Arts and Crafts Books

It's a easy to read book. My mother language is not English and I had a great time to read and to understand and to follow the theme. Now I'm writing on my first romance novel my self and very excited.

This is one of the best books I've seen on how to write a romance. It walks you through the whole process from beginning to end and tells you how to market your work. If I were a newbie I'd want to have this book on my shelf.

This book is filled with good instuctions and serves as a excellent reference that you can use when starting to write your novel as well as a refresher as you continue with other books or novels.

Although my manuscript was already finished before I brought this book, I wanted to compare my manuscript against the expertise of a professional. I found out that I was a writer on the right track and it also alerted me to important points that I overlooked which only makes me a better writer.

If you want to be better at your writing, add this book to your collection.

Benita Pagoria

In addition to several nonfiction books, Leigh Michaels is the published author of more than eighty romance novels and so brings a very special expertise to "On Writing Romance: How To Craft A Novel That Sells", her instruction manual for aspiring writers in a demanding and popular genre. Practical, comprehensive, informed and informative, "On Writing Romance" covers the origins and evolutions of the romance novel, and then takes the aspiring writer through each and every stage of the writing and publishing process. Breaking down more than thirty romance subcategories, aspiring writers will learn how to steer clear of cliches and stereotypes by studying the genre they propose to establish themselves in; craft engaging and realistic characters that will appeal to a discerning readership; add conflict through the use of secondary characters; utilize tension and timing to make love scenes come alive; and provide stories with 'happy-ever-after' endings that are neither ordinary or uninspiring, but will reward the reader with a story that they will remember long after the book is finished and returned to the shelf. Enhanced with a sample query letter, a cover letter, and synopsis, "On Writing Romance" also provides specific and practical 'how to' information on preparing a manuscript for submission to agents, editors, and publishers. Anyone seeking to write a commercially successful romance novel of any kind should begin by giving a careful and considered reading to Leigh Michael's "On Writing Romance".

This is an amazing book--written by a truly stellar author. How can you go wrong, choosing to learn from the very best?! Ms. Michaels has written many, many novels and also does online teaching, so she really knows what she's talking about! This book is a wonderful resource for both beginning and experienced writers. The chapters are clear and easy to understand, yet are packed with the sort of information that one would need years and years to acquire. The title is "On Writing Romance", but writers of other genres would be very wise to pick up this book, as well. Highly recommended!

This is a must have for every quilter's library. Jan has done it again.

The possibilities are available for every type of quilter. This book is a must in your patchwork library.

As with her first book, Lone Star Quilts and Beyond, Jan takes a traditional pattern and turns it into something beyond what the ordinary quilter has imagined. Her instructions are easy to follow, and if you don't like one method of block assembly, she gives five others to choose from. Not only does she make the piece work simple, she offers an inspiring gallery of Hunter Star quilts, certain to appeal to both the traditionalist and the art quilter, the beginner and the professional. Like they say in the movies, I give this "two thumbs up" along with the traditional 5 star rating. You won't be disappointed.

I saw Jan Krentz on HGTV's "Simply Quilts" and so I bought the book. The Hunter Star pattern is beautiful and Jan has several methods for putting the quilt together: paper piecing method, strip piecing method, fusing method, and colorwash method. Beautifully illustrated too with clear instructions plus lots of pictures of finished quilts for inspiration.

I love that this book has instructions for several techniques to build the Hunter Star as well as wonderful color photos of completed projects. It is one of the clearest how-to books I have ever read and used!

This book is a great introduction to all forms of surface design, with detailed instructions for tranferring images to fabric in many ways. Awesome introduction or reference for anyone interested in cyanotype, screenprinting, image transfer, batik, etc.

I own lots of fabric art books, and none of them come close to the amount of techniques this book has for putting color and images on fabric. It doesn't matter how many supplies I may run out of, because I can always turn to this book for *something* that I can still use. Easy to read and understand and lots of great examples. I always have this book nearby when a creative impulse strikes me.

