A Year of Creativity

A lovely book of creativity. So much inspiration and set out beautifully. Great idea for getting together with friends and crafting away.

A wonderful idea for crafters: get together with friends, have pre-packaged (and, of course, color-coordinated) materials ready for each attendee, and spend time making a craft together. This is a beautiful book with lots of terrific ideas. I especially liked the usefulness and practicality of the crafts featured. All of the crafts can be done in the space of a couple of hours. A few recipes are featured, as well. I hope this idea catches on!

Love this entire book! From the topic itself of craft dates with close friends, to the actual photography and its lovely color pallet and designs. I plan to make sure our library has a copy and hope to find fellow enthusiasts!

"A Year of Creativity" by crafters Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, Bregje Konings presents the ideas of "craft dates," getting together with a group of close friends to do something creative with friends and treats. These dates are filled with lots of laughter, deeper connection and everyone gets a lovely creation they made out of it.

The book is chock full of projects, more than 20 different ideas to follow, requiring varying amounts of time with relative degrees of difficulty. Some projects have little instruction and are fairly straightforward, while other are meticulously outlined. The book is full of helpful photos to guide the reader through steps and to capture the "look" the makers intended.

There are even some tasty treats and comfort foods that are sprinkled throughout the book for the craft dates. This is book is perfect for a tight-knit group of crafter friends looking for some new ideas and challenges to tackle together.

I received this eBook free of charge from Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

This is everything you want in a craft book- the pictures are brightly coloured and eye catching, the directions are clear and concise plus none of them made me feel intimidated at all. I love the idea of a craft date but would be happy trying any of these projects solo. Like real MVPs the authors have even included delicious recipes. I found plenty of interesting ideas that I never would have considered. Recommended.

I am not crafty whatsoever, but if I were and had a lot of crafty friends, I would scoop up this delightful book in a heartbeat, featuring such gorgeous photos and design. It offers 25 fab ideas for creative parties with project ideas and even snack recipes. Invite your friends to make infinity scarves, knit garlands, haberdashery bags, colorful aprons, and more — all while enjoying delicious party dishes. There’s an online instagram community where you can post photos of your creations using hashtag #craftdates. Even suggests inviting Insta-friends you don’t yet know for a “blind date” crafts party to expand your friendship circle and array of creative ideas. A whole new crafty world awaits! 5/5

Pub Date 23 Jul 2019

Thanks to the authors, HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#AYearOfCreativity #NetGalley

A nice mix of crochet, sewing and recipes with gorgeous photos. Instructions are clear and easy to follow and the projects range from basic to intermediate skill level, so something for a lot of crafters in there. A few patterns in the crochet are a little repetitive. For example a project basket and a vase cover, essentially the same thing, but different yarns and styles do make them both appealing.

There are definitely a few things in here I’ll be making, more the crochet side of things than the recipes.

This is one of my most beautiful books about crafting that I have ever seen. I love all of the pictures that were included both of finished products and of the step by step process of making the items. I also loved the different crafts that were in the book, including recipes. This is a beautiful book and I am sure many people will enjoy getting together and crafting with this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


so many great projects! I can't wait to put some to use.

This book presents a wonderful idea for getting together with friends in the form of "craft Dates". Who wouldn't want to join this club ! The book itself is beautifully designed with colour co-ordinated crafts and inspiration. The photographs are lovely and it really does encourage you to call up your friends and grab your needles. The projects are relatively quick and easy to follow. This would make a wonderful coffee table book, great for dipping into for a bit of visual indulgence. A great book and a fabulous idea.

When did we all become so dependent on others to tell us how to relax? Or how to get together with friends?

This book is great if you have creative friends and you keep saying “We have to get together some day and just do some crafting.” It’s also useful if you are at a place where crafting is encouraged but you are not all super close (for example, the campground I am a seasonal at has a craft club that meets every week, but the members are incredibly varied in backgrounds and craft levels. A book like this would give good structure). If you are crafting with friends, though, while this book may be a great jumping off point, it’s also good for picking and choosing to help get your creative energies flowing, I am not sure it’s completely needed.

