Crafts Books

I am fairly new at making beads. I took a class through our local junior college, then 8 more hours of advanced bead making and still have a lot to learn. I highly recommend Passing the Flame for beginners or those of us with some skills. This book reads like a story mixed in with a recipe book. The many pictures make the written explanations very easy to follow. Since I have purchased and read this book, I have made great improvements in my bead-making. The photographs alone inspire the reader to design their own creations. Although it is expensive, it is well worth the money!

Un grand merci à Corina pour partager son savoir faire ! Livre complet, avec pleins d'astuces très utiles, facile à lire et surtout pleins de superbes photos !

1001 TRESORS du SUD (kit chalumeau en vente dans ma boutique)

A really good introduction and reference book. The instructions are clear and the photographs of all the key stages mean you can follow them in your own workshop. I have taken an introductory course and armed with this book feel able to develop my skills and try new techniques.

After fusing glass for over 15 years, I really wanted to try beadmaking.
A friend who makes beads raved about this book and loaned me her copy for only a week. I realized this was the book that I had to have in order to really produce quality beads. This book and practice have helped me to create beads that I can be proud of. I still review her lessons, study her photographs of color combinations and work through the projects that she describes. No one has written a more comprehensive and delightful book about lampworking. She is just a very precise yet fun teacher. In addition to the book, I have found that her dvd is also very useful.

Passing the Flame: A Beadmaker's Guide to Detail and Design

This book is excellent for those just beginning lampwork. There is so much information in this book. Corina goes through many simple techniques to create complex beads. Corina explains at least two ways of doing each technique and she also explains why certain things work and do not work. I was amazed at the beads that I could make with just dots. The book also talks about specific colors and how they react particularly purple and pink which are difficult colors in the glass world. The book is packed with so much information. The book also talks about how to create more complex and difficult beads. Whether the process is simple or complex there are step by step pictures and pictures of variations on each bead. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making glass beads. I have bought 3 other books on the subject and all of them put together don't even come close to giving as much information. The book is higher priced than some of the others but it is well worth it. I wish I had purchased it first it would have been all I needed.

Even if you have no sculpting talent whatsoever, this book is an engrossing read and a valuable reference for any crime or mystery writer. Karen Taylor has consulted for such hit TV shows as CSI and BONES and she definitely knows what she's talking about. The text is lucid and engaging and not at all intimidating, while the photos and diagrams alone are worth the price of admission!

This book is the ultimate reference resource on the subject written by the ultimate expert in the field. Kudos to Karen Talyor for compiling & sharing this wealth of information!

I purchased a copy of this book when it was first published. I actually now have a second copy that is filled with notes. It is an excellent and comprehensive text on forensic art. I have been a forensic artist for over ten years. I encourage anyone in the field who has not read Karen Taylor's book to get a copy and read it thorougly. I have found that I reference it several times a year on variousl aspects of forensic art. In short this book is a must have for anyone in the forensic art field.

As a sculptor, who often creates portrait busts, in the past I have searched for the perfect anatomy book to understand the head. When I found Taylor's Forensic Art and Illustration, I felt I had the information needed to sculpt a head. The book provides illustrations and relationships between the skull and the facial features. This book provides a three-dimensional tool for sculptors. I use it in my portrait
bust classes. I have never found any anatomy book with this much information.

I work for the television series Forensic Files and can honestly say that I have referenced this book more times than I can even begin to count. Karen Taylor is one of the most talented and creative artists. The dedication to her craft is clearly illustrated throughout this book. This book is a must have!

Love Living With Limoges complete marks section, complete descriptions and complete price guide. Wonderful photographs of antique pieces of Limoges. Love this book but I prefer Debby DuBay's Antique Limoges at Home - my book of choice.

Living With Limoges is beautiful and I love this book. The pieces are outstanding, the descriptions complete and text is informing and intertaining. Highly recommend Living With Limoges!

I'm very excited about finding DuBay's book through her web site limogesantiques.com - her books are wonderful. I have inhereited many pieces of Limoges and her books helped me identify the factory, the marks, and to date each piece. I highly recommend LIVING WITH LIMOGES it is the best book on the market - except for DuBay's ANTIQUE LIMOGES AT HOME and COllecting Hand Painted Limoges Porcelain Boxes to Vases.

Living With Limoges is just wonderful. Fantastic photos of the most beautiful pieces of antique Limoges I have ever seen. I could not find this book at my local book stores, shopped the net and found www limogesantiques com and www collectinglimoges com and found Debby DuBay's fantastic reference books on Limoges. It had all of the marks and I found the back stamp I was looking for. This book is a must.