This book is a very good guide to all sorts of transfer methods on fabric for any kind of fabric work. It is very user friendly because the wording is clear and concise with very good full color examples that go along with the text. Troubleshooting hints are included with each method as well a lot of other useful hints. The examples and pictures of the actual work are very helpful in that they show many different applications of each technique and really help to get you thinking of ways to be able to further play with and modify the methods shown. Also, it is very clearly laid out into categories per chapter that make it very easy to use as a quick reference. A reference chart is included in the book telling the basic overview of each technique with information concerning the permanence of the method, fabric types recommended for each method, as well as many other useful info that really make this book very easy to use and covers the basics of most any kind of transfer method you could need. I originally had to buy this book for a fibers class I was taking but it has been more helpful after the class ended because it really was a very easy to use by being very easy to quickly reference with it's clear layout and detailed description of all of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods clearly labeled. It is a very good book and would recommend it to anyone interested in any kind of quilt or fabric work.

From high tech computer photo transfer to the ancient art of leaf hammering, this book is a comprehensive presentation of fabric manipulation and imagery. Avoiding the "cutesy" trap of so many crafts books, this volume is sophisticated and will be useful to artists and crafters of many styles and sensibilities.

Imagery on Fabric is smartly organized by method, rather than individual project, allowing for much more creativity from the reader. Each process is thoroughly explained and accompanied by fabulous photos of work by professional fiber artists as well as hobbyists. Laury also includes a useful list of resources for the various products and equipment that she discusses in her book.

When I bought this book I was just fiddling with fabric and art quilts. Laury and her book singlehandedly motivated me to fully embrace fiber arts as an exciting means of artistic expression.

After seeing the demonstration today on the Carol Duval Show on HGTV, I am definitely ordering this book! What intersting ideas for quilting fabric! Loved it!

I have seen many journalism books, and this one is simply the best IMO. I can't wait to buy the second edition when it comes out!

Tim Harrower's Inside Reporting is unlike any textbook I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them throughout my years and years of college.

It looks weird on the shelf because it's an inch taller and an inch wider than most typical textbooks. Open it up to any one of the first 186 pages and stunning graphics jump off the page. Sections are small and fit nicely on one sheet. It looks like a colorful newspaper. The following hundred pages (aka, "The Morgue") look like the typical textbook--large blocks of text. The Morgue is a section of reference articles and examples.

Inside Reporting is well organized. Each section is brief but packs a punch. Look to the bottom of most pages and you'll find directions to other page numbers with more material or references to the Morgue. Each chapter is also full of surveys, quotes from those in the industry, tests, and extra tidbits to help the budding journalist.

I'm not yet and established journalists and I don't teach the subject. In fact, I'm not even in a journalism class. I picked up Inside Reporting because I wanted a good survey of journalism. This grad student of a different study wants to learn more about journalism. I wanted a book with meat but was fearful that an introductory book would be too fluffy and lack the information I needed. This book was not the case.

Inside Reporting is a fantastic textbook. I couldn't have picked a better book, and I'm sure I'll be going back to it often as I move forward in the journalism arena.

I have purchased dozens of books on journalism over the past few months, but nothing matches the content, style or ease in finding information of this great book.

While there are many great books on journalism, most if not all of them are much the same as any other textbook, pages and pages of text which you must read and interpret to find what you want.

This book is visual in the most unique way I have ever seen in a textbook. Almost like a cross between a real newspaper and a comic book, all the information is presented in little snippets and pictures that are easy to understand and easy to digest.

As an example it has a page in the news writing section about writing a lead for a plane crash and gives examples of how different leads could be written highlighting the who, what, when, where and why. Most texts have something like this, but most would not go to the lengths that this author has done to enable the reader to understand the benefits and pitfalls of leading with a particular method.

The text has dozens of tips and information from working journalists and I liked the section in the back called the Morgue which contains examples of the stories used in the text.

The text has great background information on journalism which I would otherwise have ignored in other texts because of the way it is normally presented and overall I would rate this from a student's perspective as the single best investment I have made so far.

It is simply a gem of a book that is easily lost in Amazons catalogue. Decide for yourself if this book is for you but I would be surprised if anyone interested in journalism could not come away from reading this book and not have learned anything.

I am both a veteran journalist and a veteran college journalism teacher and "Inside Reporting" is the best introductory book ever. Interesting, accurate, visually pleasing and fun to read, it is the new "gold standard" of books with which to teach news writing and reporting. I am adopting it as the required text for the fall semester, and I keep my own copy handy to remind me of what I should be doing.

If you want to learn or teach journalism, this is the book.

Good night and good luck.

