Editorial Review

Believing that wonderful paint effects need not entail the many complications of oil-based materials, acclaimed painted-finishes expert Debbie Travis has developed easy step-by-step methods for terrific-looking treatments, all achieved with water-based supplies. With large, beautiful photos, clear instructions, and well-chosen colors, she demonstrates 35 different finishes for walls and floors (textured, patterned, and stone types) and for furniture, trim, and accessories (antique and specialty, metallic, and stenciling methods), plus four "master techniques" (colorwashing, ragging, sponging, and dragging). Travis also gives careful attention to getting started, which she believes intimidates people even more than learning the actual techniques. She explains how to find inspiration, choose a style appropriate to your own tastes, and select colors. Even the most timid of amateur decorators should be able to handle most of the techniques presented in Read more

Reviews (20)

terrible
That book was expected AUG 25 tHIS IS Oct.14 I still can not get satisfaction I can not find e-mail addreaa for bestbookdealers I do NOT hve the book And Someone has my Money Terrible! Merry Margaret merry2b1@vom.com

Ugly rooms and ugly color
I find the rooms in this book to be so overdone that it is painful!Tacky, dated interiors and poor color choices.Just plain messy and often ugly! I expected more...
I was looking for a design idea for my house and I got a quick overview of detailed techniques. I didn't get a good idea of all of the techniques to use on a floor, what I'd need for vinyl..It is alright to look through. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Decorating - General    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Furniture painting    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. House painting    8. Interior decoration    9. Home furnishing & decoration    10. House & Home / Decorating   

Editorial Review

Mary Engelbreit's cheerful designs have become almostubiquitous, appearing on everything from greeting cards to home fabricsto clothing, and the 80-plus seasonal projects in this book are a happyextension of those colorful pick-me-ups. These designs cover the cross-stitch skill range, from 10-count perforated plastic ornaments andbutton covers to an embellished gardener's journal cover worked on 36-count linen. The tinted charts, instructions, and specialty-stitchdiagrams smooth the creative process for those who want to use thesepatterns as a jumping-off point for their own whimsy. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Simple, colorful patterns that capture the charm and magic of Engelbreit at her best!
After longing for "Mary Engelbreit Cross Stitch for All Seasons," but balking at the high price, I eventually picked up a copy for a song in a bargain bin.I am a longtime fan of Mary Engelbreit's whimsical work, and copies of several of her more famous works (Everyone needs their own Spot, It's Good to be Queen) grace my home.
Good, but...
bought the book - love the designs (am currently going cross eyed doing "believe" as a present for my mother).
My first cross stitch book
This book was WONDERFUL!!She broke it up into various themes and her puppies were the cutest I have ever seen.Also I enjoyed the fact that along with the patterns she gave great ideas for how to turn the patterns into wonderful accessories for your home.I would HIGHLY recommend that this book become part of your cross stitch library.Also, check out her first book about cross stitch.It is a little more involved but still a good part of any collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Cross-stitch    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Needlework - Cross-Stitch    6. Patterns    7. Seasonal   

Reviews (2)

More Alex
Alex Anderson has carved out a very important and lasting niche in quilt making history. This book is another fine example of quality instructions and photos. Every quilter will find some good information in her book.

Keep Quilting with Alex Anderson
Excellent book from the mistress of Quilt Making.Easy to follow instructions and good information.Very readable and clear instructions.Encourages creativity and imagination. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Patchwork    5. Patterns    6. Quilt Making    7. Quilting    8. Quilts & Quilting    9. Quiltmaking   

Editorial Review

Martha Stewart's fans look to her to provide a sense of what's possible with unlimited taste and plenty of decorating funds, and certainly no one else does Christmas with such flair.Martha's Christmas feast may seem a bit over the top, with silver-leaved fruit at each place setting, crystal decanters of French dessert wines, and cake stands holding more decorations, but it photographs nicely--and, of course, the food looks great. There's also an easier New Year's Day party suggestion that will appeal to more casual party-givers. Martha's signature is the elegant simplicity of her decorative concepts, and this book's strength is its easy instructions for making wonderful wreaths, tree ornaments, and gift wrappings. The instructions for making aluminum snowflakes may alone be worth the price of the book. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

