Crafts & Hobbies

Indulge your artistic side, explore your imagination and record your thoughts or life in your own personalized scrapbook journal, collaged with ephemera and embellished with stickers, cut-outs and motivational quotes.

Sometimes referred to as a smash or junk journal, scrapbooking can be used to create collages of your favourite themes, record moments or ideas, or keep a lasting record of memorabilia. Discover all the inside tricks and tips from the most popular scrapbooker on social media, and explore her themed layouts, from dark academia to vintage fashion. Find out how she puts her pages together, what inspires her, how and where she sources materials and tools, and how she works in those tiny, tiny notebooks. Packed with inspirations, motivations and practical know-how, you'll soon be hooked on this hands-on hobby that expresses your creativity and relaxes your mind and body at the same time.

Hand-painted signs, stickered slogans and knitted hats: craft and protest have gone hand in hand since people began to take to the streets and stand up for change. A way of visualising your beliefs, craftivism combines a passion for making with the desire to make your voice heard - using your own hands to quietly subvert the status quo.

Rebel Crafts collects projects that will inspire change, resist injustice and subvert the everyday. Experienced craft author Hester's Handmade Home shares expert advice in 12 fully illustrated step-by-step makes. With crafts suitable for both the experienced maker and the beginner, Hester will teach you how to stitch your way to freedom, screen-print for equality, letter-write for the people and sport your feminist credentials on a badge. Filled with beautifully photographed ideas for how to use and style your makes, Rebel Crafts is a fun and right-on collection of activism-inspired activities.

In 40 Ways to Fold a Napkin you will discover 40 ways to turn your meal into a tablescaped event, worthy of an Instagram post. From simple folds that can hold cutlery to elegant knots, quirky envelopes and more, your event will instantly become more refined and classy. There are even some special folds for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and more.

From birthdays to DIY weddings, dinner parties or just a Friday night at home for two, this stylish guide is for anyone who loves to entertain. Make every meal an event by folding your napkins.

Whittling is more than just a way of busying idle hands - it is a pastime for those who love the texture of wood and a way of life for those who feel a special connection between people and trees. 

This beautiful and practical guide to the art of whittling offers the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life and a means of getting back to basics and creating unique items from scratch. Inside you will learn about the ancient art of whittling as one of the earliest forms of artistic expression; the different types of wood to use in your work; the simple tools you need to get started; and the various cutting techniques. 

The Art of Whittling also preaches the idea of Danish hygge - translating to coziness and being with friends and family in a warm atmosphere. Here, author Niklas Karlsson gives us an insight into why the Danes are considered the happiest people in the world - and how you can bring some hygge into your own lives.

More than just a manual, this book offers a contemplative view on a skill that is more popular than ever.

Britain is one of a triumvirate of nations - the others being France and Italy - that is revered globally for its fine craftsmanship and heritage skills. However, while France is wedded to the continuation of 17th- and18th-century master craftsmanship and Italy is focused on particular materials, notably leather working and stone working, Britain is uniquely able to both look back and move forward where craft is concerned. Nowhere else will you find true excellence and mastery of a craft coupled with such innovation and eye for design. Craftsmanship in Britain is neither dying nor dead, but is a continuing and exciting exploration of process, materials and ideas spanning architecture, interiors, fashion and art.

Cool, Calm and Collected introduces the vast array of British craft, from the craftspeople who keep the heritage alive, such as Savile Row tailors and stained-glass makers, to crafts on the edge of extinction - clog makers, damask weavers - and urban craft, artists and more.

Illustrated throughout with stunning shots of the finished products, to behind-the-scenes images in studios and workshops or craftspeople at work, this timely publication celebrates the bespoke craft skills of Britain as a global force, and will hopefully inspire a new generation to seriously consider a professional life in craft.