I've been a reporter and journalism instructor for 20 years and have used everything out there during that time. I've also used Tim's other text "The Newspaper Designer's Handbook" in my editing sections. This book is a joy to use --- last night I went over chapter 4 during a 6-9 p.m. class and as I added my anecdotes to the lecture, two hours flew by thanks to the slick structure of this text.
All instructors think they could do it better when assembling a textbook, but I can't say that any more. Tim has done it. This book covers everything I could ever think of and more. He discusses style. He includes tests and exercises and there is even an anthology he uses as a "morgue." Get a desk copy and require it for your students. It is a great book, one that will not be sold at the end of the semester, but kept on the shelf and used as a reference for years to come. He stresses convergence and the move from print to the web in a way that makes us old timers feel less of the pain. This is the new basic text for me. Wow what a book!

This is a fabulous book on vintage costume jewelry! Beautiful colored photos, prices, loads of information and FUN. The author shares her own stories, talking with you as if you are an old friend, and by the time you finished the book you'll wish you were.

Anyone who has a passion for vintage beauties will love this book. It appeals to collectors on every level. Don't hesitate to buy. You will not be disappointed.

The author's first book on vintage costume jewelry is also a must have!

Beautifully written and the photos are stunning! If you collect costume jewelry you won't be disappointed. Only problem is now I have many more pieces to covet!!!

Ooops, I meant, not your OTHER jewelry book. I liked the first Inside the Jewelry Box so much, it was worth buying what I thought was just a second edition of it. But this is an entirely new book, with all new everything: information, subjects, photos. Great job once again by the talented Ann Pitman, who covers yum-yum subjects from fruit salad to Juliana and Lily Dache ... and exotic hard to find extras such as an Italian Ornella boot and a snazzy Calvaire purse. This is one of those books that keep on giving: you keep finding wonderful things you didn't see before, no matter how many times you look. Great job ... on an all-new book!

If you are a jewelry lover this is a must have book for your collection.
Ann does a wonderful job with the pictures and the information. She is very knowledgeable in the costume jewelry field

Inside the Jewelry Box: A Collector's Guide to Costume Jewelry Identification and Values, Volume 2 is a full-color catalogue of an amazing array of costume jewelry pieces. Each piece is presented with one or more photographs, a recommended price, and the name of the collection from which the sample piece was selected. From charm bracelets to artful plastics to necklaces, earrings, and rings, as well as special sections dedicated to well-known brand designs such as Eisenberg and Bettina von Walhof, Inside the Jewelry Box is a singularly gorgeous compilation and a joy to page through simply to savor the photography. The text offers the occasional sprinkling of historical information, comments, or insights about costume jewelry as well. A highly recommended treasury for collectors.

This is a wonderful book! Well-written and easy to follow, it makes such perfect fashion sense I was delighted. When you choose earrings or necklaces (and yes, eyeglasses too) that compliment the shape of your face, your personal image is naturally enhanced. Notes about the different metals, qualities of gemstones, history, care and storage make this a handy reference guide for anyone. It's a first-rate book that every woman should make part of her personal fashion library.

I really enjoyed this book. It is helping me define my jewelry wardrobe and discover what looks best on me. The care for different types of jewelry was important b/c I need to take care of what I spend that kind of money on. I also valued the information on wearing jewelry in different ways. The reference section at the back cleared up many questions I had about different types of semiprecious stones. Kudos to the authors!

I am a jewelry lover and have taken jewelry and gemology courses and bought lots of jewelry in my life and I found this book to address real issues I've encountered, and it also gave me lots of ideas I never thought of.

I'd recommend it to anyone who loves jewelery, especially good as a gift for mom, aunts, etc. The chapters about grouping jewelry and finding my style were inspiring. Also the tips about recycling jewelry were helpful.

The appreciation of jewelry is a culturally influenced subjective judgment that can vary widely from individual to individual. Nevertheless there are basic principles related to art, image, and adornment. Expertly co-authored by Cynthia A. Sliwa and Caroline Stanley, "Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know" combines basic product information about jewelry, about wearing jewelry, and about purchasing and maintaining jewelry that will enable the reader to acquire a discernable degree of sophistication and self-expression. Of special note is the inclusion of a number of 'Savvy Tips' about jewelry. Enhanced with more than one hundred images and illustrations germane to choosing and wearing jewelry, "Jewelry Savvy" is a unique and very highly recommended instructional guide for those who are beginning their own jewelry collections, as well as anyone wanting to get the best value for their investment in jewelry with respect to their appearance no matter their age or the occasion.

The fact that every page of this book is filled with aha's and valuable gems of information makes it a 'must-read'. The blending of comprehensive jewelry knowledge and Image consulting principles is just one of many outstanding features of this book and makes it a very valuable resource. This is the first of its kind - and a definite must-have for every fashion-conscious woman's library.

