Reviews (9)

excellant book for the money
Well illustrated, informative,helpful,perfectly priced.I recomend this book to amateurs and veterans of this hobby, this is a beautiful book easily worth the money.

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS ONE
I have been a rather serious birder for well over fifty years now and when I first saw this book (it was a gift) I almost felt insulted...back yard birder indeed!Well, I was wrong...I admit it.I have actually enjoyed this one far more that several of the many hundred or so more technical books on the subject that inhabit my shelves.This is a wonderful quick reference and is quite well organized.I have interested grandchildern and I not when they are here, which is almost daily, they reach for this volume far more than any of the others.Sharing my passion and hobby with them is great and this work is a wonderful help tool.Recommend it highly.

Helps the Average Birdwatcher
"The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens" is for the interested, but average birdwatcher. However, it might just inspire the reader to take it a level higher.
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Subjects:  1. Bird feeders    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Garden Design    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Gardening to attract birds    7. Identification    8. Nature    9. North America    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Sale Books   

Reviews (3)

Perfect for Beginners to Experts
This has been one of the most enjoyable creative books I have purchased in a long time.I orginally got it for my business which is moving into concrete molding and casting.I knew my mom would thoroughly enjoy it and immediately bought and Amazon sent her the gift copy.She LOVES it too and has already played around with some of the ideas in her desert garden.So thinking about it...I decided to buy my own copy!Next summer I plan on doing several of the creative ideas in it, but with my own artistic twist.I can't wait!
Thorough and Inspiring
I am thrilled to have this book. I knew people were doing this type of work, and I have wanted to know how. Other books have provided bits & pieces, but Sherri's book is THOROUGH. Each time I came up with a question in my mind as I was reading, the answer would be on one of the next pages. After reading through her book, I feel confident and inspired to take on projects I had been afraid to tackle. She shows a wide variety of projects -- her instructions are CLEAR and easy to follow. I shared this with my sister (out of state) & her comment was, "I can't believe you let loose of this!" A truly inspiring book!

Both practical and beautiful...
I like this book because it has very detailed "how to" instructions to make concrete ornaments for your garden.The "how to" illustrations are very clear.The photographs of actual designs are beautiful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Concrete    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Garden ornaments and furniture    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. Gardening    10. House & Home / Do-It-Yourself    11. NATURE - ANIMALS TRD HC   

Reviews (18)

making concrete garden ornaments
this book is so easy to follow! i have made so many cool things!if you think concrete is just for sidewalks,think again.this book really opens up new horizons you had never thought about.

I love it!
This is a great book, with lots of information. Even if you have never worked with concrete before this book makes it easy. I highly recommend this book! I was right out the next day making things. ENJOY!

Great!
I am a true beginner working with concrete.I wanted information on making stepping stones and I found this information and a whole lot more!It was written for anyone to be able to understand and start projects immediately.You won't be dissappointed if you purchase this book.I love it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. BG-JUVENILE PROP - BG-JUVY ACTIVITY    8. Building skills    9. DIY    10. Garden design & planning    11. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas    12. Sculpture   

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Barbecues (Fireplaces)    3. Design & Construction    4. Design and construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Garden Furnishings    7. Garden ornaments and furniture    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House & Home    10. Kitchens    11. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    12. Outdoor Structure Construction    13. Outdoor kitchens    14. DIY    15. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas   

Reviews (3)

Review from someone who's not known as a handyman
I bought this book to build a 6' privacy fence.I didn't know the first thing about building a fence but this book takes you by the hand and walks you through each step.The author does a great job of keeping things simple for the reader/beginner and includes illustrations and photos to help you envision the process.I keep referring back to sections of this book as I continure to build.Highly reccomend this book to all beginners.

Fences:In thought, word, and deed.
"The Fence Bible: ..." by Jeff Beneke is an excellent, comprehensive guide. The title says it all, and the author delivers.Whether you want to build your own fence, or contract the project out this book can help you get it done right.