It does have great pictures, easy to follow instructions. I just wish it wasn’t as needed as it is these days to help provide structure amongst friends. That isn’t commentary on the book, it’s commentary on contemporary society.

An absolutely gorgeous book that was incredibly intimidating (in a good way). It's an inspiring book that makes me want to have more craft dates in a more organized manner (other than spreading out). Unfortunately, I think I'm just not talented enough for quite a few of the projects (or patient!) -- I think this would be a great book for a true and talented crafter. There's a saying in the book 'if i can't take my yarn i'm not going' -- I think that's a good indication for who would response best to a book like this. I don't have an ounce of yarn in my home :D. There are even recipes (that I can do!) that are beautifully photographed and simple to follow.

This is both a beautiful book and has lots of great craft ideas. The crafts are well written and explained well. This book would make the perfect gift for someone in your life that loves crafting. Also has plenty of ideas for things to do with a group of crafters. Will certainly be purchasing it for the library.

Fab book full of great inspiration for home made things that all look not too complicated to do. Lovely pictures and wording seems well thought out too. I am looking forward to trying some of these out soon.

Lots of great ideas for getting together with crafty friends. Along with crafts, the authors have included several recipes. The crafts are mostly on the simpler side, making; perfect for sharing with those less experienced in that craft. Overall, a nice collection of creative ideas for spending time with friends.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful book! The crafts and the book itself are very well designed; it was inspirational! The one caveat is that this book includes a variety of types of projects (crochet, knitting, recipes), so it will best serve crafters that have a variety of interests and some experience (the instructions assume basic knowledge exists already). It would also work well for a group that gets together (such as the group that inspired the book with "craft dates") and can share their different areas of expertise.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book read just like watching an episode of something crafty on tv. With a focus on bringing friends together for an activity and fellowship regardless of skill level, it makes everything approachable. The crafts themselves seemed very simple and vanilla for a seasoned crafter, but it is well suited for a variety of people to work on something together. The crafts also seem yarn heavy, so easy to get supplies. I really like the idea of this book being written together by women with different styles, showing how everything comes together nicely.

As a person who enjoys crafts and creating,, this book is beautifully put together with fresh ideas. The photographs are visually appealing.
This is the type of book you savor for inspiration on furutre products. I have received a free copy of this book and am providing my review voluntarily.

This is a really beautiful, inspiring book full of stunning photography and creative projects to arrange craft dates and to make your year full of creative practice. I love the layout, the clarity, the inspiration and the Instagram handles (as this recognises how key Instagram is nowadays in creativity).

A Year of Creativity came as a beautiful digital download, The book is detailed, informative, and includes rich images. Perfect for the crafty.

I love everything about A Year of Creativity! A beautifully photographed book full of crafting ideas to do with your friends on craft dates, it comes complete with supply lists, detailed and easy to understand instructions, packaging ideas and even recipes to make when it's your turn to host!

What can be better than being with your friends, creating something unique and beautiful? If you're a crafter of any sort, you will enjoy this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Quarry Books for allowing me the privilege of reading an ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an unbiased opinion. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The crafting is all related to knitting, crocheting, and sewing. There are some other projects, but even those are aimed towards these crafts. The title is somewhat misleading; In my opinion, crafting is much more diverse and the book is certainly not filled with projects for a year as I expected. The book contains about 20 project ideas for craft parties: Crafting with friends.

