Whether a novice or an experienced crocheter, anyone can pick up a needle and complete these cuddly creations.Author and amigurumi guru Lauren Espy inspires crocheters with her easy-to-follow patterns, pictures, and helpful instructions. Lauren always takes the patterns one step at a time to ensure that your finished product is as cute as the creation on the page!In Whimsical Stitches: A Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns, amigurumi is explored through thirty simple, fanciful patterns in a variety of themes, including:How Does Your Garden GrowAt the AquariumDown on the FarmAt the BakeryBrighten a room with flowers that won’t wilt, bring cheer to your table with colorful fruits that won’t attract flies, and add cuddly friends to a baby’s collection of favorite toys.

    Fortunately, Simple Soldering proves that does not need to be the case. This handy how-to guide is complete in its exploration of the craft of creating soldered metal jewelry, including tools, techniques, and 20 beautiful projects that beginners and enthusiasts can make at home.Author and teacher Kate Richbourg demystifies basic soldering for any home crafter, showing how to create sophisticated, polished, and professional-looking jewelry pieces through simple soldering techniques. First, she instructs how to set up a jewelry workspace that fits the confines of your budget and living space. Detailed step-by-step instructions walk you through the basic tools and materials you need, plus how to use them. A sample chapter gives a host of introductory exercises that teach solid skills, allowing you to test these techniques on a small scale. Finally, you'll discover 20 finished projects that include earrings, pendants, rings, bracelets, and clasps that may also include bead or wire embellishment.Kate also demonstrates how to combine and layer techniques to gorgeous effect. She also examines common mistakes, shows how to correct or adapt them, and gives advice on when it’s time to start over. Most of all, having taught thousands of classes on soldering, Kate has a "you can do it!" attitude that shines through to help even the most reluctant jewelry maker fire up the torch with ease.Paired with an instructional DVD, Kate’s expert teaching skills will help projects come alive, right in your own studio.With Simple Soldering, the art of metal working one-of-a-kind jewelry is now at your fingertips.

    

    This book shows you how to take everyday materials from around the house, flea markets, thrift stores, and hardware stores and turn them into clever and eye-catching hand-made books.

    According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, Simple Times, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters. You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired (Spend time at a Renaissance Fair; Buy fruit, let it get old, and see what shapes it turns into); remember which kind of glue to use with which material (Tacky with Furry, Gummy with Gritty, Paste with Prickly, and always Gloppy with Sandy); create your own craft room and avoid the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat); and cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, and many more recipes. PLUS whole chapters full of more crafting ideas (Pompom Ringworms! Seashell Toilet Seat Covers!) that will inspire you to create your own hastily constructed obscure d'arts; and much, much more!

    Every tool and every technique you require for making your own home furnishings or clothing is closely and sharply photographed, carefully annotated, and clearly explained. The Tools section begins with the basic toolkit, opening up into everything you could possibly need every type of cutting tool and machine foot is shown. This section also includes information on patterns how to measure, how to use, and how to adjust them. Gallery spreads appear throughout the substantial Techniques section and showcase darts, zips, pleats etc, as well as showing key stitches. Plus, you can bring your acquired and refined skills to fruition as you make some of the 25 home decor and clothing projects at the back of the book. With "The Sewing Book" on your shelf, you've got every sewing question covered. Written by a passionate stitcher and teacher, with her own sewing school, eager to produce a one-stop sewing bible for her students, this book leaves no hem unturned. You can dip in at any level whether you're new to sewing or refining your art, whether you want to repair an old skirt or create a new one, whether you want to spruce up a curtain or design one from scratch. And with a Foreword by U.S. sewing teacher, Diana Rupp, this book has it all sewn up."

    The authors of Haley's Hints offer tips for cleaning around the home using common household products with multiples uses, presenting more than one thousand ingenious, economical solutions to help clean, unclutter, organize, and deodorize the home with such common products as toothpaste and vinegar.

    Revised for an all new generation of gardeners, the 40th anniversary edition includes brand new information on the variety of heirloom vegetables available today and how to grow them the postage stamp way.      To accommodate today's lifestyles, a garden needs to fit easily into a very small plot, take as little time as possible to maintain, require a minimum amount of water, and still produce prolifically. That's exactly what a postage stamp garden does. Postage stamp gardens are as little as 4 by 4 feet, and, after the initial soil preparation, they require very little extra work to produce a tremendous amount of vegetables--for instance, a 5-by-5-foot bed will produce a minimum of 200 pounds of vegetables. When first published 40 years ago, the postage stamp techniques, including closely planted beds rather than rows, vines and trailing plants grown vertically to free up space, and intercropping, were groundbreaking. Now, in an ever busier world, the postage stamp intensive gardening method continues to be invaluable for gardeners who wish to weed, water, and work a whole lot less yet produce so much more.