What's with the pastels?
I am a Martha Stewart fan, but this book disturbed me with its creepy pastels and white motif that pervaded the book.This sucked the Christmas spirit right out of me.I do yearn for the deep rich colors and and oldmoney feel that were the Martha of yore.Now everything is post-divorcebright minimalist.

A rehash of past magazines
If you subscribe to the magazine you will be very disappointed.Most ofthe projects are articles directly out of the past couple years' Winterissues.If you don't subscribe, you will enjoy the book.It's a scam fortrue Martha devotees.

Why is the cover so ugly?
ALl I have to say about this book is one thing:It's a shame an art-driven publisher like Clarkson Potter would allow an ugly cover like this to bear their logo.Obvious last-minute slap job of magazine scrap pieces.What a waste of money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas cookery    2. Christmas cooking    3. Christmas decorations    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Handicraft    7. Holiday - Christmas/Hanukkah    8. Seasonal    9. Christmas books    10. Crafts & Hobbies / Seasonal   

Editorial Review

Quilt making is a natural outlet for kids' innate creativity. Take children on a field trip to the fabric or quilt store and you'll be refreshed by their free-spirited approach to color and amazed by their fearlessness in the face of traditional quilting "rules." Just about any 9- to 14-year-old can turn out a stupendous quilt with some adult supervision and the terrific guidance of noted expert Alex Anderson's Read more

Reviews (2)

Skimpy
I love Alex but the book is a little too skimpy with only five blocks to choose from.
Great Teaching Tool
Alex Anderson is among the best in teaching quilting methods. This book is a great teaching tool for children of all ages. Alex really explains each step in detail and I learned some new tricks myself. She stresses safety while working with children as well as self-expression through fabric choices. A great addition to any sewing library! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arts And Crafts    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Crafts for Children    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Patterns    7. Quilt Making    8. Quilting    9. Quilts & Quilting    10. Needlework & stitchcraft    11. Quiltmaking   

Reviews (8)

Cute and fun ideas
Oh - these are too cute! First, there were fabric boxes and bowls - which I love! Now, try your hand at fabric balls.
well written and illustrated
If you want to make balls out of fabric this is an excellent book.

Fabric Balls
Well written and easy to follow directions to make these fun fabric balls.It takes reading the instructions carefully and completely and going step by step and you'll love what you can do. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Decorative balls    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Patchwork    6. Patterns    7. Quilts & Quilting    8. Textile fabrics    9. Crafts & Hobbies / Patchwork    10. Patchwork & applique    11. Toys, teddy bears & dolls   

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Home furnishing & decoration   

Editorial Review

Combining lovely scrapbook pages with a wealth of inspiration, recipes, and design suggestions, the Read more

Features

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Reviews (2)

Feast for the eyes
These books are enjoyable to look at, quite beautifully photographed. Very relaxing to browse through.However, they are short on horticultural details for the plants that are featured, so one should not buy them forthat kind of information.The recipes are good, the floral arrangementsare inspiring. The format of focusing on one season at a time makes them anice primer to help you think about what you want to accomplish or gear upfor in the next three months, which is nice from a planning perspective. The ability to write notes in the spaces provided is a plus for this sortof planning. And Ms. Roehm gives photo credits to those employees whomake her lifestyle possible by doing a lot of the work in her garden andhome, unlike some well-known domestic divas.

