For the first time in the history of humankind, more people live in cities than in the country. Yet, at the same time, more and more city dwellers are yearning for rural farms, mountain cabins, or seaside homes. These kinds of refuges offer modern men and women a promise of what urban centers usually cannot provide: quiet, relaxation, being out of reach, getting back to basics, feeling human again. Rock the Shack is a survey of such contemporary refuges from around the world--from basic to luxury. The book features a compelling range of sparingly to intricately furnished cabins, cottages, second homes, tree houses, transformations, shelters, and cocoons. The look of the included structures from the outside is just as important as the view from inside. What these diverse projects have in common is an exceptional spirit that melds the uniqueness of a geographic location with the individual character of the building's owner and architect.

    Designing with Plants is both inspirational and instructive-an informative and visually breathtaking study that shows readers how to create the same effects in their gardens. This paperback reprint includes four main parts. "Planting Palettes" shows the range of plant choice available in form, texture, and color. "Designing Schemes" shows how to combine these elements to create stunning and sculptural gardens. Through stunning photography, "Planting Moods" shows how to create a particular atmosphere. And "Year-Round Planting" emphasizes the importance of choosing plants that have value throughout the seasons.

     In Downsizing Your Life for Freedom, Flexibility and Financial Peace , you’ll learn about the joys of the downsized life: Lower personal expenses, Flexibility to move to wherever your career takes you, Clutter-free living, and More time to do what you love to do! Thanks to the economic downturn, Claire Middleton and her family lost their business and had to sell their spacious home. They sold or gave away more than half of their possessions to comfortably fit into the little house where they now live (quite happily). And they learned that downsizing, even forced downsizing, can be a blessing in disguise. In Downsizing Your Life for Freedom, Flexibility and Financial Peace , Claire shares her story as well as those of others who learned the truth about possessions and freedom after downsizing their lives (voluntarily or not). Is your lifetime’s worth of stuff holding you back? Are you missing out on dreams and opportunities because the burden of your possessions weighs you down? It’s never too late to free yourself! Downsizing Your Life for Freedom, Flexibility and Financial Peace will show you how: just click the “Buy” button at the top of this page to get started.

    Robb is the pen name Nora Roberts uses for her In Death series of futuristic police procedurals. She is a prolific writer with over 200 published novels, 176 New York Times bestsellers, and over 400 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Over 34 of the books are from Robbs In Death series and since 2007, each In Death book has been a New York Times bestseller. Robb didnt grow up dreaming of mystery, romance or writing. However, she was an avid reader and enjoyed making up stories. A snowstorm that left her alone with two young children and a need to fill the time, led her to write her stories down. Once she started, she didnt stop. MEET THE AUTHOR Leslie Truex is an online entrepreneur and freelance writer. She is the author of The Work-At-Home Success Bible (Adams Media) and Jobs Online (self-published). Her small business articles appear on Lenovo's Small Business Insights, the Houston Chronicle's Chron.com, and eHow. She's written several hundred articles on fitness and nutrition for LIVESTRONG.com. She teaches work-at-home and writing related courses through Piedmont Virginia Community College. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Willamette University and an MSW from California State University, Sacramento. Her social work experience includes school counseling, public health and adoptions. She is also an AFAA certified aerobics instructor. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Since her first book in 1981, Nora Roberts name has become synonymous with romance books. She was the first romance writer inducted into Romance Writers of Americas (RWA) Hall of Fame and her name dons the RWAs Lifetime Achievement Award. When she wanted to add suspense to novels, her publisher, Bantam discouraged her because of her success with romance novels. But when she moved to Putnam in 1992, it asked if she would be willing to publish some of her works under a pseudonym to allow them to publish more of her work without saturating the market. According to Roberts, each publisher had only a certain number of slots available per year to publish each author. By having a second name, she could continue to write at her quick pace and the publisher could release more books written by her. She was resistant to the idea until her agent explained a pseudonym was similar to Pepsi, Diet-Pepsi, and caffeine-free Pepsi; each appeals to a different group. Roberts agreed to use another pen name under the condition that she could write an on-going series of romantic suspense. Along with her prolific output, she is known for helping change romance books by making women stronger and more independent, and exploring the male protagonists point of view. Romance and mystery writer Janet Evanovich told Book Magazine, ...We see more variety in the genre in terms of heroine age and occupation. And todays heroine is stronger, more self-reliant. Of course, Nora was always ahead of the pack. Her heroines were always strong. CHAPTER OUTLINEJ.D. Robb: A Biography + Introduction + Background and Upbringing + Major Accomplishments and Awards + Personal Life + ...and much more

    A place to gather and connect. A place of beauty. A place to restore your soul. Creating a restored home—the kind that you and your loved ones want to return to again and again—is as much about making everyone who enters feel cared for and comfortable as it is about creating a beautiful space.In Restoration House, home decor and lifestyle guide Kennesha Buycks of Restoration House blog shows you how to embrace your home and your story as you create mindful spaces that give life to you, your loved ones, and all who enter.With gorgeous photography and pages of practical tips for curating and decorating your home (even on a small budget) and welcoming others, Restoration House will help you make purposeful design decisions as you create renewing spaces for you to enjoy with family and friends.Whether you live in your dream house or you’re still dreaming about it, you can feel at home in the home you have.

    Throughout, gorgeous photographs of rooms with rare collections, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and stacks upon stacks of books inspire readers to live better with their own collections.Praise for Bibliostyle"Featuring enviable private libraries and packed floor-to-ceiling shelves, this beautiful volume makes a compelling case for books as d�cor."--New York"Freudenberger spotlights the splendid, enviable personal libraries of literary figures whose owners obviously care about their book collections and have actually read them, too."--The Boston Globe"This is a coffee table book that makes you think as well as admire and desire."--Sydney Herald"Offers a look into the fabulous homes of book lovers the world over, showcasing how their interior design is built around the tomes they love most."--CN"The photographs of rooms with rare collections, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and stacks upon stacks of books will inspire readers to live better with their own collections."--Publishers Weekly "Nina Freudenberger teams with Sadie Stein of The New Yorker and photographer Shade Degges of Architectural Digest to showcase beautiful photographs of the private libraries of book lovers from all over the world."--BookRiot

    It's also a book for anyone who has ever mismatched her shoes or trimmed her own bangs when a professional might have been a better choice or added too much soap to the washer and watched it overflow.(Not that KariAnne Wood has ever done any of these things.)A debut memoir from the beloved Thistlewood Farms blogger, So Close to Amazing is a collection of hilarious and heartfelt reflections on getting it almost right--and how, instead of giving up, we can choose to simply embrace our real selves right where we are. It's a story of transparency and honesty and recognizing that perfection is completely overemphasized and overrated. It's about grace and learning from mistakes and rejoicing in every victory, no matter how small. Because when you find joy in the "you" God created you to be, you'll discover the amazing that was there all along.Contains beautiful DIY project ideas anyone can do, whether you're Pinterest perfect or craft challenged! Homemade signs, centerpieces, recipe walls, and more!

    Dig in to all of the hearty, savory (and sweet) menu classics you crave most—all from the comfort of your own home. With Taste of Home Copycat Restaurant Favorites, get all of the takeout flavors you love without leaving the house! CHAPTERS Best Appetizers Ever Coffee Shop Favorites Specialty Soups, Salads & Sandwiches Copycat Entrees Favorite Odds & Ends Double-Take Desserts Index

    The brand’s first book, domino: The Book of Decorating, was an immediate bestseller upon its release and has established itself as the quintessential guide to demystifying interior design. domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home builds on the first book with a more detailed and modern perspective on how to personalize, style, and create a home you love. In a time when the flood of decorating advice and inspiration online can feel overwhelming, domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home provides a trusted filter, using the friendly and authoritative voice of domino to teach readers about attainable, stylish design and how to make it uniquely your own. domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home will help readers to: -Identify your personal decorating style -Find inspiration from hundreds of beautiful, inspiring photos of real homes -Style the major and minor components of your home—from textiles to table settings to art -Shop for quality pieces that will stand the test of time -Learn from domino editors and tastemakers about how to style magazine-quality looks in their own spaces domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home takes a detailed approach to the specifics of making a space your own—the key pieces, accessories, colors, patterns, objects, decorative treatments, lighting, and art that personalize a space and truly make it a unique and stylish home. It aims to help readers achieve domino’s number one goal: creating a space you love.

    Appropriated, chewed up, mulled over, digested, contemplated, and contorted - gathering up along the way fashion, ecology, politics, and art - architectural concepts become veritable things unto themselves in the present tense. As astoundingly diverse as contemporary architecture is, most importantly it is a reflection of what's happening right now all over the world, in people's minds and in the global collective consciousness. The many faces of world architecture today make for a mind-expanding book. Here you'll find the most recent work of over 60 architects and firms, including familiar names such as O. Gehry, Meier, Ando, Foster, and Starck, as well as a host of newcomers sure to be the architecture-celebrities of future generations. Highlights include Jakob & MacFarlane's morphological Restaurant at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Diller & Scofidio's "Blur Building" proposal for the International Expo 2001 in Switzerland (an ovular structure suspended over a lake, encapsulated by a fine mist of water, creating the look of a cloud hovering over the lake), and Herzog & de Meuron's remarkable Tate Modern. Proving that contemporary architecture is not limited to physical building design, New York firm Asymptote's Guggenheim Virtual Museum is also included, a place where visitors can take a cyber-stroll through rooms that are designed to be "compelling spatial environments." Presented alphabetically by architect or firm, Architecture Now! can be used like a reference guide, with extensive photographs and illustrations, biographical and contact information for designers, and a careful selection of today's most influential architects.

    Whether you want to keep things out of view or showcase them in the spotlight, Pottery Barn`s Storage & Display provides practical advice and creative inspiration. From family rooms and kitchens to entryways and utility rooms, this invaluable guide offers ideas to keep every part of your home organized-and to do it with ease and style. With more than 250 specially commissioned photographs and helpful tips that demystify the principles of arrangement and organization, Pottery Barn`s Storage & Display will help make creating a beautiful, clutter-free home a pleasure.

    Created in the 1890s by George Washington Vanderbilt, a member of one of America's wealthiest families, the estate combined a 250-room French Renaissance-style chateau with 125,000 acres of gardens, forests, and working farms. Biltmore House served as Vanderbilt's primary residence for almost 20 years. After Mr. Vanderbilt's death in 1914, life at Biltmore continued for his wife Edith and daughter Cornelia. In 1930, Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil and her husband, Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil, opened Biltmore House--the largest private home in the United States--to the public, firmly establishing the Asheville area as a major tourist destination.

    They don't have to be matchy-matchy or rigidly modern. They can just be comfy and unique and reflect who you are, no matter how small your budget or space.That reader is one of the 75,000 unique daily visitors to Design*Sponge, who make it the most popular design site on the web. The site receives 250,000 pageviews every day and has 150,000 RSS subscribers and 280,000 followers on Twitter. Design*Sponge fans have been yearning for the ultimate design manual from their guru, Grace, and she has finally delivered with this definitive guide, which includes:Home tours of 70 real-life interiors featuring artists and designersFifty DIY projects, with detailed instructions for personalizing your spaceStep-by-step tutorials on everything from stripping and painting furniture to hanging wallpaper and doing your own upholsteryFifty Before & After makeovers submitted by readers of Design*Sponge real people with limited time and realistic budgetsEssential tips on modern flower arranging, with 20 arrangementsWith over 700 color photos and illustrations and projects that are customizable, relatable, and affordable, this is the democratizing design book everyone has been waiting for and all for only $35.00!

    Whether you are a fan of the show or just like finding hidden riches, you will love seeing what Wolfe and Fritz dig up and enjoy meeting the devoted collectors, extreme stockpilers, and elite dealers who they encounter along the way. Wolfe and Fritz do not deal in fine antiques. Their secondhand treasures are of the down-and-dirty and sometimes even bizarre variety, from old bicycles and vintage tools, to sun-bleached cars and handmade furniture, retired carnival games and unusual taxidermy. Assisted by Danielle Colby, who helps out at Antique Archaeology, Wolfe and Fritz buy on the cheap and then sell to dealers, art directors, interior designers, or anyone looking for a little bit of authentic Americana. The three now share their secrets to finding hidden gems, offering helpful hints that will show what average Americans can do to find the treasures that await them.From American Pickers Guide to Picking:Junk is Beautiful When we knock on a door, 90 percent of the time the things we find are junk. But we don't care about the odds; a picker never turns down an opportunity, no matter where it is. We've picked pickup trucks. We've picked flat beds. We've picked dumpsters. We even picked a Mercury Sable. We're looking for the unusual, the impossible, the funky, the different, the bizarre-things we have never seen before. And we'll go anywhere we have to go to find it. No location is off-limits to a hard-core picker. And there's plenty of things to be found at antique stores, thrift and consignment shops, flea markets, estate sales, and swap meets, and a lot of the tips in this book apply to finding treasures at these joints. But that's not really the kind of picking we do anymore. We look outside the box to find our junk-a word we use almost like a term of endearment: to us: junk is beautiful.

    'It's practical AND beautiful . . . an ideal gift ' Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2Britain's best-loved cook and national treasure Mary Berry lets readers in on her very own household secrets . . . A comprehensive, beautifully illustrated guide that shares her greatest tips on how to care for your home. 'This book is a collection of skills I've learned for running a home. Gleaned from years of practical experience, along with all the hints that friends and family have imparted to me, I hope it will be a helping hand' - Mary BerryInside you'll find . . .A KITCHEN KNOW-HOW for the heart of your home - Freezer tips - Organize your food - CLEANING & CONFIGURING YOUR HOME - Create cleaning products from store cupboard items - LAUNDRY & WARDROBE WISDOM - Banish moths from your home for good - Remove stains from every kind of fabric - get green fingered with GARDENING & FLOWERS - Bring greenery into your home even without a garden - Create beautiful flower arrangements - And finally master the art of HOSTING & ADDING THE EXTRA TOUCHES for sparkling parties at home.Easy to use, practical and gorgeously illustrated, Mary's Household Tips & Tricks covers everything from Mary's golden rules for baking to her favourite flowers for each season, from how to polish silver to whether tea should be poured before or after milk. With secrets for accomplishing the most challenging home-keeping tasks with ease, Mary's wonderfully simple book will help turn any house into a home. 'The Queen of British baking has whipped up a recipe for home happiness' The Independent 'A domestic goddess' The Daily Telegraph