Jean Campbell (2)

There are three main aspects to this book - the projects, technical advice, and vignettes giving the reader a view into the world of steampunk culture. The vignettes are nice enough, but anyone with any familiarity with steampunk will find them fairly basic. The projects - in terms of the objects, that's a matter of taste. I have to admit that I'm not that fond of the filigree and charms variety of steampunk jewelry, and there's more of that in here than I'd like.

But the technical advice is show more excellent. The book includes discussion of materials - how to find and use them; tools and techniques; and safety cautions. The publishers have decided to forgo the steampunk aesthetic in their how-to illustrations, but the clarity of the information makes this an acceptable sacrifice. I have added it to my to-buy shelf for the technical skills information alone, as I'm not interested in any of the specific projects, but love the practical advice. show less

An inspiring collection of steampunk style jewellery designs which includes some interesting background material on steampunk fashion, art, and influences.

I would prefer that the "how to assemble" sections had more photographs though as I am not fond of diagrams with mainly text instructions. However the diagrams themselves are fairly clear. And to be fair I have not attempted to make any of the designs myself yet and most of the projects don't look too difficult to have a go at.

The show more creativity and variety of approaches to steampunk style jewellery showcased here provide a lot of ideas to expand on. Every time I flick through this book I get ideas that could apply beyond jewellery pieces to altered art and mixed media.

Well worth a look. show less

The awkward format hinders my enjoyment of this tall, skinny book. The designs are nothing earth-shattering, and are mostly too cluttered for my taste. Some of them look like the object was to see how many beads could be stuck on a single project and still have it be wearable. A couple of good technical tips make it worth reading, though.

On the surface of it, an ultra-simple, ultra-plain beading book sounds like a fine idea. After all, there's so much you can learn that it can be extremely daunting to the beginner. Unfortunately, beading is a complex hobby, and there's no good way to get around that, particularly if you want to cover all the bases. Going with simple inevitably means leaving things out that you really shouldn't. While the basic information and projects in Jean Campbell's book are certainly useful, I didn't show more end up feeling as though I'd gotten all that far into what I needed to know---and didn't feel ready to tackle the complex virtual aisles of an online beading catalog.

Best for dabblers or for people who get easily overwhelmed when learning a new craft.

For a longer version of this review, visit Errant Dreams. show less