Book Review – Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cut Toys, Magical Treats, and More!

Review – Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cute Toys, Magical Treats, and More! Compiled by Margaret McGuire and Alicia Kachmar, Published by Quirk Books 2010

(Cover photo copyright Quirk Books)

You may have noticed a few Halloween-inspired makes on my blog recently; now, I am completely rubbish when it comes to anything scary but when it comes to cute Halloween I am most certainly there and Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cut Toys, Magical Treats, and More! is definitely on the cute side of wicked!

Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cut Toys, Magical Treats, and More! is full of Halloween-inspired makes and would be great for anyone looking for Halloween party ideas or gifts for both adults' and children's parties. The book is in a dinky 15.5 by 22 cm (~6 by 8 ½ inches) format, which I only mention because it adds to its cuteness! There are 27 projects that, as the title suggests, cover lots of different craft areas from food to decorations. Just as with Microcrafts, also from Quirk, which I reviewed in September, many of the projects are from crafters active on Etsy but unlike Microcrafts, Witch Craft includes crafters from various countries, such as America, Japan, Canada, Thailand and Denmark

There are a lot of projects in this book that I would like to try; for example, I loved the sparkly red shoes from Alicia Kachmar, then there is a super-cute crochet witch from Sayjai T that I want to get my crochet hook out for, and the Plushie Poison Apples project from Jacki Gallagher is to die for! Tee Hee! Of course there is the food as well, such as Maki Ogawa’s Ghost Toasts or Peanut Butter and Jelly Skull Sandwiches that looks spookily yummy and perfect for any party. This book really does cover a lot of crafty areas, and I haven’t even touched on the jewellery and accessories.

High production values are obviously standard at Quirk: like Microcrafts, this book is beautifully photographed, and the step by steps are short and simple and, even though a little bit of crafty common sense would help, many of the projects can be done by a total novice. There aren’t any step-by-step pictures but there are patterns and diagrams for some of the projects to help the making, and there are tips all the way through. There is also some great information about each of the designers in the back, as well as a shopping guide.

I enjoyed reading Witch Craft and I definitely plan to try out some of the projects. The book is very cute and I do like the whimsical approach and presentation style of the Quirk guys. If you are looking for a book as a Halloween gift that contains the SPIRIT of a contemporary crafter then this is for you (did you see what I did there?).

You will find Witch Craft: Wicked Accessories, Creepy-Cut Toys, Magical Treats, and More! already in the shops, as it was published in 2010 and it is available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

(Just so that you know – this book was sent to me by Quirk books to review. My views are honest, unbiased and unpaid, well other than a free copy of the book that is!)