Don'tMiss This Fabulous Book!
In her new book "Spring Notebook" Carolyne Roehm has outdone herself again. If you love gardening, flowers and entertaining this is a inspiring and breathtaking book!The pictures are beautiful and the bookis packed full of lots of gardening tips and recipes. The book is done in aspiral bound format and there are folders to keep your own clippings,gardening ideas and recipes in. There are a list of sources in the back ofthe book! This is truly a enjoyable book that you will want to keepforever. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Decorating    3. Entertaining    4. Flowers - General    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. General    8. Handicraft    9. House & Home    10. Spring    11. Techniques    12. Gardening / Flowers / General    13. Bargain   

Reviews (2)

Outstanding!
I use this book every time I work on a quilt.The descriptions are easy to understand and the results are great.With this book I learned how to miter my borders as well as the binding and this technique has given my quilts a more sophisticated look.I consider myself a beginner-intermediate quilter so if I can uderstand this book anyone can!

Like having an experienced friend at your elbow
Whenever you begin to learn a new skill -- whether it's cooking, quilting, or computer programming -- the best asset to have is a friend standing next to you, showing you the details. ("No, move it more to the left!" or "The dough should feel like _this_.") Alas, we don't always have someone to call upon, so we turn to books written by experts. Often, they know their skill... but are imperfect at getting the point across.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Patchwork    5. Patterns    6. Quilting    7. Quilts & Quilting    8. Quiltmaking   

Reviews (1)

Great for little girls and the Mary Engelbreit collector.
"Child's Play" is classic Mary Engelbreit. The book includes two 8" paper dolls, Sophie and Michael, printed on heavy stock and ready to punch out from the background for freestanding display. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Miscellaneous - Child    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Juvenile Nonfiction / Crafts & Hobbies   

Editorial Review

Martha Stewart's decorating ideas are deceptively simple. Thematerials are readily available and the instructions are easy, masking the sophistication it takes to realize the simplistic beauty of aplain white plate with a single maple leaf as a place card. "GoodThings" is what Martha Stewart calls the "easy tips"segment of her television show, and, in fact, all of the tips in thisbook are remarkably easy (at least, in comparison to some of her otherprojects). Martha's potato, sweet potato, and onion latkes areremarkably good, and are particularly recommended for those who maystill doubt whether they can match Martha in their own kitchens. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Cut & Paste Job. Avoid
Rehash of articles in her magazine.Avoid.

Nothing Good Here But Try....
...these others books that I think are grand: The best of the magazine !
If you don't subscribe to Martha's expensive magazine (I don't), then this book is the only thing you need to own.It is the best of all the good ideas without weeding through ads. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Decorating    5. Gifts    6. Handicraft    7. House furnishings    8. Interior design    9. Seasonal    10. Crafts & Hobbies / Decorating    11. Floral crafts    12. Home furnishing & decoration    13. Household hints   

Reviews (4)

Excellent Book
Excellent book! Well laid out and thought out plans.Now if only we could have Norm to run the band saw for us and cut out those curves for the chair.

Good, detailed, and well explained plans.
He's got this book laid out so that each chapter is it's own project.That's a good way to do it to make sure there's enough info to do it right.However, That means that in this relatively fat (expensive) book there areonly 10 projects or so. The only project I really liked was the Adirondackchair, the others were too specialized for my simple tastes.

Good content and informative
I enjoyed reading and studying some of these projects. Each one of Norm's books have something new and interesting to learn about. My only question is when will there be a next issue? The TV projects are great and it wouldbe nice to review the available plans and be able to order them on the net. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cabinet work    2. Cabinetwork    3. Crafts & Hobbies    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. Furniture    6. Furniture making    7. General    8. Hobbies/Crafts    9. Woodworking    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. House & Home / Design & Construction   

