If you were only going to buy one craft book in your life, then Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts would probably be your best bet.

The queen of all things homely has pulled together hundreds of instructions for testing out every craft under the sun, and in this physically gigantic book, you can make hundreds of projects for feathering and decorating your nest.

The tutorials are short and sweet, without step photos, but this offers extra space for more projects to be crammed in - keep your bits and pieces organizes with a Desk Tidy, turn shells in to Salt & Pepper Holders, mold Colorful Clay Buttons, and make unique Sand Castle candles. Papercraft, mosaic, framing, jewelry making, glittering, etching, calligraphy and beading are just some of the crafts you'll find in this book, and with projects big and small, there's a suitable project for every skill level.

You can pick up a copy of the book from Random House now.