Keri Smith The Illustrator and author of How To be An Explorer of The World

Illustration by Keri Smith

Keri Smith is an illustrator and graphic designer with an impressive and long list of clients that include: Forbes, Chronicle Books, Random House, Bank of Montreal, Toronto Stock Exchange, Ladies Home Journal, Men's Journal, New York Times, The Body Shop, Washington Post, People and others.

However she is most well know for her phenomenal work on creativity through the authorship of books that help the everyday day person tap into what I like to refer to the 'prana' (life force) of things, places, people and experience.

So here is a book, How To Be An Explorer of the World; Portable Art Life Museum, that I bought quite a while ago, as I maintain this creativity blog and am a HUGE fan of Keri Smith and her work.

the next book you should buy

This is Keri’s fourth book after so many other inspiring creativity-inducing books such as Living Out Loud, and my all time fave - The Guerilla Art Kit, and a book entitled Wreck This Journal. For creatives these kinds of books offer a treasure trove of prompts and inspiration, in order to help you see everyday things with new fresh eyes. I think they also offer some wonderful blogging prompts.

An Excerpt from How To Be An Explorer of the World by Keri Smith

Here is a prompt I think we should all try our hand at: a magical invented story inspired by an everyday simple object. For example,

I came across a light turquoise strand of thread that magically smelled of succulent cherries, airy cream, gold-dusted oranges and chocolate mousse. As I inspected it more carefully I knew it looked antiquated, weathered, and very fragile. So I placed it within an envelope and sent it to an expert. I eagerly awaited a response. After weeks of despondent mail-box-checking it finally came! It seems the thread belonged to a dress belonging to Marie Antoinette! It seems the thread was pulled from the actual dress that she disrobed of the day she had to change into simple white frock for her up and coming beheading. How the thread came to arrive on my house carpet is a whole other story...Now I keep this thread in a very special place, I've stitched into the lining of my coat so that I remember to 'Let them Eat Cake!'

If you still can't tell just how amazing this book is just read the back cover!

The back cover of Keri's Smith's book How to be An Explorer of teh world

Ms. Smith also maintains a blog entitled, Wish Jar Explorations of the Familiar that is laden with excerpts from her book, outstanding and well researched quotes by fascinating artists.

Amarettogirl Craft Book Review- The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry by Jennifer Perkins

Since I'm big on reinventing the function of small plastic toys into jewelry (such as my Mai Sweet Shop Altered Rement line) I was beaming with intrigue when I saw the new book by Jennifer Perkins (yes the DIY network's Craft Lab host herself!) has a new book with her trademark kitschy style, entitled The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Handmade Jewelry.

One day, in a hurried rush I browsed through the book in the bookstore, but I was too tired from a hard days work (teaching is not easy) and I didn't immediately purchase it. Then my fave Threadbanger podcasts had a Naughty Secretary Resin Bracelet demo on their weekly show with Jennifer Perkins and her book. The demo was so informative and thorough that the second I got on Spring Break I went back and bought the book. Boy am I glad I did, since a big chunk of my vacation was all about crafting with Jennifer!

The Naughty Secretary Club by Jennifer Perkins

• Paperback: 144 pages

• Publisher: North Light Books (August 11, 2008)

• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 1600611168

• ISBN-13: 978-1600611162

So here are some of the many strengths and little weaknesses of the book:

Excellent for beginners and inspiring enough for experienced folk (like me). Jennifer's overall mission is to get creatives and non, to see outside the normal confines of jewelry making and in this -recycle and reuse way- to see potential in anything, and I mean anything.

excerpt from pg. 14 of The Naughty Secretary Club by Jennifer Perkins

So on the negative side, if fun colorful, larger than life kitsch, garden gnomes, telephone cords, swizzle sticks, plastic toys, eyeglass necklaces, pencil earrings and watch headbands are too over the top for your traditionalist-little-beady-jewelry-makin'-mind than this book is not for you.

Ms. Perkins applies a secretary (9-5 gal) theme throughout the book with funny little side-notes, hot-tips and blurbs on the working girls history, holidays and lore. She includes what I think are hysterical, informative tidbits on the art of true, multi-tasking ability, ie., six other uses for coffee filters and a list of eight other uses for pantyhoses!

So in honor of the first day of Spring I tried my hand at an over-the top plastic, fantastic bracelet inspired by Ms. Perkin's Secretary's Bouquet Bracelet on pg. 120. excerpt from The Naughty Secretary Club by Jennifer Perkins I was super lucky to find a cha-cha bracelet blank (yes thats what its called) at A.C. Moore (Michael's didn't have any). However the cha-cha bracelet blank that I found had only one loop running across it, as opposed to the two loops on the blank that Jennifer uses in the book. I'm sure if I would have found the correct blank my Spring Chic bracelet would have come out a lot meatier. Instead I opted for the longer hula-skirt style.

Another great aspect of the book is that is categorizes every project in chapters of difficulty. This bracelet is a three star difficulty (highest level in book). In addition, she explains that this bracelet is great for the collector and Lord knows thats what I am truly master of.

My Spring Chic Bracelet inspired by The Naughty Secretary Club Spring Chic

So if you're interested in adorning your body with original, funky, re-cycled, joyful and often whimsical jewelry BUY this book!!