Miniature Books

Everything everyone has said before me is a testimony to this book.Its such a value and its such a pleasure to finally find a carving book that lets us all no..hay we really can do this..ive been so intimidated and in awe of carousel carvers and this is a book that works to let us all no..We Can.B.W.

GREAT BOOK! Basiclly all I can say. Better than a How-To book. Its a barrage of many wonderful stories, history, and some awesome pictures of the best carvings I have seen. Keep up the good work Bruce, and BUY THIS BOOK!! EVERYONE!!!! :)

If you have no other book about carousels, this is the one to have. Not only does the book illuminate the history of carousels, dispelling some common myths along the way, but the step-by-step, well illustrated process of carving a carousel is clearly explained in easy to understand terms. As Bruce's identical twin brother I can attest to the heart, mind and artistry that goes into every one of Bruce's creations. Many years ago I received a call from Bruce and he pleaded for my help. I replied that I had no knowledge or skill. Bruce persisted and taught me how to carve carousels using the same steps and techniques described in this book - several of the carousels I have carved are pictured in this book. Perhaps one of your creations will be in his next book!

Although this magnificent book is being marketed as a strictly how-to book, as a lover of carousels I attest to the fact that this book includes more history and delightful anecdotes about carousels, horses, designs and designers than any other book ever. Bruce encourages you to set your imagination free. Also, there is a step by step structure showing Bruce's one of a kind process. Even if you don't carve or don't want to start, it is still enlightening to see how this present day master carver makes lovely masterpieces for carousels and living rooms.

This book offers the beginner and experienced carver alike a clear and easy to understand way to make your own miniature carosel animal. Horse shown, other for inspiration. You'll like it.

The instructions and illustrations in this book makes carousel woodcarving for the beginner or pro a real pleasure. Everything needed in the way of instruction is included in this book. A great addition to any woodworker's library.

I have taken classes from the author, and the book is written just like his classes. The book goes step by step through the whole process of carving the carousel. I have observed some of Mr. Rienhardt's other works and I hope he continues to write other great books on carousel carving.

This book includes the plans for many horses and there aren't a lot of separate parts per each horse, which is good. He handles all you need to know in a basic, down to earth manner including wood grain, finishing, etc. He's carved over 1,000 horses so I guess he knows what he's talking about. I hope he puts out other books about different carving styles of carousel horses (especially Mullers) in the future.

I have emjoyed this book immensely at first reading. I bought it inorder to make the modern livingroom featured in the back of the book. The pictures are fantastic and clear and almost lifesize. The directions for making the furniture and accessories are concise and readable. The author really took the time to tell us how to create the same beautiful rooms she herself built and decorated. Bravo to the author and her photographer! My favorite rooms next to the modern livingroom is the country kitchen and the red dinner. I am a fan of Kathy Dalmeny for life!

Wow... This book is as good as travelling to Europe and visiting stately homes. The attention to detail is stunning and I loved the ornate rooms 17th & 18th centaury rooms. Any miniature maker who is looking for inspiration and has an interest in history should buy this book.

As with her previous book it has a European slant and I would love for her to visit the US and do a book on period American houses.

My advice is buy this book and never listen to nay sayers! Keep up the good work

If you are looking for that reference book for everything-you-need-to-know about miniatures and how to create them, then this is the perfect edition for you. Everything in this publication is imaginative and very useful for those who wish to make their own miniatures from scratch. The ideas for room settings are unique and there's something to please all ages and generations. I found it an extremely well set out volume and have some new ideas for future projects. Very recommended.

This book features dollhouse rooms specializing in certain historic areas including Renaissance (the Tudor dining room), the Colonial dining room, and the 1950's style diner. My favor is the curiosity shop. It is so full of detailed items that you just can't believe it's a dollhouse.

