A silly and sarcastic illustrated craft book. You probably will not want to make ANY of the crafts in this book but you may connect with her words and relatable mom situations.

✨ Review ✨ Shitty Craft Club: A Club for Gluing Beads to Trash, Talking about Our Feelings, and Making Silly Things, by Sam Reece

Want to feel inspired to be crafty without spending tons of money or actually being good at it? Then THIS is the book for you.

The book is full of photos and exploding with color. It's really beautifully done!

With directions to make everything from pompoms (out of literally anything) to a rhinestone shrimp to awards for adulting, this book isn't your traditional crafting book. The author writes with humor, reminds you to do basic things like drink water (thank you), and creates just such a delightfully silly book that's a perfect gift for your girlfriends that don't quite have their lives together.

Genre: Crafts & Hobbies + Humor & Satire
Reminds me of: literally nothing I've read before lol
Pub Date: 19 Sep 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ crafts but you're not really great at them
⭕️ chaos and laughing at your life

Thanks to Chronicle Books and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

Another one I read a month ago on a plane, and I lost the review I wrote out. Unfortunately, I do remember this one. It’s not worth anyone’s time unless they are a member of the online community already. Pinterest has been craft ideas.

I loved the photos and the layout of this book! It was really delightful and such a fun way to consider self-care and not trying to be perfect all the time (What better way to do than to do it with shitty crafts and trash). This book is absolutely geared towards millennials/gen-z but that’s not a bad thing. I enjoyed reading this, the graphics and photos were what really stood out in this book and made it so much fun.

Part memoir, part self help, part craft book. I really like the lack of perfection this book encourages. It is really easy to pick up a craft book and get really disappointed when what you make doesn't look at the pictures. This book supports pinterest fails.

This is definitely more of a silly, humorous, turn-trash-into-more-fun-trash kind of how-to book, rather than a book for serious crafters. Whether you’re a serious crafter in need of a break to laugh at your art, or you’re like me- the craft-impaired - this may be the book for you, it would also be great as a coffee table book your guests can giggle over at parties.

Thank you Sam Reece, Chronicle Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Part DIY, mega memoir, I loved it! I did not have prior knowledge of Sam Reece, and found this to be a fun read! The crafts remind me of Amy Sedaris style crafts, (I say this with love bc I am a kitschy tacky girl) tacky and fun. A very “slap some glitter on it and we’re good” attitude. I love her personal stories and I found her to be extremely relatable.

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It was vibrant and funny and down to earth. The crafts were actually spectacular and I am going to make all my friends join me in shitty craft club shenanigans.

If you’re on the hunt for detailed DIY projects and sophisticated techniques this isn’t the book for you. It’s exactly as advertised… shitty crafts.
The best thing about this book, and Shitty Craft Club in general, is the invitation it extends to create for the sake of creating. This book suffers from trying to be too many things at once (memoir/personal essay collection, self-help, DIY instruction) without truly nailing any of them. While there is not a ton of meat on the bones of this book Sam’s charm and the joy of making something stupid just because makes this a worthy read.
Recommended for those already familiar with the Shitty Craft Club concept.

A fun and unique crafting book! I really enjoyed the spirit of the book, focusing on the joy and creativity of crafting instead of a perfect final product.

Some things to know:
1) crafting gives me serotonin
2) I’m not good at crafting
Which makes this an ideal book for me to read! The book’s main message is to ignore perfectionism and do things that make you happy, even if you aren’t necessarily good at them. It is an important reminder for anyone trying something new for the first time. Though I don’t plan on doing the majority of the crafts in her book, I was inspired to buy a bunch of beads, gems, and glitter glue. Can’t wait to see what I make with them. Also, Sam Reece is a gem and you should check out her videos on instagram or tiktok. Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

The title - Shitty Craft Club: A Club for Gluing Beads to Trash, Talking about Our Feelings, and Making Silly Things - caught my interest, as did the art project on the cover. Diving into the book, the tone was definitely funny and sarcastic. The book was very random, going from project to project with banter in between. The introduction had crafting essentials, but it seemed like the "anything goes" approach would work well.

The chapter titles are as follows:

Be the Champion of Anything
Shrimposter Syndrome
You are the Artist and Your Art is ProCRAFTination
Pom-Poms to Pom(p) You Up!
Therapy Can Be a Jug of Beads!!
Having One Thousand Soulmates? A Craft!!
Being Gay is Actually a Craft
Holiday Crafts, I Guess
Corn, For Some Reason
Be Your Own Shitty Craft Club

It goes to show you that anyone can be an artist, as this book tells readers to be proud of who you are and what you make. There are step-by-step guidelines and many options for making crafts your own. This book is more like a memoir with crafts, almost cathartic writing for the author. Shitty Craft Club is not a book for everyone, but definitely has an audience who will find it worth reading.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher, Chronicle Books. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

I am not sure what to think about this book. Is it a memoir? A comedy? A craft book? It feels like it is trying to do all these things & not doing any of them well. There is some smart writing here & there as well as some craft techniques sprinkled in but they way they are presented doesn’t make it clear if they are a joke or a real project. As a long time crafter this book was a miss for me.

Cute-Quirky-Fun-Funny!

I enjoyed the positive message, positive affirmations and overall positive vibes of this book.

Reads like a humorous memoir and a bit like a diy self help crafters workbook.

