Customer Reviews

Love Your Handwriting (Creating Keepsakes)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has made scrapbooking fun for me again! Without realizing it, I had become obsessed with trying to make every layout look worthy of being published in a magazine.After spending two hours trying to create one perfect layout, I would get frustrated and quit.
Heidi's book has changed my approach. Writing in a lighthearted, conversational tone, Heidi gives several good reasons for using your own handwriting on your scrapbook pages to make them personal. The best part, though, is the workbook full of exercises designed to spark your creativity and build your confidence in using your own handwriting. All the tools you need to complete the exercises are included in the kit, so as soon as you finish reading a chapter you can turn to the workbook and immediately put what you've learned into practice.
The "book" shown above is actually a tri-fold kit, including the spiral bound book by Heidi, a spiral-bound workbook with exercises corresponding to each chapter, and a set of writing tools including a mechanical pencil, white eraser, .5mm black pigma pen, and a ruler. It folds up neatly, with an elastic band to hold it together.
I have rediscovered the joy of the creative process through reading and using Heidi's book!

This book was a disappointment for me because the author Heidi Swapp just doesn't deliver what I was hoping to get. I am a visual person and was hoping to see more examples of handwriting that would show how to execute and incorporate whimsical lettering styles into my regular handwriting. At the same time, I purchased Debra Beagle's Book on lettering and calligraphy and this was the great thrill. Her book is everything you'd ever want to be able to embellish and enhance your handwriting. She gives you pages of alphabets in different styles and encourages you to to trace lettering to get you more in the flow of writing in that style. Debra Beagle's book has been the book I've been looking for all my life. I loved it so much I had the binding cut off and a spiral binding put on it to make it easier to use and study.
Heidi's book is a book I'd rather borrow from a library than have it in my personal inventory. Its worth a look-see but not worth spending the $. Save that for Debra Beagle's book.

Yes, like the other reviewer mentioned, this is not a big list of possible handwritten fonts, but it IS a workbook to get you to put your pen-- well pencil really :-) -- to your scrapbook page. She shows you that it is more fun, creative, and just plain treasured to actually just write in your own handwriting to add that flair and personal touch to make pages that will mean something to you and your family / friends years down the road. So its for you if you have no lettering experience and are scared to just go ahead and write rather than laboring over stickers, computer fonts or die cuts. She wants you to use your personal handwriting which shows off your inner self, not a calligraphy manual example which could have been printed off a computer font coz it looks so perfect. She does have great page examples of creative ways to organize your words on the page -- as a title, sentiment word square etc mixing up your own handwritten fonts. Chapter 2 and I'm a believer...

The other reviewer covered all the structure of the book, whats included etc so I won't repeat myself. Love this Book!

I'll admit, if it says "Heidi Swapp" on it, I will buy it! I ordered this book and got it as soon as it came out. But after leafing through the whole thing several times, it's still sitting on my shelf. It comes in a cute package and has some fun add-ons (a pencil, a ruler, a pad), but it kind of seems like a glorified magazine article. I was expecting more "how-to's" in terms of how Heidi gets her signature style and creates some of her unique looks. But there wasn't a ton of instruction (I'm still trying to figure out how she does the shadow effect).

All in all, it's a fun book to have and to play around with, but it's not going to turn you into a creator of illuminated manuscripts overnight.

I've already gone through several of the exercises and I find that so far, the book is fun and very helpful in learning to "Love Your Handwriting"

Beautifully packaged fold out set with work book and tools and a guidebook with great photos and ideas. Heidi's writing style is beautiful, and I would love to write in the fonts that she shows throughout her book, but sadly it is missing any complete alphabet examples to copy/practise with. If you hate your handwriting, as most of us do, then this book will dangle a carrot of beautiful writing examples, give excellent reasons WHY your handwriting is unique and important, but still leave you hating your own handwriting unless you can find some complete alphabet fonts to try out and develop a style that you are happy with using in your handwritten journaling. I would rate the whole package very highly, EXCEPT FOR it lacking the one essential item that could have made it a PERFECT purchase!!! So a 5 star presentation with a 3 star satisfaction overall!

Bought this book online on clearance elsewhere, and regret spending even those few dollars on it.
It's a cute, feel-good guide to practicing and improving your own handwriting so that you feel more confident about it. It's NOT a guide on how to write in Heidi Swapp's style or any other style but your own.
I knew that from the title, so that isn't the problem. It just doesn't grab me or inspire me to use it. It's too school-girlish.
I tried using it a couple of times, was bored and now it just sits on my shelf. I've had more fun and inspiration just doodling on my own. Will try to sell it at my next rummage sale or donate it to my local library.
If you want guided practice with your own handwriting with lots of positive encouragement from afar, then get it if you can find it on sale cheap. It probably won't be worth the full price to most people.

I purchased this book for my daughter, the scrapbooker. I had shopped at several local stores and was unable to locate it so was delighted when I realized I should purchase it at Amazon.com. Locating it and another hard-to-find scrapbooking resource was easy! She describes it as an excellent resource and was not aware that she would get the CD as well! It's smaller size makes it quite portable which is always a plus for a scrapbooker who goes to crops!

I guess I just don't HATE my handwriting. The only thing I got from this book was WRITE IN PENCIL FIRST! She really is just teaching you to work with your current handwriting, so practice ... THE END!

well i really liked this book. heidi writes as if you is there with you teaching you her techniques. i've had this book for a while now. and i still find it a useful referance when i need help developing a hand font for my pages.