Crafts Hobbies Books

The book is really great when it comes to interior decoration. Ms Wearstler definitely has a knack for colour, and I like the creative way she used fresh colours and chic furniture to create new looks.

Beware though. Ms Wearstler seemed to like Asian religious icons in her decoration. I do not think that this gives due respect to our religion. As this is common amongst western interior decorators, this use of objects sacred to others as mere decorative items, Ms Wearstler could be forgiven for this.

Not only are her featured interiors stunning (as always) but the fab Ms. Wearstler goes the distance with great photography and writing to highlight it to its fullest. Honestly, a real gem and a must-have for any book collection on interiors.

I purchased this book for my sister, who is a design student about to graduate in 05/08, because Kelly Wearstler is her favorite designer. My sister already had one of Ms Wearstler's books and loved it so much that when she asked for her newest book I thought it would be a great Christmas gift. However, I didn't realize that the book she already had was Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style. When I gave her the book and she said that it was the one she already had I was very let down, but she did not want to return it. She said the copy she had was so worn out from use that she could never put it on her coffee table and that she loved it so much that she was more than pleased to have a brand new copy. Both my sister and I love Ms Wearstler's bold colorful design style and I was disappointed that her more resent books did not get better customer reviews, which is why I did not order one of them. I have since ordered Domicilium Decoratus anyway, since I was able to get such a good deal thru [...], and I'm looking forward to giving it to my sister for valentines' day.

She has the most amazing style. If you appreciate great design, you need this book!

My review says 5 stars. It should say 1 star. I couldn't edit it for some reason.

Boy you can't fool Stylemaven (yours truly). I have every design mag and book written (no brag, just fact). I had to buy this one just to be able to say I have every design mag and book ever written. . . . Anyway, this chick should stop having her assistants buy all the old House & Garden mags from the 1960's and 1970's and then regurgitating it in different colors. She's hit on a trend (dying trend? hopefully) doing the 70's stuff (and it wasn't that great then), but it's gonna date really fast. Part of her appeal is the model-thinness and being semi-photogenic I think. But overall, a design lightweight. All the graphic stuff photographs great. But see it in person? It looks really, really cheap.

A friend of mine loaned me a copy of her book when she found out that I was looking for something new and different from the afghans I had been knitting with old left over yarns. After looking thru the book and trying one of the patterns, I realized that I want to try ALL of the patterns in this book. If your looking at this book and thinking about getting it, I recommend getting the book, if your new to these kinds of things, like me, you can always start using scrap yarns and then move up to the more sophisticated yarns if you are comfortable with reading the pattern. There are patterns here that are easy to do and some that are a bit more challenging but all worth the time and effort. I'm still working up the courage to try a couple of these but I will get there eventually.

I am a fan of the "Folk" books and have several. The Folk Shawl book is easy to read, easy to understand, and gave me my first introduction to lace knitting. I was instantly hooked. I've knitted several of the shawls from this book and highly recommend it to anyone exploring lace knitting for the first time and as a tool to introduce newer knitters to this art. I've had great fun with Folk Shawls and have become a wearer of my shawls preferring them to sweaters.....they easily slip on and off and are a comfort in the cold weather. I even knitted a heavier version of the larger Stora shawl out of worsted weight wool and wore it as a substitute for a coat over an alpaca sweater!

Thank you Cheryl Oberle for a wonderful book!

This was the first shawl book I ever bought. I read it cover to cover a few times before ever picking up yarn and needles. The shawls are diverse, beautiful and the stories are captivating.

Kristin Omdahl
www.StyledByKristin.com

This book contains the absolute best collection of gorgeous shawl patterns I've ever seen in one volume. If you like making shawls, this is the book at the top of the list. I can't wait till I finish current projects and can start something from the Folk Shawls book.

25 Knitting patterns and tales from around the world will educate and entertain you for years to come. The shawls here are gorgeous and inspired by traditions and designs from around the world.

You will find a shawl here for every occasion and every one is spectacular. They originate from Ireland, Japan, Iceland, Victorian England, Russia, Scotland, Mexico, Norway and more. Each design will teach you more to enhance your skills and an average knitter should be able to create most of them. The instructions are both written and charted.

This is an amazingly creative book for knitters or anyone who loves fashion and fashion history. For me, this would even be worth purchasing if I didn't know how to knit. The pictures are gorgeous, the designs are fabulous and the concept of this book is so wonderful it absolutely puts me over the moon!

LOVE this book!