Editorial Review

While this book is very much in the style of Martha Stewart, the parties that it depicts were planned and executed by other folks. There's a Louisiana lunch at a stately home outside Baton Rouge, complete with maquechoux oysters and pecan-crusted catfish; a garden harvest party, with mountains of vegetarian delights served in an East Hampton garden; a Vietnamese-Thai feast in a garden by the Sacramento River, with the signature flavors of Southeast Asian cooking--lime, ginger, lemongrass, chile paste--gracing spring rolls, chicken, and fish; a soul-food brunch given by an interior designer in Harlem that includes collard greens, gumbo, and sweet potato tarts. Details such as how to make lovely, lotus-like napkin folds are illustrated in "Good Things" sidebars. From the down-home barbecue in a horse arena in Marfa, Texas, to the Polynesian fantasy picnic on the beach in Maui, the key to a great party, says Martha, is caring--"about people, originality, the most attractive settings, and lovely, finely honed, time-honored traditions." And let's not forget food. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I Love Theme Parties!
Theme parties are great!Getting your guests to "dress the part" isn't at all difficult!If you want people to dress up, just inform them that it is a "themed costume party".Your guests will try to out-do each other with their creative costumes.It really makes things a lot of fun and makes decorating in a theme really worth the effort!My friends and I have one about once a month.
Dreadful.Our partywas almost a fiasco
We planned a wonderful dinner party for 100 guests at our waterfront home. I hired the best chef & event planner I could find and told them to follow this book. They said they many of the things just would not work or would take forever. Get's the juices flowing!
Now I know that we can't all go to Texas to have an authentic Tex-Mex fiesta, but the ideas are great none the less. Who care's if no one comes dressed the part? This book is all about themes. Themes that you can manipulate and call your own. Each party is beautifully photographed and the recipes are delicious. They even offer her infamous "Good Things" as a sidebar for many of the parties. Don't let the perfection overwhelm you. This book delievers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Entertaining    5. Entertaining - General    6. Entertaining - Party Planning    7. Menus    8. Parties    9. Tablesetting    10. Cooking / Entertaining    11. Etiquette & entertaining    12. General cookery   

Reviews (4)

Nice idea
As a recent purchaser of an old house, I really enjoyed the first few sections of this book and thought it might really be helpful for our remodel.However, it quickly turned into a big spend-fest, as other reviews have mentioned.Get this only for the nice pictures and commentary, certainly don't expect advice on how to do anything yourself.

Wonderful!
The Photos and the home are beautiful! Maybe not good for ideas to restore, but the federal colonial farmhouse was done in wonderful taste and style. I reccomend it to anyone who loves old homes. It's my favorite book. How nice!

A diary of a major renovation
This book chronicles the renovation/restoration that Martha Stewart completed on a historic New England farmhouse.It is very specific about many of the tasks that she completed, and gives some general how-to information (how to hire a contractor, create a landscape design, etc).I was disappointed because I was looking for ideas to restore and renovate my "new old house" and didn't really find much inspiration here.Much of the decorating revolved around painting murals and designs on the floor, which is something that I don't plan on doing.If you are planning a major renovation project to a large, historic home, this book might be a good starting place but I wouldn't rely on it for all of my information.Although it didn't really help me with my specific plans, it was an interesting, sometimes sketchy, read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Conservation and restoration    3. Decorating    4. Design & Construction    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior architecture    7. Interior decoration    8. Remodeling & Renovation - General    9. Themes, motives    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. House & Home / General   

Reviews (8)

too cute
I am giving this four stars because I haven't made any of the bears yet.However the pictures are too cute for words and I can't wait to make one.I rarely have problems with Debbie Bliss patterns and do not anticipate problems with these.

not much variety
The instructions are clear enough, however I was hoping for more size varieties, 4" - 20".I am still looking for a tiny knitted bear pattern.
At last a book with good-looking teddy bears ...
I knitted one of the bears (English gentleman bear) and two sets of clothing.The end product looks the same as the pictures - the bear and clothes are adorable.I had no problems with the patterns for they have been correctly written down.Because there are no diagrams/drawings of pieces with dimensions, I believe these knittings are for intermediate to advanced knitters.I can't wait to see my four year old granddaughter on Christmas day when she'll open up this gift! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Hobbies/Crafts    4. Knitting    5. Patterns    6. Soft toy making    7. Stuffed Animals    8. Teddy bears    9. Crafts & Hobbies / Knitting   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Design - General    4. Graphic Arts - General    5. Industrial Design - General    6. Art / Design / General   

