Crafts Hobbies Books

A great book with innovative no-sew options - including some interesting uses for duct tape. The bags are very cute, the instructions easy, and the tone is very much appreciated.

While I'm not one to have the need to carry a bag, I love creative things and I love great gift ideas -- and this is all of that and more! Jodi Kahn is funny, inventive and full of wonderful ideas for things you can do yourself. This is a must-have for anyone who likes to make things for themselves and come up with their own individual sense of style! It's a must-have for friends and family who like to do this stuff together.

Buy yourself a copy...then some more for gifts! Anyone with a proclivity for crafts, homemade projects, etc. will absolutely love it!

I wish I'd paid more attention to the subtitle of this books ("No-Sew, Low-Sew") and read the other Amazon reviewers before buying this book. While there are some unique bags in this book, NOTHING assembled with duct tape and staples is "four-figure-price-tag-worthy" as the product description suggests.

I make and sell bags and was looking for some different patterns. This book does have bags that are different, but they're not sellable to the market I'm trying to reach.

This book would be a great high-school project book, but otherwise, it's a bust. The bags made from placemats and the ones made from fabric shower curtains and pillow cases are the only noteworthy bags. The rest just seem disposable because of the construction materials.

I'm a friend of Jodi's and I saw many of the samples as she made them. The bags are adorable: fun, whimsical and useful. Whether you're looking for a fun craft project or creative inspiration, check this out!

My mom got this book for me: "Simply Sublime Bags", and I love it! I already made the CAUTION tape bag and all my friends think it's adorable. My mom is going to make the Nights in white Satin bag too. I would recomend this book for any kid who likes bags and wants to look super cool ; )

This book has become one of my favorite "go to" books when I need a little inspiration or just want to browse the yummy eye candy. The authors have done a fabulous job of pulling together an incredible group of artists with lots of techniques for everyone. They've shown what happens when you bring together fabulous artists with a true collaborative spirit - amazing art!

~*There is no simple way to define how this book has touched my heart and mind!*~

I have been a fan of Ruth's for several years now, and have always been moved and impressed by her work. From the moment that I opened the first parcel full of art work that she sent to me, I just *knew* she was pretty special! She has a unique and strong skill of expressing ideas and assembling colors and mixing materials together in a pleasing way. She is a knowledgeable designer with palpable passion for her work.

Kelly has become a friend of mine and a really fun person to follow. She is witty, entertaining and oh so charming! Kelly does not divide the world of art and written expression. She molds a visual entertainment package wrapped up nicely with high quality surround sound to boot. Figuratively speaking that is!

Her high octane personality is fun to interact with!
I like her a lot!

To experience these two phenoms in a single book, together along with a bevy of other online artist friends and new acquaintances, I am THRILLED.

It is SO VERY exciting to experience the fruits of the harvest that came about from the gardens and fields tended by Ruth and Kelly.

They planted seeds, in a most fertile ground, and what sprung forth, I believe, will bear fruit for many years to come!

The visuals and examples in the book contain unique, avant guard, steampunk, romantic, techno chic, delicate, BOLD, energetic, calm and so many more qualities.

There are projects fit for all types of artists.

The colors are just right!

The ideas are not washed down. They are IN YOUR FACE! You can SEE the details.

The backgrounds and scenes for the jewelry are not overpowering.

The words in the book are friendly, supportive, encouraging and REAL.

This book is a MUST for all who are interested in swapping art, or starting a new avenue with your jewelry design business.
And especially CHARM MAKERS!!!

I myself feel that this publication is fresh, exciting and FUN!

"Fear will stop you in your tracks and kill your creative impulses. Art is supposed to be whatever you want it to be---you cannot fail and you get to dictate your own rules. I often remind myself to get out of my own way. I suggest you do the same; let go of all inhibitions and create with ridiculous amounts of glee." ---- Kelly Snelling

Yes!!! GLEE!!!!
That is the BEST!

Thank you Kelly & Ruth!!!!
Amber Dawn
Who has been so inspired by the book that she has gotten back her interest in creating collaborative jewelry.

