Here are 62 books that Oh Joy! fans have personally recommended if you like
Oh Joy!.
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When I was at one of the lowest points of my life, color saved me. I started my color journey over a decade ago with a pack of Pantone postcards and walks around my neighborhood, and now I have the privilege of writing about color full-time. It’s amazing what a change of perspective color can bring. I hope that the books on this list spark something within you to add more joy to your day to day. Because life is too short not to have fun—especially with color!
As someone who studied history and who loves color, this book is the perfect hybrid of color with depth! Not only are there several unique shades of colors (it goes way beyond ROYGBIV), but the origins and historical context of them were fascinating!
It really helped me learn so much more about color. The biggest takeaway is that while sometimes people tend to view color as something for children, this proves historically how great of an impact it has on humans.
One of USA Today's "100 Books to Read While Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Crisis"
A dazzling gift, the unforgettable, unknown history of colors and the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-colored volume.
"Beautifully written . . . Full of anecdotes and fascinating research, this elegant compendium has all the answers." -NPR, Best Books of 2017
The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to…
I am an award-winning art director, creative mentor, and print and pattern designer with nearly two decades of experience working successfully in the creative industries. As a young person, I loved drama, dance, and art, and was constantly bursting with creative passion. As I grew older, I faced doubt from the people around me about pursuing a creative career. I stubbornly pursued it anyway and ignored the naysayers who told me to “stop dreaming” or to “get a real job.” I am now described as a “powerhouse” in the design world and someone who fearlessly strives forward in her creative career and helps thousands around the world to believe in their own creative power.
What I loved most about Conscious Creativity is just how much it really opened up my creative curiosity to the world around me. Seeking inspiration from my surroundings has always been something I do for my creative practice, but after reading this I feel like my ability to do that is on another level.
I’m noticing the creative beauty and potential in so many more things, from the spill of my tea to a leaf I’ve found on a trail. I feel like I can see, hear, and touch so much more to inspire my daily practice, so I couldn’t be more grateful for this book.
"Full of tips and tricks on how to look at the world with a curious eye, it's a brilliant way to breathe creativity (back) into our lives." - Flow magazine
"Crammed with practical ideas, inspirational images & creative exercises, Conscious Creativity leads the reader through the process of establishing what kind of creative you are..."-Mslexia
"The purpose of this book is to enable you to look at things in an alternative and more substantial way, so that you arrive at composition through genuine interest."-Juno magazine
"Philippa Stanton is passionate about people connecting to their innate creativity and has distilled these…
I am an award-winning art director, creative mentor, and print and pattern designer with nearly two decades of experience working successfully in the creative industries. As a young person, I loved drama, dance, and art, and was constantly bursting with creative passion. As I grew older, I faced doubt from the people around me about pursuing a creative career. I stubbornly pursued it anyway and ignored the naysayers who told me to “stop dreaming” or to “get a real job.” I am now described as a “powerhouse” in the design world and someone who fearlessly strives forward in her creative career and helps thousands around the world to believe in their own creative power.
I truly adore this book. It was very easy to read and kept my attention (as I usually get distracted so easily). I felt a sense of calm on every page, and Ali's words really resonated with me.
My favourite section was chapter 12, which focused on children as I look forward to some green sketching time with my young son every school holiday.
The book is a great size to carry around and read on the go, and it's beautifully illustrated. It brought me a lot of comfort and encouraged me to slow down in life with a gentle reminder to soak up all the beauty that's around us so we can turn that into a productive practice. A truly special book.
'A warm and inspiring invitation to put down our phones, pick up a pencil and start really looking at the beauty all around us.' - Kathy Clugston, presenter of Gardeners' Question Time
Learn to let go of your worries and lose yourself in nature with this practical guide to sketching for pleasure, not perfection.
Most of us know that creativity and time outdoors are good for our wellbeing, yet so many of us struggle to find the time or motivation to step away from our screens. But there's a solution! Combining quick and easy exercises with the latest research on…
I am an award-winning art director, creative mentor, and print and pattern designer with nearly two decades of experience working successfully in the creative industries. As a young person, I loved drama, dance, and art, and was constantly bursting with creative passion. As I grew older, I faced doubt from the people around me about pursuing a creative career. I stubbornly pursued it anyway and ignored the naysayers who told me to “stop dreaming” or to “get a real job.” I am now described as a “powerhouse” in the design world and someone who fearlessly strives forward in her creative career and helps thousands around the world to believe in their own creative power.
