Ebook Review: Crunchy Granola Charm

I’m interested in reviewing more self-published books and ebooks this year. Yvette Doss sent me a review copy of Crunchy Granola Charm, the first title from her new indie publishing company, Blooming Editions.

The title refers not to breakfast cereal, but to a moniker some people give to the 1960s cultural scene. The ebook contains seven jewelry projects based on natural materials and a chunky, 60s design sensibility.

An excerpt from the introduction:

“If you’re one of those who finds ways to incorporate modern interpretations of the styles of the hippie era into your life, if you prefer the natural look to being overly made up, if you’re a little bohemian and a little gypsy, then you’re there – you’re crunchy too.”

Design-wise, Crunchy Granola Charm is interesting because it’s put together a lot like a print book. The pages are square in format, which reads very pretty on the computer screen. I found it was best to print the book on 8 1/2″ x 14″ paper, because on standard paper, the type came out a bit too small for comfortable reading.

The project set is very simple, pretty, and non-fussy, harkening to hippie style, but with a nice modernism mixed in. These are projects a beginning to intermediate beader could easily tackle, and Yvette does a great job documenting all her sources for beads and components, so you can locate the same (or, very nearly the same) materials as she’s used.

The project instructions are all expressed in text form. I’ve written about how I feel about text-only instructions in craft books, so I can’t help but comment here. I’m a big fan of crafty ebooks because they can afford to include loads of process photos or diagrams. I think the project set in Crunchy Granola Charm is simple enough that the text instructions can be followed easily. But I find myself hoping that future editions of this ebook will take a bit more advantage of the educational possibilities in a digital publishing format.

I love the way Yvette has rounded out the overall flavor of this book by including a “Music to Bead By” soundtrack of 60s albums. Overall, this is a fun niche concept book – just the thing digital self-publishing can deliver beautifully. This would be a nice gift for someone who embodies this design sensibility and wants to dive into jewelry-making.

You can order your copy over at Blooming Editions.