A Year in Crafts: 52 seasonal projects to make and give

by Clare Youngs

Here are 52 beautifully simple step-by-step ideas to get you crafting throughout the year.

Start in January by making a handmade diary so you can start the year fresh and organized, while in March you can revamp your home for the annual spring clean with a new chair seat or a vintage-inspired embroidered tablecloth. In April there are Easter decorations to make, and you can start getting ready for the planting season with a container full of your favorite herbs for the garden. Get inspired in July with an outdoor garland and pretty paper butterflies and moths. If you’re going on vacation in August, prepare by making a recycled luggage label so you can spot your suitcase in the airport, and in September make a lunchbox or pencil case to keep those back-to-school blues at bay. In October, it’s time for Halloween again, and you can celebrate by carving mini pumpkins and squash to hang in a tree outside your house. November is the best time to start preparing for Christmas, so start making your gifts now and you won’t have to rush to buy gifts at the last moment. Make a beautiful gilded star for your tree in the first week of December, as well as unique decorations to make your home look festive. You’ll be truly inspired with Clare Youngs’ lovely projects, so whether you want to make each project as the year progresses, or dip in and out of the book, you’ll never be bored with A Year in Crafts.

Genres: Crafts

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2014

Reviews

[Ligaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh, I think this is possibly the seventh Clare Youngs book I've read? I actually expected a lot more from this one since it is subtitled "52 Seasonal Projects." I think I was looking for something that also gave a nod to other holidays besides Christmas, which is handled here very secularly. Some pretty objects (House Shoes, Two-in-One Bag), some silly why-would-I-do-this objects (Flying Paper Fish, Paper Plant Pot Holders). Good photography, nicely designed book with the tab-folder chapter divider and the spiral binding. Lots of good ideas here to spark more ideas.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Clare Youngs was recommended by my girl Cassie Stephens.

This book is beautifully bound. And the pockets in the dividers are a nice touch. I could have written the very first paragraph myself. I try to do something creative every day.

2nd project in the book, cute useful doable. The fabric detail notebooks - I loved loved. Peg dolls with ribbon. Wire and book paper - just my thing. The circle garland had me searching eBay for floral papers, oh that cardigan was so me, paper dress- hmm scratching my head, while I can’t quilt, but the denim and embroidery was so cute, the floral printed on graph was unique! And then the wonderful washi tape poodle cards were the cutest thing ever!!! Since I don’t have a Lino cutting tool I’m going to have to improvise this idea. I’m a sucker for all pencil bags, and then on page 119 I decided I ❤️❤️❤️❤️this Book. I don’t need a sausage dog softie but now I really really want one! The Christmas section ehh nothing resonated with me. I like the embroidered gift wrap but do think it would get tossed and then I would be sad.

[Anna Richland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm trying to ramp up my art and crafting this year -- both watercolors and making things, so I'm cycling through a lot of books. This one had too much sewing for me, and also a lot of cutting erasers into stamps. A LOT of cutting stamps. Even the May project of making butterflies and moths on wire stakes had you start with cutting a wing template out of an eraser, adding designs to it, and stamping the wings. I thought that was a lot of waste.

I wish this book had included some of the book art projects that I adore from Clare Youngs, and more collages, but this is pretty much focused on the same few skills used multiple times.

Also, some of the crafts seemed to be targeted at doing with children (paper party hats for Easter eggs?), but it wasn't marketed as a book of crafts to do with kids. (I want adults crafts to do by myself, believe me!)

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made a decent list of the things I want to make from this book and they are all seemingly simple (I avoided pretty much all sewing). It inspired me to create for my home, for gifts, but mainly for the fun of it. You can customize pretty much all of the projects to your own style, too.

[Lauren Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really love these ideas for myself. But helpful instructions.