If you are a crafter, you know that new craft related magazines or digests get your attention and are usually checked out to see if it "fits" with your needs and style. I subscribed to Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects via a wonderful descriptive advertisement with mail-in card. I was sorely disappointed when this little booklet arrived.

Anybody want a copy of mine? I'm sure one .34 cent stamp would cover it! (And I'm not laughing here!!!) Yes, this so-called magazine does I'm sure meet the requirements for what makes a magazine. However, it does not meet my expectations. Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects is a small 5" x 7" booklet. Indeed, there are 64 pages here, but the paper used is newspaper quality with easy show through of the text on the other side of the page.

I would like to make note that the editors of this magazine are counting the front cover as page 1 ~ an unusual tactic, but it does help get the page numbers up. The back cover is counted as well. These 64 pages include 30 pages (now, this is really 15 you know, just counted on each side) of thin shiny paper used for the picturing the finished craft products discussed as well as paid advertisements in the issue I am reviewing. The colored photo's look nice, but here too you can make out the text coming through from the other sides of the pages. All of the 64 pages (32 sheets actually) are held together by 2 regular size staples. We are talking flimsy material here.

Since I am going on about the paper quality, I might as well move on to the content of the September/October 2001 issue of Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects. Let's see what we are paying for here!

Ok, we have 64 pages which include the cover page and the index page ~ we are now down to 62. Take off 30 photo pages (of which 20 are photo's of finished craft projects and 10 are paid advertisements) ~ we are now down to 32. Take off an additional 3 pages for other ad's on the newspaper print and we are down to 29. Lob off 4 more for 2, 2-page layouts of craft projects which actually direct you to go buy a specific product with which to create them with. There are no further instructions either.

Now you are down to 25 pages that deal specifically with craft ideas, directions and patterns ~ 25 pages that are 5" x 7" on newspaper quality paper. Hmmm.

Now I will admit there are craft projects in this magazine and there is variety to them. In the issue I'm reviewing, you have a crochet afghan, a Halloween wreath, a cross-stitched bookmark, a paper hen, a Sunflower wreath, a Halloween sign, a fall pillow with pumpkin face on it, flower-pot scarecrow and crow, painted basket, and stuffed fabric pumpkins. All well and good crafts for the fall and Halloween scene.

Only problem is, for me, these crafts are really geared more for those with limited crafting experience or those that really do not care much for detail and fine workmanship. They all have the feel of "starter" or "beginner" level crafts. For me, I could make them just by looking at the diagram or picture and go from there. I actually plan on using some of the craft project ideas, but letting my kids make them. If you need to be able to come up with group projects for scouts, or parties, or kid get-togethers you may find this magazine has just the right ideas for you. Maybe if this magazine was re-named the projects inside would be much more appropriate for those that could get the most use out of them.

Now, I know I said that Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects was geared more for the "starter" or "beginner" crafter, or even projects for children's groups, the patterns given and instructions given would leave a beginning crafter with little to go on.

There are no full-scale patterns or pattern pieces. Remember, we only have a 5" x 7" book here! Instructions are short and to the point ~ for example you are given crochet and cross-stitch directions without any diagram or direction of how to do a specific stitch!!! And my goodness, that is the smallest black & white cross-stitch chart I have ever seen!!! If you did not have experience to pull on, you may be left confused or wondering how you get from point D to point E.

Some of the patterns have cues as to "pattern is 50% of actual size," or a small diagram depicting a sewing technique with 8" typed next to a drawn sewn line that in the book is only 2" long. This could be very confusing to new crafters. Some of the "actual size" patterns make for some small piecework, not only in cutting out, but in attaching to the craft project. The pattern and diagrams as drawn are not precise, most of which look like they are drawn free-hand ~ Nothing wrong with that if the free-hand is done well and professionally. These are not.

I did want to comment on the price of a subscription. Even this is a tad confusing! lol On the inside cover you will find that a subscription in the U.S. is $36 a year for 6 issues ~ $36 a year!!!???!!! That comes out to $6 an issue ~ WOW! If you live outside the country you can tack on an additional $10.00. The actual cover price stamped on an individual issue is $5.95 ~ actually cheaper to buy on the stand, although I've never seen it on one. Now, toward the middle of the magazine is a coupon ~ you can reduce your cost and send in $19.97 for 5 issues which comes out to $4.00 an issue. Still not any deal.

Save your money and do not bother with Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects. I am more than positive that you can find any number of these types of craft projects in any one of the hundreds of other family and home magazines that fill the grocery store and news-stand racks. Heck, even your local paper puts out craft ideas, and a paper will only cost you .25 cents to a .50 cents during the week, a $1.00 to $1.50 on Sunday ~ Look at the savings, not to mention the directions will probably be more complete to boot.

I am going to donate my issues to the day care near me ~ I know their little toddlers and pre-schoolers would enjoy making these crafts! :o)

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