I have all of the books on Limoges but I love Living With Limoges! As a college professor I really enjoy the way author Debby DuBay relates to the reader, her enthusiasm, and subject knowledge. HIGHLY RECOMMEND Debby DuBay's trilogy on "collecting Limoges" and a visit to www.limogesantiques.com

Being an author and reviewer when my grandchild asked for this kit as a present I was thrilled. It's always nice to see a child want to follow in your footsteps. Was it worth the money? You bet it was.
Inside is everything that was needed for her to use to create her first book. The instructions were easy to follow and she got right to work.
What a great book was made. Her illustrations were exactly as she drew them and she was thrilled to see her very own story come alive. She loves being able to share it with others and it has given her great pride to see she has a book just like her Grammy.
This is well worth your money and will bring a lot of joy and happiness to any child that receives it. I am proud to recommend this product.

I had gotten this for my daughters 7th birthday, she was always finding bits of paper around the house and trying to write stories on them. She absolutely loved the gift. I had her start writing the story out on regular paper and then I helped her get it going when she was done. I made sure to count all her words and after we got the story down on the papers I told her that all she needed to do was draw a picture of what was happening in the story on that page. She did a great job. I finished filling out the paperwork and sent it in. I received an e-mail letting me know that they had gotten the story and that her book would soon be here. When she got the book she said was very pleased with how her book turned out. There were no miss spelled words and the pictures looked great! It looks absolutely beautiful, she brought it to school and everywhere. I plan on getting another illustory for her this year as well.

On the topic of miss spelled words...there is a box that you can check to have them keep the spelling the way it was written (in the case that your kid wrote it out and spelled something in a very unique manner and you wanted to keep it that way forever!)

This is such a great item and worth every penny. We'd love to do these every year and get duplicate copies for our families. This is a great way to capture the different stages of creativity in your children - and rewarding to them when they see their story "published" in a real book. Highly recommended for all ages!

this product is great in theory...

I bought this for my 7 year old son. He decided to make his story online and it took him DAYS to complete. He worked very hard on it. After he was done I filled out the "about the author" section and uploaded his picture. Well part that was eaten by their website or something. Because I rechecked it before I put the order through and it wasn't there. So I re-entered it and clicked all the way through to the checkout.

WE got the book (finally, since they send it via media mail)and it had many errors - it had strange shapes that aren't on the screen when you are editing the the book on the website. and it was missing the "about the author" section. My son was in tears. I emailed the company and they were very slow to respond. They said they would send me a link to print out a return shipping label. They didn't until I emailed them AGAIN a few days later to ask for it.

I decided not to mess with the "about the author" section on the website and manually filled it on the form out when I returned the book to them (which I think is silly that they make you return the defective book) Since they failed to include it in the first book I thought I had better write it out for them.

Well I received the 2nd book about 2 weeks later and there is still a few errors and the "about the author" section is HALF of what I had entered on their website the FIRST time. it only says: "about the author" and a picture. No paragraph about my son. They completely disregarded everything I manually wrote out on their form when I sent back the book.

ugh, I am not dealing with this company any more. They need to work out the bugs on their website and get employees that can pay attention. And make their website more user friendly.

Very disappointing.

For my daughter's first birthday, I wrote and illustrated a story for her about the day she was born. I'm no artist, mind you, but she loves it. (If you want to, I believe you can use the computer to make very simple sticker-like illustrations instead of drawing.) It was especially meaningful to her when her baby sister was born this last year. I am buying a new one for the little sister as well. I think it's a terrific idea for making a personalized keepsake FOR your child or grandchild.

The only drawback, you do have to be a little creative regarding the words per page limit.

Loved the choice of options for each pattern and design. Would recommend to my knitting friends.

This book is great. There are lots of patterns for socks and good instructions and pictures.

I was very pleased with this book, it was exactly what I wanted and I received it is a very short time, actually sooner than I had expected.

Like other positive reviewers, I love that following this book, I can make a sock of any size using any weight yarn and that I can use a stitch from another source and interchange heels and toes from different sock patterns.

I share none of the others' complaints. Though I'm a novice sock knitter, the directions are easy for me to follow, with one big exception. I describe my problem in the paragraphs that follow, hoping to elicit advice from other readers. Nevertheless, I want to emphasize that in spite of this difficulty, I am impressed by the clarity and versatility of this highly informative book.

Shurch is unclear on where a heel flap begins on a toe-up sock. On page 59, she says knit "to desired length of foot minus heel measurement. See charts on pages 13-14." On page 13, an illustration indicates that the measurement goes up the back of the foot, a heel flap for a top-down sock. Schurch does not state whether this length is the same when the heel flap covers the bottom of the heel for a toe-up sock.

I tried her advice on page 11, "the heel flap is worked from the middle of the arch," and my sock was too short. Then, I referred to page 41, and knit "until sock reach[ed] anklebone." My sock was too long. Subtracting the excess length, I succeeded on my third try.

Using this book, I would not knit a toe-up sock for someone else, at least not until experience tells me whether the heel flap is the same length on the bottom of the foot as it is on the back of the foot.

This book is alot better than most of the books I have on knitting socks. The patterns are interesting, the yarn choices are vared and I like the instructions MUCH better than any of the Vogue books. I haven't had time to knit any of the patterns yet, but do have 2-4 marked out to make. I'd recommend this book for someone who has a good idea of how to knit socks.

All the women in my family are very creative and artsy, every single one of them, except me, I tried every craft that looked remotely interesting and not a one panned out for me. And then I found this book, and I fell in love. My grandmother had done cross stitching for as long as I can remember, but died before she had a chance to teach me. So now I finally have my craft, its perfect for a tattooed domestic goddess such as myself!

This books rocks my socks. I'm a novice cross stitcher and this book has some fun, basic designs you can make right away. It also has a great resource guide and other ideas to further you on your cross stitching career once you've got the basics. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to pick up cross stitching or those who are sick of stitching cutesy bunnies and flowers and such and are looking for something new and fun.

This is such a fun concept. Cross stitching seems inherently to be such a lady-like hobby, but these patterns are anything but lady-like. The book is very easy to understand, too; I hadn't cross stitched in about 10 years, but that was no problem.

While wandering through an antique store one day, I saw an aged, framed cross stitch pattern which said "No one likes a smart mouth" surrounded by the usual flowers and patterns. This caused me to wonder if there were any available patterns with similar or stronger sentiments. After an internet search, I stumbled upon the author's website and was immediately in love with the concept and the designs.

Simple to the point of annoyance for anyone beyond beginner level, this book presents more of an attitude towards cross-stitching than a compendium of patterns. A beginner (or someone like myself who learned in home economics 20+ years ago) will find everything they need to begin cranking out cranky designs which will find hilarity with like minded people. Advanced stitchers will still enjoy (if that is your type of humor) the dichotomy of traditional fluffy-bunny designs with road-rage sayings and can apply the ideas to more complicated patterns of their choosing.

All in all, this may not be for everyone, but for a dude looking for something to occupy his hands after quitting smoking, this was perfect. I know what everyone is getting for the holidays from me! Well, not Grandma...

ADDENDUM: I must come across as quite arrogant and haughty. You find this review SO unhelpful. I stand by it though. If I were going to buy this book, I would want to read balanced opinions, not just glowing ones. But I apologize if I've so offended you. I just call 'em as I see 'em:


How delightful: hang on your wall or give someone you like a picture that says "Go F**k Yourself?" Classy!

If someone gave me one of these disgusting items, I'd throw it back in her face for the crass insult it is.

Like you, I also can't stand sickly-sweet Precious Moments drivel and have never stitched anything like those. But, apparently amazing, I have found hundreds of patterns that allow me to display skill in stitching and learn how to design. I'm proud to display these. I don't have to run around my house and hide them when children or people I respect come over.

Do you lovers of this book really use it as a coffee table book?

This particular book is as it's title implies Back To Basics. It is an excellent book which will give you a historic view of how things were done in the past and give you a foundation to build your skills on.

In the event of a disaster, it will give you guide lines on how to do tasks and build skills to help you come out on top of many situations that can result from a natural disaster, a financial disaster and hone your survival skills. I recommend it for this reason.

While the book is out of print, it is still available at a reasonable cost through the connections that Amazon.com offers.

We have found this resource wonderful. There's more in this book than I could have asked for gardening, preserving, how to chop would, how to make tools... Our 10 year old son enjoys reading it too and learning about how to really make items that he would use. We were looking for a resource to help us "survive" if need be on our own, also we were looking for items that were more cost effective in this hard economy. Great resource!

This book will teach you best tips and tricks for raising your own food, and a whole lot more. I purchased it as a replacement of my original book that I bought in the early '80s. I was so thankful it is still around! I wore the cover right off my old book and passed it onto a friend in need of this knowledge.

