The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

Book Review: Charms: 20 Beading Projects

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Simply Charms: 20 Beading Projects (Simply Pamphlet) is published by Lark Crafts and is a 64 page paperback-style book. As the subtitle indicates, it has 20 projects, and it retails in the US for $9.95 and Canada for $11.95. Considering the number of projects compared to the price point, this book is well-priced. It is a slim volume though, not overly full of technique instructions, which is just 5 pages. However, the projects included are pretty simple, good for jewelry making beginners.

The projects were designed by a variety of jewelry designers, and I am guessing most projects were reprinted from a collection of previously published books. This is just something to keep in mind. I see a pretty good amount of jewelry books on a regular basis, and I can’t say that I recognized any of the designs.

One other possible issue is that some project use very specific materials that not everyone may be able to acquire that easily. For example, there is a really cute bracelet that includes souvenir penny charms. I did a brief search online to see if I could quickly find vendors that sell these and had no luck. I would guess with more time and effort you may be able to find somewhere to purchase these, but they are not supplies you could find at most craft stores for example.

For beginning jewelry makers who like charms and want an economical book to help you with basic techniques for using them as well as design ideas, this book is definitely worth considering.

Author: Tammy

Welcome to the Crafty Princess Diaries, my weblog and site where I get to blab about my passion for crafts, primarily jewelry making, and my crafting career. My name is Tammy Powley, and I decided to call my blog the Crafty Princess Diaries because of this very dorky picture I have of myself and because my husband often refers to me as “the princess and the pea,” which is just another way to say that I tend to be particular sometimes. Along with this weblog, I have a number of jewelry making books published.

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