Arts and Crafts Books

This is THE book about Charles and Ray Eames. Beautifully printed and designed and with more than 3500 photos to explore the work, year by year, of these two famous designers. The range of work is amazing, furniture (domestic and commercial) films, exhibitions, architecture, books even toys. I have a set of their 1952 House of Cards, a deck of fifty-four playing-card size cards that can be interlocked to create three dimensional structures, a very simple idea beautifully conceived.

If I have a criticism it is that the book does not have an index and that makes refering to it rather frustrating.

I think the book easily reflects the joy and stimulation that Charles and Ray Eames got out of the creative process.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

2005 REVIEW NOTE Many of the pages in the book are devoted to the short films Charles and Ray created, you can get thirty-five of these on a wonderful six DVD box set 'The Films of Charles & Ray Eames' (ASIN B0009S2K92) they are available individually but cost a lot more than the box.

This is an excellent survey of the work of the Eames studio. It provides a chronological survey of the furniture, films, exhibits, and other work of the studio. It even provides a listing of the Eames staff at each point and time. Lavishly illustrated, it provides photographs of furniture, exhibits, and stills from the over 100 films produced by the Eames's. Highly recommended as the one book you must have about their work.

Charles and Ray Eames were not only creative artistic talents, they were also commercial geniuses (just like George Nelson was). These two talents provided the secret for success that would reward them throughout their life. This book gives in debt view about the vast creative inspiration that Charles and Ray Eames had. It documents in detail how Charles and Ray Eames got their early start (working on projects for the army among others) and how they expanded their line with Herman Miller.
The book covers the entire span from 1940 to the 1970's.
And everything is included, from their early plywood chairs, art and films. The stills that the book includes from their films are truly wonderful. This is a wonderful coffee table book, a joy to browse through. If you like modern design I also suggest to visit the wonderful online archive about George Nelson at WWW.GEORGENELSON.ORG and also the museum archive from Verner Panton at WWW.VERNERPANTON.COM

An exceptionally comprehensive year-by-year summary of the work of the Eames Office from the early 1940s to the late 1970s. Covers everything equally -- from wartime plywood experiments and herman miller furniture to toys, exhibitions, and, of course, films. A must for anyone interested in Eames design. Full of hard-to-find information and photos of rarely seen items.

Is the great book on Charles and Ray Eames I 've even read. The best book on my shelf. Even thought I can't afford to buy them all

I have bought several Ed Emberley books for my 4 kids. They are all good. People are always amazed at how well my kids can draw. You can learn to draw, too! Like most activities, drawing is only part natural talent, part practice and part taking lessons. These books provide those lessons.

Way back in the 80's I used to grab this book from our small, quaint library at Steeple Valley Middle School. I renewed the book frequently and would have a mild heart attack when it wasn't available in the library for me to check out.

Edward Emberley, among other artists, put me on the course to my semi-successful cartooning career. In hopes of passing on the cartooning torch, I'm purchasing these books for my two nieces so they can continue to create vast worlds and numerous creatures on a simple notebook.

These books are the greatest. I own all of the Emberly books. They are fun for adults and kids alike. You are never too old or young to learn to draw. This book will make you the most hip doodler in school or at work. Ed makes it really easy!
This book is from a series of 4 books from Emberly are the easiest books on drawing there are, period. Anyone young or old can learn to draw some great critters and vehicles from these books. ANYONE! All of his Big Color books are great, (They are a series, each named after a color). This one is famous for the easy way it shows you how to draw step by step a great big green dragon, but it is simple when you do it his way. This book includes a number of fun ideas including Frankenstein, sailboat and trees. He even shows you how to make yours unique rather than a copy of his drawings. You can be the doodle hero of your classroom or office after using this book. He does it simply using very simple steps, lines, and basic shapes to start you off. My favorite in the series would be the Purple Book, but they are all good.
If you want to move up from here and learn the terminology of what you are doing, and really become an accomplished artist, the next step after these are the terrific books by "Jack Hamm". If you just want to have some fun, get this book!

My students love these books. The drawings are simple and easy to follow. Teachers will find it easy to use this book for short directed drawing lessons.