If you are into living off the land and need advice on how to do it, get this book!

This illustrated book has been published chiefly for those who are new to country living, and/or who have an interest in self-sufficiency and in retrieving some of the "lost arts" which are appurtenant to traditional country life. The information is mostly introductory and rudimentary... a good start for most folks new to these areas of interest.

I have lived in the foothills of rural Appalachia for 55 years and have been involved in carrying out nearly all the construction, activities, arts, and crafts found within this text. Some of the text, (along with the accompanying drawings and photos), is quite good. The information is solid and one can get started along the right track; however, the work goes astray (the publishers sort of "threw in the kitchen sink"), into areas which are not particularly relevant to traditional country living. The editors simply went too far afield when they got into topics such as "Winter Sports," "Kayaking and Rafting," "Foraging for Flour and Emergency Rations," and so on. Most of these subjects are tagged on at the end, I felt just to make the book longer, (it's plenty long enough at 456 pages!)

Additionally, on topics such as "Emergency First Aid," "Fly Fishing" (and fish identification), and "Recipes," there are obligatory sections, none of which are all that useful since these are subjects, any one of which could fill volumes. Had these areas of specific interest been omitted, the more appropriate topics could have been somewhat expanded, such as "Barn Building" or "Preserving Meat and Fish".

There is a far superior (albeit, much older) version of this sort of book which was published by Reader's Digest some years ago: READER'S DIGEST BACK TO BASICS. I can highly recommend it and I've referred to my worn copy time after time.

While there is quite a great deal of quality information in this Skyhorse Publishing Third Edition (2008) for those seeking a new or improved life in the rural countryside, I still feel that the editors strayed off-base to the point that I cannot heartily recommend the work.

One of my top ten books. I am an avid outdoorsman and believe in being prepared(Boy Scout Motto) to take care of one's self "off the grid". This book might as well be my bible. It does skim a little on some subjects but on the whole it gives a thorough enough explanation of all the skills one would need to scout out, build, propagate, and flourish on a frontier farm. Excellent illustrations to accompany all the subjects.

My only thing to change about it would be a slightly larger thickness of stock for the pages. I know this would make this rather large book even heavier but the pages have a tendency to bunch and fall midway through the book. A slight qualm about an otherwise flawless book. Read it flat to avoid this problem.

If you want to learn about how to be completely self sufficient I highly recommend this book.

This is a really nice book! i love the diagrams which I feel are very clear in showing the step-by-step process of how the stitches are done. Having no one around me who crochets or knits, I am a self-taught crocheter cum knitter who learnt my crochet through a tiny 15 page pamphlet from Coats & Clarks ( That I would recommend as well!).

Kooler's book is my only crochet book (till now at least) and I really like it. Lots and lots of tips and new stitches to try out and also lots of nice projects from giant ones to little ones to try out.
She also includes 2 sets of diagrams, one for left-handers and one for right-handers. Very nicely done. The stitches in the diagrams are also very clear. A nice glossary to refer to and the book helped to train me to learn to read patterns and "adjust my brain" to learning to read symbols and abbreviations at a glance. If you are a beginning or intermediate crocheter, I would recommend this book!

The book is truly wonderful! It gives you more than you can imagine and it would work quite nicely for the "do it yourself" folks. I highly recommend this book for beginners as well as seasoned crafters.

I bought this to replace a copy I owned that was destroyed in this year's flooding. It's a great reference book, with clear instructions and pictures.

This book is a must have resource for the crochet enthusiast! Patterns are always nice to have but what I like the most are the detailed how-to's and the stitch encyclopedia in the back. Donna Kooler provides all of the information you need to create your own design with the stitches, beginning counts, repeats, et cetera. I would recommend this to anyone interested in expanding or even just entering the world of crochet.

I've made two of the philosopher's coats in different color palettes, and it was challenging and fun and great! Note to advanced crocheters: the directions are somewhat limited. I guess she figures that if you get to this stage, you don't need everything spelled out. I've had a ton of compliments on both coats. The other patterns are fine, but this was the reason I bought the book. Don't be intimidated! You'll love the challenge of it, and when you're done, you know you've created something very special.

I purchased this book as a gift for a friend who has recently taken up quilting because I have found that I constantly use my copy as a reference it is probably the best book to keep on hand..lots of information set out in an easy to read format. cheers and happy quilting... Christine Cooper

I thought this book was ok. It does have a lot of information about quilting terms. It more of a book to look up things you might not understand when you are doing a project. I bought another book at the same time and it is a good book to have with it.

