Title: Hello Color
Author: Rachel Mae Smith
Type: Nonfiction
Genre: Design
Publisher: Quirk Books (Penguin Random House)
Published: March 20, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Say goodbye to dull décor and hello to color with 25 simple DIY projects with Rachel Mae Smith, the pink-haired proprietor of popular lifestyle blog The Crafted Life!

Liven up your apartment and make your home space vibrant with 25 simple and fun step-by-step home accessory projects–all doable in under 30 minutes!–like pop-tastic wall art, colorful coasters, and bold and bright dishes and mugs. No matter whether she’s writing for her blog, snapping pictures for Instagram, or just living her life, Rachel Mae Smith is all about the simple joys of making by hand and bringing brightness to everything. And now, with a book full of delightful projects, Rachel’s bringing her unique and cheerful style to home crafters and aspirational DIYers everywhere. Helpful sidebars suggest palettes for creating a perfect set of hues and share tips for picking the right color for every space. Plus ideas for perking up pillowcases, napkins, hangers, and other pre-fab necessities, tips for preserving color, how-tos on working with specific materials, ideas for entertaining, and–of course–a guide to shooting pictures!

– My Review –

As you can probably tell from my blog’s theme, I really like bright colours and white. I also like neutrals and white, but am definitely more likely to go for colourful and bright. So, it should some as no surprise that this book was perfect for someone like me! I love that this is a DIY book because I love to craft, and because with the DIYs included, you can make your house look colourful and bright without spending too much money! I’m actually itching to try out some of these projects ASAP (and wish I had my own place to do so … but maybe soon!) I appreciated the aesthetic of this book as a whole, and how there was a clear and colourful picture provided for each projects that Smith included. There was also an introductory section that discussed some of the terms used in the book (as well as interior design in general), which I really appreciated.

I knew most of the terms already, but am sure that those who don’t know the lingo would really benefit from that portion. The instructions are also straightforward and easy to follow, and all of the projects sounds like a lot of fun to begin with. A lot of them you can also customize to your tastes if they don’t quite match the creator’s tastes too! I appreciate how the book was sectioned off into projects based on room (i.e. living room, bedroom, etc.), and just how the book was sectioned off in general. And at the very end, I was happily surprised to find some tear-out art that you can frame right away! Overall, I definitely recommend this book to those who want to decorate their interiors to their own preference, and who love crafting and/or DIY projects!

– About the Author –

As found on Rachel Mae Smith’s blog, The Crafted Life:
The Crafted Life, based in Philadelphia, is all about making life colorful and fun. I want this blog to be your source where where to find beautiful things for your home and for your life without having to invest a lot of time or money. I think we all want nice things, but more importantly, that we want to have the time to create those perfect memories. So whether it’s a DIY you use to decorate your new home, the perfect pair of earrings to wear on your big date, or the brunch cocktail recipe you’ll drink with your friends, I hope that you’ll find it here. You don’t need to have years of experience, fancy tools, or a ton of time to create something beautiful– you just need to get started.

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!