I spent hours creating entire worlds based on these books. They are a wonderful introduction to basic drawing skills and are FUN!!!

Window views and garden scenes may be created with fabric and thread using Enchanted Views, Dilys Fronks' "user friendly" guide which demonstrates examples of appliqued garden gates, windows, grilles and more. Projects include patterns and instructions for a range of projects and skills levels, and are loaded with photo examples.

This book really helped stretch my abilities to make a unique and one of a kind wall hanging and quilt for my collection.
I really recommend it for the directions are easy to follow to help you create your romantic scene.

You'll want to start this project right after you read. This is the same quality as LANDSCAPE QUILTS with Nancy Zieman & co-author- the Best Quilts on earth.

Most beautiful reverse applique gated gardens, clear instructions with pictures, and paper TEMPLATES to help you get started. How to arrange colors for a garden, even mountain-scapes and stain-glass like designs included, and you don't have to include the gates if you don't wish to.
There are pictures to inspire as well as a couple projects to start with. I am keeping this one next to my bedside!

The ideas and techniques in this book are so unusual and make you want to start cutting up fabric straight away. However, although not too difficult, you'll need to be a little experienced to achieve what Dilys has done in this gem.

Strong graphics and clear instructions make this one of my favorite quilt books. The gates are lovely, and give you the idea that you really are wandering into a secret garden once you have one of these hanging on your wall. I am researching the gates and rails of New Orleans, looking for the perfect one to use for a special piece of fabric I want to use to make one of these lovely quilts. What fun!

I am so glad a friend pointed this book out to me. We have a grandson and I can't wait to get started on a quilt from this book for him.

Fanciful Quilts is a wonderful paper piecing book. It has a touch of Holland with the windmills and tulips. The wedding quilt would be a beautiful present for that special bride and groom. For the special little boy who has to have a town for his little cars, this book shows you how to create such a town. Other quilts include a rose quilt, a wilderness quilt, a cat quilt, bear quilt, turtle quilt, and the cute cover quilt, the dog quilt.

The book is beautifully photographed and also includes extra ideas for each project. Fanciful Quilts to Paper Piece is a lovely addition to any quilter book shelf. I highly recommend this book. I hope this is just the first of many books Wendy will write!

I loved reading Fanciful quilts to paper piece. It's full of great quilts, good photo's showing how to do things and clear directions for the patterns themselves. The writer also showed different ways of using the blocks or sections of a pattern to make something else as well - not a common occurance and much appriciated!

The pattern i tried first was the windmill block and it went together like a dream!

This was my first book about paper-piecing and now I only want more! Such lovely projects are in this book. This is a book for all generations of quilters! I'm going to make the weddingsampler for the anniversery of my parents and I want to make the turtle wall-hanging for my hobbyroom :). And the cats.... they are just like mine :) So another project on my to-do list :) I can't wait to see more books of this designer!

I purchased this book because of the dog quilt on the front cover. Between my daughter and I we have 5 dachshunds and I thought the quilt would be perfect for us. The entire book is awesome! I found several other quilts I want to make especially the play quilt for my twin grandsons. The instructions for paper piecing include some pointers I have never seen before and prove to be extremely helpful. I highly recommend this book, even if you are a beginner.

I use this book constantly for reference. I received it as a gift, and have given it to others as a gift. It's a lot of fun!

AS A PAST COLLECTOR OF FISHER PRICE TOYS (15+ YEARS)---
EXPERIENCE SAYS - THIS IS AN ACCURATE PRICE GUIDE ALONG WITH A VERY INTERESTING APPRAISAL OF FISHER PRICE (THE COMPANY).
THE INQUISITION OF TOY VALUE COMBINED WITH DAINTY PHOTOGRAPHY GIVE THIS PUBLICATION HIGH MARKS IN MY EYES.
THE AUTHORS BRING A DISTINGUISHING MARK OF AUTHORITY TO FISHER PRICE AND ITS PRODUCT LINE'S....I WISH THIS MATERIAL WAS AVAILABLE AT THE PEAK OF MY COLLECTING..
VERY NICE JOB.....................

