WWJC: What would Jesus craft?

• A peek inside Sedaris' new craft book Simple Times

In the lobby prior to Amy Sedaris’ speaking engagement and book signing at the Atlanta History Center last night, guests were encouraged to make a craft that appears on page 155 of her new book, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Called a Marshmallow Star, it’s a marshmallow dangling from a string with several glue-and-glitter-dunked toothpicks protruding from it. She got the idea from a book she swears was called Crafts for Retarded People. Save for the toothpicks poking out of it, a Marshmallow Star is totally pointless.

Much like sensual massage, crafting tends to be more for the benefit of the giver than the receiver. In the introduction to Simple Times, Sedaris — who’s best known for playing foul-mouthed, sexually devious 46-year-old high school freshman on the brilliant-in-every-way series “Strangers With Candy” — describes crafting as the “delightful pastime of … putting common elements together in order to achieve something that nobody needs.” It’s obvious that the frivolity of the exercise of crafting is totally what appeals to Sedaris.

Case in point: the Crafty Candlestick Salad, the creation of which she demonstrated last night with the “help” of a volunteer from the audience. Basically, you lay a piece of lettuce on a plate, stack three pineapple rings on top of it, stick a peeled banana inside the rings, and finish it off with a glob of mayonnaise and a cherry on the tip. She also taught the audience members to make their own twist ties by sandwiching a piece of wire between two pieces of tape; she barely paused before explaining why the twist tie wouldn’t actually work.

Like last night’s appearance, enjoying Simple Times is more about loving Sedaris than loving crafting, unless of course you require instruction in making tin can stilts, painted rocks or peanuts with googly eyes. It’s mindless fun, but really enjoyable — kind of like crafting itself.