I’m not someone who gets really precious about books and loves the feel of a well-read book. So when I picked up Wreck This Journal, I knew I was going to adore it. As it says in the title, the book actually invites you to wreck it through pages of fun, often "destructive," creative exercises.
My own copy has been flipped, tossed, had stuff thrown at it, glued, painted, ripped, and pretty much anything else you can think of, and it’s just the most fun you’ll have with a book.
“Not gonna lie, this is probably the coolest journal you’ll ever see. . . . Wreck This Journal is here to inspire you.” —Buzzfeed
A spectacular coloring and painting edition of the incredible journal that started it all, in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the 10-million-copy international bestseller
Perhaps you're a seasoned Wreck-er, having made your way through one or more copies of Wreck This Journal. Or maybe you're new to the phenomenon (little do you know, this experience might just change your life). Whatever the case, you've found the perfect book to destroy...
My whole life has been about the power of making. I’m a writer and educator specialising in craft. Previously, I worked at the Crafts Council in London, and now I write for craft magazines with a particular interest in the connective nature of craft in communities and the relationship between craft and wellbeing. I’m also a parent to a learning-disabled adult, so understand learning differences (and care). I recently started Quickthorn Books to showcase more makers. I run workshops in darning, crochet, knitting, and, most recently, making rag rugs. I’m proud to be a trustee of Heritage Crafts, and I can usually be found knitting in the corner.
Sarah runs the Craftivist Collective, and her work proves that it’s possible to protest in a gentle and mindful way.
Her book outlines some of the ways she has managed to create change through quiet activism, and she has a new book coming out soon, which I’m looking forward to reading.
'This is mindful activism . . . thought-out, strategic and engaging' Guardian
'I love what Sarah does! It's quiet activism for everyone including introverts' Jon Ronson
'Sarah Corbett mixes an A-grade mind with astonishing creativity and emotional awareness' Lucy Siegle
If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?
Award-winning campaigner and founder of the global Craftivist Collective Sarah Corbett shows how to respond to injustice not with apathy or aggression, but with gentle, effective protest.
This is a manifesto - for a more respectful and contemplative activism; for conversation…
All my life, books have been a safe space for me to explore emotions, recognize that what I’m experiencing is universal, and see that we can cope with difficult situations. As I pursued my MFA in Writing, I studied and wrote books that address heavy topics in hopeful ways. As Matt de la Pena says, “I can’t think of a safer place to explore complex emotions … than inside the pages of a book.” The picture books I have chosen address the heavy topic of loss in sensitive, hopeful, and empowering ways. I hope these books will touch your life as much as they’ve touched mine.
When I first brought Boats for Papa home, my son wanted to read it over and over. He even made his own boats and gave them to us with notes filled with hearts.
Boats for Papa is a sensitive, endearing story written and illustrated by the brilliant Jessixa Bagley. Buckley lives on the water with his mother and collects driftwood to make into boats with messages to send to his deceased father. He believes if the boats don’t come back, they make it to his father.
What I love so much about this story is the sweet relationship of a mother and son. As the story progresses, Buckley realizes the boats do come back to shore, but that his mother had been collecting them. He sends out a sweet, final boat with a message for her.
Buckley and his Mama live in a cosy cabin by the ocean. He loves to carve boats out of the driftwood he finds on the beach nearby. He makes: big boats, long boats, short boats, and tall boats, each one more beautiful than the last, and sends them out to sea. If they don't come back, he knows they've found their way to his papa, whom he misses very much. In this stunning debut, author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley explores the subtle and deep emotions associated with loss in a heart-warming tale that is sure to stay with the reader long after…
I am a children’s author and have written over 100 picture book texts for young children, including the best-selling Aliens Love Underpants series. I also enjoy making beautiful things for my home and garden, and for friends and family. Whilst writing is hard work, this other creative side is pure relaxation and ‘switch off’ time. But any projects have to be easily achievable within snatched moments in a busy work life. So here are my top crafting books for people who love creating things but, like me, don’t have much time...
This is an adorable book of seaside makes and beach-inspired projects. It's a beautiful book to look through with lots of inspirational photos to spark your imagination. Some of the projects are more complicated but I found it easy to simplify them myself and the end results still looked great. However busy you are, you’ll definitely have time to make the fabric flowers – easy-peasy and so pretty. I use them on gift tags.
