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Together: Creating Family Traditions
Brimming with projects, recipes, and a warm personal message, this beautifully photographed volume is a journal of family traditions and seasonal celebrations.
132 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 5, 2011
Together: Creating Family Traditions is centered around the seasons, with accompanying craft projects, nature activities (as in no supplies needed!), recipes, and thought-provoking journaling questions. The book is easy to use because it has clear instructions, readily available supplies, and reasonable time expectations for families with kids. Plus it's fun to repeatedly flip through and it's pretty enough to sit out on a coffee table.
The authors of Together take a lot of pressure off the parents. There are beautiful photographs of "picture perfect results," but the photos inspire you instead of taunting you like most craft books (you won't feel like crap if your result doesn't match the picture, yet, magically, most of the time you'll still end up with an awesome result). The focus is more on the fun process.
For example, if we don't have the exact right materials to say, make a wreath of leaves, we 1) still have fun making it (we used oak leaves we picked up at the park instead of magnolia leaves) and 2) it still turns out looking nice because the authors were clear about the intent of the project (celebrating fall, finding the leaves, involving all skill levels/every member of the family) which makes it easier for me, the supervising parent, to adapt it. Plus, it's obvious the authors picked projects that can be easily modified. Compare this to say, a seasonal Martha Stewart (don't hate! I still think she has some great ideas) centerpiece, where mini pinecones were called for because they look the best and so I had to drive around to 3 craft stores looking for diminutive pinecones, plus vybar and a wax bowl making kit. Never again.
When I cook something or make something with my kids, I want them to learn skills other than "how to add water" or "how to glue dried macaroni to a box" or "you're doing that wrong, here let me do it so it turns out pretty" or, uh, the wrong kind of vocabulary words. I want us to explore, improvise, be creative, and to have fun together. I also want to be able to proudly display what we made; I know our kids can make stuff that is aesthetically pleasing/doesn't look like I blindfolded them first. But I don't want to be the one crying during the process. And I don't want the project to take 18 hours. THANKFULLY, the authors of Together get all this. Our family has had so much fun using this book. So far, we have a beautiful wreath, awesome scarecrows, and delicious cookies to show for it.
*A few tips: 1) Read the intro/"word of encouragement"/"before you start" sections. They really set up the methodology of the whole book and make it more enjoyable/easier to use; 2) The photography in this book is stellar. As another reviewer noted, this book makes a great gift; 3) I got autographed copies to give as gifts from the authors' website.
The authors of Together take a lot of pressure off the parents. There are beautiful photographs of "picture perfect results," but the photos inspire you instead of taunting you like most craft books (you won't feel like crap if your result doesn't match the picture, yet, magically, most of the time you'll still end up with an awesome result). The focus is more on the fun process.
For example, if we don't have the exact right materials to say, make a wreath of leaves, we 1) still have fun making it (we used oak leaves we picked up at the park instead of magnolia leaves) and 2) it still turns out looking nice because the authors were clear about the intent of the project (celebrating fall, finding the leaves, involving all skill levels/every member of the family) which makes it easier for me, the supervising parent, to adapt it. Plus, it's obvious the authors picked projects that can be easily modified. Compare this to say, a seasonal Martha Stewart (don't hate! I still think she has some great ideas) centerpiece, where mini pinecones were called for because they look the best and so I had to drive around to 3 craft stores looking for diminutive pinecones, plus vybar and a wax bowl making kit. Never again.
When I cook something or make something with my kids, I want them to learn skills other than "how to add water" or "how to glue dried macaroni to a box" or "you're doing that wrong, here let me do it so it turns out pretty" or, uh, the wrong kind of vocabulary words. I want us to explore, improvise, be creative, and to have fun together. I also want to be able to proudly display what we made; I know our kids can make stuff that is aesthetically pleasing/doesn't look like I blindfolded them first. But I don't want to be the one crying during the process. And I don't want the project to take 18 hours. THANKFULLY, the authors of Together get all this. Our family has had so much fun using this book. So far, we have a beautiful wreath, awesome scarecrows, and delicious cookies to show for it.
*A few tips: 1) Read the intro/"word of encouragement"/"before you start" sections. They really set up the methodology of the whole book and make it more enjoyable/easier to use; 2) The photography in this book is stellar. As another reviewer noted, this book makes a great gift; 3) I got autographed copies to give as gifts from the authors' website.
September 15, 2011
Outstanding. This is one of my go-to books, both for projects to do with the family and as a gift book (makes a great Christmas or baby shower present). Gorgeous, coffee table book quality photography. This isn't like most "craft books." It has recipes, projects, activities to do with the family, etc. Some of the projects are complicated (like making homemade paper), but even if we don't do them exactly the same, they're great inspiration.
June 10, 2009
Together: Creating Family Traditions by Janell Sewall Oakes Rondi Hillstrom Davis (2002)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews