Best Book Nook and Paint by Numbers kits

March 9, 2023 9:20 AM

I’m looking for a new, low stress craft that I can do without buying a million supplies to start and these two things came to mind. I’m drawn to these book nooks and my friend is living paint by numbers-can you recommend specific sources for either that are good quality but not crazy expensive?

I’m a quilter and love that, but it’s a production to get everything out and set up and right now (perhaps because I have Covid), the idea of a kit someone sends that I can mindlessly putter away at sounds so cozy and lovely. The linked book nooks are lovely but not cheap-I see many on Etsy for less but at not sure how the quality compares? And I don’t know where to even start with paint by numbers. I’d love a natural landscape without that godawful Thomas Kincaid vibe.

posted by purenitrous to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

I cant say they're the best, but I've gotten a couple of these Artists Loft paint-by-number kits from Michael's, and they are fine. Paint by Number takes much, much longer than you might think, just as a warning.

As a tangential answer, to me, embroidery is like a paint by number but with thread. Its more portable, and has zero drying time. I like it a lot more. Memail me if you want specific recommendations for kits for that.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 9:57 AM on March 9, 2023

I did an inexpensive paint-by-numbers kit during the pandemic - but the best advice I got was to buy 2 identical kits. Sometimes the paint pots can be a bit stingy - or get dried out around the edges - and it's impossible to find an after-market match!

The examples in this Amazon listing aren't very $$ or very Kincaid and - even if you decide not to hang them in a place of pride in your home - look fun to DO.
posted by nkknkk at 10:02 AM on March 9, 2023

Best answer: Good paint by number to get started. This one goes pretty fast and is enjoyable as long as you like blue and flowers. They can be surprisingly fiddly and slow so starting with a simple one might be a good idea. There is a lot of paint mixing - say color B is actual paint color 7 plus paint color 11. I do this mixing on a paper plate with the paint brush on the fly whenever I need it, not being too particular if the next time I mix it, the color is slightly different.

Strongly suggest buying extra brushes.
posted by RoadScholar at 3:55 PM on March 9, 2023

I got a paint by numbers kit as a gift last year, I liked it but I would not describe it as mindless or something I could easily pull out and poke at because of the paint mess, water, drying time, etc. (I also don't know where it came from or I'd link you, it was a nice afternoon project.)

Agree that embroidery might be worth a shot for you, I describe it to friends as very slow coloring but it can have some of the detail, texture, and intricacy you get with paint or models. A small kit to try out will run you $10-15 bucks and come with everything you need, this one would probably be pretty beginner friendly but there are lots of other options in many styles at Michael's, Etsy, Amazon, etc. My personal go-to low stress mindless craft is knitting, hence the two or three half-finished scarves abandoned near the TV right now, and a set of needles and a ball of yarn is all you need and beginner kits can be in the under $20 range.
posted by jameaterblues at 5:17 PM on March 9, 2023

If you quilt, what about English paper piecing hexagons by hand? You can get a set of precut hexies cheap and then a charm pack or just scraps and spend time first tacking them, then arranging your colors, then stitching them together. I love hexies as table runners or cushion covers or just lots of grandmother garden flowers scattered about.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:40 PM on March 9, 2023

Best answer: I've never heard of book nooks before, but...

I'll comment that you don't need the best possible kit to get started. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

A search on "3d wooden puzzles" brings up a world of kits requiring similar skills.

Mt wife did counted cross stitch for a while.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:15 AM on March 10, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks all! I’m a pretty experienced hand-quilter/piecer/appliquer and definitely have more than enough unfinished projects to occupy me if I choose to go that route-same with counted xstitch. And maybe I should-those are all things I can do while watching tv or listening to podcasts that would get me away from being on my phone at the same time, which is one of my goals.
posted by purenitrous at 9:42 AM on March 10, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you for the answers! SemiSalt-your “perfect is the enemy of the good” was just what I needed (I use it for others all the time at work but have a hard time applying it to myself, of course) so I went ahead and ordered one from Michael’s via instacart to have something to do while I’m quarantined, and a book nook from Amazon. I discovered both have communities on Reddit that were helpful -and also that paint by number tip videos on YouTube are a mesmerizing way to distract a Covid foggy brain.
posted by purenitrous at 12:40 PM on March 10, 2023 [2 favorites]