This book is jam-packed with ideas, fabulous photos and so many projects that I will keep rereading it and trying new things inspired by it. It uses many different techniques, making it a wealth of information for art jewelry creators. I'm so glad that I bought it. It will get dog-eared from use!

I was immediately drawn to this book because of its eye-catching layout and use of found objects. Being a hoarder of many things (ephemera, beads, buttons, game pieces, etc...) I appreciate how this book made me rethink my materials and the way I create. I just finished several beginner jewelry classes this summer. Some of the ideas I could do with the little skill I have and the materials that are around my home. Other projects require more pricey materials (a disk cutter for example) and more skill. I consider this a good thing because the book can appeal to beginners like me and "seasoned" artists. No matter what your level, you will find endless inspiration in this book. After taking countless jewelry books out the the library this summer and jotting down the few ideas I liked from each book, it was refreshing to find a book where I found value in every page. Just the pictures alone were worth the purchase. The only "heads-up" I have is that if you're an absolute beginner, some of the directions tend to be on the basic side. For example, if you have never tried wire wrapping, you may need to find more detailed instructions and practice a bit before jumping into the projects. Whether you try these projects on your own or collaborate with others, "A Charming Exchange" will spark your creativity.

Ever thought you weren't creative? Pick up this book for unique, original and inspiring ideas and lots of fun. The authors offer excellent guidance, descriptions and beautiful pictures of their works of art. Truly amazing hand made items that make you want to start hammering, twisting and soldering right away. I couldn't put it down; nor is once enough. You will reference this book over and over. It's a must have for all those who enjoy jewelry and altered media - even if you just like to wear the pieces.

The introduction is interesting and basically explains why Shaffer is qualified to give you this information. The rest reads like a text book, which, for me, is much easier. When I reach a road block with sewing, I simply refer to the applicable section and determine what stitch, seam, technique would best solve the issue. There are decent diagrams/pictures to walk you through each step. It discusses each type of seam, tools and their purpose, threads, needles, etc. It's a sewing dictionary.

Chapters include:
PART I
1. Inside the world of haute couture
2. The art of hand sewing
3. Shaping the garment: seams, darts, and pressing techniques
4. Edge finishes: hems, facings, and bindings
5. Closures
PART II
6. Skirts and pants
7. Blouses and dresses
8. Sleeves
9. Pockes
10. Jackets and coats
11. Evening wear

Draping was mentioned briefly, and in the little that was there, I was able to apply the information and successfully created/altered patterns.

Hope that helps, and good luck on your future projects!

Excellent book. Recommended by my couture sewing instructor at the London School of Fashion. It provides an excellent overview of couture sewing technique.

I found this book to be of the utmost interest to people who sew. It offers valuable fashion history and methods used in couture sewing. It catlogs important dates that changed fashion and it offers random pictures of various sewing styles. My only disappointment was that the pictures are limited in number. I would like to have seen more visuals of the methods described and up close details of the ballgowns, in particular. This book makes you realize what an art form sewing can be.It gave me a sense of aestic beauty and appreciation for the talent that brings the fabric to life.

Gives an interesting history in couture sewing, but most of all, shares tips and techniques that will make your average sewn-at-home garment look tailor made. Why re-invent the wheel? Learn from the experts!!!

actually this book is a complete...
the flaw is the illustration is not much...and the words are like written all in sub-chapter...it's not like a handbook...

i think for sewing books, illustration is important...

This is a really nice book. It features a good variety of designs with clear instructions and diagrams. I also thought that the included floss was really nice; the colors are shiny and bright.

I have always wanted to learn how to make these nice bracelets and now at the age of 27 I finally have! I'm also looking forward to teach the young girls I know and I'm sure they will enjoy making these wonderful friendship bracelets as much as I do!

KLUTZ is the place to start for creativity for the beginner. Easy with step-by-step instructions. Bracelets can be created in team colors, flowers, hearts and other designs. Fun to make with a great product to wear or share at end learning process. Book to be returned to over and over for new designs and colors.

