Making Things

The new book Making Things by Erin Boyle and Rose Pearlman has already been read multiple times and dog-eared by several of my family members. It’s a simple yet brilliant compilation of 100+ useful craft projects / tutorials that are accessible and yet entirely dreamy all at once.

What makes this particular book such a treasure is not just its clever ideas and beautiful visuals, but the way in which it encourages us to look around and use (and then reuse) what we already have on-hand, rather than calling on us to dash to the nearest craft store and stock up on pricey and newly manufactured materials that we might never employ to the fullest… or even open in the first place. Most of the items that Erin and Rose use and recommend to bring their genius and utilitarian concepts to life can already be found around the home, or acquired at a secondhand store or through a neighborhood swap.

It’s also worth noting that this book acknowledges and pays homage to the origins of many of the techniques used—  something that stood out to me as being highly important and surprisingly rare.

Making Things reminds me that many of the capitalistic tendencies that dug us deeper into climate crisis can not only be avoided, but that life is truly so much richer when we don’t aim to buy our way through it, and instead forge our paths with creativity, community and responsible stewardship as our guides.

Armed with this book and the mindset buoyed by its contents, one could never truly be bored.