Making Things champions handmade crafts that infuse the no-waste ethos with glamour and fun.
Through easy-to-follow tutorials for over 100 projects that are both accessible and aspirational, Making Things invites readers to try their hands at a variety of crafts and celebrate the satisfaction that comes from slowly and carefully creating for oneself. Learn to fold magazine pages into Masu Boxes for organizing bits and bobs, make a cardboard loom for weaving potholders out of old linens, braid your own Kumihimo Dog Leash, or starch fabric scraps for decorative bunting.
Makers Rose Pearlman and Erin Boyle met in 2018 and immediately struck up a friendship, united by a reverence for everyday objects. Their approach towards craft reflects a shared commitment to sustainability and accessibility – as they write in Making Things’ introduction, “Craft can be exquisite and exacting, the result of formal training and years of practice, but it can also be experimental and messy and not quite perfect.”
Scouring sidewalks, stoops, and thrift stores, the authors repurpose materials to create projects that range from functional to fun and frivolous. Step-by-step guides make it simple to start and finish each project, while the book’s stunning photographs show how each craft can fit within an organized, thoughtfully curated home.
As Making Things demonstrates, relying on a limited range of supplies and repurposing the same materials can spur our creativity, encouraging us to look at a pile of junk on a stoop and see endless possibilities.
About the Authors
Erin Boyle is the author of the popular lifestyle blog, Reading My Tea Leaves and the 2016 book Simple Matters. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Domino Magazine along with numerous online design and shelter websites.
Rose Pearlman is an artist, teacher, and textile designer. Her 2019 book Modern Rug Hooking is a beautiful introduction to the traditional art of rug hooking through innovative projects and gorgeous imagery.
Industry Reviews
"Making Things is a delightful book full of wonderful crafts and home projects. Erin and Rose have such a distinctive style, and I'm so happy to have some insight into their creative process. Their thoughtful approach to materials is accessible and broad, and they have kindly spelled out every step of each project with beautiful photography for those of us who are easily-flummoxed!"--Sandeep Salter, owner of Salter House and Picture Room
"A magnum opus of fun, clever, aesthetically pleasing projects for home and family! Beautifully presented and bound to become a classic."--Melanie Falick, author of Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live
"This book is bursting with creativity and resourcefulness! By transforming ordinary materials like torn t-shirts, shipping boxes, and rope we can make a bevy of beautiful objects. Erin and Rose celebrate the opportunity to make everyday life more sustainable, resourceful, and delightful too."--Katrina Rodabaugh, author of Mending Matters and Make Thrift Mend
"This book teaches the reader how to make all kinds of beautiful things, but also how to make meaning. It is an antidote to the alienation created by a life of screens, reminding us that we have bodies, and preferences, and are more able than we've grown to believe."--Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud Incredibly Close
"This dreamy book has my head spinning with future project possibilities! I am inspired and ready to create!"--Leanne Ford, interior designer and creator of Feel Free magazine
"This is a book for me. Rose and Erin inspire me to slow down and connect with my creativity daily. As I move away from buying new materials, I'm always looking for ways to put to use what I have on hand. Making Things shows us a way of living -- seeing possibility all around."--Lena Corwin, designer and author of Made By Hand
"This is not your ordinary crafting book, but a beautiful reminder of all the handy and practical things we can actually make ourselves -- everything from pot holders to market totes to storage baskets caddies -- items that will help us organise our homes and simplify our busy lives. I am brimming with ideas after reading this."--Courtney Adamo, writer
