Book Review
What I like best about Making Great Gifts is the wide variety of
gift ideas laid out within its pages. The gifts don’t come
only in the form of crafts to make but kits of materials combined
for the purpose of the receiver making something on their own like
a scrapbook, a College Survival Kit for a family member going off
to school, recipes for food gifts and all the supplies for a Picnic
in the Park. Amongst the many categories of gift giving opportunities
included in this book are Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s
Day, Spring (including Easter and Passover), Fall (Halloween and
Thanksgiving), Birthdays, New Baby Gifts, Anniversaries, Gifts for
Children of all Ages, Teacher Gifts, For Those Who Have Everything
Gifts and On the Mend (gifts for sick friends).
Gift ideas are not all that makes up the vast amount of content
in Making Great Gifts. Prior to the chapters on gifts for all the
aforementioned occasions there are interesting chapters to explore
on how to use the book, how to determine the perfect gift for someone,
getting started by gathering the necessary materials and tools required
for making the gift and last but not least, innovative ways to wrap
the various types of gifts you will make or buy to celebrate a special
occasion. In the introduction the author describes the contents
of her book including what she calls Little Gifts of Information
that I think are extremely helpful. These hints and tips boxes are
called Present Pointers (extra ideas, variations and hints for making
the crafts), Present Tense (explanations of tools and materials
being used for a craft), Gifting Glitches (troubleshooting ideas
the author wants to share about a craft) and The Gift of Knowledge
(background on the holiday or occasion being celebrated). All this
extra information makes this useful book a very interesting read
as well as clarifying certain portions of the instructions to ensure
success when making your gift.
Overall I like the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Great
Gifts, especially that the patterns are included next to the craft
instructions for the reader’s convenience but there are also
some things I didn’t like. The photos of the gifts are all
in black and white and when it comes to making crafts I prefer color
photos to give you an idea of color schemes that might work or inspire
you when doing the project yourself. Photos that would have been
helpful to compare with your final product didn’t accompany
some of the gift instructions. |