Fully lives up to its name
Jeff Beneke is an expert woodworker, house renovator, gardener, and author of more than a dozen highly commended home-improvement books designed specifically for the non-specialist general reader wanting to renovate, remodel, or otherwise improve their home and property values. The Fence Bible: How To Plan, Install, And Build Fences And Gates To Meet Every Home Style And Property Need, No Matter What Size Your Yard is Beneke's latest (and in many ways) his best "how to" title to date. This 272 page instruction manual is superbly illustrated with full color photographs and exemplary illustrations from cover to cover. If you want any kind of fencing on any kind of property, then The Fence Bible is the complete reference on how to build one whether you choose wood, stone, brick, concrete, mesh, wrought iron, living hedges, or anything else. Also available in a hardcover format (1580175864, $34.95), The Fence Bible is one reference that fully lives up to its name! Also very highly recommended from Storey Publishing is Peter Jeswald's How To Build Paths, Steps & Footbridges: The Fundamentals Of Planning, Designing, And Constructing Creative Walkways In Your Home Landscape (1580174876, $19.95, paperback; 158017-5759, $29.95, hardcover)
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Subjects:  1. Design and construction    2. Fences    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. History    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    9. DIY    10. Garden design & planning    11. Gardening / Garden Furnishings   

Reviews (2)

Creating Memories with your Children
My daughter has always been interested in fairy houses since we first watched Kristen's Fairy House.They are delightful little creations that she would spend hours making in the back yard, or we would go on walks and find natural things for her to use in her designs.She is now 8, and still very much into creating unique homes for the fairies.I feel so lucky to see her whimiscal artistic side bloom.She is even creating seasonal fairy house centerpieces for us to decorate our home with.I will always treasure these times with her, and the magical memories that we are making.Sorry if I am long winded.Getting to the point, this book has GORGEOUS photographs of all kinds of fairy houses, in all seasons.It is an inspiration to behold.My daughter and I love to look at the pictures over and over.The authors brought up a really nice fundraiser that they started by having everyone they knew in their neighborhood make fairy houses.What an interesting and unusual idea!Next house tour to raise money for school, can be fairy houses!This book offers the person that would like to get started making houses, lots of ideas, or is a sweet read for the person that just wants to appreciate little bits of beauty.A nice addition to Kristen's Fairy House Video/DVD, and sweet memories for family times together.

Explores the fantasy world of fairies as a fun task with an appeal to readers of all ages
Fairy Houses... Everywhere!, is a compilation of photographs and writings assembled by Barry & Tracy Kane, into an eccentric collection of brief, illustrated descriptions of wild and intricate fairy homes, mansions, cabins, marinas, gardens created by the artistic imagination of the authors. Providing readers with a complete and timeless anthology of a hobby-turned-profession, Fairy Houses... Everywhere! explores the fantasy world of fairies as a fun task with an appeal to readers of all ages. Fairy Houses... Everywhere! is highly recommended for its undeniably entertaining, wonderfully fun, innovative ideals and explorative concepts.
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Subjects:  1. Activities    2. Garden Furnishings    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. General    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    8. Wildlife   

Reviews (1)

highly recommended
if you are like me, you might own several mosaic books. This one is one of my favorites! Here's why:
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Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Decorating    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Mosaic    7. Pottery & Ceramics   

Reviews (1)

Great idea and how-to book
My husband and I had a landscape plan drawn up that included a pergola.Since my husband rebuilt part of our fence, he wanted to tackle the pergola himself.So, I bought him this book and he really loved it.
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Subjects:  1. Design & Construction    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Garden Design    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Garden structures    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. Landscape Horticulture    10. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    11. Outdoor Structure Construction    12. Garden design & planning    13. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas   

Reviews (5)

My favorite reference book
I am a landscape designer and I use this book constantly, not only for inspiration, but also for the illustrations provided on how to construct many of the architectural features shown.
Excellent primer
This is a great book to get you thinking about the underlying structure of your garden or outdoor space.Van Sweden's style is low-key yet elegant, and his ideas inspirational.

Making good bones
James van Sweden has been designing gardens for over 30 years and he is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. In this book he shares with the reader the essential role that architecture plays in organizing the garden landscape. With carefully chosen examples he shows how man-made features of the garden - paths, walls, gates etc. - create the framework for a garden that is both beautiful and easy to live with.Read more

Subjects:  1. Design    2. Garden Design    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Gardens    8. Landscape    9. Landscape Design And Planting    10. Landscape architecture    11. Gardening / Garden Design   

Reviews (4)

Not enough Technique
I was disappointed with this book.There is some lovely work illustrated and the biographies of the artists doing the work are comprehensive, but as a newcomer to doing work for outdoor installations I would have preferred more "how-to" information.For instance, there is no chapter on how to deal with the freeze-thaw cycle; you can glean some information from many of the artists about the techniques they use, but it is not organized as a comprehensive topic.The information about the mechanics for making a fountain is sketchy at best--basically, it's determined to be hard to do and must be figured out on a trial-and-error basis.

