Get ready for Christmas now with craft books list

PROVO — Looking for a good idea for a Christmas gift you can make yourself? Check out this list of books full of ideas:

Vintage Christmas Crafts; Sara Toliver; Sterling, 2004; 144 pages.

This book displays four unique and different decorative crafting styles: Victorian Vintage, Shabby Chic, Country and Personal Vintage. Each style includes directions for projects, ideas for decorating and enticing pictures to inspire and evoke nostalgia. Sara Toliver is vice president and marketing director of Chapell Ltd., a publishing company specializing in crafts and decorating books.

American Christmas: Inspired Recipes, Gifts, and Ideas for Holiday Entertaining; Williams-Sonoma; Oxmoor House, 2004; 145 pages.

Williams-Sonoma's American Christmas features eight regionally inspired holiday menus with over 60 recipes, highlighting holiday occasions coast to coast, from a snowy New England farmhouse to a tranquil California Wine Country kitchen. It also shows table settings, centerpieces and gifts to make.

The Ultimate Christmas Book; Reader's Digest, 2006; 288 pages.

Filled with photographs and illustrations, as expected from a Reader's Digest book, this book covers all aspects of preparing for the holiday. There are more than 120 projects, from handcrafting ornaments, gifts, cards and wrapping paper to creating delicious recipes for cookies and treats as well as Christmas dinner.

Crafting Christmas Gifts: 25 Adorable Projects Featuring Angels, Snowmen, Reindeer and Other Yuletide Favorites; David and Charles, 2006; 96 pages.

With this collection of easy step-by-step projects, crafters can choose from more than two dozen different characters. Readers will find traditional Christmas characters like angels and snowmen as well as novelties like applique penguins, mice and Advent calendars. Projects include creating simple Christmas cards, hearts, tree decorations and gift bags.

Christmas with Martha Stewart Living; Clarkson Potter, 1997; 144 pages.

For Martha Stewart fans, this book is a holiday classic. It offers a holiday grab bag of party recipes, entertaining ideas, table settings, decorations, gifts and wrappings, accompanied by step-by-step instructions and how-to color photographs.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts: Crafting Quick and Classy Presents for Everyone on Your List; Sterling, 2002; 128 pages.

According to its publishers, "these 60 great-looking, distinctive projects will solve your Christmas gift-list problem faster than Santa's reindeer can fly." The projects are estimated to take from around 10 minutes to several hours to complete and use inexpensive easy-to-find materials in new ways to create unique Christmas gifts.

Editor's note: Robyn Patterson is the Adult Services Librarian at the Provo City Library at Academy Square