I have bought lots of books recently (from Amazon, of course!) to help stretch myself artistically, and to inspire me and my two crafty (11 and 14 year old) daughters. I felt that we probably had enough books telling us how to collage and alter, and wanted to change our direction slightly, so I went for Sally's book, assured it would be a treat. It is indeed a treat, and it certainly will take us further if we venture along the journey with her.
The projects inside are delightful, as are the photos of Sally's studio, and her style is friendly and encouraging. There are lots of things we want to make - the flower pens, in particular (it's probably worth buying the book to find out how to do that!).
However, there is something you should know before you buy the book, and although it is mentioned in the synopsis, I kind of missed it myself, so here it is in big writing - this is a book about making things with glass and solder. She is not kidding. You will need to cut glass, and to solder, in order to make ANY of the projects. If you are handy (or know someone handy!), you will have many of the pieces of equipment already, but if not, it could be quite expensive to play with Sally. I see no reason why we shouldn't all learn how to do it, as her instructions seem clear and sensible (although I have to wait for the weekend so my husband can dig all the stuff I need out of the garage!).
It is a super book, and I do recommend it, but I can't really see the projects being made in any other way. So, if you are prepared to pick up a soldering iron, this is the next book for you. (There is one project which doesn't require soldering, but that one calls for glass cutting, so there's no easy way out!) I don't think we should be afraid of picking up new tools, I just feel it could be disappointing if you were unable to.