I already knew how to make friendship bracelets, but if I didn't, this book would be a great way to learn. The instructions are very clear. It was wonderful for learning new patterns, too.

This is our 2nd Klutz book we have purchased. (we have the Cootie Catcher) AND WE LOVE THEM!
My daughter, age 9 is a big fan, especially on the rainy days. It will remind you of those bracelets I think we all learned to make as a kid PLUS some really different versions of them. Not a whole lot of string comes with it, so if you are giving it as a gift (which we did- her best friend, age 10), Make sure you pick up some extra string. I was able to find them at pretty much any craft store for 25 cents a color. (Not bad- eh?)
It comes with a handy clip and a measuring area on the book to make things a lot easier then when I was a kid! No more putting the string under a heavy book and working that way :o)
WOrTh EvEry PennY!

What a great book! I disagree with the person who says it is for an absolute beginner. I am far from a beginner and was very impressed with the different techniques in this book. The instructions are clear, with an additional suggestion at the bottom every page. The supplies needed for the techniques are fairly easy to come by. I look forward to trying them!

This book is only for the absolute beginner. I could find nothing to inspire me.

This book has so many different techniques, it's delicious! I have most of the products to start in my own stash and purchased a few more. It's enough to keep me busy without boredom. 5 stars!!

I was very pleased with this book. It's creative techniques and clear instructions will be refered to often as I attempt art quilts.

If you like a clean house or a hot meal or clean clothes, don't, I repeat, DON'T buy this book. I received this book from Amazon, opened it up and started to read it. I was so innocent then. Then the book grabbed me and off I went on projects. I bought supplies, came home and started making samples. Vacuum? Dust? Oh, those can wait,--there is another project to try! The projects are fun, they are easy and the results are fabulous. If you want to try some fabric painting and dyeing in various forms, for example, this is your book, and that is just a small portion. Grab the book, be prepared to forget everything around you exists, and have fun!

This book is totally easy to follow and has a great variety of projects. I especially love the work of Jodi L. Bombadier...her work is beautiful and fun to make. Her directions are very to the point and everything is coming out great!

This is a great book with lots of projects for every skill level. I would say it's a "MUST HAVE" if you're into wire jewelry. I've also taken a class with Ms. Peck, and not only is she a talented wire artist, but she's a great instructor. I would highly suggest taking a class with her in person if you can. [...]. If you're into making jewelry, you'll enjoy every minute.

This wire book has the most interesting and diverse jewelry designs I've seen in one collection. There's a smattering of everything and they're unique and playful. I can't decide which to make first. All the steps for making every project are photographed in detail in the beginning of the book. Very clear, very detailed photographs. The jewelry photography is beautiful - crisp, clear, easy to see details. There's also a good mix of skill levels - something for everyone. I love that the book design is clean and modern.
I emailed the author before purchasing to ask whether the designs were new or had already been published and she told me only two designs were already in Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine.
It's the best wire jewelry book I've seen.

Wire Style is fabulous! Excellent introduction to tools, materials, and techniques. Anyone interested in wire work will love the wonderful range of projects included in this book. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The photos are beautiful and you can really see the detail. I have been a fan of Ms. Peck and her magazine, Step by Step Wire Jewelry since it began. I highly recommend this book!

I love wire working and preordered this book because I liked the cover piece style and figured the odds were good I'd find something with 50 projects. I found I'd only DO about 3 of the 50, hence the 1 star.

This book has some basic chainmaille weaves in necklaces/bracelets, but they're very common and if you'd done any chainmaille jewelry research, you've probably already seen them and know them.

There are a few projects I recognize as being previously published, so a waste if you subscribe to beading magazines.

There are also a lot of the open hook and loose springy/coil designs. I find these completely impractical to wear for anyone that has hair or loves their winter sweaters.

The intro section at the beginning is great, but nothing new. I'd recommend Bead on a Wire by Sharilyn Miller instead of this book. Same great training, lots more designs based on components that serve as inspiration since they're more easily changed/intermixed.