The book is certainly not for beginners! Techniques are not explained in detail. If you don't know how to knit or crochet, you need other sources.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This is one of those books that is so beautifully made that it instantly gives me a feeling of serenity. I love crafts, but am hopelessly starting new projects and never finishing. This book is easy to follow and inspires me to get back into the crafty life.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this crafting idea book, but it is adorable- a series of suggestions of projects and ideas to turn crafternoon (or any small crafting group) into a more fun and formalized plan. The projects mainly look doable for moderately experienced crafters, and the hints of foods to serve and ways to package the materials are well considered and precious. I’m not sure my crafting friends are up for the ideas, but I’d love to try! I think the oilskin project bag or the same color/different pattern cushions would be a great place to start.

Five crafty stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in return for this unbiased opinion.

Do you craft with your friends? If you do, or if you think you might want to, take a look at A Year of Creativity A Craft Date Planner to Meet, Share, and Create by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, and Bregje Konings.







The idea behind a craft date is that a group of friends gets together to spend an afternoon (or maybe a whole weekend) making something. One member of the group chooses the project and brings the supplies, all attractively packaged like gifts, and then the creativity begins.



The book is full of projects and ideas for snacks packaging the craft kits for the day. If I've got one doubt its that if more than one of the craft date participants reads the book in advance, the surprise might be spoiled. The authors assume that everyone can knit and crochet and sew, or at least knows the basics.



I'm seriously loving this idea and wondering who I could round up to give it a try.

Wonderfully original book

Written by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek and Bregje Konings this is a great collection of unique projects. Wonderful pictures and complete instructions for the crafter.
I received an advance reader copy.

Cutest craft book ever! Love the adorable craft ideas in the book. Definitely feeling inspired and planning on trying a few. I have so many people in mind that would love this book. Will be buying this book when it is published.

So you want to make something special. And when you look back, you want to have finished projects on the wall, the floor, the landscape ... at work, home, and elsewhere. This planner is for you.

Enjoy the prompts and interactions. You already have to know something about crafting and have some basic skills. But at the end of the day, beyond diapers or dishes or weeding, you'll have something that makes you smile and enhances your spaces.

Recommended.

A Year of Creativity is a beautifully put together book that explores the concept of the "craft date," where a group of friends get together to combine their creativity and come up with some great projects from crochet afghans, to bags and cards, to candied raspberry salad. There is something to spark everyone's creativity along with directions for all the crafts shown. I got a lot of ideas I want to try out of this one!

The book itself is gorgeous. The designer uses great pictures, lovely colors and completed projects y create a feast for the eyes. The authors mainly look at sewing crafts and cooking with a few other media projects mixed so this isn't a book that would help me a lot personally. At first glance, the projects don't have much detail but an appendix keeps the look of the book while giving you more detailed info.

I am not good enough for almost all of the stuff that is explained in this book, but the pictures are worthy the price of the book!

Non sono in grado nemmeno di provare a fare piú della metá dei progetti fai da te spiegati in questo libro, ma le bellissime immagini valgono il prezzo del libro!

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

‘A year of Creativity’ is a great source of ideas for a craft date with friends.
I absolutely love the idea of trying something new,especially when you spend and afternoon with your friends.

Easy to follow instructions and great pictures make this book a perfect gift or a perfect resource for trying a new project.

A Year of Creativity by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, and Bregje Konings is a book of great patterns, instructions, ideas, and photographs for yarn projects. The skill level varies, and as a bonus they include cute ideas for packaging gifts and a recipe to go with some of them. The book has beautiful, full color photos. Fiber artists of any level would love this book.

This is wonderful! I’ll be buying this as a gift for sure.

I love the instructions and I love that there is a mix of foody and crafty things to do! Great :)

What a great concept: getting together with a group of friends to enjoy crafting, fellowship, and food. A Year of Creativity offers suggestions as to how to host just such a craft party. Complete with project ideas, recipes and tips on how to organize a “craft date”, it offers many ideas and more than enough inspiration. There is a wealth of information as well as patterns for the various projects, but the real star of the book are the beautiful photographs. They definitely complete the book and make it a winner.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book was so much better than the cover let me think! I wish so badly that the cover was bright and fresh and as beautiful as the rest of this book was. Not all crafters or crocheters are of a certain age and there is no reason for us not to turn crafting up. Create dates and fun parties and cute new projects mean you won’t be crocheting doilies with Grammy unless that is exactly what you wish to do. So fun and I’m so happy to see this

A Year of Creativity is a great book to add to your crafter’s collection. There are so many ideas for projects and parties. There is something included for different skill levels.

This is a craft version of a recipe book, with some beautiful crafts to make and enjoy throughout the year. This would be a perfect gift for the crafty person in your life of any ability. The various crafts are suitable for all ages and abilities and come with clear and concise instructions.

The basis of this book is about friends getting together to have a Craft Date. It has lots of details of how this can be organized. Everything from recipes for food to serve to how to package your craft projects for each person participating that day. The object of this Craft Date is to have everyone working on the same project for that session. There are a total of 25 projects: 12 short projects, 5 cooperative or weekend projects, 8 longer projects. Each project shows all 4 of the author’s versions of it. All of the projects are pretty.

Most of these projects are not for beginners at crafting. You have to be already creatively inclined and know about different types of crafts and technics because things are not explained. First project listed for example is a crochet sleeve for vases, no description of how to do the stitches, just the pattern to follow. Also being that you are using a vase or glass unique to your home it’s going to be different from what the pattern calls for so you need to know how to adjust the pattern to fit your glass. The book doesn’t show in progress pictures as a how-to guide, only the end results. Some material is not even put in with the corresponding project but located in the back of the book. It gets confusing because there is no reason for it not to be together.

I have been involved with monthly craft parties but where everyone has their own project they are working on. To me this works better because everyone has different abilities and are at different skill levels. Then there is the inevitable comparing of projects if everyone is doing the same thing. If you do these craft dates it’s important to have people with your same craft skill level or otherwise it can get competitive and showing up others. The listed projects are such that if you aren’t good at it, it will show very clearly.

I thought this book was just about crafting projects to do, like one a week or something. I didn’t know what it was about until I got into it. If I had known I probably wouldn’t have read it.

I agreed to read this book as an advance copy thru NetGallery. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, let me gush over the pictures! The book itself is so aesthetic and the palette colours fit so perfectly with the theme. I love how this book was written by 4 friends, and each project seems to have its own intimate owner. The projects are amazing and of varying degrees of difficulty, so there will always be something for everyone in this craft book!

Recommend for those who enjoy crafts, working with yarn, or baking!

A wonderfully inspirational book for creativity, well laid out, bright and appealing, wonderful ideas for the family or alone time crafting. wonderful

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I love the crafts and recipes in this book. The instructions seem to be geared toward serious crafters, so I'm not sure my students would take the time to figure them out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced look at this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the authors for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for handwork.

A Year of Creativity is a great idea book for anyone looking to change things up! I loved the simple ideas and some a bit more challenging. I am craft challenged and I loved this book. Directions were easy to follow and understand. I will keep one of these on hand for my next house warming party!

A beautiful book with ideas for 'craft dates' with friends. It gives 25 ideas of crafts (think habardashery not paper and paint or cooking) and ways to beautifully present the equipment needed. For the age of instagram crafting this works well. Alas my level of crafting isn't up to this. I can knit and sew competently but the instructions on how to do the crafts are somewhat minimal so this is for dedicated fabric crafters only really.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

A Year of Creativity: A Craft Planner to Meet, Share and Create by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, Bregje Konings


I was given an advanced reader copy of this by Quarry Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



I love the whole idea behind this book and I loved how it was executed. There is a great variety of projects in different craft types including: crochet, sewing, inspiration boards, recipes, knitting, painting, inspiration books, embroidery, and yarn dyeing.


It goes through how to organize different types of craft dates as well as how to create tool stations for the day's project. It also goes through how to package the completed project.


I want to make several of the projects from this book including Bregje's Apron, Miriam's Crochet Scarf, and Petra's Oilskin Project Bag.


This is a great book for anyone that like to craft in groups and like to have themed projects.

Love the idea of A Year of Creativity. Some of the projects seem a little complex for a beginner. Overall, a good craft guide.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for ARC. All opinions are my own.

There’s nothing I love more get togethers with my closest friends for craft nights.

I loved all the different ideas in this book to kee is crafting different projects throughout the year.

I also loved that it wasn’t just a paper project, or a sewing project but a wide variety of crafts for beginners or some of the more seasoned crafters.

I was given an early copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review! Thank you!! I can’t wait to make all of these projects with my friends!

Great ideas for planning a craft date party with friends, I can't wait to try some of these projects!

A Year of Creativity is a planner with crafting prompts created by a group of four artists from the Netherlands. Originally published in Dutch in 2018, the English translation was released 23rd July 2019 by Quarry on their Quarto imprint. It's 144 pages and available in paperback format.

This is a beautifully appealing book. The photography is so calm and coordinated and the concept of a craft date, where everyone brings supplies for all the attendees to complete similar projects reminds me a bit of the old time quilting bees which I remember from my childhood. The social aspects of crafting together and the interaction and mutual support are so valuable. Here's a short definition from the introduction:

A Craft Date is a fun date with a handful of creative-types in which you surprise each other with craft and DIY projects and specific materials and make beautiful things together.
At each date, a group of participants come up with a self-made project to be carried out by the other attendees and provide everyone with the necessary materials. These materials are chosen based on the specific taste of each attendee and are packaged up and given like a unique personal gift. With these gifts and the step-by-step instructions of the planners in hand, everyone gets to work



The chapter progression is easy to follow and even includes some recipes scattered throughout the book for snacks to have when people come together for social crafting. The page numbers are listed together in the table of contents for easy access. There is a short tutorial chapter which includes very basic instruction for crochet, some fabric related tutorial information, etc. The majority of the page content is used on the 25 project tutorials. The table of contents color codes the tutorials into short-longer-weekend/coop projects, which is very handy.

The projects themselves are stylish and varied. There's a lot of crochet, but there's also some sewing, papercrafting, DIYing, painting, and more. I really love the idea of getting friends together for social crafting with the freedom of not having to all work on the same type of craft! I knit and sew a great deal for charity (hospital preemie department, refugee camps in other parts of the world, knitting for refugees, etc) and I have often thought whilst sitting with my knitting buddies how great it would be if they could hang out with my sewing buddies. Craft dates are the perfect solution! It's interesting to me also how often solutions to problems which have popped up during one crafting process can be solved with a technique from another type of crafting. I bet having people who are crafters of different sorts could well give synergistic benefits and expand our boundaries.

I received an electronic ARC, so I can't evaluate the finishing on the physical book, but I will say that every other aspect, from typesetting and graphics, to photography, to projects and recipes are very well done and meticulously presented.

I loved the included projects. The photography is beautiful and easy to follow. The translation is seamless and I found no errors in the instructions.

5 stars. Lovely job!

What an interesting book! The general idea is that a group of like-minded people plan regular craft get-togethers. That's not really a new idea, but the authors have taken it up a notch by adding custom-made craft kits for each participant. They suggest that each time, one person is in charge of making kits for all the others, with everything each person will need to complete the craft project. To me, this is one step too far, but it may be right up other people's alley. It would be a great idea for a one-off event, such as a party or baby shower, maybe, but for my tastes, it would be too much overplanning for regular craft meetups. Not only is it a lot of work for someone to make all the kits, it could be a little stifling to control what every group member is going to make. This book *does* have some great project suggestions, though, so I can see using it for ideas, but letting everyone in the group decide on their own particulars. Recommended mainly for the project ideas and inspiration.

