Customer Reviews

Pretty Little Things: Collage Jewelry, Trinkets and Keepsakes

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

OK, I admit that I'm suspicious of 5-star reviews that are only 3 or 4 lines long, especially when you click on the "see all my reviews" link after their name and find out they've written a grand total of ONE review. Cynically, I think, "At least this author has loyal friends!"

The problems with this book have been mentioned, primarily that nearly all of the projects require soldering. While you may already have most of the items in the "collage cargo" -- backing paper, vintage papers and photos, paints, adhesives, stamps, a craft knife, and 3D embellishments -- you may need to buy the elements for the soldering suitcase. These include a soldering iron, grinder, copper tape, flux, solder, glass-cutting supplies, "third hand" jewelry tool, safety glasses, straight edge, cutting mat, cutter, breaker, pliers, metal blocks, remover/cleaner, and metal polish. Right-o.

This was all rather disappointing, because I couldn't tell from the book cover and description that these were all glass-and-solder projects, which are beyond my ability at this point. Hey, I haven't even unpacked the Dremel tool my husband bought me for Christmas in 2005!

That said, there are tons of ideas in this book (the desperate non-soldering crafter can figure out the work-arounds). Perhaps we will learn to solder -- my husband says it isn't difficult. But besides the vintage eye candy in these luscious page layouts, the author has such an upbeat perspective, really, it's a pleasure to read. If you don't get anything else out of it, you'll come away with the realization that we not only can, but SHOULD surround ourselves with the "pretty little things" that make us happy. You'll also develop an eye for scavenging as you peruse these pages, and even if you can't do the projects, you may come away with as great an affection for the author as her 5-star friends have demonstrated.

I have always loved Sally Jean's website, and in fact have made personal jewelry for my sister, best friend and myself using many pieces which I ordered from her. Imagine my delight when I learned she was coming out with her own book! And what a swirl of glitter, enchantment and charm! It is lovely, through and through.

By the way, she likes bunny slippers. That is why I threw that in to my review title!

Now, there is one caveat: you have to be prepared to learn to create a proper collage, plus solder and cut glass properly (nothing a quick course in stained glass making couldn't help you out with, however, but you won't need it--this book explains how very clearly) or this book becomes just a good read. It would be worth it, anyway, just not AS worth it. It would become more like a tour of the magic in Sally Jean's head which is pretty great fun. But it is frankly, a SERIOUS craft book, enrobed within her spectacularly beautiful and sweet outlook on the world and delight in family, the past, old things which nobody wants, which "call out" to be rescued, and a lot of pretty things like German glass glitter, old postcards and things we love to be comforted with and enjoy looking at.

I wanted to make many of her things right away: her crosses, her little french chair, her incredibly chic bottle bangle(WOW! Love it!!!), and her cool flower power pen. I want to have all these things!!! So therefore I will have to make them!

I really liked the way she set up the beginning of this book clearly so you have a grasp of what you need to learn.

I really loved the projects.

I really like her attitude and the look of the book!

A great book! Thanks, Sally Jean!

EVEN if you think you'll never pick up a soldering tool you will still adore this book. THIS is Sally as we have come to know her - a silly girl, a clever talent, a wit, and a wonder. (Visit her site, you'll see what I mean). She begins by taking us on tour in her studio. (Gasp) THEN you get to collage with her, cut glass, and solder. THIS is a generous soul - she holds nothing back as she shows you how to make the beautiful baubles that she made famous. THEN she simply takes your breath away as she illustrates many more dimensional treasures made of glass and solder. THIS is a very very lovely book, written in an endearing manner with so much to see. (I love her dedication, lower right corner page 3).

Yes, the photos are gorgeous, really beautiful. And that's about it. I was hoping to learn how to solder charms but was extremely disappointed to realize that no real directions were included, just fluff. The tone of Miss Sally does get really irritating but what bothered me more was the "pretend" sources. Her listing of sources is a listing of wholesale suppliers and some stupid restaurant that I will never visit. This means Sally wants you to purchase from her website because she doubts you will purchase the quantities needed from her poor supplier (wholesale) list. And let's also add Sally charges more than double for her glass and most of her supplies. I think this upset me more than the lack of directions, it's really a bait and switch. Sally got me to buy the book of pretty little pictures under false pretenses.

And upon further research into soldered charms (tons of info on the web!) many of the reviewers who gave Miss Sally 5 stars are well known in her art community. This in my opinion should be known since you may buy the book based upon those reviews.

Miss Sally did not write this book to really instruct, educate (you can take one of her classes I guess), or assist in any way, but rather to ingratiate herself and attempt to put her on the map as an artist.

Don't waste the money buying the book and supporting this "artist". Search through the web and you will come across a ton of free soldered art charm info.

Numerous typographical errors aside, the author's self-congratulatory tone throughout should have been held in check by her editor. Some fact-checking might have been done as well. The author claims to have invented collage charms. On her website, she claims to be the queen of collage charms. Please. People have been making these in one form or another since the 1980's. Even I was making and selling very similar soldered microscope slide charms and glass glob charms in my shop in the mid 1980's, and can hardly take credit for inventing them -- they were ubiquitous even then, when the author was, according to her own bio, still selling real estate. The book is visually pretty, but the directions for the projects are inconsistent, ranging from adequate to flippant (the collage instructions), to inadequate and downright dangerous (the soldering instructions). Fortunately, free instructions for every technique in this book are widely available all over the internet as well as in the many good collage books and magazines available just about everywhere. And I think most people who are going to attempt soldering for the first time will realize immediately that there are serious gaps in the soldering instructions in this book. Let's hope so, anyway.

