Nature crafts for kids and adults

I bought these two books a while back and am just now getting around to reviewing them for you. Nature's Art Box: From t-shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool project for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere by Laura C. Martin is a fun book that adults will enjoy as well as kids. It includes thorough and well-illustrated instructions for the craft projects, as well as helpful charts that describe where and when various natural craft materials are available. The projects are oriented to childrens' interests. For example, it describes how to make stick animals and gourd dolls. This book is visually appealing, well written, and thorough. I highly recommend it for any young person wanting to craft with natural materials.

Marthe Le Van's Nature Style: Elegant Decorating with Leaves, Twigs & Stones is aimed at an adult audience, in particular those who want to use natural materials in their home decor. The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs of the projects as well as what appear to be linoleum block prints in the sidebars. It includes numerous projects that use diverse materials. For example it describes how to make curtain tie-backs from vines, a timber lamp from driftwood, and shadow boxes filled with natural materials. This book is a must for anyone who would like to add natural materials to their home decor.