A beautiful book to looks at, based on the rather lovely idea of craft dates - like play dates, but for grown up crafters! Some lovely ideas, calling for a range of skills so there should be something doable for most crafters. Crochet, some recipes, sewing and a woodwork project. A lovely book for someone who likes crafting with their friends.

A beautifully presented book of projects. I have a few friends who eat, sleep, craft, repeat and they would definitely love this book as a present.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A variety of projects for the beginner to the more advanced crafts person. Includes a few recipes. Beautiful photographs go with instructions and show finished projects. Complete supply lists with sources, No holiday projects are included. Recommend this book to keep in your craft book collection.

Let your creativity flow
"A Year of Creativity. A Craft Date Planner to Meet, Share, and Create" compiled by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, and Bregje Konings and published by Quarto Publishing - Quarry is a book that wants to bring friends together to recreate a project prepared by one of the participants. This approach is different than a workshop where one might know or might not know the other participants. The goal of those craft dates is to meet, share, and create.
The book starts with basic information such as "How it All Began", "How Does a Craft Date Work?", or "Craft Date - Materials", that will help readers to set up their own craft dates with their friends. It also includes five recipes that can be enjoyed as snacks while crafting and some information about the techniques used.
The book contains 25 projects, e.g. cards, bags, scarfs, and decorations, which are color-coded in the table of content according to the amount of time needed (short projects, longer projects, and weekend or cooperative projects). These projects use various techniques such as crocheting, sewing, or knitting and include ideas how to pack the craft supplies.
I appreciated this creative approach of working together where the invitees can put their own spin on the proposed project and so individualize it. The book contains inspirational photographs and is presented in a great design. Even the packaging of the project provides inspirations to the readers. The book can be recommended for readers with basic skills since the projects are not too complicated but can be used also by advanced crafters.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#AYearofCreativity #NetGalley

I got the book and dived in, and was pretty intimidated, in a good way, but I've devoured it. It's been an amazing read, and has given me a tonne of brilliant ideas to try out.
Well worth a good look!
Thank you to the authors, HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley my copy to review.

#AYearOfCreativity #NetGalley

So many inspirating craft ideas, packed with projects and a great friends bonding idea to have crafting get togethers. Tips for how to create you party, a mixture of solo and group crafts, and even recipes for munchies.

Wonderful pictures and great instructions. This book is filled with amazing DIY projects, craft ideas, recipes. Very inspirational and I just love it!

I don’t know what happened when this book downloaded for me but for some reason my copy was totally messed up, I couldn’t see the majority of the images, list of supplies or the steps, but from what I did get to see I can say this book is great to inspire you and some friends to get together and either pick a project from this book or find a new project and craft together.

Each project you’ll find a supply list along with, step by step instructions with images and has images. There is also a section about the authors and how all of the began and how they went about doing it.

You get several craft projects and a few recipes, most of which are for every skill level of crafter, but there are a few projects for very experienced crafters.

Love the concept behind this book (get together with your friends for a craft night) -
Love the beautiful photography throughout -
Appreciate the information, recipes, techniques and projects provided =
Why host a girl's night out when you can host a girl's night in?

What a great collection of crafts to last you all year long. I could see gifting this book to several of my craftier friends. I found the illustrations and instructions helpful and thorough.

An interesting craft book with ideas for getting together with friends to have craft dates.

It provides around 25 ideas of crafts which is generally sewing, crocheting and knitting. Some of the projects gave basic instructions on how to carry it out, such as making a crochet pot cover or shows an apron but there didnt seem to be a template. Included are a few recipes too, which in a way seemed out of place.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this eBook.

A Year of Creativity by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek and Bregje Konings is a beautifully put together book about simple and easy to make DIYs. The book was fun to read and beautiful to look at. This will make a perfect gift for crafty friends.

