. The diys were very basic. I feel like I'm a little too old to paint polka dots on random objects and I'd rather see my fabrics sewn together than glued. And I'm not sure I can justify buying that much electrical tape.
I did find a solution to my husband's messy closet and making a plush toy of my dog is a cute idea. This book just wasn't what I was looking for.
Overall I'm glad I got this from the library, otherwise I'd be returning it.
I did find a solution to my husband's messy closet and making a plush toy of my dog is a cute idea. This book just wasn't what I was looking for.
Overall I'm glad I got this from the library, otherwise I'd be returning it.
June 16, 2019
Well, this items in this book certainly DO look handmade but more like homemade, and not in a good way. The quality of the work is surprisingly poor: Roughly stuck on tape (on a fridge?), poorly painted walls (totally noticeable since the wall color is black and the baseboards are white!), ridiculous ideas (taping up a clothes rack with electrical tape?). Durability is questionable for all. I don't know the ladies' blog at all but I could barely finish flipping through this one.
November 10, 2018
This would be a good coffee table book because the photos are cute. Overall, I was a little disappointed. All of the suggestions seemed like common sense and it didn’t feel as personal or engaging as their blog posts usually are. It was alright for a quick read but nothing revolutionary.
December 17, 2020
Sweet but haphazard.
July 27, 2021
Some interesting ideas, but nothing in here really stood out to me. This seems more like the sort of thing I would have liked when I moved into my first apartment. I'm thinking this is geared more towards the 20s set. A lot of it is just embellishing premade furniture with paint -- polka dots on lanterns, stars on a plastic chair... If I'm going to invest the time and effort to do a home decorating project I want it to look a little less like slapping paint on a mass-produced dollar store item. I would get weary with these items in a hurry. The pegboard bedframe made me laugh out loud. Seriously, you want to make your bedroom feel like you're sleeping in a garage workshop?
August 15, 2025
I don't know anything about the blog, and I thought the book had some easy to do, very pretty crafts.The one thing I must agree with is the coffee filter flower headboard.
It looks nice, but no, just no.
It's completely impractical , would be dusty in no time, and am not sure how many dustings it would last through.
Only way I know this would work is if you were committed to doing it over again, at least a few times a year.
It looks nice, but no, just no.
It's completely impractical , would be dusty in no time, and am not sure how many dustings it would last through.
Only way I know this would work is if you were committed to doing it over again, at least a few times a year.
January 11, 2018
If you are a hobby crafter looking for ways to personalize your live and living space, then this book is a great resource.
Packed with ideas and color photographs, "Happy Handmade Home" offers tips and instructions on everything from party cocktails to home accessories to kid's parties and how to make them uniquely yours.
Packed with ideas and color photographs, "Happy Handmade Home" offers tips and instructions on everything from party cocktails to home accessories to kid's parties and how to make them uniquely yours.
May 22, 2021
I picked this up at the Dollar Tree and am glad I didn't pay full price. The photographs are pretty. The DIY projects are not my style. I wish there would have been more about transforming their houses. At one point, I stopped reading and just flipped through to see the photos. Overall, a pretty coffee table book.
July 12, 2021
Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman (the sister duo behind lifestyle site A Beautiful Mess) want readers to love where they live. Unlike other interior decorating books, these DIY projects are fun, easy, and completely customizable. Larson and Chapman’s friendly writing style is enhanced by vibrant photographs. A great addition to any home library.
January 14, 2018
I read the ebook, which was a poorly formatted, hard to navigate copy of Pinterest. I’m not entirely sure who the book was written to appeal to - I enjoy simple crafts but most of the ones in the book seemed oddly simplistic and like something a kid might do in preschool craft
July 29, 2018
I was very excited when I glanced at this book at the library. I checked it out and love the pictures but the DIY projects are really for a teenager or someone that is very new to DIY. I did not find anything that appealed to me when it came to getting ideas to decorate my house.
July 26, 2017
Inspiring, with great ideas to try at home, really enjoyed it!
November 11, 2018
Great use of a book to show off photos of your home, but the tips are all pretty rudimentary - I liked their enthusiasm, but I’ve had better luck on Pinterest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews