ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything: A Do-It-Yourself Primer (edit title)

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  • Rated 3 stars

  “[Never News review: http://nevernews.squarespace.com/main/2006/10/9/readymade-how-to-make-almost-everything.html]
  
  ReadyMade Magazine is a pretty useful little periodical that gives you a bunch of handy projects. The book is the same, although it's got a weight to it (figuratively and literally) to draw people to it.
  
  
  Sturdy, funny, and filled with interesting DIY projects arranged by material, the book's got some really good ideas (frames from old hardcover novels, now without their pages; water-bottle chandeliers, light boxes from old window frames, bike racks from old pallets) and quite a few interesting but completely useless ones (water-bottle chair? Twig candelabra? Ladder shelves?).
  
  
  Well, useless isn't the right term: they've got use, obviously. The ladder shelves do look really fucking handy. The only problem is that it's made of expensive materials (go price ladders. Go on.). And the water-bottle chair looks comfortable but, really, I can't see it staying together for too long.
  
  
  Over all, though, the book is pretty sturdy: a lot of the projects look like things I'd be interested in doing, and all are plotted out with easy to understand, well illustrated articles.
  
  
  Overall, the aesthetic of the thing is what made its way into my heart the most—the idea of crafting quick, easy projects out of everyday materials is one that we're all used to, of course—we all made pillow forts as kids, we all have had to make shelves out of cinder blocks—but when those things start to look and feel better than store bought, pre-made objects with the same purpose, a new breed is created—a sort of DIY mega-project—and that's what ReadyMade has been up to; chronicling these projects and sharing them.
  
  
  I certainly wouldn't recommend the book to people who aren't going to use the ideas, but I've already got a few of the projects worked out in my mind, as well as other projects that the book has inspired me to plot—and, I think, that's what the purpose of the book really is.”

  ColinMoon wrote this review Thursday, October 12 2006. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No