A really lovely collection of ideas. I love the idea of a craft date and this gives plenty of inspiration. I hope that my library ends up purchasing a copy so I am able to recommend this to all my crafting customers

Such a fun book to not only get inspired from but also just to flip through an look at all the ideas. I aloe le at there is a mixture of different levels, so that people that don't really craft a lot can still find things and people that do it a lot will also not be bored. I would also guess that a good amount of those ideas are possible for children to do and will be fun for them.
Defiantly worth a look!

This book was really fun to go through! The projects are really adorable and are easy to follow. Most of the projects involves knowing the basics already of how to crochet, knit, and sew (the patterns are very pretty though) but doesn't limit itself just to projects because there are some recipes! At the end of the book, there are some tips on how to create the crochet/knitting/sewing patterns and the steps to some of the projects which weren't in the same pages.

The photography is really beautiful and vibrant, I was honestly satisfied and inspired just by looking at them! Each project title has the name of the author who thought of it too! (Which I think is a very nice touch).

The projects that most caught my eyes are the paper weights, the hurricane lights, the inspiration books, and the crochet bag definitely!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

What a nice idea these four ladies have come up with. I belong to a fibre group and each meeting we bring our own individual projects, but this idea is that everyone one makes or contributes to one same item, either for themselves or as a group project. There are kits to make up to swap around, done up as beautiful gifts, ready for each recipient. Lunch is share whilst making the one of a kind project.
The patterns and ideas in this book are really beautiful, useful and varied and include, crotchet, sewing, printing, and woodwork
A lovely idea and a lovely book

There were lots of accesible and fun projects to do, I'm looking forward yo try some of these! They were well explained, too, but were also useful to take ideas and apply them tour own way

This book leads you through the idea of a “craft date” with friends and includes many beautiful projects to work on during your craft date. I love this idea. The projects were both beautiful and useful, which is a bonus. I can’t wait to start crafting with my friends!

Being creative brings happiness to self and others . This book gives 25 project ideas and snack recipes for your leisure time......

This was a great book, chock full of lots project and design inspiration. Love the idea of spreading the creativity throughout the year!

I received an arc of this title for an honest review. A Year of Creativity is exactly as it is named. Some really great ideas on how to be creative. Great gift option for the upcoming holiday season.

Thank you Quatro - Quarry and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a super colourful, fun book with lots of project ideas to help anyone wanting a more creative vibe in their year ahead. This would be a perfect gift for someone who enjoys doing home based crafts.

Everything about this book is inspiring. It's pretty, the projects are usable and simple, the recipes sound amazing. Even the packaging ideas are beautiful.

I loved getting to "meet" these ladies through these pages, and thanks to the great ideas for craft dates, can't wait to gather together some folks for making things, too.

I can't think of a single one of these projects I wouldn't like to make. Crocheted baskets, fabric pattern weights, delicately edged scarves...even a great coat rack. It's a wide variety of useful things, made beautiful and suitable to make with friends.

Definitely worth picking up...and using, repeatedly.

The subtitle of this book states that it is a “craft date planner.” I believe the authors misspoke. When I think of a planner, I think of something that I can write in as I strategize something, whether it's my day or a project. This is really more of a book that introduces the concept of a craft date if you aren't familiar with it and gives some ideas for projects for the group.

The idea of a craft date is to get together with like-minded friends and craft together. Sometimes, the group might work on a single project together, like a gift for a mutual friend. Other times, the group might work individually, each participant making the same project but fashioned for her own likes and dislikes. Another possibility would be to work on a variety of small projects during the craft date time. As you can see, it really depends on what the group wants to do in general and on a particular day.

