Hobbies Books

Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners
I found this book to be informative and motivating. It gives Ideas for embroidered items and also gives permission to do just what you want! I recommend this book to those who want to be more creative with thread.

I am a beginning embroiderer and this book is amazing! Simple instructions for each project and nice illustrations. This a is a great book and every embroiderer should have one!

This is a great beginner embroidery book. The directions are easy to follow and each project had good pictures. The print is also large enough to read easily, which isn't true of many craft books. I'm very happy with my purchase.

I have been in search for a book like this for years, honestly. There are very little options for cute, casual embroidery out there and this one has several patterns that can be used on much more than the depicted use. One reviewer noted that there are several pages that have patterns not included in the book. I agree, this is disappointing but you can find a couple of these patterns on the author's etsy page ([...]) and she will send them to you as a PDF. The step by step instructions are so thorough that even an embroidered quilt doesn't seem daunting and I'm actually excited about putting it all together. That's a first. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because I was a little disappointed in the actual projects - I'd love to have seen more projects like placemats and tablecloths, baby onesies and bibs... things like that. Otherwise, this book is very exciting. Highly recommended for the thorough details that make the prospect easy, plus the complete guide to the stitches - excellent for a beginner!

I have been greatly inspired by Aimee Ray's embroidery. Picking up this book was great because I was able to get a good idea of stitches and see some wonderful project ideas. I had never embroidered before I had seen her work, so I can vouch for this being a great source for a beginner. Some customers complain that some items lack patterns, and while this is true they are available on the author's etsy page. I saw those as an example of what works using stitches taught could turn out like. The nature of the works Aimee Ray is exhibiting in her book is just like the title, doodle-stitching. I don't see it as wanting the readers to necessarily copy each thing from the book, but inciting them to be creative.

Even though transfer methods are discussed, which is greatly beneficial, depending on one's resources it can be rather difficult. If there are no other resources (copier or a light box), I would recommend having carbon paper on hand. Tracing paper may also be very useful, but a transfer pen or pencil would also be necessary.

This is a wonderful book for scrapbookers who have "Scrapbooker Block". It gives you inspiration and creative ideas to help you make fanastic and unique pages. It is a must have for any craft library.

I LOVE this book. It has so many ideas for a few pictures on your page all the way to over 6. The ideas are stimulating.

I was so excited that when I got it, I looked at some sketches and came up with 4 pages that are very simular. They are sketches I have not seen before.

I can't wait to share it with my friends. I will take the cards (that are portable) with me when we meet for scrapping this month. I know they will all be jealous.

This book makes a great gift for scrappers. I am giving another one to my friend next week. I hope she will provide the mojo to get started on her new album I got her.

If you don't have this book, you need to go on and order it! I don't want to sound like a commercial but this book has enhanced my scrapbooking. I have suffered with a scrapper's block for months and had purchased several scrapbook magazines but I didn't find anything fresh and exciting. This book kicked my scrapbooking back into high gear! I'm scrapping like I've never scrapped before!
I'm about to go on a scrapbooking retreat and the cards are going with me! What a wonderful addition to the book! Becky Fleck is awesome!!!

If you are into scrapbooking, this is a book that will enable you to
expand your creativity....she(Becky Fleck) is extremely talented not
only in scrapbooking - but making it easier from beginner to advanced
to widen their horizons of ways to express yourself not only in
pictures but also using different patterns....this book has given me
to confidence to step out of my box and try new things.......

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually prefer it to the usual scrapbook sketch books. Most sketch books just show where to put the pictures on the page. This one also gives ideas on what type of embellishments to use on the page and where to place them. It also has index card size cutouts at the back of the book with a box that looks like a deck of cards. You can take the whole "deck" or just a few sketches with you when you go shopping for the supplies you need.