I collect toys. A friend gave me this book as a gift. It is an excellent resource for anyone starting to collect toys or someone that has been doing it for a long time. I applaud the authors for making this available. The history of the company was also quite good.

If you are at all interested in collecting Fisher-Price toys or simply want some interesting background about the toys you grew up with -- then you'll like this book.

It is by far the most thorough book I've found related to Fisher-Price. It has a complete company history, product catalog and price guide for all the toys made by Fisher-Price (and even some never released).

I am a novice toy collector and bought this book because I've always loved my FP toys. I found every toy I've ever had (or at least can remember) in the book along with some amazing facts about them. Unfortunately, I learned that my Jalopy prized #724 Jolly Jalopy is probably not worth more than...

The authors were obsessive in their attention to detail, pointing out all the nuances that make certain products more valuable than others and providing a detailed history of the company and how some of their favorite toys were born.

My only disappointment was that the book is not available in hard cover.

Have fun!

I enjoyed this book because of the great photos and details. As a toy lover and collector, I can appreciate the authors' memories of collecting and the interesting facts about Fisher-Price. It's a great portable reference to take with you to garage sales or flea markets! The colorful pages and concise information make the world of Fisher-Price toys come alive. It's been a wonderful edition to my library.

This is exactly what I needed to complete a quilt I am working on. I wanted to include some flowers in a pineapple log cabin made in batik to give more dynamism to the end result. The projects in the book are easy to follow, magnificient and have that oriental touch but which can easily be included / adapted in more standard pieces of work. It is a real pleasure also to glance through the pages.

The ladies in my quilting group went crazy over this book and the new techniques it showed them. It has 24 original three-dimensional flower designs in fabric and silk ribbon. You learn to make a pompom dahlia, a lily, kalanchoe, hollyhock, China aster, an Australian waratah, passion flower, sweet pea, cockscomb, malaleuca, and others. She shows each flower in a finished project with detailed instructions to make the small quilt.
There are also patterns for six purses so you can make your own elegant evening bags or give them as gifts.
The steps are show in drawings with color so it is easy to see the folding and which side you are working with.
The techniques taught are appliqué, Japanese sashiko stitching, beading and embellishment, all-in-one backings and borders, and others.

Compiled and written by internationally renowned quilt and fiber artist Kumiko Sudo, Folded Flowers: Fabric Origami With A Twist Of Silk Ribbon is a carefully crafted, "user friendly", step-by-step instructional guide to creating beautiful floral-style decorations out of cloth and silk. Full-color photographs and diagrams fill this very highly recommended guide to a fascinating and lovely art, which is especially commended for quilter and cloth crafters from the novice beginner to the experienced and seasoned expert.

I was so excited to hear that Kumiko Sudo had a new flower book out! I loved Fabled Flowers and I like this one even better! The photos are beautiful and the patterns are so nicely laid out that I could follow them without any problem. For a visual learner like me, that--and lots of pictures--is exactly what I need. I made two of the flower designs the first weekend after buying the book. I used some of my favorite floral fabrics and they look wonderful. I love Rose Hortensia--little fairy faces peeking out of the flowers . . . so cute! I can't wait to get started on one of the purse designs . . . Marcie in Chicago

Each one has brought succulent abundance of devine offerings to feed one's creativity. As a watercolorist the exciting world of color has been understood. Now within the world of Fabrics, Kumiko has illustrated wondrous exciting ways again with color.
She calls upon us to open our eyes observing the natural beauty found around us..our gardens, nature. Create your reactions with colors combinations design lingering inside yourself. It is inspiring to browse over and over each of her books. One seeks beauty and is over whelmed turning each page.

Why I bought this book because I need it for my reference for current project. I love the illustrations and contents. Stacy Peterson is my favorite illustrator. This is a very colorful and educational book for young girls. I love it!

My [....] and I are really enjoying reading this book. While it is aimed, I think, at slightly older girls, We are reading it and talking about how to handle certain situations, how to start up conversations with girls you don't know, etc. I think it is a great starting point for girls who are just starting to be faced with girlie friendship dilemmas.

This is a great book if your child needs some help in understanding the lines in friendships and how to conduct them. It gently explains the dos and don'ts in a way that will appeal to younger girls.