I'll also point out that the picture of the completed project is shown, then it's all written out instructions. There are NO STEP-BY-STEP project photos to assist someone new to wireworking!

To end on a positive note, the 3 I liked were the cover piece "'S' is for Silver", the 4th amazon pic which shows you "Coiled Again" with lampwork beads, and I'll upload a photo of "Industrial Magic" which is a nice way to display glass discs if you like them.

I bought this book after hearing many friends say they loved it. But despite the claim on the cover that it's meant for both stay-at-home and working moms, as a working mom, I felt it didn't speak to me at all. I don't park my kids in front of the TV to have a regular 4:00 chat with a girlfriend. I don't worry about my loss of identity. I don't thrust my kids at my husband when he arrives home from work, because I am so sick of dealing with them. I have no criticism of any woman who does those things, because being a SAHM is hard, hard work. But there are very few examples in this book of similar things that working moms do, or the particular guilt triggers for us (seeing our kids for one waking hour per day, not making our own baby food, never being able to coordinate a fundraiser even if we wanted to). The title should be "I was a really good mom before I had kids and quit my job."

There's also nothing new here -- many books have covered this same territory. (See "Mother Shock: Loving Every (Other) Minute of It" for a much more insightful treatment.) And the book is very negative -- it made me feel depressed rather than reassured.

If there are moms out there who find this book helpful, more power to them. But I wouldn't recommend it to a working mom, particularly one who actually more or less likes her life the way it is.

This book is great, even if you're about to have your first or you've already got more than you can count! This book could give you just a small bit of piece of mind cause you are not alone:)

this book was so much fun to read. it's good to know that i'm not the only one who feels crazy. and that we are all just human and we will make mistakes.

I orginally checked this book out through my local library. I loved it so much I bought my own copy from Amazon! Every mother can relate to this book!

I really liked this book. I give it to all of my friends. It offers very good advice on not giving in to the pressures of others and you, personally, deciding what is best for your children. It is also hilarious.

This was my first ATC book and gives good ideas, guidelines, techniques. Kind of neat- a teacher from my old highschool was featured in here. I DO like how several different styles were highlighted in the book.

Terrific book with a lot of fresh ideas. Some items are harder to find, but reasonable subsitutes can often be found...for instance Orange Goo Gone can be used in place of Gamsol in some instances. You can find a number of groups working on the challenges together and sharing their progress with this book and that's an extraordinary situation, IMO. I love it!

This is one of the best "how to" craft books I have ever read. I've just gotten interested in ATCs and the instructions on different methods and history of this artform are excellent. I highly recommend this book for beginners!

This book contains everything you need to know to create ATC's. It explains everything from the origins of this fascinating art form to examples and instructions. It provides inspiration as well. Great book!

I have only had this book in my possession for about a week and I have already made a trip to the craft store to get a few new supplies and was up until all hours of the night the last few days trying the new techniques! I have been an avid scrapbooker and paper crafter for years, but this book showed me things I have never thought of or tried before and it opened a whole new world of possibilities and inspiration for me. Not only does the author present some great techniques, but she includes gorgeous color photos and easy to follow instructions. Any paper crafter can use the ideas in this guide and make them their own!

It seems that most comprehensive or beginners sewing books aren't for true absolute beginners. At least that's my experience in learning to sew from books and buying a bunch. This book though is better than most and for that I'd recommend it. I learnt to sew a seam properly with this book. I found the projects enlosed awful though and I'm not tempted to make any of them, not the greetings card with buttons sewn on, nor the waistcoat made of napkins for example. But, the basic information enclosed is useful although all you need to know isn't here. If I knew what I know now before I bought the books I did, I'd still buy this one, unlike a couple of others I have.

This is an easy to read book on sewing. Great for beginners and also for the more experienced that needs a review. Very easy to understand. It is a 'must buy' for the first time sewing person.

this was a christmas present for my mother-in-law-to-be, she just quit smoking and she wanted to occupy her time with something. so, she wanted to start sewing. that's all she wanted for christmas and i thought that this book would help her out in any situation she would have that she doesn't already know. thanks and this seller is recommended in my "book"!!!!

