How to Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could [Paperback]

Tera Leigh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

For crafters who want to be creative and don't know where to start, this book introduces the basics of ten popular craft areas, allowing them to try different types of projects to find what inspires them. Each area of craft, including painting, rubber stamping, flowers, wire, decoupage, collage, bookmaking, scrapbooking, candle making, and calligraphy, features an introduction, basic terms and techniques. The focus of this book is to try a new craft and how to capture the creative spirit.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Crafts novices, especially those who doubt their ability to create artfully, will welcome California artist Leigh's how-to on creativity, which goes beyond abstractions and sensitivity-training exercises. Instead this generously illustrated volume encompasses 15 step-by-step projects, all promoted as "easy-to-do" and "fun-to-make." Media and techniques include silk topiaries, collage, and decoupage. Because rubber stamps make great impressions with ready-made images so that crafters need not "start from scratch," Leigh wisely begins with that medium, progressing to the decorative painting of a small box and various glass objects and papermaking with the use of a kitchen blender. Along the way, she stresses confidence and presents "idea boxes" containing hints on keeping track of craft ideas, listings of books with additional projects, and more as beginning crafters work with the "shining possibilities" of metal and wire as well as create a mosaic-tile-covered trunk and photo frame. Complete with a listing of resources, this title will be a key starting point for beginners. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Tera Leigh is a crafter, artist, author and founder of ToleNet, the first Internet resource on decorative painting. Tera is also a columnist for Paintworks and Decorative Artist's Workbook, and has had her original designs published in many painting and home decor magazines. In 2003 she will begin writing a regular creativity column for Country Marketplace magazine. You can visit Tera at her Web site, www.teraswish.com/index.htm.

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581802935
• ISBN-13: 978-1581802931
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,316,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning author Tera Leigh is a journalist, on-air personality on TV and radio, and artist. Since Tera began publishing her work and writings in 1995, she has developed an international following for her writing and design work. She works as a full-time portrait photographer.

Tera has been published in dozens of publications internationally; from travel to art to women's issues; her writings are insightful and personal windows into her experiences. Tera's designs have been published in dozens of publications, ranging from Romantic Homes Magazine to Country Marketplace magazine. Tera has been a columnist for PaintWorks, Tole World, Create & Decorate, and other craft publications.

Other sites:

http://www.teras-wish.com/ - free articles and workshop ideas on the topic of creativity.

http://www.teraleigh.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars alt. title: Sparking creativity in the creative person!, April 16, 2003

By 

Melanie Sage "art journaler, social worker, a... (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could (Paperback)

Today I got Tera's new book in the mail, "How To Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could." I think an alternate title could be "How to spark your creativity when you know you are creative!" I felt a surge of creativity when I opened it.

This is not your run-of-the-mill project book. I generally steer away from project books because they are geared toward step-by-steps for a certain card, or a new stamper. Tera explains the project, but with every project she also talks about creativity, alternate ways to complete the project, and gives creative reinforcement/permission to be creative. It is good reading even if you don't plan to follow any of the project instructions. The text is well-written (grammar problems in craft books are a pet-peeve of mine, and I can tell that equal emphasis was given to text and creativity in this publication.) More than that, the techniques are universal, and not the same things you see in all the stamping technique books. Projects run from stamping to paper making to mosaics to wire art and beading- there is bound to be something fun that is also new to try, no matter your skill level or how very creative or non-creative you are feeling. They'd also be great projects to work with friends who are afraid to play, because they aren't overly complicated or technical projects.

Following Tera's instructions I stamped on copper and aged it with liver of sulfur. It was as easy as it is described (on page 86 of the new book.) I did it with a text stamp, and worked as nicely as the swirls in the project book.

If all those things aren't great reasons to buy this book, supporting a nice person is reason. Tera has encouraged creativity in others in her daily life. She runs a nonprofit through her website, Tera's Wish. She shares openly about her life and creative blocks in her book, and encourages the reader to "go for it." Tera is a genuinely good person, and we should support kind, talented people with our pocketbooks when we can. :)

Amazon offers the book at a great price. :)

Melanie Sage

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will get your creative juices flowing!, April 12, 2003

By 

Diane Kundrat "AZ Reader" (Gilbert, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could (Paperback)

Tera's latest book is a gold mine for people who yearn to be creative, but don't know where to start. The projects are easy and produce wonderful results - the perfect recipe for giving you the confidence to expand your own ceativity. The side boxes include tips that take you a step further in creating something that reflects your uniqueness. Before you know it, the ideas are exploding in your head and you're on your way to creative bliss! All through the book you hear Tera's generous advice, encouraging you like a favorite teacher. I'm an avid paper crafter and I have paid up to $40 for a class to learn some of the techniques Tera has included in this book. Both the beginner and the advanced artist will learn from these fun projects.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could, April 1, 2003

By 

Hal H Henry (Wrightwood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could (Paperback)

Once again Tera Leigh provides us with insightful information covering an area many of us may have thought about at one time or another but didn't know how to explore, our own creativity.

You have a master teacher pointing you in the right direction so your own creativity can take over. The photography and detail is of the same outstanding quality as it was in her first book, "The Complete Book of Decorative Painting" and shows the care to detail and thoughtfulness that went into the completion of this book.

This exciting new book was created to show novice crafters that they could be creative by simply opening their mind to discover their own ability to be creative. Tera Leigh through her own creativity makes it easy for readers to discover their own creative spirit.

There are 16 easy, fun projects that lead you to explore the use of a number of craft media and techniques, including: Rubber stamping, Decorative painting, Silk flower arranging, Metal and wire crafts, Bookmaking and papermaking, Mosaics, Collage and decoupage and more. Readers will also find many other valuable tips and ideas for overcoming obstacles to their own creativity and getting past "creator's block."