The Big-Ass Book of Crafts

Anyone who has started to dabble in their creativity should enjoy the ideas put forward in this book. If you know a creative that likes to do all kinds of things and is always looking for something new this book is a good place to start. I would recommend it for a creative that has found themselves in a nursing home too.

I love books. I was so disappointed in this book. As one reviewer said dumbfounded- I agree, how did this guy get this published? I only found one craft worth looking at - I am sorry. Very disappointed in this book.

Ok book, easy crafts

very poor ideas - not worth reading

I'm the kind of crafter who gets an idea for a project and makes it happen. I rarely consult crafting books or websites for ideas and have only ever bought one crafting book before. That changed when I saw this book. Mark Montano covers everything from light fixtures to art to hang on the wall. A lot of his items are lighthearted and would be great for a kid's room, but other items, like his elegant notecards, would be ideal to send to a beloved grandmother. He includes cultural icons, such as loteria cards, and religious themes, such as crosses, in his eclectic collection of designs. A lot of times, crafting books have projects that are too fussy, overdone or silly-looking. This book keeps those projects to a minimum. I am very impressed with this book. At the moment, I'm making a 3-D flowerbox from the first chapter, and it looks great. This is definitely a book to add to your collection.

Are the antiques of tomorrow! Before I went to graduate school, I helped manage a French antique store. We sold everything from the rustic to the refined, but the items the most people grooved on were the smaller quirky objects that were more often than not made by "amateur" crafts people: tramp art frames, naive paintings, coquillage pedestals, and even a whole dresser surfaced in "pique assiette". Handmade items by the non-professional have more charm and warmth. And if sales are any indication of desirability, then these are the types of objects that people seek out to have in their homes because we sold them for a pretty penny. I think this book carries on the great tradition of amateur crafting. I found most of the entries charming in a quirkily stylish manner. There are a few projects in the book that were perfect for my home, and I must say turned out pretty good even in my bumbling hands. And I recently made something from the book as a gift for a friend and she loved it. She was touched that I made it with my own hands, and it's now in her dining room. And like she said - "better than some mass produced crap made in China." And who knows, maybe that gift I made for my friend will end up in an antique shop decades from now. I look forward to checking out this author's other books.

I'm very new to crafting, and this book is perfect for me! Plus I'm giving it as a gift to friends of mine that are also interested in crafting. Smart fun projects, with lots of instructions. I have gotten so many ideas from this book. They are so flexible I can put my own style into every project. Yes there is an example of how to make an art project from beans. I would never use beans, but beads from old necklaces, or other random things I have around the home. Very creative book and I recommend to anyone!

I've always been a fan of Mark's clever crafty designs, so imagine my delight to find out he has this new book that is jammed packed with all kinds of ideas!! Each project is colorful, and collectively they have a keen sense of multi-culti, lots of recycling, and best of all - EASY TO MAKE! What I love the most is that it is clear that he is very passionate about his love for making things. The book is crowded with juicy pictures, and the tone is fun and conversational. Major score, Mark!! Two glittered thumbs up!

I had a gander at this at a competing bookstore (didn't buy, too broke) and enjoyed it immensely! I didn't expect to since I've seen so many craft ideas now (craft magazine, make magazine, and a zillion craft blogs) but this has A LOT of ideas, many I've never seen before. Price of $19.95 seems reasonable too as this is fairly hefty!