The photos cover two whole pages together and really provide an up close look at the way the rooms were made, etc. In addition to the beautiful photos, the author also includes the basics of dollhouse accessories (how to make miniature food, furniture, etc). She includes selected projects from each period room and shows you how to reproduce it using simple materials such as glue and paint. Her instructions are clear, simple, and easy. Some people might not like the fact that not all of the items are included but that's ok. I think from the selected instructions and the inspiration you're bound to get from this book, you'll be able to figure out how to make them yourself.

For those of us who admire, collect, make and renovate 1920s and 20s-inspired art dolls, Susanna Oroyan has written a thoughtful volume focusing on boudoir dolls from the Art Deco period. Although the topic is covered better visually in another of my favorites, "The Magic and Romance of Art Dolls" by Stephanie Farago, the strength of this book is in Oroyan's excellent research, writing and wonderful storytelling ability. Her fresh and fun-loving writing style shines in this book (the illustrative drawings also are quite good.)

Unlike her other fine books, which focus more directly on the art, design and mechanics of doll-making, this book is a loving tribute to a period, aesthetic and style of doll that she very much values, appreciates and knows well. And for that we can be thankful, as Oroyan has contributed so largely to the doll-making world, with her vision, her instruction, and her art.

Highly recommended as another fine book to add to the resource library of "students of the doll."

In Dolls Of The Art Deco Era, dollmaker Oroyan provides a survey of the history, makers and collectible items of the art deco era, providing both a step-by-step set of instructions for reproducing the style of doll popular in the era and covering the history of dollmaking during the era, and restoration techniques after. Packed with ideas crafts and collectors alike will appreciate.

a real authentic and easy way to understand and MAKE dolls.
mrs.Oroyan must be a magician to write so many books,so variabile & so full of culture & reserch that is related to the art, craft, etc...
the book is reach, easy and wonderfull for the dollmaker! even
for the beginer! www.geocities.com/pushadolls/

there is no other book that gives so much information on bed dolls called boudoir dolls. This is like a "bible" for doll collectors. You do not need another book if you have this one.

This release comes only two months after the release of the base D&D Miniature set called Harbinger. The total figure count for Dragoneye is a bit lower at 60 (Harbinger has 80), so it's a bit easier to collect a whole set. Each box typically has 4 commons, 3 uncommons and 1 rare. I think the total numbers are 20 rares, 24 uncommons and 16 commons, but I'm not 100% positive.

This set introduces Dragons to the D&D Miniature line. You have 5 regular dragons (Red, Brass (might be Bronze), Black, White and Blue), several Half-Dragons (Gold Champion and Silver Sorcerer), Dragon Samurai (Samurai that pattern themselves after a Dragon, in this case Red and Copper) and a few Draconian from the Dragonlance series. The larger dragons and half-dragons are rare, the smaller white dragon, blue dragon, samurai and Kapak Draconian are uncommon, and the Baaz draconian is common.

While Harbinger had a lot of Orcs, this set has Goblinoids -- two goblins, a hobgoblin and a bugbear miniature are all common in this set. There are more Drow and Orcs to expand the group you can get in Harbinger. One surprise is that there are no undead figures in this set, which is probably a good thing considering the large number of undead in Harbinger.

The overall figures have improved from Harbinger. The Black Dragon is wonderful, the Red Dragon is very imposing for a Large figure, and many of the uncommons look better than the rares of the prior set. There are still some poor figures; the new kobold isn't nearly as detailed as the Harbinger set, the Goblin Skirmisher looks a bit like a pole-vaulting leprechaun, the white dragon sometimes looks like it was painted with a vial of white-out, and the Abyssal Maw has been described elsewhere as the Absymal Maw.

I still think it's a good buy. The D&D Statistic cards and prepainted nature can really save time for a busy DM. I've only played the Skirmish game a handful of times, but it seems to be a fast version of a D&D combat. The point costs seem mostly balanced, but I really don't have enough experience to fully judge it.

With nearly a full set of both Dragoneye and Harbinger, I've been forced to buy a tacklebox to carry around the figures -- it's a great way to transport them. (You don't have to worry about bending them out of shape like a metal miniature collection -- a nice bonus for the DM on the go! :) ) I don't think these figures replace metal miniatures, but I do think they augment them -- prepainted hordes fight against your well-painted PCs.

I'm already looking forward to the next set.

One thing I've always disliked about miniture games is the building process... fun in small quantities, but when you want to get a large quantity together, built, painted, etc....it becomes discouraging. These figured are not only pre-painted they are also plastic molded (much lighter and easier to store without damaging them) and designed for use in all D20 games. They also include a card with both the "official" mass-combat rules and a complete set of stats for use in Dungeons and Dragons (including spells, equipment, magical items...even a challenge rating).

Downside--$10 for 8 figures that you can't pick out before hand. Still cheaper than most figure sets, but it still works enough for me to buy several boxes (I've got two Red and three Brass dragons already).

I recommend it for D&D gamers. Wargamers only if you don't mind buying a ton of boxes to get what you want.

The Dragoneye Expansion is a great addition to the D&D world.
This set introduces Dragons to the D&D minaitures Game.

I found the sculpts and paint jobs to be superior to those in the earlier Harbinger release and this as sign of good thing to come.

I don't love random packaging, but it dose have it's advantages, and I've learned to live with it.
It allows retailers to carry the product with less fear of less popular models colecting dust and costing them money.
It allows for singluar packaging design, and random allotment on the maufacturing end.
It allows the Customer to get 8 FULLY PAINTED plastic miniatures for the price of 2-3 of their unpainted, unassembled, metal counterparts.
Also since plastic is cheaper than tin/pewter the figures tend to be larger and more robustly sculpted.

Personally the convenience of them being prepainted alone is incentive enough for me.

Painting miniatures is a hobby in itself and not one we all have the time to indulge in. It comes down to getting 7 attractive painted figures or 2-3 I'll never get around to painting myslef.

It's worth noting that the miniatures come with dual stat cards for each figure. D&D Miniatures skirmish rules and D$D 3.5 stats on the other side.

The cards are valuable enough that they could be a product by themselves and their value should not be understated.
(TSR actually sold a simlar product for AD&D 1st Ed)

The Upside:

You don't have to buy and paint dozens of minitures, which means more time for adventure planning (or, better yet...HALO). These minis are light, pretty resilant, and give you a wide spectrum of monsters/NPCs to challenge your PCs with. Personally, I've always hated painting minis (mostly because I have better things to do) ...so this makes combat tons easier.

The Downside:

You don't get to choose what you get when you buy a box. They come packaged randomly, so what you "don't see" is what you get. Also, some of the minis aren't painted nearly as nicely as seen on the posters or in the mini handbook. But, if you want 'finely painted minis', you wouldn't be buying plastic.

Overall:

For the money, they're an okay deal (hence, the four stars). Were they less expensive (about $5.00 a box), they would have gotten 5 stars.

When I went to introduce my preschooler to Winnie-the-Pooh, I bought the big book with the complete stories and poems. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't quite right for my 3-year-old. Reading a story out of the original works takes a good 15-20 minutes, which is more than one can really expect from a preschooler or toddler. Also, the original Pooh is a bit like Sesame Street, in that there are phrases and indeed entire sections of the stories that adults will find amusing but which will just go over a child's head.

And yet, I didn't want to break down and go the route of the Disney-fied Pooh books, with their cartoonish illustrations and watered-down plots and characters.

That's why I was so pleased to find the Easy-to-Read series. There are six easy-to-read titles from two publishers. They are:

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees
Pooh Goes Visiting
Eeyore Has a Birthday
Tigger Comes to the Forest
Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition
Pooh Invents a New Game

Each book is based on one chapter from the complete works. These little books are divided into four chapters, although it should be no problem to read one from start to finish in one sitting.

