The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts: Fifty Fabulous Projects from the Fifties and Sixties (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You’ll find no die-cut teddy bears, cross-stitched friendship plaques, and ducks painted with bonnets in THE CRAFTSTER GUIDE. A hip collection of easy-to-make, fun-to-wear, and stylish-to-display crafts from the fifties and sixties, it features 50 projects culled from vintage craft publications, including more than 10 new retro-inspired projects. This unabashedly tacky craft compendium includes clear instructions, tools and techniques, and enough irony to fill a popsicle-stick purse.

From the Publisher

* A full-color collection of 50 craft projects from the 1950s and1960s (including more than 10 new retro-inspired crafts) from the founder of hipster craft website Craftster.org.

* With hundreds of vintage photographs, original project instructions, colorized images, schematic line drawings, and contemporary color photographs.

* Leah Kramer and Craftster have been featured in Time, Jane, Budget Living, San Francisco Chronicle, London Guardian, and Houston Chronicle, and on National Public Radio. Selected Crafts: Cigar-Box Purse • Hardcover Book Clutch • Coffee Urn Lamp • Powder Room Poodle • Macaroni Glamour • Beaded Fruit • Felt Flowers • Glovely Lovelies • Plastic Bottle Piggy Bank • Doll Face Fridgies

About Craftster.org:

"This isn’t your grandma’s craft club. . . . Cross Martha Stewart with an urban hipster and you’ve got the idea." —CBS News Radio

"It has a sensibility that’s not exactly homespun. . . . Call it open-source crafting." —Time

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580087477
• ISBN-13: 978-1580087476
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Fabulous!, April 18, 2007

By	Batgirl Librarian (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This book is chock full of fun and fabulous projects for anyone. The kitsch factor is high - these crafts will surely bring a smile to your face! I have found the instructions clear and easy to follow, and the projects have inspired a few kitschy brainstorms of my own!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars there's a reason these crafts got lost, June 9, 2008

By	molemann_services (PA) - See all my reviews

i really, really wanted to love this book.
I've been a member of craftster since the begining and gotten some awesome ideas from there, and this book got so many positive reviews.
But I don't buy craft books to say how fun the projects are.
I buy them to *do* the projects.

I can't really see some of them (the egg carton lantern???) in anyone's home.
There are a few little cute projects (headband, snow globe, book purse) but you can learn how to make them anywhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book makes me happy!, April 18, 2007

By	Kittykill (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

If you want a fun book with lots of kitschy crafty history than this is the book for you! I have made a lot of the crafts and the instructions are easy to follow with no hassle. I would highly recommend this book.