A lot of embroidery. [Craft Your Own Happy by Becci Mai Ford]

Craft Your Own Happy is a collection of mindful craft projects to make you smile! Perfect for those moments when you need a bit of self-care and relaxation time.

Do you ever feel like you spend too much of your day staring at screens, feeling anxious or stressed out? If the answer is yes - then you need this book! The cute colourful projects have all been designed with the feel-good-factor in mind. Crafting can help to take you away from the worries and pressures of your daily life, and give you back those moments of slowness and focus which can help to reduce anxiety.

Unlike other craft books, this is a book that you can dip into and find projects based upon how you are feeling. So you can craft to suit your mood! There are 25 beginner friendly projects to choose from including cross stitching, embroidery, paper craft and more… Why worry when you can craft happy!

I'm always eager to read a self-care book that's very hands-on. So whether that's curating the best space for relaxation and reflection or whether that's DIY crafts, I'm there for it. Becci Mai Ford's Craft Your Own Happy is a collection of the latter, spread throughout themed chapters that reflect some of the best subheadings of self-care.

25 projects seems like a solid amount of craft projects to do, until you realize they're mostly variations on a theme. Basic embroidery skills take you through at least half of the projects and those that remain are either very basic or variations on another craft skill themselves. And that's great, especially as this is marketed towards beginners, for those wanting a quick craft or those looking to get into handicrafts. But this is not the book to get someone who can already be considered a maker.

Some of these projects are primed for Instagram. Likewise a lot of these projects can be learned from a quick minute or IGTV video. If not, one could easily check YouTube and find a majority of these skills and projects demonstrated, not delineated in photo accompanied step-by-step tutorials. In the age of social media and video hosting sites I don't know what the future of craft and hobby books is, and though I doubt they're going away any time soon I do imagine they'll have to bring newer and fresh ideas to the creative marketplace. 3 stars from me.

Craft Your Own Happy is to be published September 30, 2020.