Recreate memories of the seaside with simple sewing, papercraft, crochet and knitting projects using beautiful Tilda fabrics, yarn and embellishments. Be inspired by life at the beach and in the ocean to make gifts, toys and pretty accessories for your home. From adorable whales and fishing girl dolls to hanging mobiles, applique blankets and summer scarves, the designs will take you on a journey of the perfect seaside holiday.
I am a children’s author and have written over 100 picture book texts for young children, including the best-selling Aliens Love Underpants series. I also enjoy making beautiful things for my home and garden, and for friends and family. Whilst writing is hard work, this other creative side is pure relaxation and ‘switch off’ time. But any projects have to be easily achievable within snatched moments in a busy work life. So here are my top crafting books for people who love creating things but, like me, don’t have much time...
This author has a knack for making the simplest things look beautiful. Very vintage in style and many projects can be cheaply put together with old bits and bobs you may have around the house. Start collecting any buttons, ribbons, and pretty fabrics!
If you love the vintage look, you can often pick up bits and pieces easily and cheaply (like old fashioned pretty china or decorative items) at charity shops and boot fairs.
Willow casts her crafting style all around the house and beyond, making things you will want to keep for yourself or reluctantly give away as presents. The first chapter, 'To Decorate', includes floral napkin rings, seasonal wreaths, Christmas baubles and vintage fabric bunting. 'To Hang' shows how to fill printers' trays with your own treasures, make pictures from buttons and create your own pinboard with fabulous ribbons. 'To Nest' includes ideas for grainsack cushions and pillows, block print napkins and heart-shaped lavender bags. In 'To Wear', there are fabric-twisted bracelets, silk-trimmed straw hats and simple linen aprons. 'To Use' is…
I am a children’s author and have written over 100 picture book texts for young children, including the best-selling Aliens Love Underpants series. I also enjoy making beautiful things for my home and garden, and for friends and family. Whilst writing is hard work, this other creative side is pure relaxation and ‘switch off’ time. But any projects have to be easily achievable within snatched moments in a busy work life. So here are my top crafting books for people who love creating things but, like me, don’t have much time...
Now you can enjoy crafting without harming the planet! All you need to do is save up some recyclable or foraged items such as cardboard, newspaper, wine bottle corks, twigs and pine cones. You can choose your own colour schemes to match your home and, because the materials are recyclable, you could make new ones every year!
If you love Christmas, you'll love this book! It's the perfect antidote to the traditional tinsel and glitter that shed harmful microplastics, polluting our oceans and waterways.
The Eco-Christmas Craft Book is filled with lots of ideas to create your own stylishly beautiful, eco-friendly Christmas.
All you need to do is save up some recyclable or foraged items such as cardboard, newspaper, wine bottle corks, twigs and pine cones. You can choose your own colour scheme to match your home and, because the materials are recyclable, you could make new ones every year!
My latest picture book was conceived when I participated in art fairs as a weaver and quilter. I was struck by how each craft, whether it be woodworking, metallurgy, glassblowing, pottery, etc., had a unique vocabulary and origins in many different cultures. My goal is to cultivate appreciation of the work of artisans around the world who are carrying on cultural traditions. I also saw an opportunity to expand vocabulary by sharing the language of the crafts, and to encourage children to think about a craft they may want to try. It is my hope that art teachers, parents and grandparents, artisans, and lovers of crafts will enjoy sharing this inspirational book.
This book consists of a series of stories that show how crafts from the past were designed and created. The book invites readers to appreciate the time, effort, and care that went into making objects such as toys and tools without machinery. I have included this book because it emphasizes the satisfaction of creating treasures by hand.
A beautiful, one-of-a-kind volume invites readers to marvel at the time, effort, and care that went into creating handmade toys, tools, and treasures of the past.
Whirr, buzz, hum. Before busy machines in factories turned out most of what we need and use, people crafted these items by hand. From a globe to a pie crimper, a butter churn to a rocking horse, this unique collection highlights fourteen one-of-a-kind objects — each one drafted, stitched, painted, or engraved by hand. Author Carole Lexa Schaefer draws inspiration from real historical artifacts to create thirteen short works of fiction, imagining the hands…