My jaw dropped when I saw these projects too - because they are so happy and clever. Most of all FUN!!! The author is about making life and our surrounding beautiful. Lots of pop art influence in here, which I love. The ideas in this book prove that you don't have to have gobs of money to make superfly stuff for your home. It's all about mixing and matching everyday objects and giving them a new spin. I love that they are all easy enough for anyone to tackle in an afternoon. I can hardly wait, this book is soooooo cool! Looking forward to more DIY books by this author.

Yes, I am more discerning about art and crafts, but after picking this up and having my jaw drop with how crude these crafts were, I read the first page. He talks about these things being "home worthy", but I doubt anyone other than a grade schooler would think that. I felt it was put together quickly with poor pictures. Great graphics though, which is why I checked it out. I was sure there would be a chorus of bewildered reviewers. Obviously Amazon customers are quite kind and have a different sense of style and fun than I do. Sorry.

What can I say - thank goodness I ordered it from the Library. Sorry Mr. Montano, I haven't seen you on TV, but I don't know about writing any more craft books.

I've done two projects out of this book so far and they were so much fun! His instructions are clear and I was able to find materials easily! I did the lacework plate (shown in the project pictures) and the babydoll head paperweight.

I'm in my late 20's and found that I could proudly display a good majority of these projects in my home.

If you love fun, funky crafts...you've got to have this book!

Just finished reading, and can't wait to begin! Lots of awesome craft projects that won't break the bank. Very easy instructions with a very complete shopping guide.

If you are frustrated by craft books that lack the sophistication you are looking for, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts will provide you with a truly lush array of what the athor refers to as "home worthy." In other words, just because you can put it together, it doesn't mean you want it sitting in the niddle of yoour living room screaming "Ugly!"

This book offers antique color copied prints, painted wood rugs, 3-D photo displays, bound books, basket lamps, i pod cases, scarf window treatments, glazed cards and tons more.

The major point of this book is that the author will show you how to make great stuff that looks like it cost a fortune for very little money.

Believe me, you will cherish the book forever, because it is forever adaptive to your changing tastes. Sweet!

My son is 3 years old and he just recently started to show interest in tracing. So, I started him out with Kumon maze book and this book. He absolutely loves it!! The pages in the book are easy to understand and very simple. Simple enough for a child of the indicated age on the front cover of the book. The quality of the paper is very sturdy, it doesn't rip easily and you can erase over and over, there would be no wear and tear on the sheets. The colors of the pages are not super bright (like alot of books I've used before) but nice light colors that are gentle and not overwhelming to the eyes. The only thing that I don't like about the book is that they can't tear out and as you get further into the book, it gets a bit annoying to have to hold the previous pages down. But, over all it's an excellent book and I would continue to use and purchase their products.

I thought it would be actual tracing, but it was basically just drawing a line from point A to point B, kind of like a maze that's super-easy. My daughter is turning 4 in a month and is not excited about the book. It was fun for a night, but now it just sits there.

This book has a very fun way to practice cutting, my daughter just love it because there are some projects that she can do by herself and then she decors her room with them. Very good book.

I guess I waited to long to get these books. My son who just turned four found this one rather easy but he enjoyed it very much. He finished over half of it in one day. He kept asking for more! He is doing the cutting book now and is doing well at it. He really likes all the pictures. The cutting and pasting book is a lot of fun as well. The only thing I would like is if they made these books "wipeable" so I don't have to toss them after they are used. I'm thinking of putting laminating sheets over them and using washable markers.

I have a preschooler with fine motor delays and he HATES to do anything which requires use of his hands. I was told by his teachers that this will lead to issues in school when he is expected to write and participate in art projects. If he can't write, it will affect his academic future.

Therapy provided only so much help, as he was frustrated with the tasks. But then I learned about Kumon's excellent reputation for learning through their local tutoring center - I purchased all of the workbooks.

My child just LOVED this book, and he dislikes anything to do with writing. He loved the book simply because of the cute pictures. He asked what they meant, what was he supposed to do, and why? I would say that we were going to draw lines to "help the bunny get to the other side" etc. I'd make up little stories about each character and pretty soon, he was doing the tasks without any hesitation at all!

