About book The Bust DIY Guide To Life: Making Your Way Through Every Day (2014)
The best part of this book was the foreword by Debbie Stoller (creator of Stitch n Bitch and co-creator of BUST magazine). She explained where the idea for a feminist magazine came from, how it was set up, and how she and the other co-creators built it from a tiny business, overcame several obstacles and made it into a successful print operation with offices and staff. As part of the magazine, they started to run a weekly DIY column that showed women it was okay to want to do the "housey girly stuff" and be good at it. They state that "DIY is not just about making things - it's also about making a life". With that in mind, this book is a compilation of some of the best-loved DIY tips from over the years. It includes a section on household items, which I found a little too hipster-y for my own taste (a spice rack from an old suitcase, hung on the wall complete with suitcase lid as a door, or quilted wall art). There are great tips on sewing - how to take up a pair of jeans is something I do actually need to do (thanks New Look and your giraffe-like jeans) so I was really glad to see that in there. They show and tell you how to make your own duvet, tote bag, vest & knickers from a t-shirt, how to alter the waist on a boxy blouse, and lots more. There's a beauty section, a budgeting section, tips on organization, and tips on how to grow your own food (potatoes in a bucket, anyone?). Overall, because a lot of the book wasn't applicable to me (preparing for a disaster - hopefully that isn't applicable) and I found some of the tips were aimed moreso at a different kind of person (City chic/hipster/high-flying career women) I give it three stars. The foreword alone was worth the two stars, but I'm very grateful for the mending tips!Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for honest review. *received from Netgalley in exchange for a review*Let's face it, being a crafty person who is constantly seeking out some interesting new project means that I really enjoy DIY and craft books. Even if it a craft I am well versed in I still enjoy reading about it, because what if there is some new and exciting technique that I have never heard of? So it is no real surprise when Netgalley had The Bust DIY Guide To Life available for review that I wanted to give it a read. Brought to you by BUST magazine (a magazine I have never heard of, but I do live under a surprisingly large rock sometimes)the book is divided into handy crafty sections: Bust-ier Home and Garden, Your Style Your Way, Health & Beauty, Eat, Drink & Be Merry, and, Moving & Shaking. When I am looking at a crafty book, I am looking for interesting projects, clear instructions, and good photos. This book has them all! With modern takes on vintage dish towels, dinner trays made from recycled pencils, and turning your old suitcase into a spice-rack...there are certainly some interesting projects. I am going to be hunting thrift stores for the perfect suitcase now, but I might end up storing my favorite teas instead of spices...clearly I will need more than one suitcase. Also the projects are not impossible, a lot of them require materials that you probably don't have just lying around (like a sewing machine if you are me, or a giant pile of pencils if you are someone else) so you will probably have to go do some supply shopping. This is not really a problem, but it does make spontaneous crafting harder. I do wish there were a few less sewing oriented projects, the lack of a sewing machine is a constant source of sorrow in my life.There are some fun sections about general house-care, disaster preparation, and how to use a sewing machine. I would recommend putting the how-to with regards to a sewing machine earlier in the book, just in case a noob to the art of sewing will read that before diving into a project that requires sewing and utterly ruin it. Not that I am speaking from past experience where I just jumped into a project and had no idea how to use the tools, that would just be silly.
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A big craft book, busting with ideas. great pictures and clear instructions.
—lexy99