Art history plus technique
A bit heavy on biographical sketches for my taste, but the bios will be of interest to students of art history.Most bios are followed by a section on "Techniques" containing very useful details, but since the book is organized by ceramists, there is no quick way to find the technical info you are looking for.Well-written and good for casually browsing.

Pretty Good Introduction
Offers an excellent visual guide to outdoor and garden ceramics and a nice insight into the minds behind these strange and beautiful things.If you're looking for an inspirational book, this works.If you're like me and are always looking for more tips and demos, you'll find it's a little on the thin side. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Ceramic sculpture    3. Crafts & Hobbies    4. Garden Furnishings    5. Garden ornaments and furniture    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Hobbies/Crafts    8. Landscape    9. Pottery    10. Pottery & Ceramics    11. Pottery, British   

Subjects:  1. Gardening / Horticulture    2. Landscape    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Gardening / Garden Design    5. Garden Furnishings    6. Gardens    7. Garden ornaments and furniture    8. Gardening    9. Garden Design    10. Garden structures    11. United States   

Editorial Review

There is no question that gardening inspires creativity and playfulness. A full measure of both is captured in this book on garden accessories. Giant bronze frogs standing erect and playing the sax and cello, sunflowers sporting hats, fence posts sprouting gloves, and a bench with undulating serpent arms are just a few of the compelling images captured in the many color photographs.Read more

Reviews (1)

Garden Whimsey
Beautiful pictures of smatterings of whimsical art in gardens. Tasteful and fun. A winner! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Garden Design    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Garden ornaments and furniture    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. Home Gardening    9. Pictorial works    10. Gardening / Essays   

Reviews (4)

GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR LIBRARY - RECOMMEND HIGHLY
I have been a "birder" for over 45 years and a gardener (in a very sloppy, haphazard way) for just about as long.This is a wonderul work that fits well into my hobbies.It is simple, practical and a joy to work with.As another reviewer pointed out, the ideas put forth in this book actually work!I was also thrilled that most of these projects were ones that my four grandsons were more than able to help with and in doing so, actually taught them something.I happen to live in a rural area, infact, I live in the middle of the woods.Most of the projects in this book were non-intrusive and blended in well with the natural look that my wife and I strive for.Recommend you add this one to your library.Now if I can just train my nine barn cats......

Useful and detailed
This book is full of easy projects, some of which kids can do with little supervision.Very detailed with pictures. Love it!

Kicked up amateur bird nut
I have been feeding birds for the last four years, but decided that this was the year that I kicked it up. I wanted to learn more about what types of feeders are best, which foods attracted the birds I most enjoy, etc.
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Subjects:  1. Bird feeders    2. Birdbaths    3. Birdhouses    4. Birds & Birdwatching - General    5. Design and construction    6. Garden Furnishings    7. Gardening    8. Gardening / Horticulture    9. Gardening to attract birds    10. Gardening/Plants    11. General    12. Birds & birdwatching    13. Natural & wild gardening   

Reviews (1)

EXCELLENT reference!!!
Wow! I just cannot say enough good things about this book!When it arrived, before opening it I expected to just see another book with black and white sketches telling me things I already knew.But from cover to cover, I found tons of beautiful, inspiring photos of actual gardens and landscaping which has given me many good ideas to incorporate into my own plans.The text is also easy to follow and understand (even for a beginner), the detailed captions are very helpful, and the overall layout of this book, with its various sections broken down, is to be commended.I would give it 10 stars!
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Subjects:  1. Garden Design    2. Garden Furnishings    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Landscape    7. Landscape Design And Planting    8. Ornamental Plants    9. Garden - Designs    10. Garden Structures    11. Gardening / Garden Design    12. Landscape gardening   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - General    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Interior Design - General    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. Reference    8. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

My favorite stone-wall how-to book
Of the half-dozen books I bought in preparation for recycling some of the old stonewalls up through the woods on our farm into a new retaining wall, this is my clear favorite.It is more detailed than John Vivian's Building Stone Walls, particularly when it comes to retaining walls.Because it is not as glossy and illustrated as Haywards' Stone in the Garden or David Reed's Stonescaping (which are, by the way, both excellent in their own right), I'm not as wary about taking it out to the project with me. Two over one, one over two.
This is a wonderful book...it's about stone walls, and about building stone walls, and all the things stone walls have meant and done for 350 years, and what it feels like to live and work in a place where just past the urban sprawl every one of those 350 years blends with this one (and if you look out the corner of your eye there're older times than that hiding in the shadows.)Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    2. Garden Furnishings    3. Gardening    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Landscape    8. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    9. Landscape gardening    10. Northeastern & North Atlantic states   

