Easy to follow, great ideas. Good addition for those wanting to explore making pottery.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy for an honest review.

Conscious Crafts: Pottery by Lucy Davidson covers simple, but beautiful air dry clay projects that anyone can try. There are a few recipes for making your own clay or you can use store bought. Lucy covers the tools needed for the projects throughout the book as well as some basic clay forming techniques before diving into the various projects. There are finished photos of each item you can make and drawings of the steps to create them.
Some examples are tea light holders, small pots, wall hangings, jewelry and coasters - all with beautiful modern designs. Keep in mind the items in the book are all air dried so they aren't food safe and they are water soluble. These projects seem simple enough and would make a fun activity or even a nice gift.

Do get photos with the steps which is good for visualizing what to do. Really cool for those who are wanting to work with clay as a medium. Some cool ideas.

A simple, fun guide to making obejcts with clay--and making the clay itself. The style is consciously "imperfect," which will not appeal to everyone, but if you like the handmade look, you might enjoy doing the projects outlined in this volume. The author's texts can be a little trite and navel-gazing, but the instructions are easy to follow. I did wonder why the materials list comes after the clay recipe, but other than that, it's pretty well laid out. With guidance, kids would be able to make most of the projects.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Conscious Crafts: Pottery is a tutorial guide with projects by Lucy Davidson. Released 15th June 2021 by Quarto on their Leaping Hare Press imprint, it's 144 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I liked the layout a lot. There's a casual philosophical feeling throughout which is much more focused on the process and mindfulness than in the finished product. The introduction includes some basic clay recipes (air drying dough type clays) as well as a primer on basic tools and supplies. The following chapters include process tutorials for lace/botanical surface impression, slab work dishes jewelry components and several others, pinch pots, wall art, plant pot markers, and several other tutorials for a wide range of objects both practical and whimsical (or both at the same time).

Each tutorial has an introduction, tools and supplies in a bullet list in the sidebar, and step-by-step directions. The accompanying photographs and line drawings are clear and easy to understand and illustrate the process well.

There is some good information here about the artistic process and skill building. The projects themselves are simple, the clay recipes provided are non-toxic and easy to use. This would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or use in maker's or activity groups. The tutorials are appropriate for all ages (with a facilitator for the youngest artists).

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I never knew making your own clay objects could be so easy. I will definitely try some of the ideas - I think it will be fun to involve my Grandchildren in some of the projects

I found ‘conscious crafts: pottery’ to be a beautiful book that would look well placed on my coffee table!

It works well as an introduction to air dry clay with simple projects that a beginner can complete without the need to purchase expensive equipment. Readers are encouraged to make beautiful projects including jewellery and homeware.

The author demonstrates how this process can be an act in self care and mindfulness, which seems very much on trend at the moment.

The presentation of the book is both beautiful and practical, with an outline of equipment needed prior to the procedure being detailed and illustrated with useful pictures.

This is a book that would appeal two seasoned crafters and newbies alike, as such I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has everything a beginner would need! (besides the clay, of course)
There's clay recipes, tools and materials you'll need, useful techniques, and how to do different shapes and items. This really made me want to get into pottery and make some of these cute items, especially the planter pots and coasters.

Conscious crafts; Pottery by Lucy Davidson.

Interesting and informative pottery craft ideas and techniques. The clear detailed step by step instructions could easily be done by adult or child to create unique pottery items. I particularly liked the herb markers and the leaf dish, so effective and easily done, at least it looked easily done and as with most crafts with practice comes perfect. This book has certainly stimulated my creative streak and given me some good ideas for my own creations.

Lucy Davidson does an excellent job of giving the reader information on clay recipes, tools and materials, and useful techniques, hints, and tips to get started on pottery as a new craft/hobby.

She wisely speaks of our need to dream, to play, to let our creativity be an outlet away from the burdens of the day, and the joy of just letting ourselves get lost in the moment of making something, and doing what we enjoy.

Davidson offers two recipes for air dry clay and step-by-step instructions (with illustrations) for completing 20 simple projects (some using polymer clay which must be baked).

It's clear that Davidson is used to imparting her love of, and knowledge of crafts. This book instills the confidence to give pottery a try. Her easy to follow instructions all but guarantee your success with your chosen projects. Well done!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Leaping Hare for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own, and freely given.

This book provides a great introduction to pottery with a variety of projects to appeal to any keen crafters out there. It is well illustrated and has several straightforward projects to get you started. A useful crafting book, suitable for all the family. Recommended.

An accessible guide to homemade pottery; not only does it include several ideas, from herb markers and light pull decorations, it also covers different recipes for making the clay! All instructions are easy to follow and each step i
I loved the overall design of the book! I think it would make a delightful gift for someone crafty.


[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

This is a sweet little craft book with lots of pretty projects. I was drawn to it since it didn't require a kiln or pottery wheel and I love doing pottery, but I found that the projects really seemed more like grown up kids' clay crafts this way than the pottery I really like (the wet, sloppy, sculpting type). The crafts definitely have a modern, clean, lovely look to them. There were a few that I marked to try, though it somehow still felt lacking to me and I'm not sure why. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I read a digital temporary ARC of this book for review.

A lovely little book for the beginner, and the not-so-serious potter. Not much that is new here by way of technique, but I did enjoy the addition of the paper clay recipes.

Conscious Crafts: Pottery by Lucy Davidson is full of wonderful ideas for various clay crafts. Featuring loads of easy to follow instructions and directions which have pictures included. The pictures make the crafts look amazing.

Easy and accessible projects with a pleasant simple style that you can easily envision in your own colors. I made myself the recommended clay for the incense burner and now have a functional entirely from scratch pottery incense burner which is lovely.

This is a wonderful addition to the mindful crafting books out there. There is a suggested list of tools at the beginning, but you can really do most of the projects with things you already have at home. There is a good mix of easy and advanced projects, but they are all simple enough to still be relaxing. One interesting feature is that the basic "how to make this" steps are illustrated and then the finishing touches have photos. I like that choice because you aren't pressured to follow the photos for a perfect piece of pottery. However, I would have appreciated photos of the basics in the beginning. Overall, I was inspired and soothed by the book and look forward to the series as a whole.