The bulk of the book is pictures of and directions for a variety of projects that a craft date group could do. In the table of contents, these are color coded to show whether they are short, longer, or cooperative projects. In flipping through the book, none of them looked particularly difficult, which I imagine would be a criteria for a craft date project. The crafts in this book include crochet, knitting, sewing, and even a little straight-up crafting, like making a wooden coat rack or a tool station. When looking at the projects themselves, some were wholly contained within the main portion of the book, while others had directions (partial or complete) in the back of the book. I know this is a long-standing tradition in craft books, but I'm not a particular fan of it, and I don't think it was well done in this book. It made for a very picture-heavy central portion and a very text-heavy end section. There was one project where all it showed were pictures in the main part—four pages worth—and had the directions only in the back. I would have loved to have seen all of the directions integrated into the main part with the photographs scattered throughout the project’s section. It just breaks up the tedium of the pages and helps you to see what a project should look like, from a variety of angles, when the directions and the picture are on the same page.

The book definitely has some projects that look like they are worth doing, either alone or in a group. As someone who has crafted off and on throughout her life, this is just the sort of book to fire up my imagination and make me want to break out my favorite crafting tools and have a go. They would be more fun to do with others, that's for sure, especially if the group is made up of truly like-minded individuals.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Year of Creativity is a good resource book for anyone who has a basic knowledge of different craft techniques and wants new projects to make with friends. #craftdates have been trending on Instagram for awhile now and here is your launch pad to craft with friends. Clear instructions and beautifully illustrations will get all of your juices flowing!

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

A fun look at how to create craft play dates to enjoy with friends. The book first describes how the four women who wrote it got started in crafting, and how their craft dates first got going. Then we have suggestions for wrapping the materials for the projects, and lots of fun project ideas. Keep in mind, this isn't really a how-to book; you'll need to bring your own knowledge of basic skills with you, or be prepared to research how to do them. The projects included are a place to start, but they lead to many other ideas that would make for a good afternoon or day-long craft date. Also included are recipes for snacks and light meals, because all that work requires sustenance! There are lovely photos throughout, guaranteed to spark your creativity. I have a friend that I get together with for craft dates, it really is a lot of fun!

#AyearOfCreativity #NetGalley

This is a great idea book for setting up craft dates for friend that want to get together and do crafts together. I have a group that does this and will purchase the book for it's ideas on crocheting, sewing, and other crafts.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publications for giving me access to the e-book for a review.

This was n interesting and unique read. It got me thinking about some other hobbies I might be interested in trying in the future, although I wouldn't go about it the way the book has done. I feel hobbies are not necessarily social and this book highlights the opposite.

I received an ARC of this book from Quarto Publishing Group- Quarry via NetGalley, this review is my personal opinion.


I must say when I first heard about craft date I was intrigued, I like crafts and this book represents an opportunity on sharing and bonding with loved ones. With a colorful picture and fullied with different types of projects this books has a bit for everyone. This four authors did a great job, and in the introduction, they explain how they are not just presenting a pretty book with step by steps crafts, but a chance to make something new, and since on each date, the idea is to bring a different project. I think is perfect for those that want ideas and also learn all type of crafts while also building a friendship.

I have never been a very social person, but I like the idea that this book encourages. It is something that was born out of the very idea that it talks about so it is tried and tested. 

It is an odd collection of crochet ideas, food, and other craft ideas to keep the rest of the ideas in order. It gives an approximate method of how (once you have a group of like-minded individuals who are willing to set time aside to help each other sustain the good habits of crochet or the like) to work together in a group in a seamless fashion. It has suggestions of how to record ideas as and when you have them and then to distribute it among the group and work simultaneously on a project all the while working individually. For example, a project could be deciding on an object and colour but the shape and style would be a personal touch. It has the instructions for all four of the authors' input in some of the projects while a few others seem to be specialties of individual authors. None of the food recipes were for me, but some of the crochet ideas are appealing, especially since I recently bought a lot of random yarns.

It is not for uninitiated and only applies to those who like working with their hands and are on the lookout to streamline this habit.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but this review is completely based on my own reading experience (and plans for crochet in the future)

A lovely book to spark those creative ideas. Anytime the creative juices are simply not there a quick sit down with this book will have my mind overflowing with ideas.