Jewelry Savvy is an excellent primer on how jewelry can be both beautiful AND be used to enhance one's personal image. Finally we have a full book on this topic, not just a page or two in a chapter on accessories. Jewelry Savvy sparkles as it brings awareness to the forefront, educating us about the powerful presence accessories have in dressing with style.

It is obvious when reading this book that it is thoroughly researched and comprehensive in scope, yet is an engaging read in a conversational style.The passion of the authors for jewelry shines through. I'll be giving this book as gifts - it's that good!

This is a rich & informative antique jewelry book. The contents are categorized under materials, styles vs periods and the details of manufacturings. Great for jewelry designer and those who interested in jewelry history. One of my favorite jewelry collectibles!

This is amazing- a really comprehensive history of western jewelry from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. The photography is just primo, and any jeweler or gem mad type needs this book. The text is clear and super informative. As a part time jewelry maker I find this an amazingly inspirational reference work, the pictures are so good you can see tool marks and technique. Period portraits illustrate fashion and the use of jewelry in different forms at different times.
Highly reccomended- and just plain pretty to boot. Even you all who just like to look at beautiful things will thoroughly enjoy this book.

"Jewels and Jewelry," by Clare Phillips, is loaded with full-color photographs of a rich assortment of jewelry. The introduction notes that most of the pieces pictured are on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The book is divided into 3 main sections: "Materials," "Chronology of Style," and "Manufacturing and Distribution."

The book includes many informative and well-illustrated spreads on a number of topics: the pendants of the Renaissance, pieces celebrating Queen Elizabeth I, 18th century paste jewelry, the Art Nouveau style, etc. The book covers jewelry made from a rich variety of materials--gold, pearls, emeralds, cast glass, brass, coral, platinum, steel, etc. There are even pieces made from such startling material as a real fish head or recycled bus stop signs!

The book portrays the work of an international gallery of artists, together with interesting biographical facts about these creators. Among the many designers included are Gijs Bakker of Holland, Wendy Ramshaw of England, Fritz Maierhofer of Austria, Yasuki Hiramatsu of Japan, and more. Some really unforgettable creations are pictured, ranging from elegant pieces with a traditional flavor to futuristic or quirky pieces. Overall, a superb book that truly celebrates the tremendous imagination and skill of the world's jewelry makers.

This book goes into alloys. Mixing copper with gold turns it red, silver turns it green, arsenic turns it blue or grey. White gold the author says, is barely gold at all, it is simply silver with gold _added_ to keep it from looking too much like silver. Very helpful for jewelry buying as well as jewelry making, as I could use this to know how to extract silver or copper, assuming I manage to separate the two.

I must have a dozen books on jewelery and the history of jewelery. This is the best yet. First off the book very clearly organized. On any page that you might flip to there is a short chapter with a title, photos and supporting text. For instance, the section called "Jewelled Bouquets" shows five full color photos of flower themed broaches, descriptions of each an a well written history of the beautiful little things. Much of the jewelery is supported with photos of period portraits, to further illustrate how the pieces were worn. It's a wonderful, wonderful book and I'm not surprized to find it's from the fabulous Victoria and Albert Museum.

shes's my art teacher and friend hehehe :) Great book she's great she can really relate to teenagers. Great artist too!

If you want to be more open minded with yourself then you should really pick up journal to the soul for teenagers. It has opened my eyes and now i can really focus on the things most important to me. I love it and I know that anyone that would pick it up and read it would think the exact same thing. It is a beautiful peice of work and I recomend everyone to read it!

When I first got the journal, I remember thinking that this author was the only one that really seemed like she related best to teenagers. She touches on many subjects and situations that happened to me, or feelings I had once had. I started writing in the journal, then I became addicted. I always wanted to come home to fill it out, especially on really good days, or really bad days.This journal was the first journal that truly helped me in my life. It was very helpful and healing. The author did a excellent job creating this piece of art!!!! I believe the Journal could help anyone...

This was a wonderful journal. It's not like any journal, this one helps guide you through and helps you overcome some of your greatest fears. It helps you accomplish things and you find out things about yourself that you didn't know. I love this journal and i think that every teenager should have one. It is very decorative and that helps me a lot. This journal has done a lot for me. You did a great job Rose!

