Book Nook: New Books from Dover Publications - Origami, Crocheting, Christmas Cats Coloring, and Christmas Papercraft

I love art and craft books. They're inexpensive ways to have a lot of entertainment value - and crafts are a good way to feel productive, and sometimes even make little gifts or other things to brighten someone's day. Dover sent me some craft books to highlight in this post, and they're a lot of fun - even the Christmas ones (it's never too early to start making a plan for gifts and decorations).

Christmas Ornaments to Crochet
Create snowflakes, wreaths, stars, and other charming Christmas ornaments with this excellent guide. Easy-to-follow instructions explain how to make over 50 attractive decorations that can be worked up quickly. These delicate, handmade items are ideal for adorning gift packages, Christmas trees, and doors and windows, as well as for use as table centerpieces.Projects range from ornaments suitable for beginning crocheters to those requiring intermediate or advanced skills. In addition to specific directions for each item and close-up photos of completed projects, a general crochet tutorial offers helpful tips.

Creative Haven Christmas Cats Coloring Book 

Have yourself a meowy Christmas with 31 purrfectly playful holiday illustrations. From felines frolicking on a stack of gifts and riding a toboggan to kittens cuddling a teddy bear friend and decorating cookies, it's a book filled with festive images for everyone who loves this very special season — and cats! Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Christmas Cats and other Creative Haven® adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

Making Christmas Bright with Papercrafts: More Than 40 Festive Projects!

Christmas is an ideal time to get in the spirit of the season by creating festive decorations and gifts with a personal touch. This delightful collection of 43 unique papercraft projects will get everyone in a festive mood with its decorative suggestions for the home and the holiday table, Christmas tree ornaments, handmade gifts, and much more.
The book abounds in photos, templates, and easy-to-follow instructions for everything from a beautiful origami wreath to cut-out snowflakes, place-setting accessories, gift-wrapping accents, and an Advent candle holder. Each project is accompanied by helpful tips as well as a list of materials and measurements. The splendid variety of options make this the perfect guide and resource for papercrafters at every level of experience.

Origami Animals

Showcasing contributions from several of today's most notable origami designers, this fun-to-follow guide presents eight easy-to-make origami animals, from an owl and crab to a turtle and butterfly. You'll also find 200, two-sided sheets of colorful origami paper so you can start folding immediately. Suitable for crafters of all skill levels, the models are accompanied by full-color photos, diagrams, and clear step-by-step directions.