View source for This Belongs to Me: Cool Ways to Personalize Your Stuff by Anna Wray

{{infobox1
|title=This Belongs to Me: Cool Ways to Personalize Your Stuff 
|author=Anna Wray
|reviewer=Louise Jones
|genre=Crafts
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781908005786
|pages=128
|publisher=Ivy Press
|date=May 2013
|website=http://www.woollycritter.com/
|summary=Art projects for older kids and teenagers. The book shows you how to customise everything, including clothing, furniture, schoolbags and bedlinen.
|cover=1908005785
|aznuk=1908005785
|aznus=1908005785
}}
''This Belongs to Me'' contains 14 design projects that describe how to customise everything from clothing to furniture. The book encourages people to get creative by showing the basic techniques and skills involved for each project, but leaving the actual creative design up to the personal preferences of the reader. 

Each project is described in detail, with a comprehensive list of all the materials needed and simple step-by step instructions along with pictures that show each stage of the process. The book also has plenty of ''freestyle space'' where artists can test out the look of designs and patterns on paper before creating the real thing.

The projects are very clever and innovative. They range from small projects, such as making earphone buds out of modelling clay, up to really big projects like painting duvet covers and covering furniture. Only basic skills are needed, but the results are as individual as the artist and the projects may act as a springboard to a lifelong interest in art, design and textiles.

My only reservation about the book was that each project requires specialist art materials. These materials are not, in themselves, difficult to acquire, being readily available online or from art shops. However, it does mean that some forward planning is required and the projects are not spontaneous craft activities that can be created with simple household items. Most of the projects are aimed at older teenagers rather than young children, as some of them potentially dangerous items such as spray paint, acrylic sealant or sharp scalpels and cutters.

The book is a good introduction to art skills like decoupage, lino cutting, stencilling and batik. Creative souls will love the ideas in ''This Belongs to Me'' and once they have the customising bug, it is likely that nothing in the house will be safe!

More creative fashion ideas can be found in [[Fashion T-Shirts by Lorine Mason]]

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