Bette Middler sang about it -- You gotta have friends! American Girl will explain it all to the tween in your life: how to meet friends, keep friends, avoid arguments, and keep on having fun through it all!

This book is a must have for girls and their families. Conversations will be started, communication will grow, and happiness will abound. Now, what could be wrong with that?

This book is filled with wonderful illustrations that underscore the lively writing.

Absolutely recommended!

My niece is 9 and I gave this to her as one of her Christmas gifts. She loves her other books from the American Girl series and this one is no exception. She began reading it immediately and then discussing it with me. It was a big hit! And it seems very practical and useful for helping young girls navigate those early relationships with friends.

I saw Helen Lin teaching her paper cutting crafts at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Queens last month, so I got to see her book as well, which was on display. It's filled with lots of colorful crafts and creative artwork that you can do at home, and I bought two of them, one for me and one for my best friend because we both love arts and crafts. Mrs. Lin is a very talented artist. If you are in the New York area, you should definitely see one of her exhibits. Or for now, just buy the book! There is also an English version if you can't read Chinese.

I have read many books of Chinese arts and crafts before, none of those were so rich, so authentic yet so original! One will be deeply drawn by the peculiarly beautiful artistic crafts and works created and presented by Mrs Helen Lin, only by turning for a few pages of the rare books. Deeply rooted in the soil of Chinese arts, especially from the Northern China, her artistic talent and works transcended the regular quality of the rich tradition and have opened the new road to the future Chinese artistic crafts. She is truly a master of Chinese arts and crafts. Whatever daily-life material come to her hand, she is able to turn it into an unusual piece work of art. In her eye, almost everything has the aesthetic value and is convertible to a joy of beauty. We marvel at her keen sense of art and her appreciate the beauty in our daily life and her great talent to recreate those numerous artistic crafts for our kids as well as for adults. We thank her for her wonderful gift for all the societies today and the future. I believe her book will travel far and wide.

There is nothing quite like Helen Lin's "Folk Arts & Crafts". Her book is an interesting, but unique cocktail of Eastern and Western art -- part folk art, part arts and crafts. Don't be intimidated by the photos of the projects -- many are easy to make, with materials that are readily available around the home or school. This book is a must-have for anyone who enjoys or wants to learn arts and crafts.

This book is a good introduction to chinese arts and crafts as well as an in depth overview of the more complex designs. I have 2 kids and they're in love with paper cutting and coming up with designs in the book or on their own. I like it because it stimulates creativity :) thanks Helen for writing such a great book!

I have never encountered a craft book that comprises as many original and inventive art projects as this one. Who knew that a handful of popcorn and twigs could be turned into a lovely plum blossom branch? And 3-D paper dolls?! The vast array of things that can be created with paper alone is the marvelous secret of this book. Helen Lin's Folk Arts and Crafts awakens the imagination of the reader like a pungent scent and weaves an endless permutation of new ideas. Best of all, this arts and crafts book teaches resourcefulness. Ordinary household items can be transformed into beautiful works of art worthy of giving. I have already found an economical way to make presents for my friends. Have you?

...This book encourages you to explore your creative self as well as use your creative thoughts to make a tangible expression.

Tera Leigh has not only put out a fantastic craft instruction book with beautiful, easy to recreate projects with step by step instructions and wonderful photography, but an inspirational tome that helps you nurture and understand the creative muse present in every person.

Tera has written this in a way that allows the reader to feel that she is right there encouraging that reader to create a project that is worthy of gifting to the most hard to please relative. She also gives you permission to make mistakes, to learn and grow from those mistakes, and to use them as an opportunity to transform them into a serendipidous new project.

I personally would reccomend this book to everyone- from the novice crafter to the experienced, and especially to those who harbor any self doubt as to their creative abilities.

Tera Leigh's book is a very accessible guide to discovering your own creative talents. The full color format and step by step photographs make it easy to follow the instructions, while still leaving plenty of room to be "creative". I also particularly like all of the sidebars which include a lot of good references to other sources--books and websites and suppliers, as well as tips and suggestions.
Tera is a terrific "creativity coach" and devotes a lot of space to topics such as building your confidence and banishing your inner critic. The variety of projects presented and the manner in which Tera guides you through them makes this a useful and inspiring book.