I usually LOVE the dummies series and find it very useful for new subjects I want to just dive into. This book is useful, but not as a first reference for someone who has never done more than the occasional needle-and-thread wobbly patching most of us did in College.

The good:
1. Very thorough subject coverage - everything from clothing to arts & crafts, to home decor (in fact, I think if they broke this up into two books - one for clothing only, and one for the rest, they would have done themselves a big favor).
2. The step descriptions are broken down into mini-steps very well (I think).

The bad:
1. hardly any illustrations at all. Where there are illustrations, they are very basic, mostly restricted to the type of stitch described rather than an illustration of the step-by-step process.
2. the level of terminology-knowledge assumed by the book is insanely high for beginners.
3. There is insufficient internal cross referencing - the writers seem to assume you will read the book from cover to cover in the right order, and that you will remember everything you learned from one chapter to the next.
4. The section on "Quick fixes and alterations" which is boasted about in the book description is far from comprehensive, and the steps described are skimpy - largely without internal references to where within the book these steps are described.

This will be a great 2nd book, I think. But until I reach that level I'll have to find something else.

I'm new to sewing and I purchased several books to help me get started, including this one. It's easy to read and it gave me a good idea of how to do some things, but I would not have been able to sew just by reading this book. It's a perfect companion to other learning aids and I have returned to it several times. It's worth the cost as long as you have other teaching aids at your disposal.

Living the Creative Life is challenging me to look at creativity in many new ways. The approach taken from the viewpoint of many different artists in many different media shows the versitality of our innate creative spirit. The idea that all humans are creative if they allow that part of the whole person to flourish is not new to me, but the way this author discusses the creative spirit is fresh. The book is beautiful to look at and I love the format -- small size, lovely illustrations and great ideas for jump starting creativity.

By asking several artist's the same question, it shows there is no "right" way. Everyone comes to their art with their own style. Great idea's to jump start the muse. The imagery was beautiful.

You can't but be inspired after reading this wondrous book! I will admit first hand, I personally have no intention (nor the talent), to ever become a world class artist by any means. I do have passion to create however, and this book along with another I received around the same time, Your Home A Living Canvas: Create Stunning Faux Finishes & Murals with Paint, by Curtis Heuser, have almost convinced me to rethink my day job. How rewarding (and envious), it sounds from all these talented souls, to be devoted and fortunate enough to get to spend their time without a doubt, doing what they love. Not to say it is without effort, but the pure joy and love for expression, explodes off the pages and simply can not be denied in both of these glorious titles.

Unlike the various first hand artistic testimonials featured throughout "THE CREATIVE LIFE..." - "YOUR HOME..." follows just one decorative artist's amazing creative journey, leading to the publishing of his extroidinary first book which documents the rebirth of his ordinary historic home, through must see mural and faux painting techniques and decoration. In addition, Heuser's book is full of beautiful before, during and after photography, and inspiring how to do the same for your own home-projects. There are similarities in both of these titles however, as the reader will discover and can almost touch the often unexplicable creative passion in the hearts and spirits of these diversely talented artistans.

There appears a special kinship between the artists and authors of both these books - as each are driven by the undeniable desire to express themselves through a wide range of interesting art mediums. I want to personally "Thank" both authors for so eloquently and unselfishly sharing their work and individual views on creativity with us! Both books offer rare insight and are worthy of our every penny! ENJOY!!!!

It is hard to imagine anyone could read this book without stopping multiple times to experiment with some form of art explorations of their own. The author makes it seem natural and oh so inviting. The only drawback is the small print on busy pages. It is sometimes difficult to read the suggestions.

I know a couple artists that submitted their work to this book and I was happy to see them included!
I think any book that helps people with inspiration is great.

I do think this book is a bit fluffy. At least for me. I was hoping for something different maybe. Something meatier ~ Thanks