I absolutely love this book...I am a glass fuser, and have done mostly tack fused and full fused pieces as shown in most books on the subjects geared towards beginners. However, this book introduced me to ideas that I'd never even considered...I LOVE the examples, and as a former metalcaster, was fascinated with the idea that I could CAST glass and make objects more like what you might see from true glass artists.

A beautiful book...even as a coffee table book. Well worth the money...just feels like a quality book.

This is an excellent 'How to' Book! Having used only off the shelf molds before, this book really opened my eyes when it came to mold making - something I haven't tackled before. In Philippa Beveridge's book, Warm Glass - there are step by step colour photographs on how to make different types of molds, use inclusions, and kiln casting to name just a few. A great reference book for those fusing glass. Firing temperatures are shown in both fahrenheit and celsius. Lavishly illustrated, this is a book for both the beginner and the glass artist who wants to expand their ideas.

I'm having a terrible time with the project described on page 126....Bowl with Inclusions.

I'm using FloatGlass 82 (3mm) by Armstrong Glass Company in a Skutt HotStartPro Kiln.

Page 126 indicates that the temperature is to rise from 590 to 790 degrees centigrade in one minute. I'm unable to have my kiln...or any kiln I'm aware of to make that kind of temperature change that quickly.... If I put the rate of rise at 9999, it still takes over 50 minutes to reach 790 centigrage.

I don't think this is a typo since the graph below the table mirrors the info in the table itself.

The strips of glass in the center of the piece simply melt together and a large halo of air appears at the periphery of the cut-out. I'm relatively new to the world of Warm Glass, but I'm fairly good at following directions. ...this is simply not working out for me.

The piece is really beautiful, and I would like to make it if it is possible.

I bought this book at a bookstore as the photography was nice. Once I got it home and read it closely, I discovered it is mostly focused on float glass and isn't very useful if you want to use Bullseye or Spectrum glasses. I promptly returned it to the bookstore. There are much better beginning books out there.

Absolutely Great! This is the best book I've read on fusing too date and I read alot. Instead of just "what to do", it explains why you are doing it. It has a wonderful history of glass and an excellent explanation on the nature of glass. It covers the full range of information for working with warm glass, from straight fusing to making your own molds for casting.

Great book! Pictures and written instructions both very helpful. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get started learning to whittle.

If you are new to whittling (like me) this was a good book to get started on. Lots of things that you can make right away.

This is a lovely little book and written in a very charming humorous manner. Every page is packed with clear coloured photos. Each project is easy to follow and there are loads of ideas for adapting the basics so that you can make your own stuff. There are lots of little tips about being on the trail and camping too. I love it.

Little Book of Whittling is a good book, with a lot of very helpful information in it. it has some really fun projects in it that were quite simple to make. its a great book!

I went to a local wood hobby shop and looked at several carving/whittling books. This one looked good so I bought it on ebay and saved some $s.
I'm a total novice, so this book was perfect. Full of photographs that explain every step. No previous experience necessary. Tip: I've managed to cut myself a few times so I'm wearing gloves until my technique improves. A very relaxing pastime. Highly recommended. If you are wondering which beginners book to buy then buy this.

I love this book. It has so many beautiful patterns it is hard to decide which one to knit first. I prefer knitting with finer yarns so this book fits the bill. I highly recommend it.

I want to knit every project in this book and have cast on 2 and queued most of the others already. Truly a good value; think how much all those separate patterns would cost!

AJ in AZ

I had flipped this book and decided I wasn't interested since I hate wrap sweaters and knitted skirts. Some of the other things were sweet but not remarkable. I paged through one more time and then ...ACK!... I was bitten by the Anemone Beret. The pattern is lovely. The stitch looks like Broomstick Lace (crochet) but it IS knit. Long story short, bought the book and have made 3 of these berets. A four hour search of my Barbara Walker books found the stitch but I'd have never remembered it in this way. Kudos to Myers and Sulcoski (I think she did the beret pattern) for reeling me in!

I love knitting with fine yarns because they are more flattering and offer greater design options. The technical tips and info in this book do a great job explaining all this. However, the designs of the patterns offered do not live up to expectations. Fitted eighties clothes would be a good description. The majority of the patterns offered are frumpy and pedestrian. I am sure that better color choices in the samples would have helped and better photography could have sold it. The cover shot is as good as it gets. The book is not worthless but it is not particularly inspiring either. Others write that the patterns are well written. Since I am not intrigued to start any, I cannot comment. Very Disappointed!

