Books for a Crafty Holiday
Books for a Crafty Holiday
Get crafty this holiday season! With expert advice and easy-to-follow instructions for painting, collaging, gardening, and paper crafting, these new books are sure to spark creativity and joy.
This book is an open invitation to create art. Inside you’ll find tips and techniques for painting 20 mushrooms printed on premium cardstock along with a swatch palette for color matching. The 8" x 10" sheets have two background options–light or dark–and are designed to fit store bought, ready-made frames.
Crafters, scrapbookers, and collage enthusiasts will love this kit-in-a-box, with 100 vintage postcards and everything needed to transform them into one-of-a-kind works of art to share and display.
Altering postcards is a fun and easy way for anyone to get creative and make a quirky, unique piece of paper art to send to a friend, use as a place setting, give as party favors, use for holiday, birthday, or greeting cards—or simply hang on the wall. The kit includes reproductions of 100 intriguing vintage postcards from 1900 to the 1960s, featuring places, people, and objects that invite playful tampering, plus 5 sticker sheets and 5 patterned paper sheets for collage. The accompanying 64-page full-color booklet is a hands-on guide to materials, techniques, tips, and step-by-step examples showing a range of methods using painting, embroidery, and layered collage. A gallery of artist-made altered postcards offers additional inspiration and ideas for pushing the envelope on creativity.
With a combination of inventive wrapping designs, inspiring personal essays, and step-by-step techniques, Megumi Inouye invites readers to transform the act of wrapping into a gratitude practice.
“If Marie Kondo inspired you to change the way you fold T-shirts, then artist Megumi Lorna Inouye’s guide to creating beautiful gift-wrapping is for you.”—BookPage, starred review
Drawing on the gift-giving traditions of her Japanese heritage, Inouye explores how the act of giving a thoughtfully wrapped gift can be a creative, caring act for both the giver and the receiver. Using recycled and repurposed materials, Inouye’s approach inspires readers to think intentionally about the presentation of every gift, whether it’s a tip for an unseen hotel housekeeper, a simple gift of fresh fruit for a neighbor, or a special birthday gift for a beloved family member. Detailed step-by-step photos teach Inouye’s artful approach to every aspect of wrapping—including tape-free folding, paper and fabric bows, clever message tags, and one-of-a-kind approaches for odd-shaped items—and guide readers in creating their own unique gift presentations.
In The Garlic Companion, author and garlic devotee Kristin Graves celebrates the wonderful world of this pungent herb, including how to plant, grow, harvest, and preserve it, as well as how to use both the bulbs and the scapes (flowering stems) in decorations and crafts such as garlic braids and wreaths. She has created 36 recipes that focus on using garlic in all its various forms—from Garlic Scape Refrigerator Pickles to Honey Garlic Ribs to Black Garlic Chocolate Chip Cookies—and offers dozens of ideas for celebrating the garlic harvest.
A celebration of lavender featuring stunning photographs; favorite recipes for the kitchen, pantry, and body care products; along with fascinating lore and gardening guidance from a destination lavender farm.
Lavender has long been a favorite herb with its amazing, resinous fragrance; calming qualities; and unique flavor for seasoning food. This lavishly photographed celebration of the beloved herb, written by an acclaimed lavender farmer and cooking instructor, is brimming over with inspiration and ideas for bringing the fragrance and flavor of lavender into daily life. The book profiles the most popular lavender varieties and their recommended uses, along with the history, lore, and traditional medicinal uses. More than 40 recipes showcase lavender in delicious dishes from the kitchen as well homemade craft and body products. Tips for success with lavender in the garden complete this perfect gift for every lavender lover.