I kept it to 3 pages a day or less. At first one might wonder, so what, straight horizontal/vertical lines? But his teachers said a child can't write his letters until he can draw straight and curved lines. Makes sense!

If you want to help your child develop fine motor skills while keeping them happy - this is the book for THEM!

Bead on a Wire has tons of great information for a beginning wire jewelry maker as well as detailed projects for the advanced designer. The photographs are clear and the text is easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book.

This book is just what I was looking for... almost half is about wire techniques that really take beaded jewelry well beyond the basics. The instructions are very clear and the photos let you see every step of the process. The projects that comprise the balance of the book are interesting and really sparked my own imagination to create unique jewelry items.

I am so glad I purchased this book. It was very informative on tools, materials and the how to's for designs and projects. It is a great book for me, a beginner.

I bought this book when it was published, and three years later, I still think it is probably the best book on beginning wire work out there. It has very clear, step by step instruction on the basic wire work techniques and some alternative methods of forming. The only mystery for me is how she manages to flush cut good jump rings from 14 gauge wire. When using 14 gauge wire or even 16 gauge, I always saw cut my jump rings. The result is much better -- at least for me.

I'm just starting with wire work and found this book to be very helpful. Good pictures and instructions. I've been very pleased with this book and have made several of the projects.

This is a very impressive and easily navigable guide for bird novices and a nice handy recourse for the bird expert. It comes with a dvd that has 587 birdsong samples in high quality, along with a picture to go along with each sample. The book is set up with a nice introduction establishes how the book is laid out and what information one can expect to find in the text. The text itself is organized by bird families and each entry shows where one would expect to find the birds in question most often. The pictures to go with the descriptions are all very nice and clear, and should enable one to have a good shot at picking out the different species on sight. Lots of information, lots of great pictures and a host of extras (including the birdsongs) here. The book is light in weight for having so much information, and the cover and binding are made especially to be durable and portable. It's a great guide.

The book is arranged in order of families and not color or general habitat, which takes a bit getting used to. Each species listed in this book is covered by some of the best bird photographs I have seen in any field guide at any time. In most cases there is a photograph of the female, male and juvenile. In addition, when appropriate there is a photo of the bird in molt and out. All of these photographs are of top quality. There is a range map provided with each species which covers breeding, winter, year-round, migration and rare ranges. This is most useful. Information given on each species includes measurements and average weights, molt periods, differences between mature and adult birds, geographic variations, if any and a nice written example of their call, which I find most accurate. Many of the photographs feature the bird in both flight (very helpful) and setting. Both the common name and the scientific name are given. Each bird is given its ABA Code for each area, again, most useful.

There is a nicely written and informative introduction to each family of birds. There are many little side notes of interest interspersed throughout the book addressing particular problems of identification of particular birds. Of course there is the DVD which includes 587 recordings and is completely down loadable. This is a very nice DVD and the quality is great. Now there are only 138 species of birds represented on this DVD.

I do highly recommend this work. This is an outstanding guide and I do not see how you could possibly go wrong with it.

Ok, I do think it is best in class (a narrowly defined class) but not the best general field guide out there. That bar still stands at The Sibley Guide to Birds which has painted illustrations rather than photographs that tend to work better for portraying idealized birds and page layout.

But this guide does stand heads and shoulders above the old Audobon Bird Guide: Eastern Land Birds in photo quality as well as layout. Audobon's original attempt really showed just how hard it is to identify birds from photographs due to changes in lighting and feather contours (see kinglet images.) This was improved upon greatly with Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America Kaufman reattempted a photographic field guide by using a lot of retouching and computer work to make more idealized photographs and was easily the best until this book.

This book succeeds in the most part because the pool of available high quality photographs is much larger than it was when the Audobon series came out. Each species is well represented with striking images. You can never have too many reference books when trying to make a difficult identification and this would augment the Sibley guide very well. However we are still talking about three images to identify a Thayers Gull, where sibley can dedicate 6 or more to a gull species. Also there are family specific guides out there like Gulls: Guide to Identification, The Shorebird Guide, A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors which this book cannot compete with, however it is surprisingly decent for covering these families.

