Book Review and Interview with Heather Mann

Do you need a good laugh?  Do you need a good laugh about YOUR craft fails?  I KNOW I do.  CraftFail was just what I needed.  I am happily talking about a Book Review and Interview with Heather Mann today.

I am one of the lucky few that get to see Craft Fail before it hits the shelves.  It has been a joy to read.  But first let me tell you a little bit about the author:

Heather Mann, the founder of CraftFail.com and DollarStoreCrafts.com, has been crafting with middling success all her life, but blogging expertly since 2000. She is also cofounder of The Blueprint Social, a social media consulting company and network of influential bloggers, and co-host of the web show Get a Little Creative. She lives and crafts in Salem, Oregon.

Here is a little insight about CraftFail:

But amidst all the terrible failure is a celebration of those among us who are brave enough to pick up the scissors and get crafty! Because even if you can’t make a handsome Papier mâché stag to hang on your wall, why shouldn’t you try? As Heather says, you learn more from trying and failing than not trying at all. And when it does go wrong—as it inevitably will—you can always find solace in sitting back and laughing at the ridiculous results. As one anonymous crafter said: “It wasn’t supposed to end this way.” Luckily for us, it did.

CRAFTFAIL (Workman; November 2014) illustrates the hilariously gruesome underbelly of the creative process.Inspired by her own craft experiences, Heather gathered real-life home decor fails, fashion fails, holiday fails, food fails, kid crafting fails, and best of all—EPIC fails (those projects that are so inspiring that they are attempted again and again by members of the crafty tribe to, quite frankly, disastrous results)! Filled with over 100 full-color photographs of the hoped-for outcome and the underwhelming reality (plus captions pointing out what went wrong), these embarrassing and often pathetic crafting attempts are the stuff that gets the “A for Effort” and LOL for outcome.

I was able to interview Heather.  This is how the interview went:

Question #1: Why did you decide to write CraftFail?

I have learned so much about the power of failing from running the CraftFail website that I wanted to share! And I wanted to share the LOLs, too, of course!

Question #2: What motivates you?

I am extremely motivated by the process of being creative, and also by the excitement of posting my creations online! I love to share with others who have a like-minded love of creativity.

Question #3: What do you want your readers to gain from your book?

First, I hope they’ll be entertained! Second, I hope they are encouraged to look at failing in a different light — it’s not something to be avoided, but to be embraced. I have learned so much from my various CraftFails, and I hope my readers will too.

It was late at night when Hubby and I hopped into bed.  I told him I had a book he might like to look at with me.  He said, “Meh, okay.”  Within just a few minutes of reading the tears were running down our cheeks from laughter.  We laughed till we cried.  We could relate in so many ways.  AND, we have been through more craft fails of our own than we could ever count.  Heather nails it on the head with what it is like to fail at crafts,  She sees the reality of Craft Fails and embellishes it perfectly.  The photos, the writing, and the humor is what every crafter can relate to on so many levels.  It is a MUST READ for EVERYONE.  I will definitely be sharing CraftFail with my family and friends.  It is a great gift.  I think anyone who reads CraftFail will laugh as much as I did, if not more. I can’t wait to look through my copy again…OH WAIT!  I have several times, already!

Pick up your copy of CraftFail soon.

Make it a terrific Tuesday!