If you enjoy being talked down to, you will enjoy this book very much. The author maintains a tone which indicates she believes her audience knows nothing, has nothing, and she is here to enlighten us. She tells us to put an old, comfortable chair in our studios, for example -- what an amazing new idea! -- and takes a tone which indicates she believes her studio is nicer than anyone else's will ever be. In her paragraph in the recent tenth anniversary issue of Somerset Studio she continues in the same vein, though the other authors cited used their space for more constructive and less self-focused purposes. A quick look at the Pretty Organized set on Flickr should assure her that there are a great many of us with beautiful, personal, well-organized places to make art, and yes, some of us even thought to add fairy lights and comfortable seating -- long ago -- though it might not have occurred to us that this anything to write a chapter in a book about. It's what artists have always done. It's not a contest.

I'm not being picky here -- what's annoying is the consistent assertions and self-aggrandizing remarks and I'm-so-cute-in-my-bunny-slippers kind of thing that takes up so much space in the book which could have been put to better use. It's the page after page accretion of these repeated off-the-wall and irrelevant remarks that becomes so irritating and makes the text pretty much unreadable after several pages of this. A good editor would have made this a much stronger book if she could have guided this apparently first-time writer into a friendlier and less self-absorbed way of writing.

Thank goodness, the rest of the collage and altered arts universe is blessedly free of this type of territory-marking, -- so far at least -- but one gets the idea that the paper arts and collage market is expanding so rapidly, that anybody with a reasonable body of work and the free time available to write a book can get it published without too much editorial review. In all fairness to all the other writers in this field, however, it must be noted that each of the other authors writes clearly, gives generously of their very detailed instructions, and manages to write great books and magazine articles without letting their egos get in the way of the text.

The text of the book is certainly irritating, but the pictures are good eye candy. The consistent "look" of the book with its beautiful aqua color scheme is well done. I'm just sorry I paid full price for the book at a retail bookstore. If I'd been patient and bought it for less on Amazon, I would perhaps judge it a little less harshly, but the full retail price is an awful lot to pay to read this author's love letter to herself.

Love the style of the book and the writing was so funny and interesting!! I got some great ideas but there is not much instruction on how to complete the projects. You need to know what you are doing before you can attempt the projects. Luckily I do know what I am doing, but even so some of the projects left me confused on how to complete them! I got this book bundled with another soldering book Simple Soldered Jewelry & Accessories in hopes to refine my skills and learn something new. I was inspired by both but I learned more from the other book.

What's great about this book:
The projects featured in this book are fresh, varied, and beautifully photographed. Inspiration abounds; the night I got the book I was so inspired by it that my mind felt like it was going to explode with possibilities and I ended up finally getting out of bed at 2:30am to jot down my ideas so I could get some sleep.

In the back of the book, Sally shares her favorite resources for some of the more exotic materials she uses to create her pieces - this is valuable information. She also shares tips for creating her "look" which were also helpful. Do a search for her name online and heck out her website before buying the book to see if her aesthetic resonates with you.

What you won't find in this book:
While the author does give step-by-step instructions for reproducing the pieces featured in her book, this is NOT a how-to book. Her instructions are written with the assumption that the reader is an experienced crafter, specifically in the areas of stained glass and jewelry making and has had some experience with soldering (i.e. knows what flux is and how to use it, among other things). Although when reading the book the instructions seem thorough enough, I found significant gaps when I actually sat down and attempted to follow them.

and this book contains plenty. The layout and overall tone of the writing are swell and fairly easy to understand. The photography rocks. The author's sense of humor sparkles throughout, making the book entertaining as well as educational. The embossed cover adds a touch of real elegance. There are fun extras, too, including several pages of jammin' collage clips. My only caveat is the amount of soldering required to complete nearly every project. I shouldn't have been surprised as the author is known as a soldering queen, and can't say I really WAS surprised. Still, wish there had been some discussion of alternative ways to achieve the cool soldered affects, for those of us who love the look, but lack the wherewithal.

Oh my word! I am ruined! As if it isn't bad enough that half my annual income travels north of the border to Sally Jean's bank account, but now a BOOK? I just received my copy today and I will forever be ruined...another how-to art/collage book could never compare to this GEM!

Not only is the book visually lucious, but Sally Jean's wicked wit and sense of humor sparkles just as brightly as the German Glass Glitter and silver solder she so adores.

Full of VERY helpful step-by-steps and ingredient lists, even if you don't own a soldering iron, you will be hard pressed NOT to get "arting" after reading this jewel! So much to see, so much to read...my family will just have to fend for themselves for the next few days as I absorb every delicious morsel this book has to offer!!

This book will make you want to go out and try that soldering iron. The peek into her studio is so inspiring. Sally Jean is very talented and funny. The projects are diverse and just lovely to look at. Try a few and put your own look into it. With this book and her directions you can be making your own pretty little things in no time.