I love this book for the ideas and the gauge information for fancy patterned knits. I would much prefer to work with fingering than with bulky yarns and there are very few collections in books for fingering, so this was a pleasant surprise. I usually don't follow any particular pattern wholly, but end up designing my own adaptations. This book will be no different for me, but there are some nice ideas and this is a welcome addition to my library.

This book, like all the "500" books I have seen, is utterly beautiful. I find it inspiring both visually and conceptually. The chosen subjects are thought provoking and artistically sumptuous examples of ceramic art.
Wheather you put it on your coffee table or in the studio, it is another "must have" from the Lark 500 series.

Beautifully presented, with 500 timeless ideas and references. If you are a potter and looking for inspiration - this book is a gold mine.

I bought this for a pottery student of mine after she bought the teapot book. Both are great fodder for the potter's imagination, and for me, a wonderful set of examples that get me away from the idea that my own pottery has to be as "perfect" as a wedgwood teacup. The pitcher book will be the next to grace the shelves of my studio library.

We just opened the pottery area of our store this year. The learning curve is steep: setting up the studio, hiring teachers, choosing clay bodies and glazes, and wheels, repairing kilns and firing other peoples work! So, I have purchased a lot of pottery books recently! This one is very cool. It doesn't teach you how to make anything, but it is a great way to see a huge variety of possibilites. I just love looking through it. There are several cups in there that I want to try to build (when I get better skills). The Lark Ceramics books are excellent resource books-stock your library up with them. You won't be sorry.

It is a good reference book for the ceramic artist and collector. It provides wonderful pictures, inspiration, and ideas.

For those of you interested in starting your own business, race out and pick up a copy! Loads of great ideas, tips and tricks and funny stories.

A must-read for anyone thinking of starting a craft business. Fitzgerald knocks it out of the ball park with this one!

I found this book to be very helpful as a mom running her own business and I was very happy to be asked to contribute to it. Reading the things the other contributors had to say about being able to do what you love for a living were very motivational. I hope this book encourages more women to start their own businesses. [...]

This is a cut-to-the chase approach that profiles a cross-section of successful businesswomen crafters. Before you start setting up any kind of business, you'd better make sure your idea is unique and marketable. Sit down with Fitzgerald's book for a few hours, and you'll see what these women did to stand out and succeed in a very competitive business environment. I particularly liked that each profile is in that woman's own words. If I'm going to make my dream of starting a business a reality, I sure need to hear from those who stepped off the crafting cliff before me! I really liked this book.

First of all, this book was hard to get a hold of. Did they not print enough or what? Borders couldn't even order it for me, Barnes & Noble had no stores nearby with it and took a couple weeks to get it in.

I've been working on my own crafting business for almost two years now, and I love Country Living Magazine, so I was excited for this book. I would just recommend it to those who are looking for more inspiration than real direction and hardcore answers.

The true stories of successful crafters are very inspiring and helpful in the advice the women give. It was fun to see the other women's crafts (many of whom are well known in this business) and hear how they came to be successful and what their dreams for the future are.

I would not recommend this book if you are looking for some serious answers about the structure, laws, options and rules when it comes to setting up your own crafting business. I would strongly recommend The Crafter's Business Answer Book by Barbara Brabec, that book will answer every question you have and help you get set up. This book, however, the Crafting a Business book, just skimmed over all these topics very briefly at the end of the book. It wasn't as thorough and didn't answer all the important questions.

I'm pretty happy with my purchase nonetheless, and have really enjoyed reading through the various success stories in this book. It is encouraging and enjoyable.

I am new to resins, but have always wanted to learn. I had taken classes from people who were experts in their field, but found it was difficult to create the resin pieces based on their techniques. I love how Sherri has created techniques that allow me to do them in my small studio space and without much expense. (e.g. in the class I took, the instructor had us use aluminum sheeting to cut and put together to pour the silicone into, Sherri just has you use old sour cream tubs, butter tubs, etc. with the bottoms cut off. That is so much easier and cheaper!) The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that she didn't go into why she (or the artist making the project) chose a particular resin over another based on the project (e.g. polyurethane vs. polyester, etc.). I don't think she covers safety enough, but I teach classes and am a safety freak with my students. Overall though, I am very happy with my purchase and definitely would recommend to anyone wanting to get into resins.

I like this book a lot more than another book I got on resin jewelry. This book was easier for a novice like me to understand. It was full of good ideas, explanations about the different types of resin and helpful hints. Best of all, the author mentioned where she got her craft supplies for certain projects.

