Expert Advice Books - Page 23

Words For Gardeners

Mary Engelbreit

Amazon Price: $12.95 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $0.53

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Expert Advice -> Mary Engelbreit

Editorial Review:

Every day, we are fortunate to witness God's wondrous creation... whether it's a bluebird singing in a tree on a warm summer day, a bouquet of fresh cut flowers standing tall in a vase, or newly picked green beans from a garden. In the fifth book in the Words To Live By series, Mary Engelbreit illustrates for us the beauty of the world that we live in - the world that gardeners embrace with such enthusiasm - with her charming, detailed artwork and heartwarming verse. Flowers, gardens - the simplicity of nature itself - provides for us a sense of peace, security, and beauty,, and even strengthens our belief in God when we take a moment to stop and appreciate our incredible world. The miraculous sight of a red rose blooming, or tiny seeds developing into a garden full of vegetables - even a bird hatching from a tiny egg - keeps us forever in a state of wonder and amazement. Gardeners have a special way of keeping everything around us so lovely with their tender care, patience, and everlasting hard work. Throughout the pages of this keepsake book, they'll appreciate and value these inspirational words from well-known poets, artists, and writers. This book, full of Mary Engelbreit's cheery and colorful artwork, makes the perfect gift for enthusiastic gardeners or for those of us who simply enjoy the wonderment of the outdoors.

Beautifully Quilted with Alex Anderson: How to Choose or Create the Best Designs for Your Quilt: 6 Timeless Projects, Full-Size Patterns, Ready to Use

Alex Anderson

List Price: $16.95 By: C&T Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $0.94

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Quilts & Quilting
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Textile Arts
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent guide to creating "what works and why" with quilting designs 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Written clearly and concisely with equally understandable graphic illustrations, this book delivers on its introductory promise--that "you will discover the tricks and techniques for choosing appropriate quilting designs for your quilt tops and how to create your own unique designs." Alex Anderson's chapters on "Choosing Quilting Designs" and "Drawing Quilting Designs" are among the best written on these topics to date.

Whether you are a beginning quilter or seasoned master, the chapter on "Choosing Quilting Designs" offers you the analytical skills to look at quilt tops and "learn what works and why" with quilting them. This analysis will not only help you in choosing quilting designs for your own quilts but will also help you to better understand and evaluate the quilt art of others.

Alex's chapter on "Drawing Quilting Designs" teaches you how to create these linear designs for quilting. Highlighted are eight-section and twelve-section designs, the eight-pointed (Lemoyne) star, cable, feathered wreath, borders (cables and feathers), border or sashing corners, repeat designs, curved-line designs, grid designs, and original designs. Yes, original designs that *you* will be able to create using Alex's examples as your guide.

In conclusion, Alex offers five quit projects and a large pullout of quilting designs to help you work through examples of designs that are successful with the various pieced and appliquéd shapes in these projects or on projects of your own.

There are many other wonderful books on the market that support this one in assisting you with expanding essential skills in your journey as a quiltmaker. A few that particularly stand out are as follows:
1. For quilt marking: "Mastering Quilt Marking" by Pepper Cory
2. For a no-mark approach to quilting designs: "Show Me How to Create Quilting Designs" by Kathy Sandbach
3. For accomplishing the quilting stitches
- by hand:
"Quiltmaking by Hand" by Jinny Beyer
- by machine:
"Heirloom Machine Quilting, 4th Edition" by Harriet Hargrave
4. For bindings: "Happy Endings" by Mimi Dietrich

Happy designing and happy stitching!

Editorial Review:

An American quilting instructor shares her secrets for creating one-of-a-kind quilting designs with the help of these five classic quilt projects. In this hands-on guide, Alex Anderson demonstrates, step by step, how to draft an original design, customize commercial quilting patterns and stencils, and even how to decide the best design for a particular quilt. She includes full-size, ready-to-trace patterns for such traditional quilting motifs as feathers, wreaths and more.

Mary Engelbreit: Mary's Minis (Leisure Arts #4200)

Mary Engelbreit; Leisure Arts

Amazon Price: $5.95 List Price: $5.95 Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks By: Leisure Arts, Inc Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $5.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Quality time with Mary Engelbreit 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Mary Engelbreit is one of my favorite designers. In fact, she has her studio in our city although I have never had the pleasure of meeting her.

This pamphlet has 27 of Mary's designs that you can create to make your own special piece. Maybe some tea towels for the kitchen with a coffee cup or tea pot or pillows for the living room with a comfy chair or a house. How about some pillowcases for the King in your house with a crown?