    Have neglected items around your house? They can be the source for exciting craft possibilities! Turn your old leather belts into a cool doormat (or even a briefcase!); worn-out paperbacks into gorgeous bud vases; tennis balls into a quaint country swing; chopsticks into a handsome trivet, and many more.With full-color photos throughout to guide and inspire, Danny shows that it's easy to be crafty, and fun to be budget- and eco-conscious.

    The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners will show you how easy and simple it is to make your very own homemade soaps without artificial dyes and chemicals. Your senses will tingle as you master the art of cold-process soap making using fresh, floral, woody, and amber scents to create your own handcrafted soaps.Get your hands wet with The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners when you soak in: Over 55 diverse recipes to choose from such as castile soap, shampoo bars, shaving bars, anti-aging soaps, salt soaps, goat-milk soaps, and more. Step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks for mastering cold-process soap making, decorating techniques, and scent pairing―designed specifically with beginners in mind. Natural ingredients that avoid harsh chemicals and artificial dyes, which can dry out and irritate your skin. Illustrated charts detailing how and when to use natural colorants, essential oils, and herbal infusions. Join Kelly Cable, a longtime soap maker, herbalist, teacher, and creator of the popular blog Simple Life Mom, as she shares the simple tips and tricks of her craft in The Natural Soap Making Book for Beginners.

    If you're short of time or need a quick gift for a birthday, keep this eBook handy - it's sure to become a lifesaver when you're in a pinch. Be sure to stock up on Lion Brand Imagine Yarn so you're always prepared to make a quick craft.Believe it or not, Lion Brand Imagine Yarn can be the sole supply for a bunch of creative projects. For instance, you can create a scarf by simply unwinding the yarn and creating a series of knots. These crafts to do with yarn are as varied as they are intricate. In this free eBook, you'll find delicate jewelry crafts, winter wearables and even a plant hanger. Decorate your home and accessorize your wardrobe, all you need is Lion Brand Imagine Yarn. Make gifts for friends and family members or create something you can keep - it's up to you. Either way, you won't get bored with this vast assortment of crafts with yarn.

    In cabin getaways of the imagination, the cares of the world recede, time slows down, and the day's pace is set by leisure and quiet activities.Compact Cabins presents 62 design interpretations of the getaway dream, with something to please every taste. Best of all, these small footprint designs are affordable and energy efficient without skimping on comfort and style. The cabins range in size from a cozy 100 square feet to a more spacious but still economical 1,000 square feet, and all include sleeping accommodations, kitchen and bath facilities, and a heat source. Complete chapters on low-maintenance building materials, utilities and appliances, and alternative energy sources supply readers with the options for living efficiently in small spaces.For every design, readers will find floor plans with detailed suggestions for designing the space for optimal use. These plans are flexible; many feature modular elements that can be mixed and matched to accommodate a particular owner's needs or hobbies. Features such as an outdoor fireplace, covered porch, or external storage locker might work nicely in several cabin designs. It's all about enhancing and maximizing small spaces to suit individual needs and preferences.Build small. In this time of uncertain energy costs, global warming, and tighter budgets, building small is a theme that resonates with second-home owners. Gerald Rowan shows readers how to achieve their cabin dreams on a small footprint.

    Most books on smoking just give some elementary information and then are filled with recipes; this book is the reverse, scholarly information and theory as it applies to smoking meats and a few recipes that will get one started. While various recipes usually get the spotlight, it is the authors' opinion that the technical know-how behind preparing meats and sausages is far more important. There is a section with some basic recipes, but after reading the book one should be able to create his own recipes without much effort. The book explains differences between grilling, barbecuing and smoking. The sections on smokehouse design include over 250 construction diagrams and photos that cover most known methods: masonry, portable, wood, concrete, and drum smokers. After reading this book a reader will fully comprehend what can be expected of any particular smoker and how to build one that will conform to his individual needs. The book will benefit the serious smoker as well as the beginner.

    If you are a vintage girl with a chaotic house, too much laundry and a child or six attached to your hip, then I promise you are in for a treat...You see, I want to make your life lovely- to show you the way to a house that's as fresh as a daisy, help you create teeny rituals that will change your life and teach you to bless your days with the kind of tiny joys that often pass unnoticed....Included in this book are five hundred and fifty gorgeous ways to add a little lavender scented vintage sparkle to your day, organised seasonally so you can brighten up a Summers morning and cosy up a Winters afternoon, while celebrating Christmas, and Halloween and everything in-between!

    This is not you grandma's coupon book! Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey teaches you step-by-step how to:o Find coupons and "stack" them with a sale for huge savings.o Build a stockpile of food at rock-bottom prices to last you and your family up to a year.o Make passers-by gape at your cart full of groceries you purchased for 75% off retail price.o Get your cashiers to gasp and applaud as you purchase everyday items for pennies on the dollar.o Gain the confidence to strut down the aisles, flaunt your coupons, and maybe even wear high heels to the grocery store!Authors Joanie Demer and Heather Wheeler, founders of TheKrazyCouponLady.com, share their expertise along with hundreds of tried and true coupon tips in a fun, user-friendly format that will have shoppers high-fiving the grocery store cashier in no time.