Crafts Hobbies Books

This book gives you a fascinating tour throughout a huge variety of amazing and creative rings. Either if you are a jewelry afficionado or are going to get married, this compilation is a must-have.

Wonderful photographs and descriptions. An excellent addition to my resource library. This book is well worth the money.

I love ALL of the 500 books from Lark. They are great for inspiration and for learning new artists. I have almost the whole series!

This is an amazing collection of work. I own all the lark 500 books - apart from 500 bracelets, which dissapointed me and 500 brooches, which I haven't seen yet. One of my fave's was 1000 rings because of its combination of outlandish and imaginative ideas, I found it very inspiring even though at that point I wasn't really constructing rings myself. However, this one is better, in my humble opinion. The wearability is much higher and more realistic and you can take this book to be 500 "wedding" rings or 500 just plain awesome rings - it doesn't matter, they are still stunning. Quite a lot more precious too.
This is, like the others, not an instruction book, there are no projects. Its a collection of inspiring works to inspire and appreciate for both jewellers and collectors. If you liked any of the 500 books, I'd be quite confident that you would really like this one - the standard seems to have leapt up a few notches.
Another lark series to look out for is the new "Masters" series. So far I have only got one, masters in gemstones. Because of the quality of this I am eagerly awaiting any others! Its amazing and goes a step further than the 500 series. Instead of just submission after submission a group of master jewellers has been selected and each chapter showcases thier work and writes a little bit about them and thier process, so in some instances this can be quite insightful into the process and methods used. Really really stunning.
(Two reviews in one here!!)

As usual with Lark books, gorgeous photos of incredible jewelry. My one complaint, and it is the same as all the other Lark jewelry books, is the inclusion of "non-wearable" and "exhibition" type pieces. Wedding rings made out of plastic or felt with weird tangly things off them is not worthy of inclusion in such a collection. I feel as if the pages taken up by the craft hour projects is such a waste. For the people out there who think completely unwearable and some, downright painful, jewelry is worthy of admiration, please Lark, save those pieces for their own volume. Other than that, the Lark books, particularly the Rings books, are my fav source of design inspiration.

This book is everything I had hoped for. I actually do short arm quilting, but this book was very helpful in the questions I had. I would recommend it to anyone who has a long arm or short arm quilting machine on a frame.

This book has some great tips and has very clear instructions and I found it to be very helpful. I recently purchased a longarm machine and this book has some great ideas that are very useful. Well worth the money.

When starting out in the business, I read this book cover to cover. It's full of incredibly valuable information and instructions. There are even several of Linda's pantograph designs that you can copy for your own use.

Linda Taylor's book, The Ultimate Quilt to Longarm Machine Quilting, became my teacher after purchasing my new longarm quilter at the 2007 Houston International Quilt Festival. Quilting friends highly recommend the book and the book became my teacher and companion for the past six weeks. The book clearly defines terms and how the machines work. Quick References decipher quilt jargon, how to load a longarm, what tools you need most, defines quilt jargon, pantographs, tips on how to start a business as a longarm quilter and how to avoid longarm body problems when quilting too long without exercise. I am a long time sewer and a three-year quilter. I am a retired teacher that learns most by reading and then by watching. This book is well written, has good photography to support the techniques and a great book for the new longarm quilter as well as a experienced quilter. My book is already dog-eared and showing the wear. IT IS A GOOD BOOK!

Excellent instructional book, well written. This was my first instructional book and it was invaluable. I recommend it highly for long arm quilting on any machine.

I got this for my 12 year old daughter and its been a big hit! The results are quite impressive. She's made earrings, a charm bracelet (of colorful Chinese lanterns) and several necklaces. The kit comes with several sheets of patterns to mix and match. They range from cute to sophisticated designs. If you are looking for a gift for preteens and up, this is a perfect choice.