Pros
Great high quality pictures
General design puts all information for a species on one page
Good species coverage
DVD of bird songs is a nice bonus (see caveats below)
Good additional reference for field identification
Size decent (approx the size of Sibley's, but does not fit in pocket)
High Quality construction

Cons
Photos make page design seem a little cluttered
Species information is pretty brief
range maps small somewhat confusing, somewhat optimistic in ranges.
DVD has limited species

Notes on the DVD

Much like this book in general, I would never pass on getting another reference, especially if it is kind of a bonus DVD of bird calls. But I was a little disappointed to find out that the 587 birds songs listed on the front was not 587 species, but only 587 clips of 138 major species. And it is a little strange what species they chose. It appears that they chose the most common species you would find in your backyard. This seems less helpful than choosing confusing sound alike species, or species that are most likely located by calls. It is odd that they don't cover all the epidonax flycatchers which are ID'ed by calls, or the call of the yellow billed cuckoo without the black billed. If you were hoping to learn bird calls from this DVD, think about getting Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)) or Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs) for a more complete species list.

All in all, if you are getting one field guide get The Sibley Guide to Birds, if you are getting just two, get this for your second, or if you are like me get this for your 23rd. It is a good but not perfect guide.

I grabbed this one on a whim, being a bird lover. And yep, every North American bird is in here. It's fascinating, the variety and breadth.

Of course, when you're cataloging so much, you trade being able to go into depth on anything particular, so, while this provides a huge overview, books on specific areas are a must if you're primarily interested in the birds in your own area or in an area you might be traveling to. And if these same people offer such books, I would be interested to see them and would assume they'd be of similarly high quality.

Also, just to note, Hawai'i (not being part of North America) is not included in this volume.

This will be an excellent companion when I'm out hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. The book features all the species of bird found in North America (including some I'd never heard of). Each entry features three to five clear, full-color pictures of the species discussed, usually with variants in plumage shown for identification purposes. Written information about the size and shape of each bird, its seasonal ranges, and basic habits adds just enough information to clarify positive I.D. While further research should be done to find out more about the species identified, this is an excellent text out in the field.

I have recently became interested in sea glass after finding a few beautiful peices when I ordered this book. I was not dissappointed! This book is very informational and beautifully illustrated. I found a match for a peice I had found in the book, allowing me to date the peice.

I love this book and will keep in on my coffee table along with my display of my precious finds! It's a joy just to flip through and just look at the pictures.

Everything you would ever need to know about seaglass is in this book! VERY interesting!!! I love it & could read my copy over & over!

Nice book with nice pictures. Haven't had time to actually sit and read thru it.

My wife and I collect sea glass daily on the Oregon coast. This book did give us a good explaination of what types and the possible origin of glass we've found. Lots of pictures to compare the various colors of sea glass which indicates rare to common. A good reference book for sea glass collectors.

This is an absolutely beautiful book. For the coffee table or for the serious sea glass hunter. It is informative yet it is not just a book for adults..............it was a gift for my daughter's 11th birthday as she has showed a great interest in this "hobby". The book was delivered in no time!

The best book for learning pattern making and as a reference when you are working in the industry!

i never received my item because they were sending it to the wrong address and i guess someone took it. They then promised to give me a refund which i haven't recieved yet either but it's only been a couple of days. I hope i at least get that back!

I find this book very informative. It contains info on every aspect of making clothing. I do not think that this book is expensive for the info it has in it. I have spend hundredths of dollars on books that where a waste of money, this book is worth every dime. Len

I am a fashion design student and this is my favorite book ever for pattern making. I strongly recommend it to anyone serious about pattern making and design.

This book is just what I was looking for. Now I can design what I want to make and this book can show me how to draft the pattern. I love it.

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.

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 ; )

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!