I think this is a really neat book. It has over 30 different topics in it for you to write aboout. It gives you several pages to use for each topic. This book gives you ideas on what to write about, and most of them are interesting topics. Any teenager who enjoys any sort of journal writing would like this book. It gets you thinking, and is a fun way to record your thoughts about different issues, from family relationships, to crushes, to the pressures todays teens face.

This book is so invenitive! I have been altering clothes for years and failing at least half the time but this book has made them all a success.It is a great instructional to get you thinking outside the box about some of your less than desireable clothes. The projects are understandable and clear and not full of out of reach materials. Sonya and her projects are relatable and inspiring.

This book is the best craftbook I have ever read (I'll be honest and say I've only read about 15 in my life). Anyways I stumbled across this book at my local book store last week when I was looking for a cook book. The projects in it are easy to follow and they are things that you would actually want to make (unlike most craft books). Anyone with a small dog needs this book since they also have a super cute outfit that took me no time/no money to make.

not only is this book awesome, but i had the awesome luck to be at a table next to sonya at a craft show recently, and she is just awesome!!! if one were to buy books based on the character of the author alone i'd say buy twenty copies of this one becuase this girl is just about the nicest funniest person around. AND there's lots of fun things to do in this book! i can't wait for her next one!

Sonya Nimri's JUST FOR THE FRILL OF IT tells how to put together a hot new wardrobe - with items you already own. These can be items which have lost their luster, or are shoved in back of a closet for some reason - but Nimri shows how to turn these once-appealing clothes into new styles, from pairing a scarf with an old sweater to produce a novel tango top to stretching old ties together to make a new shirt. The focus on contemporary styles for 20-somethings makes for a fun, appealing idea book packed with easy sewing instructions and color photos: perfect for libraries seeking something different and practical for a needlework addition.

this book was so much fun! I bought it and sat down for a night w. friends w. wine and dinner and we all brought what we thought was "junk" from our closets... who knew! by the end of the night we had bunch of new fun outfits to wear, tshirts, shoes, my fave black dress (worn a few too many) and even a garter belt! All new fashionable stuff -- who knew! It was super simple and so easy to follow, plus this kept me from a shopping spree, and it was one fantastic night w. friends!!!! I definitely recommend it!

I am sitting down w. my niece to redo her school wardrobe next week! I hope it goes as well as this!!!!!

THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE,IF YOU LOVE THE JAPANESE SWORD AND THE SAMURAI.TONS OF BEAUTIFUL PICTURES ALL IN COLOR.TSUBA AND FITTINGS.

Being relativelly new to the subject of Japanese swords and fittings I was quite impresse by two things:
- Quality of the pictures
- Description of the items
I think this is worht having for anyone that trully appreciates the japanese swordmanship and art itself.

Very amazing photos, and quality information on each photo and sword. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

This review is a joint effort with Laerte E. Ottaiano
The book is very good . It has a few annoying errors. I give example of two of them: On page 171 there is a tsuba described as "Design of Egret and Crab" . However the Crab is not there . It is on the back of the Tsuba and is relatively ugly in our opinion . On page 193 there is a tsuba described as "Design of deer and the moon". Again the moon can not be seem. It is on the back of the tsuba and is very,very, beautifull. You can check what we told in the book by Ogawa Morihiro on the Boston Collection. The great thing of this book is that it presents a new way to way to apreciate Tsubas.Kinko( as oposed to steel , sukashi tsubas) were underrated in the USA and Canada. Only steel tsubas were considered old and of true use by Samurai.As this book teaches us this is not so. Kinko Tsubas were used by Samurai and Sukashi Steel ( or Iron ) Tsubas are not usualy so old . This came as a great relief for us . We always thought that Kinko tsubas were works of art. It is a grest relieve to find this in this book

On top on anything else, this book has the best pictures of japanese sword fittings that I've had the chance to see so far. There are many good close-ups that show well the work done by the craftmen.
Earle goes through explaining the evolution of sword fittings by presenting the influence of History upon the samurai, and their needs.
He also exposes techniques, although not in depth - it is not the purpose of this book - and materials used in the making of the tsuba and other fittings.
I believe he succeeds in bringing the reader to understand the how and the why behind those very impressive works of art.
The works chosen - among the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; probably the greatest collection of japanese swords and sword fittings outside Japan - are just plain divine. The pictures were all taken using digital technology, and -as a photographer - I must say it is above anything I'd have expected from any technology and any subject. A must have for any japanese art/craft/design/sword lover.