Love the use of puns and double entendres. Sam is a very funny super creative writer.

After reading this book I wanted to learn more about Sam (sorry Sam…I never heard of you or your “shitty craft club”).

Be sure to follow her on social media. I ended up spending way too much time “procraftinating” watching her videos and scrolling her Instagram page =that’s a good thing!!!

"Shitty Craft Club" by Sam Reece is a side-splittingly hilarious and wonderfully unconventional take on the world of crafting. Reece's irreverent humor shines through as she guides readers through a collection of less-than-stellar craft projects.
The book's genius lies in its ability to turn ordinary craft projects into laugh-out-loud experiences. Reece's witty commentary and playful instructions lead readers through absurd, intentionally unimpressive creations. Each craft is a comical journey that leaves you chuckling and shaking your head in disbelief.
This book is a fantastic way to break the mold and add a dose of fun to your creative endeavors. It's perfect for those who appreciate offbeat humor and enjoy embracing imperfection. "Shitty Craft Club" isn't about mastering crafting skills; it's about embracing the joy of creating, even if the end result isn't Pinterest-worthy.
Ideal for light-hearted entertainment, this book makes for a perfect gift for your crafty friends who can appreciate the absurdity of subpar crafting. It also presents a unique twist for a girls' night in, fostering laughter and camaraderie as you attempt (or maybe intentionally fail at) the whimsical projects.
Overall, "Shitty Craft Club" is a refreshing and delightful departure from the traditional crafting guides, offering a good-natured escape into the realm of the intentionally absurd and uproarious craft projects.

“…perfectionism is a sign that I’m trying to make art for an imaginary audience that is judging me and deciding my worth..” 😨This is the self-help craft book I’ve been looking for!

*throws glitter everywhere in celebration* 🎉
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+++

I’ve absolutely loved Sam Reece since the moment I followed her on TikTok (before she was a viral hit 💅🏼) so when I saw she had a craft book I immediately needed to see it!

This book is shiny, glittery, gold. A wonderful weaving of realistic advice, humor, fun shitty crafts, and lots and lots of beads. Also, it is literally the FIRST TIME EVER I’ve seen a tutorial of a pom Pom maker that actually made sense. That tool doesn’t even have directions on its’ own packaging! 20 million beaded stars for you, Sam Reece!

This book is just plain fun. I’ve been trying to infuse more creativity into my life and this was such a great reminder that creating something silly for the joy of it is not only worthwhile but necessary for my mental health!

This book is more autobiographical comedy than arts and crafts. Parts of it truly are funny. I laughed at some of the craft photos, as they really are sh*tty crafts. I teach adult crafting classes and thought I would get a laugh out of this, and I did. The author is a professional comedian. She is at least a generation younger than me (she was in middle school in 2000) and seems to live her entire life around social media. That just does not appeal to me. I though the arts and crafts humor might make me the target audience for this book, but the millennial(?) perspective dominates this book over the crafting. People in the author's age group might enjoy this more than I did.
Overall, a very quick read. Lots of photos, many of them amusing.
Thanks the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

NET GALLEY REVIEW | Shitty Craft Club by Sam Reece
I’m going to preface this review by saying I’ve been following Sam Reece and her Shitty Craft Club since the days of the pandemic. From following her on Tiktok to Instagram, one could say I am unequivocally a fan of hers. You can only IMAGINE how tickled I was to learn she wrote a BOOK about CRAFTS (two of my very favorite things in this world). Even more tickled, I was able to grab an ARC of said book off of NetGalley (thanks thank you thanks). Now that you’ve got the backstory we’re going to get into the review.
Listen, this book isn’t self-help canon. This book is VERY CLEARLY a work from someone who is trying very hard to be her authentic self by any means necessary and guess what? IT’S NOT PERFECT. It’s rambling at times; but that gives it voice and character. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense - but guess what? Neither does life. The author, Sam, is not trying to convey, in any way, that life should make sense. Life is chaos and your crafts should be too.
Sam clearly created this as a work of her very imperfect but beautifully unique, sparkly soul and I can’t help but be in awe of it. When you dig into the rambling nature, you will find nuggets of raw truth and inspiration for not only crafting but also self discovery. Shitty Craft Club says it’s okay to be not perfect and what’s even better is taking that imperfection and making it SHINY AND FABULOUS [DAMMIT]!
I recommend this book for anyone who is burned out from self-help and self discovery journey books that promise they’re going to make you feel better if you just do xyz. I invite you to pick this up and page through the bright and shiny photos of the crafts it showcases and first be inspired by the sheer beauty of it and secondly accept the friendliness and soft advice that come from Sam’s stories in the chapter prefaces. This book is truly a rhinestoned trinket you can hold close to your heart.
Disclaimer: this book may or may not inspire you to buy a 5 lb box of beads off the internet, run to your closest craft store to buy a vessel to put said beads in and also maybe pick up some pompoms and rhinestones? And then go thrifting to find shit to glue said crafty wares to in effort to cure your current-but-persistent bout of depression because WHY NOT? Not a personal anecdote at all. Just saying.

As the title implies, a humorous book about crafting. Anyone who has ever crafted, if you liked it or not, can most likely relate to something in these pages. Just don’t purchase it hoping to get ideas on a gift to make for your mother-in-law (or maybe do?)!