I'm always saying I'm bored but when I got this cool craft book for Christmas, or Hannukkah or Kwanza or Diwali, whatever you prefer, (I guess I'm every religion) all that changed. Now whenever I say I am bored I just think about my craft book and head for the kitchen. But today when I was making jewelry, things didn't go as planned. When my projects were in the oven they started to shrivel up and not uncurl, because the two sides were stuck together!!!! I couldn't uncurl the sides so I made a new one but the same thing happened!! I made another one and I thought the same thing had happened but I left it in the oven and the sides uncurled on their own. So I put the next batch of jewelry in the oven. This time I had cut the holes too close to the edge and they ripped so I made another one. It all came out beautifully and I get so many complements on my jewelry. Despite all this, I give my jewelry book five stars !!!!!!!!

I bought this for my granddaughter and she enjoyed it so much that I bought two more for her to give to friends. It's a very special idea and kids have such fun with it.

Leave this one for the kids. It's a good value, but I think this book is for kids. The first clue is the girl on the cover.

Tired of spending large sums of money on my daughter's friend's b'day presents and knowing how much my daughter enjoyed art, I picked up this book and told my 14 year old that if she would use it to make gifts, I would pay for it. I figured it would be a win/win situation. She went to town making earrings and bracelets, wearing a new one each day to school. Her 18 year old sister came home from college and wanted everything she made but instead sat down and made her own. They shrinky dinked so much that I am ordering a refill pack and another book for my daughter to take back to college. Moral: kids of ALL ages will love this (including me). One of the most fun Klutz books we've gotten (and we've gotten a lot). And with a friend's b'day party coming up next week....

My 11-year-old daughter spent a happy afternoon making flowers by herself. Several wrong turns and mistakes, but they turned out lovely. She was proud of them, put them in a small glass vase, and they're admired daily. Another ingenious Klutz book.

I decided to save some money for my wedding by making paper flowers instead of using real flowers. I started to research paper flowers and came acruss the Klutz book of Tissue Paper Flowers. I bought it and when I got it, I was so amazed at how easy the flowers are to make. I started out by making one of each flower and was so impressed at how real some of them looked. I can't wait to get white tissue paper to make my wedding flowers! This book has such easy step by step instructions. The only down side is that it shows so many other flowers on the front that aren't actually in the book. However, once you tackle all the flower projects in the book, it is very simple to look at a real flower and figure out how to make it out of tissue paper. These flowers are fun, hard to screw up, and are so pretty! I think doing projects like this with kids would be a lot of fun, too.

I just received this book. I bought it as a birthday gift for an 8 year-old niece. She will love it and so will her 5 year-old sister. In fact, their mother will love making the flowers too. I can see this being a great book for all ages because you can customize the flowers according to your skill level ie. more detail for older kids and simpler designs for younger kids.

It looks fun. I see projects in the book showing how to use them on wreaths, hats, headbands, etc. The book is colorful and the directions look clear. The book looks like it will last too. The back cover is thick chipboard and all of the book pages are thick paper. I am impressed!

Like many of the other reviewers, I am a grown-up who bought this book to share with children and ended up enjoying it tremendously as a craft project for myself. This book is so beautifully designed with clear easy-to-follow directions and plenty of supplies to get you started. I think it would make a great gift for children as young as age five all the way up to the most crafty adult crafter.

a very fun craft project. my kids have spent hours with this one. the patterns are fairly easy for kids, and a few need adult help. i recommend this craft.

If you are a Knitter who takes their Knitting very seriously, you may not get a kick out of this book. The rest of us enjoy the fact that someone out there is telling it like it is... yes, knitters make mistakes, yes, we sometimes get obsessive, but we're all just trying to get along in a world that looks at people who play with yarn for fun like they're a few skeins short of a sweater. Thanks for the laughs, Steph.

Very funny as I find all of her books. I really enjoy this author and all of her books.

One of several warm, witty, and ultimately reassuring books by the Yarn Harlot. Thank goodness that Stephanie is coming out of the closet - or the freezer - and speaking out honestly about the foibles and blessings commonly found in the varied and colorful community of the Yarn Obsessed and Wooly-Minded. If you've ever feared that archaeologists would someday find you buried in your spouse's fossilized yarn stash, or if you have started thinking of the skeins draped over your living room curtain rods as a 'clever interior decorating scheme', these are the books for you. It won't cure what ails you, but it will reassure you that you aren't crazy. Or at least that you aren't alone!