The print is large and well spaced, and there are ample illustrations (the original drawings by E.H. Shepard) on every page spread to keep little eyes engaged in the story. Most important, the editor has removed most of the passages that aren't so kid friendly and has simplified the stories without giving them a Disney style candy coating. One could read the original story and then the easy-to-read version and get the same basic plot; when going from the Milne works to the Disney versions, the same is certainly not true.

I didn't give these books five stars because the editor retained some language and dialogue that may be a bit confusing for children in the intended age range. Nevertheless, these books are a wonderful introduction to a classic cast of characters for the preschool set.

I love eeyore he is my favorite charter. I loved his book. It was neato.

When all the characters in the imaginary world of Winnie the Pooh go on their day to day mischiefs, forgetting a friends special day, it makes one see how cartoon characters really portray real life situations. The full page of colors allows one to sit back and get the satisfaction of a children's book. Yet this book not only addresses a child's awareness nor is it an entertainment instrument but as well as a joyful piece of literature for any age group to admire

This little book is an exact reproduction of a chapter 6 in the original book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with the original illustrations by Shephard enhanced by judicious watercoloring. All the charm of the original, in a perfect size for reading to littler kids, who can feel satisfied at having been read "the whole story." Also good for children just starting to read all by themselves.

Beautifully bound and illustrated, this little book is part of a series of 10 such Pooh books published by Dutton. Don't confuse these 10 "storybooks" with the even smaller and abridged board-books for infant/toddlers.

This book is an absolute delight! Brenda Keyes presents 34 miniature-size designs in a wide variety of styles. I wanted to start right in and not stop until I'd finished every one. Her sense of humor purmeates the book making it entertaining as well as informative. There is a lot of excellent information on finishing and the photography is first-rate.

I was drawn to this book by the gloriously muted tawny brown colourings of many of the works, highlighted by a gorgeous range of frames. Many of the works are completed in tent stitch and are fast to work, others are worked as cross stitch one over one providing a beautiful effect. The author has given many ideas for incorporating designs and there are lots of framing ideas. The graphs are easy to follow and the photography is great.

I wasn't sure whether to give this 4 or 5 stars. It is a really nice book. The style is pleasant, and there are lots of helpful hints about framing. The pages are really high quality. There are color photos of every finished piece, and the charts are in color. The price of $28 new may seem steep, but it is a very high quality book.

This is a really lovely book. The designs are wonderful and and carefully presented. The charts are clearly drawn with color coding and back and white notations so they can be Xeroxed for easy reference. The designs range in style from silhouettes, to South American designs, to Elizabethan flowers and a medieval bird with a Celtic boarder. They are all very clearly laid out.

The directions are not as extensive as they could be, but there is a stitch directory and a well organized introduction makes them easy to follow. Most of the designs are worked on linen in very high thread counts with tent stitch rather then classic cross stitch. Though these patterns are not actually miniature, most measure 3 to 5 inches, they are very small.

The book it's self is lovely. All the photos are full color and every design is shown framed. The frame selection is explained to help the reader decide on their own frames for their own projects.

Mostly due to their size, and due to the complexity of most of them, I do not recommend this book for beginners. Though they can be blown up to a larger designs using a lower count cloth, and they do not suffer for it, they are extremely complex.

One of the many wonderful publications from the publishers of one of the best quilting magazines around. A great starter book for anyone interested in foundation piecing, but will not bore the expert either. It is informative, accurate, fun and has a good variety of foundation piecing projects. I have made all the quilts in the book.

This was my very first book in making miniature quilts. I had such a hard time choosing my first project since there were so many I wanted to do......so I did almost all of them. It is still one of my very favorite books on miniatures and I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

I found this book very helpful for both the beginner, and the experienced,and such a delight to do, I can't wait for the next book, all my friends got hooked on the miniatures and can't wait to start thier next project,I would recommend this book to anyone beginner or a seasoned quilter,happy quilting!