This book takes the mystery out of working with resin. It explains mold-making in good detail and provides useful info for choosing the right raw materials. Not every artist can also teach, but Ms. Haab is skilled at both. The book is well laid out, not repetitive, and provides sample projects along with a list of necessary materials. Many of the projects are not my style preference, but written descriptions and pictures are clear and can be used for inspiration. Published in 2006, it is recent enough that the raw materials are still relevant and available.

This book does a good job introducing one to the different uses and types of resin but the projects and work within are pretty crafty. Resin has the ability to transform an object when used in unique ways, I wish this book demonstrated that.

Ever since I saw my first superchunky, gorgeous colored resin bangle, available for sale at an online store back in the early 2000's, I have been intrigued by the mystique of always different resin jewelry. Yes I kick myself to this day that I never bought that bangle!

Now I spot brilliant fabulous clear resin jewlery, with pretty silver embellishments, and inlaid semiprecious stones, for sale online. I see resin as well on etsy with yummy looking real candy pieces or sprinkles and glitter floating cheerily in the molded colorful bangles or pendants.

Well, I have finally broken down and bought my own how to book, from the best teacher around, and I am thrilled! Now that I own this award winning book, The Art of Resin Jewelry, by Sherri Haab, I can stop looking and start doing! Having already "devoured" this great book, I plan to get to work (or to play!) as soon as possible! I am hoping to stretch my imagination to the fullest, and to see what I can do as well, with resin as my launching pad!

Sherri Haab is the perfect guide for a neophyte like me! I need HER clear writing style. I need the fun of seeing the variety of her projects, such as her high art "Pod Bead" bracelet, shown in two colors, and her ultra hip Techno Polymer Clay Bezels (which obviously use more than just resin as the medium you work with). That second project I just mention comes from a whole section in the book she offers which is called "Combining Resin With Polymer Clay". Everthing is so fascinating!

The author is straightforward in her writing style and her book is great, in the manner in which she assists the reader to take the intial steps toward learning how to create coated resin, casted, molded or combined medium resin jewelry.

Not only did she produce this super cool book, she has a website where you can pick up the things you will need to create you own jewelry (molds, resin, colors, powders, bracelet blanks, ring blanks and more) without going through the sometimes confusing process of wandering around in a local craft store or even two, looking here and there and checking and rechecking your list of required resin needs you have to obtain to get started. This book and her site will get you started. Who knows were you will end up!

I love this book! I am please with the saftey precautions she is careful to explain, I love the projects, and I feel that this is a terrific all around crafting book!

Ali's books are full of great ideas. I love this book and refer to it often.

Even if you read the whole book and don't get a single idea for your own scrapbooking, it's OK. And that's one of the first lessons in a book about cultivating an attitude which will free the life artist within you to create pages and albums and other projects which reflect your personality and vision. It's OK.

Although Life Artist is divided into chapters with themes, the book is essentially a series of two-page spreads with reflections about the themes the author, Ali Edwards, feels are an important part of creating work that is unique and personal. Although it can be a fast read, it's worthy of a more reflective approach.

I love her book. She gives you so many ideas to try and to start your own challenges. She encourages you to to it the way you want to. Great book!!!

I love Ali Edwards ideas and she inspires me in so many ways. This book is no exception!

Just finished reading the book a few hours ago, and it's awesome!!!

Ali's made me think in a different way about how I should be living and experiencing my creative side.

As she writes, Just be YOU, that's the point. We are the best to tell our stories, to enjoy our creativity no matter what others think about it. I should be getting my inspiration back shortly, so I'll try to be ready and go through the book a few more times.

Thanks Ali!!

I am just beginning my hobby with a metal detector. I purchased several books on treasure hunting and this is by far the best. It has a broad range of extremely useful information. By all means start with this book if you too are a beginner. Most of the other books I bought had a lot of fluff. This book has a ton of useful information and guidance.

No matter what your treasure, be it coins, bottles, or somethisg else, this book has great tips on where and how to find it. I originally bought a copy for my son and was so impressed that I bought another copy for myself.

This book has a lot of information about treasures all over the country. Tells you where to look, how to go about hunting and what equipment you need and what to do when you find your treasures.

I was looking for a book on using a metal detector. This was not it.

This book is an invaluable resource for the beginner and even the intermediate detectorist. It has filled me with new ideas of where and how to search for lost valuables and coins. The tidbits on history and archeology were most interesting.