You could even make Fido a cover for his dog bed and put a Scottie on it. You might want to spice up your gardening gloves with a watering can or a flower. I could go on and on about all the items you could make using Mary's designs. Put your thinking caps on and grab some floss, a needle and whatever fabric you plan to use and create your own pieces for family or friends.

The designs are in color so you don't have to wonder if you are looking at the correct symbol for the color. The chart is large enough that even with eyes that aren't 20/20, you will be able to read it. There are suggested words to add to your designs also.

Two pages of how-to's are included so you know how to read the charts if you are a beginner and there are stitching tips that even the most experienced stitcher will appreciate. Grab a copy and spend some quality time with Mary and her designs.

Editorial Review:

Teacups, flowerpots, and a bowl of cherries are just some of the charming Mary Engelbreit images you can add to your days with these 27 quick-to-finish cross stitch designs! The tiny motifs are perfect for embellishing scrapbook pages and greeting cards. They re also ideal for magnets, gift tags, bookmarks, and so much more.
Designs also include "Be Warm, Inside and Out," "Bloom Where You're Planted," "Count Your Blessings," a beehive, a Scottie dog, a watering can, a chair, a crown, a cottage, a teapot, a heart, a gardener's shopping bag, cherries, and lots of little blossoms. The 8-page foldout includes basic cross stitch instructions and stitching tips.

Debbie Travis' Facelift: Solutions to Revitalize Your Home

Debbie Travis

Amazon Price: $15.56 List Price: $19.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Clarkson Potter Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $0.46

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Expert Advice -> Debbie Travis
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Remodeling & Renovation -> General
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Home Design -> Remodeling & Renovation -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Debbie Travis’ Facelift offers fantastically innovative solutions for the decorating doldrums—and a fresh, simple approach to revitalizing any room of your home. Transforming a dark basement into a lively entertainment center or a restful retreat is a snap when you have the reigning queen of renovations guiding you. All you need to know is which mood—calm, cheerful, nostalgic, or dramatic—you want to convey. Then, with her intrepid philosophy of choosing colors to echo that mood, Debbie shows you how to create rooms that are brimming with as much personality as the people living in them. Each mood-inspired section will help you select the right color scheme for your home by highlighting some of the most inspirational remodeling projects from her acclaimed television show Facelift. Packed with beautiful color photographs illustrating before-and-after renovations, step-by-step projects for you to do yourself, and practical advice on giving your own home a facelift, Debbie Travis’ Facelift proves that having a home you adore can be a dream come true.

Home Is Where The Heart Is (Main Street Editions Gift Books)

Mary Engelbreit

List Price: $6.95 By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Drawing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Astounding 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 37 people found this review helpful.

I could not put this book down, Billie Letts truly captures the readers mind and heart in this one. This book makes you wish that it went on and on. You will find yourself wondering what happend to the characters when the book ended.

Home is where the heart is address book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Its very hard to find address books because of email address books....very roomy and places for all your items
Pictures inside nice too

Editorial Review:

Mary Engelbreit, the "Queen Of Everything," has now become the queen of stationary items with this newly formated address book. Inside you'll find tabs from A to Z for alphabetizing all your important addresses and you will see Mary's art used in a new, unique way! This colorful and highly functional address book will "breighten" you day each time you open it!

Easy Living

Terence Conran

Amazon Price: $28.84 List Price: $28.84 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: Conran Octopus Ltd Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $22.85

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Expert Advice -> Terence Conran

Cotton Knits for All Season

Debbie Bliss

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Trafalgar Square Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $4.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Features classic patterns for the entire family 4 out of 5 stars.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful.

I really admire that this book doesn't try to cram in a "how to knit" chapter in the very beginning. Those hurried instructions never do justice to someone who's never knitted. Therefore, don't buy this book hoping that it will contain a chapter teaching you how to knit, because it doesn't. The patterns start right away, and they are for every member of the family - babies to adults. For babies we are presented with several sweaters, a hat, a dress, booties, and blankets. For children there are patterns for a dress, several sweaters, and a scarf. For adults there are patterns for several sweaters and two bags. While many baby and child patterns can be used for boys and girls, the adult patterns are all for women. All the items are made of cotton, of course, which as such a classic, smooth look. It really adds to the classic, clean, and simple look the items already have as a result of the pattern. My impression of the projects is that they are for an intermediate knitter, and they use all the basic skills: Fair Isle, color, cables, etc. This book is sure to please because all the items are beautiful and there's something here for everyone.