For someone like me - with enthusiasm but miniminal sewing or artistic talent - this was the perfect book. Using these techniques has allowed me to do work I'm proud of for the first time. I use an enlarging photocopy machine to use these patterns for regular size blocks - use a lot of fabric, but for the first time, I've got results worth the effort.

It is really delightful to see a book on Geet Govinda comprising some new and original material including interesting legends and anecdotes attached to it. A common reader also gets the bird's view about the tradition of Indian Miniature Painting. The brief narration of each canto in lucid language is another significant characteristic of this book. It is general belief that this is an exclusive poem of physical love only but a new dimension of this great lyric is explored when we find that this great poem is a poem of supreme oneness. Radha and Krishna, though two different souls, exist as one. Radha yearns for a complete merging with Krishna. The quote of Dr. Vidhya Niwas Misra is worth observing in the book, "No poem based on physical love could succeeded in carrying the burden of the density of sentiments and no poem could have succeeded in giving so powerful a direction to the stream of sentiments that the ocean would have become eager to merge himself into a drop".

The leaves have been produced so lively that they truly represent the rich heritage of Indian Painting in the remote area of Khandesh in the later decades of 18th Century. Not only the scholars and art lovers but also the people of Khandesh were unaware about this painting tradition of their own area. The fine blending of different Rajasthani and Malwa styles can be found in these paintings. This fusion is entirely a new discovery for the world of Indian Art.

It is a great and unique experience to see the visual transformations of a legendry love poem composed by Jaideva long long time ago. Geet Govinda is though a love poem focused on Radha and Madhava's love plays but is also a strong symbol of the expressions of various disciplines of Indian Art, like dance, music, drama, recitation and painting. This is a rare work in which we find the wide consultation of Hindi and Sanskrit sources, least took place in the earlier works on Geet Govinda. The connoisseurs as well as the art loving readers of the west will enjoy unique experience while going through the superb text and fantastic colorful pictures of Radha and Madhva's love plays. The pictures in the book are sequentially arranged in such a way that the whole story emerges automatically before the eyes. The text comprises the story of eternal love, history of Radha's emergence and the discovery of new style of painting. The book adds a new chapter in the history of art and is useful for a reader who inclines to look at the charming Indian images of great love along with their poetic narration.

The book narrates the journey of love. This lovely Sanskrit poem of 12th Century significantly impressed upon the different branches of the fine arts in India. The history of Indian painting is incomplete without the history of the painting traditions flourished in different regions of India in different time frames depicting this great love story of Radha and Madhava, composed by Jaideva. This love poem established Radha as an eternal symbol of fervid emotional surrender for Krishna. The illustrations in the book are superb and the text is very live and lucid. It is a path breaking work, which established that the painting tradition of Geet Govinda prevailed also in Deccan. Prior to this work it was considered as if the painting tradition of Geet Govinda prevailed only in North India. The book is nicely published. The content gives lot of new material coupled with some unique pictures of the Indian melodies, the Ragas and Raganis. The lovers of Art and Literature both should warmly welcome the book.

The book talks about the discovery of a new style of miniature paiting which was prevalent in a part of central India. The pictures of the paintings are extremely beautiful and follow a pattern. The author has put down the reasonings behind why these paitings have something in common and different from the other styles very well. The overall quality of publication and the language of the text is extremely good.

A funny alternative to bringing wine or a six pack to a party. I was really impressed at how stylish the box is. My favorite part of the pieces found inside is the cool little shovel.

This gift is perfect for the man with a taste for fine beers. They will be able to grow any type they like! Perfect gag gift for the family member who loves beer.

This product is just too funny! Especially for us beer afficianados! You will laugh your a__ off! Perfect gift for beer drinkers of all ages,(Legal), shapes sizes and thirsts!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YV7AI4XD5QBQ Once you grow your own 6 pack, you won't need a banjo to play one! Mini book is great for parties; it's filled with fun beer facts.