A friend recommended this book -- it is the Quilting Bible, as far as I am concerned. Concise, descriptive. I don't know how I got along without it!

I'm very new to quilting and this was the first book I bought. It has real, "applicable" tips and information that I think even a more experienced quilter could find handy. Everything from what needles to use for hand quilting, how to put on a binding to how to make biscuit quilts. Her instructions are easy to understand and follow as well. I'm using this book constantly as I make my first quilts. I highly recommend it!

Great book for the beginner as well as the expert. It shows detailed information with photos so you get an accurate picture of how to do it. Make those precious gift items that will be treasured for years to come. I ordered the book and gave it away. After my friend showed me what she made I had to go out and get one of my own. It gives such detailed photos that it makes the craft easy and fun. I have made numerous things now and given so many as gifts. I have save so much money by making these things myself and in the long run they mean so much more to the people I give them to. They have told me they will keep them in the family for years to come. If you think you don't have the talent -- don't worry. I thought that too about myself. But, with the easy to follow directions the only talent you need is knowing how to read. Plus, you will enjoy every second and get a real sense of accomplishment with the finished product. Great gift item for that stay-at-home loved one who can't get out. Even for the busy person who thinks they don't have time because this book makes the steps simple to follow. Well worth the money.

This is so much more than just a book with art in it. This book gives you inspiration and help and encouragement in your journey with whatever art form you work with. Kelly's art is beautiful and so inspiring and the fact that she included some other artists in the book as well was such a bonus. The interviews and techniques of these artists are awesome and eye opening. The way Kelly used their techniques with her own just gives to the overall feel of the book. Learning to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. I am glad to have been opened up to their art as well and learn something from them. Every project in this book is awesome and I cannot wait to try them all. You really get into Kelly's heart and see how she started out and what she has overcome in her own journey. It is almost like a little dose of therapy in there as well. I just got inspiration overload from it all. The book is great, you will not regret having it in your home library. I have always been in and out of a rut with my art and this has been the push I need to give my creative spirit wings and soar. The only thing I regret about the book is that it's not signed by the wonderful artist Kelly Rae Roberts, that would be the final touch!
Note: And to note, I just couldn't resist saying something about the 1 negative comment about the book so far, basically is to ignore it and not even waste the time reading it cause it made absolutely no sense at all and I just have to wonder what this person is on. A monkey could follow the step by step instructions given, they are easy to follow and understand. Okay, off my soap box now!

I was so excited to receive this book...and it certainly exceeded my expectations!! The projects are wonderful, the directions easy to follow and I am up to number 3 reproduction of Kelly's amazing art..Buy this book, you will not regret it!!!

I agree with the other reviewers in that this really is a gorgeous book. But it is more than just a pretty picture. The passion that Kelly Rae Roberts has for her art seeps into every corner of this book. I am not a mixed media artist (yet) but I do make one-of-a-kind jewelry that has a mixed-media appeal. All I know is that I am truly inspired by her book to take my art to the next level. I have never been good at keeping a journal but the workbook pages in this book are really quite helpful. I am using this as a getaway from my life...when I need to be inspired and uplifted and righted on my path to creativity. When I am done I will go back and read through my answers to see where this book has taken me on the wings of Ms Robert's fancy. Ms Robert's artwork is a stunning backdrop to a rich collection of essays and quotes meant to treat your senses to an inspiration smorgasbord. Perfect book for anyone who wants to follow their dreams or just put a bit more creativity into their lives.

just as the title indicates, this book has proven to give me wings and set my creative juices into motion. i have thoroughly enjoyed learning and being inspired by kelly and the techniques presented. in fact, i started a project (finally) one evening. when i awoke the following morning, it felt like christmas and i diverted from my usual routine and went straight to the art table*** thank you kelly!

I bought this book because I really liked the front cover and also because the critics were so wonderful that I thought that I really was going to LEARN something but I found that she didn't even know what "gesso" was,an artist! I found a book made only for women who needed to be encouraged about their art abilites,needed of hearing that they could do it, that they are sacred, and blah blah blah....It is a self-help book not a real art technique one.Much better any of Claudine Hellmuth for exemple,I have much more, or any of the thousands of journaling blogs in internet made by famous mix media artists.
For me it was a really waste of money because I couldn't read more than ten pages.If I give it 2 stars is because some step by step are O.K.
I already know I am an artist and I can do anything if I work hard and I find the right information
This opinion is just to help other people looking for other kind of help.