Editorial Review:

Best-selling designer Debbie Bliss presents 25 stunning knitwear projects for children and adults, from sweaters and jackets to hats and bags.

Chris Madden's Guide to Personalizing Your Home: Simple, Beautiful Ideas for Every Room

Chris Casson Madden

List Price: $20.00 By: Clarkson Potter Amazon Marketplace: 246 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Expert Advice -> Chris Casson Madden
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Interior Design -> Decorating
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Interior Design -> Decoration & Ornament

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Lots of simple suggestions to add character to your home. 4 out of 5 stars.
81 of 82 people found this review helpful.

I am not the type to spend a lot of time pouring over decorating books, nor am I particulary "handy". When we recently purchased a small vacation rental, I found myself in need of nice, comfortable, affordable touches for each room. This book provided just the suggestions I needed: simple, feasible (both in effort and economics) and inventive.

I liked how chapters were devoted to a every area in the house - even the entry hall. Each room/chapter had a simple list of ideas broken down into catagories for traditional, creative or romantic decorating. I was able to flip to a chapter, skim the lists and find ideas that would work for me. Thank you Ms. Madden.

Simple Ideas for Accessorizing Rooms 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The author shares her experiences, mistakes, problems and solutions going room-by-room, starting with the foyer. The few photos show her lovely home, but are randomly placed throughout the book, not with the section on that room.
The focus is mostly on adding accessories though there is some advice on selecting and placing furniture. The ideas for each room are divided into romantic, adventurous, contemporary, traditional and serene.
Here are a few of the tips so you get a feel for it:
* Frame your favorite restaurant's menus to hang in the dining room.
* Buy simple white cotton pillows and handwrite your favorite sayings on them with a fabric pen.
* Place a small Oriental or prayer rug next to your tub for a unique bath mat.
You are bound to find some ideas you can use in the 142 page book, but it has the feel of an extended magazine article.

Editorial Review:

In this well-priced, thoroughly appealing new compendium of decorating tips and techniques, the author of Kitchens and Bathrooms and host of HGTV's Interiors by Design demonstrates the best, quickest, and easiest ways to personalize any room. 50 two-color illustrations. 8 color photos.

Mary Engelbreit's Summer

List Price: $10.95 By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Decorative Arts
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Seasonal
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mary Engelbreit's Summer 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoy all of Mary Engelbreit's books and my little girls do, too. We like to look at them over and over again. This book is full of ideas from recipes, to summer crafts, to gardening, and to sewing so that you can make your home an interesting place to visit.

Editorial Review:

Celebrated illustrator Mary Engelbreit brings to life the season's best, from picnic baskets, fireflies, and fishing to sandy beaches, parades, and playhouses. Readers can create a flag tray for the Fourth or a tackle box for Father's day. They can make the porch cozier with summery throw pillows and flower planters, or bake some golden brown blueberry muffins. Engelbreit makes summer come alive with her charming illustrations and real-life photographs.

Debbie Bliss Knitting Workbook

Debbie Bliss

List Price: $24.95 By: Trafalgar Square Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $11.94

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Fashion
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars.
79 of 79 people found this review helpful.

Like all of Debbie Bliss' books, the Workbook takes you through a variety of projects to concentrate on different techniques. Every project is simply gorgeous, and takes you from simpler/beginner projects to more advanced/difficult ones. You'll find things for children, for yourself, and for your home.

You might be tempted to teach yourself from this book, but I would recommend starting with "How to Knit" instead, which provides an excellent step-by-step course for new knitters. After you have worked through the basics, pick this up to help you perfect advanced techniques and embellishments. Speaking of embellishments, the chapter on embroidery is great! My favorite project is the embroidered jacket, made with denim yarn. I can't wait to make it!

As always, Debbie Bliss provides clear instructions, beautiful photographs, and inspiration for knitters of all skill levels. She also gives useful advice on making up and caring for knitwear, which are critical to having your work look it's best for years to come.

One caution to anyone interested in making plus-size garments: the women's patterns are designed in sizes 32-38 (roughly x-small through large), so you may have to adapt patterns if you wish to make other sizes.

Editorial Review:

Best-selling author Debbie Bliss returns with a complete guide to creative knitting, with step-by-step instruction, personal tips, and more than 20 stunning original projects for sweaters, jackets, and accessories. 85 color photos & illustrations.