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. General    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Patchwork    6. Quilt Making    7. Quilting    8. Quilts & Quilting    9. Needlework & fabric crafts   

Reviews (4)

Good patterns -- bad book design
This book has adorable, as-yet-untried-by-me, knitting patterns, but one of the worst designs I have seen. The front of the book has lovely photos of each pattern clumped together with text on them in big letters which gives the name of the design and "See Page such and such," which, in many cases fade into the photo. The bigger problem arises when you are looking at the pattern, which tells you the number of the page of the photo -- but the photo pages are not paginated at all which makes that useless and makes you have to count backwards from the first pattern page (page 36).

Cute Patterns- Bad Instructions
I made the pig booties which certainly turned out cute.However, the pattern lacked a tension gauge (which is as fundamental as needle size) and didn't have any diagrams to show the knitter how to piece the body of the bootie together.Her patterns are really adorable and I would buy the book again.But if it ever gets into reprint adjustments should be made.

Debbie Bliss is THE kid's knit designer
A friend of mine has a cute 2 year old and she knit the barnyard duck sweater for him. (This kid was leaning out of his stroller at 3 months of age, waiting to see the ducks on the river that runs through the center of town. He'd go wild when he saw them. Unbelievable. ) Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's clothing    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Fashion    5. General    6. Hobbies/Crafts    7. Knitting    8. Needlework - Knitting    9. Patterns    10. Crafts & Hobbies / Knitting   

Editorial Review

A beautiful floral arrangement can add the perfect touch of beauty and elegance to your home, and who would know this better than our favorite doyenne of the dainty, Martha Stewart. In Read more

Reviews (13)

A real letdown and overpriced
I found the Fine Art of Flower Arranging by Nancy D'Oench, Mick Hales.It is so much better than Martha's book.

A Disappointment - Well Below Expectations
Perhaps my expectations were too high?Martha produces a beautiful magazine and her new Best of Weddings book is superb so I thought that this book, although older, would be a nice addition.I was disappointed.Although the book was published in 1999, it seemed even more outdated than that.The flowers used seemed repeated over and over again and the book was centered completely around the varieties in Martha's garden. For a more thorough view, I'd like to recommend 2 books in place of this one.Jane Packer's Fast Flower Arranging is fantastic and shows beautiful arrangements that can be made quickly even by a novice.For actual, technical "how to" steps and design theory, I'd recommend Judith Blacklock's "Flower Arranging" (might be called Teach Yourself Flower Arranging in some indexes).Once you know proper floral design techniques, you can use any kind of flowers (NOT just those from Martha's garden) to create beautiful arrangements.

Not exactly a how-to book, but great pictures
I wouldn't really consider this a how-to book, as most of it is pictures of arrangements with a paragraph or two about the flowers. To paraphrase, "Martha loves spring when the peonies in her garden are blooming. They look stunning massed together." Most of the description is of her garden.Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Decorating    4. Decorating - General    5. Flower Arranging    6. Flower arrangement    7. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (3)

Jerry Baker's Old Time Gardening Wisdom
I have been looking for this book forever.....At least 12 years ago,when I became my mother's caregiver, the only thing that we
Keep yourgarden healthy
This book contains a lot of information that helps to keep your lawn and garden healthy.Most problems can be solved by using formulas contained in this book rather than comercial products that are expensive and confusing.

Fun to Read, Great Resource, Reap the Rewards
Have you ever wondered how gardeners of the past produced such magnificent greenery without the big name chemical companies?Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Herb gardening    7. Horticultural Crops    8. Organic gardening    9. Techniques    10. Vegetable gardening    11. Gardening / General