Tera's latest book is a gold mine for people who yearn to be creative, but don't know where to start. The projects are easy and produce wonderful results - the perfect recipe for giving you the confidence to expand your own ceativity. The side boxes include tips that take you a step further in creating something that reflects your uniqueness. Before you know it, the ideas are exploding in your head and you're on your way to creative bliss! All through the book you hear Tera's generous advice, encouraging you like a favorite teacher. I'm an avid paper crafter and I have paid up to $40 for a class to learn some of the techniques Tera has included in this book. Both the beginner and the advanced artist will learn from these fun projects.

Once again Tera Leigh provides us with insightful information covering an area many of us may have thought about at one time or another but didn't know how to explore, our own creativity.

You have a master teacher pointing you in the right direction so your own creativity can take over. The photography and detail is of the same outstanding quality as it was in her first book, "The Complete Book of Decorative Painting" and shows the care to detail and thoughtfulness that went into the completion of this book.

This exciting new book was created to show novice crafters that they could be creative by simply opening their mind to discover their own ability to be creative. Tera Leigh through her own creativity makes it easy for readers to discover their own creative spirit.

There are 16 easy, fun projects that lead you to explore the use of a number of craft media and techniques, including: Rubber stamping, Decorative painting, Silk flower arranging, Metal and wire crafts, Bookmaking and papermaking, Mosaics, Collage and decoupage and more. Readers will also find many other valuable tips and ideas for overcoming obstacles to their own creativity and getting past "creator's block."

Today I got Tera's new book in the mail, "How To Be Creative If You Never Thought You Could." I think an alternate title could be "How to spark your creativity when you know you are creative!" I felt a surge of creativity when I opened it.

This is not your run-of-the-mill project book. I generally steer away from project books because they are geared toward step-by-steps for a certain card, or a new stamper. Tera explains the project, but with every project she also talks about creativity, alternate ways to complete the project, and gives creative reinforcement/permission to be creative. It is good reading even if you don't plan to follow any of the project instructions. The text is well-written (grammar problems in craft books are a pet-peeve of mine, and I can tell that equal emphasis was given to text and creativity in this publication.) More than that, the techniques are universal, and not the same things you see in all the stamping technique books. Projects run from stamping to paper making to mosaics to wire art and beading- there is bound to be something fun that is also new to try, no matter your skill level or how very creative or non-creative you are feeling. They'd also be great projects to work with friends who are afraid to play, because they aren't overly complicated or technical projects.

Following Tera's instructions I stamped on copper and aged it with liver of sulfur. It was as easy as it is described (on page 86 of the new book.) I did it with a text stamp, and worked as nicely as the swirls in the project book.

If all those things aren't great reasons to buy this book, supporting a nice person is reason. Tera has encouraged creativity in others in her daily life. She runs a nonprofit through her website, Tera's Wish. She shares openly about her life and creative blocks in her book, and encourages the reader to "go for it." Tera is a genuinely good person, and we should support kind, talented people with our pocketbooks when we can. :)

Amazon offers the book at a great price. :)

Melanie Sage

This book is for people who want to know how to draw the Peanuts characters, such as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, Linus, etc etc. However the problem was that they only show the characters in one position. Some characters have two positions. For example, there is Linus standing up and Linus clutching his blanket for dear life. They never show Lucy yelling at Charlie Brown on the baseball field, or Peppermint Patty talking on the phone with her secret love, Charlie Brown. Otherwise I guess it's ok...buy it if you want to keep up the hard work of Charles M. Schulz!

This book shows just how versatile an artist Matt Busch is. Those familiar with his usual, fully painted works will appreciate how he is able to capture Schultz's signature style with ease! For those of you not familiar with Matt's work, you should really check out his web site...!!

Since my daughter read this book, she knows how to draw very well peanuts characters. This book is extremly good. Stronly recommended!

I am no artist, but even I can draw Snoopy now if I look at the instructions! Lots of Fun!

Great book for those of us who love sketching Peanuts' characters. My two granddaughters were using the book already and I can't wait to enjoy it too.