As usual, another successful and very humerous book about the trials and tribulations of super-knitter Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Only she can tell her stories the way she does. I will always think of finding part of her stash in a coat sleeve.

This book will make you laugh out loud if you are a Knitter (that's a knitter with a capital K) or know someone who is a Knitter. Great comic relief for those of us who like to knit and use fibers as a hobby. You will see yourself or friends in each chapter. A great book to read as Stephanie knows how to describe our hobby fun in ways that are sure to make you smile and laugh. Enjoy!

Yes, this book has many art ideas suitable for littles. Many, however, are pretty simple and obvious, so there isn't as much really helpful information as you'd think. Lots of them are the same as what you'd find in any other craft book geared to this age. That's ok, because you might not have all the other craft books, but it's something to keep in mind. Since I already have a fairly extensive collection of craft books, I didn't find a lot of new ideas in this one.

I'm SO surprised to see the negative reviews on this book. No, the projects are not elaborate, but the cover states "It's the process, not the product"...which should clue you in. I sort of see it as an art meets science type book. This is what happens when you squirt water on marker drawing...this is what happens when you draw with wet chalk...it's about exploring the creative process.

I checked this out of my Parents as Teachers library, and liked it so much am now looking to buy it.

I own an art store and take projects right out of this book and other books by MaryAnn Kohl. Her instructions and pictures are easy to follow and if you have even an ounce of creativity, you can adjust the ideas to suit your tastes, the situation, the available materials or the ages of your students. I teach somewhere between 5 to 8 pre-schoolers every saturday morning. I can say from experience that the Process really is more important to the child than the outcome. They don't come in to art class thinking like adults "Oh, what kind of masterpiece can I create for my portfolio today?" They just want to have fun, get messy and live in the moment. But while they are processing, they are learning quite a bit. The parents of my students really love the projects and I come up with new ideas almost every week because I have a huge library of books. The simplest looking projects that may seem dull to an adult, delight the children. So you really need to try them! Some people laugh when I tell them I teach art to 2-year-olds. They think that children so young cannot benefit from art education. But my little artists are so creative and fun. They really do make art! Get a few good books with projects like this and get involved with your children making art. You won't be sorry!

This is a wonderful book! Well organized and easy to use. I love the illustrations which really help with the projects and my 2 and 3 1/2 year olds love the ideas. The author's enthusiasm for art and creativity really show! I highly recommend this book for all who want to see thier children develop a love for creativity and art!

While I see how this book may be helpful for those with no art teaching experience, as an art teacher looking for some ideas for preschool projects I found this book useless. I am only writing this review because if someone had written one like I would not have purchased the book!

This is my favorite craft author, although I only know of a few of her books. I have her 'Rubber Stamper's Bible' and '100 Great Ways To Use Rubber Stamps'. I keep coming back to these books for inspiration and ideas. Both books are excellent resources with numbered, illustrated steps, list of supplies for each project, and suppliers from UK, USA, and Canada.

Instructions are clear and easy to follow. By far the best book I have seen on the subject.

I just received this book today and read it cover to cover. It has everything. It's well organized, lists items you need to create a project, has step-by-step directions and tips. The pictures show you the process and gave me many ideas to copy. This is a beautifully presented book. You can't go wrong with Francoise Read's book.

The Basics Equipment: stamps and inkpads, plus combined results Tools: the essentials, plus punches, thermal embossing tools, glues, wire tools and more exciting possibilities.

Materials: the embossing powders- glues, colouring mediums etc that take stamping beyond the basics.

Papers: what's out there and how to use it.

Simple Stamping Workshop back-to-basics guide to perfecting the foundations - inking brush markers accurate positioning masking clear stamps simple embossing

Presentation Workshop Basic design: layouts composition presentation Colour schemes: including swatches and finished examples

Applying colour: applying inks, chalks, sponging and more Finishing touches: glitter, ribbon, charms, eyelets etc

Creative Workshop 19 step-by-step, technique-led illustrated projects (mostly cards), plus a gallery of samples each for further creativity Acetate Bleaching Brayering Chalks Collage Cut Away Decoupage and 3D Decoupage Direct to Paper Embellishing Masking Metal Foil Multi Embossing Pearl Effects Resist Embossing Shadow Stamping Shrink Plastic Style Stones Vellum Velvet Paper Suppliers

- Acknowledgments
- Index

One of the most wonderful books for Stampers.
Very clear and great to have.

What a wonderful book this is. Eye candy on every page! The photos are inspiring and the information complete...what more could you ask. The only problem is, I'd now like to knit most of these shawls!

If you are a knitter or just beginning this a great book! It has the answers in the back!

This book is a great combination of a knitting book, coffee book, and Victorian history book. The author did extensive research for this book and it shows--she presents a fascinating history of the women who designed and created lace knitting pieces in the 1800s. The designs are written out and charted, which is great because they are complex. The photos are gorgeous and show off the projects. The shawls are stunning to look at and varied in design.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in knitting or reading about Victorian lace knitting patterns.

I was interested in learning how to knit lace. This book is for the more experienced knitter although I am not. But the patterns are beautiful and will be a great challenge. I recommend this book for the more expereinced knitter.

I don't knit, so I can't review the patterns in this book. But I love knitted lace, and this book is as much a coffee table book for the richness of its photos as it is a book of knitted lace history and patterns. You are taken to a place of elegance and calm, the solid structures of history, the delicate composition of lace drifting on the wind.

Lots of helpful techniques for both the beginner and the experienced
beadmaker. You wont be disappointed with this book...

This book is not only a guide how to make beads but it is allso a source of inspiration. When I don't know which bead to make I get this book and all kind of ideas pop up. It's clear and one can easily find the things one is looking for.

Far from being an expert or even proficient glassworker, I really liked this book. It's comprehensive. It has techniques that the Cindy Jenkins book does not contain and hers was one of the best books on beadmaking I've found. If you can only buy one book (who can?) I would purchase this as a starting manual. If you can buy more, get this and Cindy Jenkins' "Making Glass Beads." The two both have the same amount of info on setting up a glassblowing area in your home and advice on torches, etc, but together they make a fine starting point for any aspiring soft glass artisan.

As I'm relatively new to flame work I was keen to find a book which covered the basics well and also showed more advanced stuff.

This book is great and has most of what I need to get started.

Everything in this book has been covered in Cindy Jenkin's book 'Making Glass Beads'. No need to buy it. I am sorry I did, it was a waste of money.

If you are really into felted wool this book contains nice little wallet type bags that are stunning. Sally Mavor's work is awe inspiring and worth the price of this book. Everything you could wish for

If you want to look at truly innovative and beautiful art, this is the book. I love to look at art books, as well as make stuff, so I found this book truly satisfying. You must have it in your collection, if only for your own satisfaction. The artist has included extremely good instructions for making the dolls and background. I may get around to it...someday.

Felt Wee Folk is one of the most inspirational books I have come across in a long time, I just love it. Readers can't help but be captivated by these little Wee Folk and their magical world. The book contains lots of ideas for different characters, including ideas for both boys and girls. Also included are other projects made from felt like badges and purses that are equally enchanting. I can't wait to start some projects from this book for my children. Highly recommend this book to other craft people, particularly hand sewers.

Felt Wee Folk is a lovely book filled with photographs and easy directions for making pipe cleaner figures, some as small as 1.5 inches. My daughter loves playing with the flower fairies I've made for her. There are other felt projects as well, although I haven't tried any yet. I'd give the book five stars if I didn't have to flip back and forth across a couple pages for directions, but the more dolls I make, the less I have to do that.

This book was an excellant purchase. It is detailed in showing you how to created these lovely little dolls, with exceptional patterns for clothing in such a wide variety. The possibilities are endless limited only by your own creativity. This book is a must for anyone caring to create these adorable little collectible dolls.