As editors Alexandra Redgrave and Jessica Hundley describe in the introduction, "This book began out of a curiosity for how we grow, build, and craft the world around us. We discovered that there's an art to a simple task done well - it calls for consideration and creativity, the rolling up of sleeves, and the digging into of details. It means getting messy, and, perhaps, messing up. In our world of modern convenience, doing it yourself is immensely rewarding. And so, consider the book in your hands as a starting point. We hope you, like us, find inspiration in these pages to experiment, to investigate, to create, and to enlighten your everyday."