Editorial Review

Long has written a friendly, conversational book about bentwood garden accessories, some fantastic, others prosaic or elegantly simple. In nine main chapters, he covers selecting wood, making a basic trellis, more elaborate and decorative trellis designs, bentwood gates, bentwood fences, arbors, and trellises made without bentwood. He discusses the selection of plants for your structures, and finally, adds a chapter on simply enjoying your bentwood structures, even going so far as to include a few yummy recipes for muffins, teas, and shortbread to savor in your newly created garden environment!Read more

Reviews (3)

Recycle that brush!
This book gives good directions and shows many attractive ideas. I am going to try a living fence and some supports for pole beans in the garden-that should be much prettier than the metal posts and twine I used last year.

A Book for Dreaming and Doing
If you love the romantic look of twig trellises, arbors, gates and fences (not to mention wattling), this is the book for you! Using raw materials that most people have or can get for free (and Jim Long tells how to dothis, too), the reader is led through the step-by-step process to make avariety of pictured designs. A descriptive detailed book on how to make trellises.
The illustrations were very good as a first time person to trellis making, I found this book very exciting.The author made it simple for people to follow and do the project.I liked the detail he gave for making each project. Making arches to gates for your flower garden, they are all nice pieces of art.He tells also what is great to grow on the trellises. Thanks ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hobbies/Crafts    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Woodwork - General    4. Wooden fences    5. Landscape    6. Garden Furnishings    7. Crafts & Hobbies / Woodwork    8. DIY    9. Furniture & furnishings manufacture    10. GARDENING / Garden Furnishings    11. GARDENING / Landscape    12. Crafts & Hobbies    13. Amateurs' manuals    14. Trellises    15. Arbors    16. Design and construction   

Reviews (2)

An excellent source of garden decorating ideas
I've got 5 pages bookmarked for inclusion in our gardens! That should say it all, but just in case, here goes. Decorate Your Garden
Lots of gorgeous color photos showing ways to spice up your garden with objects such as steel wire garden furniture, mirrors, and other unique items. What fun. -Linda Fry Kenzle, author of Gathering ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Garden Design    2. Garden Furnishings    3. Garden ornaments and furniture    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. General    8. Landscape    9. Techniques   

Reviews (3)

So Cute!
My friend & I both got one of these for Christmas and I love it. It's too cute to put outside though I keep my in my kitchen window.

Wee Bit O' Cheer
The mail just arrived and lo and behold! A package for me from my best friend. Inside to be found was a small fellow in a box. Joy! Alas, my very own gnome visitor. I have long wanted to entertain such a guest. My best friend, sharing a fondness for gnomes herself kindly sent the surprise of the trial-size wee gnome. The booklet included is fun to read to educate yourself in the wee gnome tradition. If you are seeking to cultivate this interest with small steps you may enjoy a wee gnome, too!

What a fun gift!
Have you ever seen a gnome so small?He's perfect for your indoor winter garden or a small summer garden - how about the pot of flowers on your balcony?Plus, the tiny book has a great, short summary of all the essential gnome information condensed into a pocket sized book.Sure, you can get alot more information in greater depth from another book, but all the essentials are here.If you know someone who likes gnomes, this would be a great gift.If you are curious about gnomes, this would be a great starting place. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dolls and Articulated Figures    2. Figurines    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Miscellaneous Items   

Reviews (2)

Garden Decor Rocks
This book really showed me how to use decorative painting on tht outside of my home. I loved the the patterns in the book that can be enlargened for those who are afraid to "Free Hand" paint.One of the best parts is showing how to take "essential" items such as trash cans, fences, and clay pots and turn them into works of art.It also contains an excellent step by step of painting a realist bunny.I was amazed on how easily it was accomplished.

Same stuff
Just another Donna Dewberry book with the same designs painted on different surfaces.I was very disappointed that there was nothing new offered in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Decorating    4. Decoration and ornament    5. Flower Arranging    6. Garden Furnishings    7. Garden ornaments and furniture    8. Garden tools    9. Hobbies/Crafts    10. Painting