As a lover of crafting this is a lovely book to be mindful and relax through creativity. It includes some beautiful craft projects suitable for beginners, enabling some time out along with mindful exercises. I wanted to start a nature journal and this was perfect to give me some ideas to start me on my way. It is a shame that there are no colour pictures in this book and that's why it got fall rather than 5 stars from me. A lovely book to gift as a present too.

I found it really difficult to get into this book and as others have noted, there are so many starting points and inspirations online to spark creativity, this book feels a little redundant. Perhaps having the hard copy of the book would be better because you could flick through and land on a page that appealed in the moment, however there is no discernible rhythm to the book. As some reviewers have loved it, it’s clear that it’s use is entirely subjective, and it may be very helpful tool for some to welcome creativity back into their everyday. For those who have read books like Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, this title will not offer much.

Full review will be posted soonish and I'll add links to blog as well.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

There was nothing truly original about "The Joy Journal for Grown-ups" by Laura Brad. Proposed crafts felt quite childish and were comparable to what you'll find on any Pinterest board. It's not to say that one can the same content for free elsewhere. For me, the proposed activities were lacking context, for example why it is beneficial to crafts just to experience pleasure of the activity.

That being said, some of the projects were too elaborate and required gathering materials that are not easily available to many, i.e. seashells. The tone of the book was quite discouraging to me, and it felt like the author and I live in two different worlds, and one is full of unrealised privileges - time and resources to dedicate to procuring supplies and spend on the craft itself. This book also creates a false sense of accessibility which to me came across a bit tone-deaf.

The Joy Journal for Grown-ups isn't a journal. I just want to clear that up first so that anyone purchasing what they think could be a guided journal isn't disappointed. There are some lovely activities in this book to explore and I particularly liked how the book was divided into sections such as 'to give', 'to gather', 'to celebrate'. When I read into the activity ideas I love the sound of them, I would have like to have had a rough idea of how long an activity may take. There are some lovely outline drawings of activities but for me I would have loved fully illustrated images of projects or photographs of completed ideas.

This is a book that is worth its weight in gold! The activities in here are perfect ways to ensure that spare time is spend creatively and joyfully. I would go as far as to say these activities will improve mental health such is the healing and uplifting power of engaging in creativity!

There is mention in some of the activities as being well placed as 'ice-breakers' in social group situations which I feel is a fantastic idea to bring people together and sure to extend the appeal of the book. I won't share the activities for fear of providing a spoiler, but I will say that I was delighted that it does not require much in the way of specific equipment or skill, so it is accessible to a wide range of people.

The presentation of the book is just lovely! Both the graphics and the text are on point, and marries beautiful to another (equally fantastic book I have read from this author 'The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play'

This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Initially I thought this might have been a guided journal to help destress and grt us away from the stress of the world and also away from technology. I was a bit disappointed it's not a journal as you'd think it would be.

It is packed full of creative ideas however and I could really resonate with Laura's words about the importance of finding time for creativity and finding joy in things to distress.

The craft ideas included had line drawings to show simple examples of what it would look like, but I would have liked photographs. I personally feel photographs would have inspired me more and would have made such a huge difference.
I will say I don't think I'd create any of the crafts, as they seemed abit pointless or alot of effort to create, rather than small simple things that would be super easy to make.

Depending on what you want from a craft destress book will depend on if you find this super helpful or just lacking that wow factor.

Overall a great little book, perfect for dipping in and out of when life gets stressful and you need some time to yourself. A cure little coffee table book for those who like doing some self care crafts. But abit lackluster for me and I needed more from it.

A chance to slow down…… Whether you are a beginner or confident crafter, bestselling author Laura Brand gently guides you through a host of delightful projects including beautiful flower-pressed candles, scented body butter, and origami hearts. She invites you to carve out 'me time' and enjoy shared creative experiences with friends

I think what most appeals about this book is the beautiful introduction by the author, talking a bit more about the importance of creativity and the link between creativity and well-being. Another highlight for me is the creative exercises at the beginning - Finding Inspiration, Waking creativity and more. The author also suggests lots of activities to get the creative juices flowing, some of my favourites included Painted Mandala Pebbles, Pounded Petal Prints and tips on creating homemade cards and letter writing.

Initially I thought this might have been a guided journal with space to write so I was a bit disappointed it's not a journal as such. It is packed full of creative ideas however and I could really resonate with Laura's words about the importance of finding time for creativity as a busy mum of two.

Many thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

This is a great little book, perfect for dipping into when life gets stressful and you need some time to d3compress. I love how each idea is quick, simple and generally doesn’t involve buying ingredients. The practical tips are very useful and give confidence to someone trying a technique for the first time. My only complaint, with this book, is the lack of photographs to show the finished products. Personally, I think these would inspire me to try more things out. There are line drawings, which is better than nothing, but the inclusion of photographs would make a huge difference.

I wasn’t sure to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. To be honest it wasn’t all for me, but there were several ideas and topics that I really found interesting.
I would liken it to going through my mum’s jewellery box, many things were pretty but just not to my taste, but there were always some treasures that I loved, yet if my sister looked through it, she would find different treasures that she loved. This book is like this and I think there would be some treasures to be found by everyone.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It starts off easily, holding your hand and encouraging you to do the simplest of creative tasks - something anyone could do without feeling self conscious or worrying about failing. Starting is the hardest part, thinking that you won't be able to do the task and then giving up. This book bypasses those feelings and reassures you right from the beginning. A book full of fabulous craft projects is only useful once you have the confidence to tackle it !

The Joy Journal for Grown ups, is a guide of how one can be more mindful and find joy in things they usually overlook.
That said for people who already practice mindfulness will find these tips freely on SM especially Pinterest, so o wouldn't buy this as a compiled in one place book.

I loved the concept of this book - lovely little projects to create little islands of stillness in a busy world. I just found it somewhat lacking. The book was well constructed with clear sections and well put-together methods and instructions. The illustrations the book had were really lovely and simple, but there weren't any pictures of any of the projects made to completion. Because of this, it was hard to get excited about any of them - especially since most of the projects were stuff you find in pretty much every craft-based Instagram or TikTok out there. In fact, Brand's own Instagram has photographs of some of the finished products!

There just wasn't enough in this to pique my interest and keep me motivated enough to want to create anything. Especially since a lot is just space-wasting, and the things that weren't didn't have enough instructions to be of any genuine use.

This was nice as a pretty illustrated coffee table book, but completely missed the mark as a genuine crafting book.