REVIEW: Make It And Mend It

Review by Maggy Woodley of http://www.redtedart.com/

I have long been a fan of the British Blogger team from “Make It & Mend It”. I love their philosophy of, well, Make It & Mend It - that is to say how can we re-use something? How can we make our own? - in a society that is obsessed with shopping and buying everything. This book, and their website, takes you back to basic traditions which used to be common place in a simple non patronising manner.

You will find all sorts, from gardening (home made seedling pots), to jam making and refurbishing old chairs. You will find quirky ideas like a door tea table or quilts made from old sweaters. It addresses the seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) as well as favourite “Holidays/ Occasions”, including Christmas and Mother’s Day. The projects are diverse, so you will either find things that you love and that suit you down to a tee, or you will find projects that you are dying to try out and give you the opportunity to learn something new!

My favourite projects are: Basic Homemade Cleaning Product tips (bring back HomeEd for everyone at schools), the adorable Scotty Doorstops (would make a great Christmas gift, I think!) and the Beano Decoupage projects. Wonderful. This is a nice, all round book, which is much recommended and would make a lovely gift too.

Make It And Mend It
Clare Flynn, Hilary Bruffell, Clare O'Brien and Anne Caborn

RRP - £18.99
David and Charles 
ISBN-10: 1446302407