Christmas Crafts: Make Your Own Cards, Decorations and Giftwrap (The Easy Instructional DVD Book Series) [Hardcover]

"Show Me How - Christmas Crafts" is the perfect guide to making a really special Christmas. When it is the thought that counts, nothing can compare with the pleasure of receiving a handcrafted card or individually wrapped gift - or the fun of creating your own, unique decorations. Demonstrated by experts, all these projects are easy enough for beginners to get impressive results, and many are suitable for children to help. There are lots of professional hints and tips - plus money-saving ideas, patterns and a guide to all the material and basic techniques you need.

Show Me How Book + DVD seriesA chance conversation was the beginning of what is fast becoming a revolution in 'How-To' guides.Returning from an international trade fair, Peter Duke, the man behind Duke, one of the UK's leading independent DVD publishers, asked Beryl Leitch, from publisher Warrender Grant, where he could source any craft DVDs.That initial question was the starting point for Show Me How Ltd, a company established specifically to create an innovation in instructional manuals.Instead of merely producing a DVD, Show Me How would combine a specially made film with a simple-to-follow, highly illustrated book, allowing customers to watch and read as they learnt a new talent or honed their skills.The concept brought together the Duke and Warrender Grant names, both boasting more than 25 years' experience in their fields.It was soon realised this concept could easily be applied not only to crafts, but an even wider range of interests - including painting, photography, gardening, health and even preparing for a wedding day!In fact, the planned range now features more than 100 subjects, so there really will be something for everyone, regardless of age or skill level.The first examples of the new product were put into production. For each subject, a team of experts was brought in to ensure all the hints, tips and insider knowledge necessary to guide users through every project were clearly explained on the DVD and in the book.For each project the tools needed, preparation time and skill level were worked out and incorporated into Show Me How.Although the Show Me How concept is simplicity itself, preparing each title is a complicated process. The multi-media format is not tested ground in this area for traditional book publishers and the trade. We feared there might be some scepticism about the need for the DVD, however the book+DVD combination has proved a hit with potential customers and trade insiders.Interest following the Frankfurt Book Fair 2006, Spring Fair and London Book Fair this year has been strong not only in the UK and Ireland, but in 49 further countries. Managing that strong international interest has added to the workload, but isn't something we complain about!To avoid high marketing costs and keep the retail price attractive, we have had to be as innovative as the product itself.We have specifically targeted potential customers, building relationships with many craft and wedding magazines in the UK and Ireland. They have a combined circulation of more than one million a month, so the PR campaign we are running from August should quickly build awareness of Show Me How.We decided Show Me How would not be another half-baked idea rushed to the market, a product that was big on fancy packaging, but short on substance.The team took time to ensure every step of every title was professional, detailed and complete, while remaining easy-to-follow and accessible to all.We want customers to know products bearing the Show Me How logo are reliable, expert guides, representing money well spent. We want customers to enjoy each and every project, at their own pace, and achieve perfect results with no additional training.To meet the expectations of retailers, we decided on a clean, simple design with the DVD held inside the hard cover book, which is then shrink-wrapped to ensure the disc is secure.Feedback so far shows the effort has been worthwhile - at every trade show we attend Show Me How attracts interest, including many suggestions for other titles we could explore.It has been a long and hectic road since that first chance conversation, but the hard work has been worth the effort. In September, the first eight titles in the Show Me How series will be released, priced GBP14.99.You can get a flavour of what the products have to offer by watching a sample clip on www.youtube.com just search for 'ShowMeHowSeries'