If I continue to be amazed by the number of new craft products that continue to appear on the market I am no less amazed by the number of craft books that keep showing up in the book stores. I am not referring to the $6.95 to $11.95 booklets that we find in our craft stores but the hard and soft cover books that show up in the bookstores. It was difficult to single out just a few to show but the following were some that covered a range of subjects and that seemed to be worthy of your attention.
If it is decoupage you would like to read about, The Decoupage Gallery (written by Dee Davis along with Gail Cooper and published by Watson-Guptill) might very well be one you would like to add to your library. Though Dee has already written a very detailed book on decoupage, in this one all the basics are also covered before the pages turn into a veritable treasure trove of pictures to cut and glue. A wide range of subjects and types of artwork is included (more than 450 color prints along with 550 black and white prints which you can use as-is or color them in yourself with coloring pencils). The paper the pictures are printed on is rather heavy so if you belong to the old school of decoupage that calls for the prints to be totally buried, you will need to use many, many coats of finish. Dee however, suggests that anywhere from three to 10 are sufficient.
Next up was a most unusual book that contained no text . . . just drawings. Published by Collins and Brown and written by . . . or perhaps I should say, compiled by . . . Alan Gear and Barry Freestone, it contains nothing but a wide variety of black and white drawings of every subject you can imagine in almost as many different styles of drawing . Alphabets are included as well. Though the title of the book is The Glass Painter's Motif Library I would think that almost any crafter, glass painter or not, would consider it an important addition to her stash of supplies. A must!
Next, the latest version of The Complete Guide to Glues & Adhesives by Nancy Ward and Tammy Young. This is not an updated version of their original book on the subject but an entirely new book. With the new glues that seem to keep popping up like measles it is understandable that they felt compelled to start over. If you are one of the many who is confused by the plethora of glues out there and are constantly wondering what to use for what, Nancy and Tammy probably have the answer for you . To prove a point the book also contains 30 different craft projects using . . . you guessed it . . . glue!
Want to start a new craft but don't know what? Or how to start? Or what you will need? Etc.? There any number of books for beginners in almost any craft you can name . I just happened to pick a book on beading written by Ann Benson and titled, most appropriately, Beading For the First Time. It starts out as most books of this type do, with lists of materials and equipment needed and takes you step by step through the processes involved. Excellent drawings to make everything easier to understand, as well as many photographs. Sterling/Chapelle is the publisher.
I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through Sharilyn Miller's book, The Stamp Artist's Project Book, published by Rockport. Not only is it a beautifully-done book with step-by-step directions along with wonderful photographs of the projects, but the artists involved are as varied as the projects themselves. I recognized the names of many of the contributing artists as having been guests on our show. With some you can tell who's work it is just by looking at the pictures . . . Mary O'Neil, Grace Taormina, etc.
And, of course, with paper projects being so hot these days, there are any number of new books on paper crafts. The three that I elected to show were all about paper projects but each was devoted to different types of projects. The New Paper Style by Mimi Christensen and published by Sterling/Chapelle seemed a bit intimidating at first because it is such an elegant-looking book but several of the projects that I tried were very basic and very easy to make. They were also very nice projects . Paper House by Mary Ann Hall and published by Rockport featured some unique projects, all for the home . . . and all either made from paper or with paper. Quite fascinating . . . and The Handcrafted Letter by Diane Mauer-Mathison and published by Story Books is almost an ode to the rapidly disappearing art of letter writing. Diane may have you not only writing letters again, but making them as wonderful to look at as they are to read.
NOTE: Please know that though I select these books to show and talk about on the air, it is only to bring them to your attention. In most instances I am making a suggestion rather than a recommendation, as I have not had an opportunity to actually try many of the projects. I DO recommend however, that when buying any craft book that you look through it yourself to not only see the projects in it but to check the style of writing, the kind of print and all the other things that would or would not make it suitable for you. Some have beautiful photography but when you take a close look at the project you realize that it is nothing you want to make. There are wonderful books and some not so wonderful. You really can't judge a craft book by its cover!
Resources Beading for the First Time
by Ann Benson (ISBN: 0806960981)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website:
www.sterlingpub.comPaper House
by Mary Ann Hall
Rockport Publishers Inc.
Website:
www.rockpub.comThe Complete Guide to Glues & Adhesives
by Nancy Ward & Tammy Young (ISBN: 0873418204)
Krause Publications
Website:
www.krause.com
The Handcrafted Letter
by Diane Mauer-Mathison
Storey Publishing
Website:
www.storey.comThe Decoupage Gallery
by Dee Davis, Gail B. Cooper (ISBN: 0823012891)
Watson-Guptill Publications
Website:
www.watsonguptill.comStamp Artist's Project Book: 85 Projects to Make and Decorate
by Sharilyn Miller
Order this title.
Rockport Publishers Inc.
Website:
www.rockpub.comThe New Paper Style
by Mimi Christensen (ISBN: 0806936517)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website:
www.sterlingpub.comGlass Painter's Motif Library
by Alan D. Gear, Barry L. Freestone
Collins & Brown, 2000
Order this
title.
Collins & Brown Publishers
London, UK
England
Website:
www.chrysalisbooks.co.uk/imprint/collinsbrown/index.jsp
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