The constant companion of the many people who are turning to home sewing as a creative -- and money-saving -- hobby.

    Whether you're new to the crochet scene or already an expert, you'll be inspired to create original pieces featuring vintage motifs in contemporary color combinations. Express yourself with cool and unconventional projects Make blankets, pillows, coasters, bags and fashion accessories, and much, much more Learn the basics with step-by-step photos; then find your crochet groove with easy-to-follow patternsAvailable to customers in the U.S. and Canada only.

    In this book, you'll discover the secrets of minimalist design-how to find beauty in the basic elements of your environment. These projects deliver exciting, vivid results with solid color fabrics. City Quilts was named one of the Best Books of 2010 in the Fiber Crafts Category by Library Journal, and is a finalist in the 2010 Foreword Book of the Year Awards."

    Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being. In Nature's Best Hope, he takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots, home-grown approach to conservation. Nature's Best Hope advocates for homeowners everywhere to turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. This home-based approach doesn’t rely on the federal government and protects the environment from the whims of politics. It is also easy to do, and readers will walk away with specific suggestions they can incorporate into their own yards. Nature's Best Hope is nature writing at its best—rooted in history, progressive in its advocacy, and above all, actionable and hopeful. By proposing practical measures that ordinary people can easily do, Tallamy gives us reason to believe that the planet can be preserved for future generations.

    Barbara Pleasant and Deborah Martin explain their six-way compost gardening system in this informative guide that will have you rethinking how you create and use your compost. With your plants and compost living together from the beginning, your garden will become a nourishing and organic environment that encourages growth and sustainability. You’ll also find that the enriched soil requires less tending, weeding, and mulching, so you can do less back-breaking work for the same lush, beautiful results.

    With specific how-to techniques and creative prompts on using an artist's sketchbook in a new way, these pages provide a gentle push to help you discover and integrate your creative passions through sketchbooks, workspaces, and mixed media. Through beautiful full-color imagery, you’ll learn in each chapter how your collections, scraps, ideas, and doodles can lead directly to, and fuel ideas for, creating individual works of art.Using her own materials and methods as a source of motivation, Sarah Ahearn Bellemare provides an inside look at her personal creative processes, sharing her use of her favorite resources alongside tips and tricks for making art – all the while encouraging you to explore, play, and make mistakes as part of the journey. At the end of each chapter, Sarah takes you to visit the studios and sketchbooks of some of her fellow artists – including Shanna Murray, Christine Chitnis, Stephanie Levy, and others – for behind-the-scenes glances into their creative work.Become inspired to build upon your own artistic style and discover the beauty in everyday life with Painted Pages!

    From dainty to heavy, and from simple to outrageously textured, these beautiful and wearable necklace, lariat, bangle, and bracelet projects (plus a few earrings!) utilize such popular stitch techniques as spiral rope, peyote, netting, herringbone, right angle weave, chevron, polygon weave, and oglala. Beginning and experienced beaders alike will love these high-quality projects from one of the most fun and innovative beaders on the scene today!

    She shares her expertise in How To Draw Modern Florals, a step-by-step guide that teaches everything you need to know about modern florals, including:Tools of the trade Where to find inspiration The anatomy of a flower The basic shapes for drawing a flower You'll feel as though you're sitting down with Alli at a coffee shop as she walks you through the process of drawing and designing all aspects of modern florals. You'll learn designs from classic favorites like the rose to today's trendiest florals, as well as succulents and cacti--some of Alli's favorites!How to Draw Modern Florals is an introduction, so no experience is needed! If you can draw an S or a C with a pen, Alli can teach you to draw a beautiful, modern floral design.

    With clear instructions illustrated by more than 900 step-by-step photographs, the five projects included here are designed to teach all of the techniques and skills you need to reupholster any piece of furniture to suit your own taste and style.

    This work features 21 projects - including quilts, pillows, and soft ornaments - that draw their inspiration from the seasons and offer a fresh, modern take on folk art.