Crafts and Decorative arts

A digital collage technique layers together virtual images into a new piece of art, ready for mixed-media and collage makers to use as an eye-opening element. Artist and teacher Wen Redmond shows how by sharing 42 of her main techniques (and many variations) here. • Makes incorporating digital techniques nonintimidating and exciting, thanks to Wen's engaging mantra of "The only limit is your imag

If you wish to do an expert caning job, all you need are three things—a few materials, a broken chair, and The Caner's Handbook. Authors Jim Widess and Bruce W. Miller explain restoration techniques that have been used for centuries, as well as new methods that make it especially easy to master this heritage craft for upcycling woven chairs. • Learn techniques of traditional caning,

Sharing the result of her years combing dusty attics, archives, brocantes, and antique shops for vintage handstitched items and rare needlework manuals, embroidery expert Véronique Maillard here offers the patterns used by French women in the 1800s and early 1900s to prepare their dowry chests or to customize their household linens. This is a genuine goldmine for stitchers: letters and mot

Venture into a beautiful world created by acclaimed artist and best-selling author of Happy Place Coloring Book, Car Pintos! This premium adult coloring book includes 95 intricate coloring patterns filled with flowers, botanicals, birds, butterflies, and more. Some of the designs feature beautiful hand-drawn mazes that will relax readers´ minds as they twist and turn their way through winding pat

The ultimate guide to today´s hottest craft trend! Readers will learn how to personalize their worlds with Sublimation Crafting! Join creative crafter, author, and sublimation expert Cori George as she demystifies this fast-growing art form and provides all the essentials needed to kick-start the sublimation journey. Readers will get an easy-to-understand overview of sublimation, learn about the

Infuse your world with color, personality, and pattern! Join artist, author, and professional stylist Lori Wenger as she expertly guides readers through two creative approaches to fabric stamping: foam stamping and block printing. Covering everything from pattern transfer to paint application to best stamping practices, no detail is overlooked. First, Lori teaches readers how to create modern s

Find the creative potential in every pile of old newspaper. Dorothea Schmidt teaches you the techniques for recycling and upcycling waste paper into household items that are not only practical and sustainable, but beautiful as well. Learn to use various sizes and lengths of rolls of newspaper, advertising flyers, brochures, and junk mail to create • large and small baskets • desk organ

Leather Braiding has stood for more than forty years as the definitive book in its field. Grant’s clearly written guide to the art of leather braiding contains detailed illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and a wealth of incidental, fascinating information. It makes accessible, to even the novice, serviceable and recreational uses of leather, from the simple but clever braided button to the

Whipmaking is the highest refinement of the art of leather braiding. This revised edition introduces another major category of whips—those made in the Mongol tradition. Braiding details are shown in an extensive selection of photographs that also serve to document the geographic distribution of the whips; their historic use and characteristics are explained in detailed captions. A new chapter desc

True Colors is about artists who create color from natural materials and about the historical importance and environmental sustainability of this practice. Deep conversations with 26 artisans from every part of the globe reveal their wisdom, traditions, and know-how—and suggest that we ignore what they know at our peril. Traditional approaches to making color offer sustainable options to a fashion

Tell your own stories and express your own spirit with thread.This stitchery spree through nature with master embroidery designer Juno gives you a new way to experience your embroidery: be open, be intentional, follow your own way, and then—like adding magic—watch your stories and ideas express themselves on your fabric. Juno encourages you to open your senses to embroider beyond the visual, and 2

A book of 25 floral sketches printed on lovely watercolor paper invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint. Each page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways. The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough

A book of 25 pattern sketches printed on lovely watercolor paper invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint. Each page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways. The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough

A book of 25 pattern sketches printed on lovely watercolor paper invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint. Each page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways. The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough

Discover magic! Join the vibrant, prismatic world of luminous alcohol inks. Mercurial, versatile, inexpensive, and wildly colorful, alcohol inks are one of the newest mediums to hit the art community. This essential guide for working with alcohol inks has been greatly expanded, with  new tips and techniques and more than 50 additional works from guest artists in an inspiring gallery. Discover how

Clear instructions and 148 photos welcome you to the subtle, fascinating world of Japanese calligraphy. Beginning with a summary of the art's history, this guide then helps you understand the two systems of script that Japanese uses together: kanji, the ideogram-like characters borrowed from the Chinese language; and kana, the purely phonetic characters. Next, you'll learn the correct way to use t

Clear instructions and 129 photos welcome you to the world of calligraphy. Starting with the pens, inks, and writing surfaces you'll need, the book explains the basics, from filling the pen to holding the nib at the right angle. Practice exercises help you understand upstrokes, downstrokes, the optical center, and more. Then comes a chronological introduction to 5 major styles of Western script, b

Learn how to curate, create, and gift one-of-a-kind napkin ring sets made from vintage brooches and costume jewelry, preferably from your very own jewelry box. TV personality Lisa Guerrero shares the story of how she created this original craft to honor her family's heritage and upcycle treasures found in her community. She shows how to “frame” these art pieces with the right napkins and tie the c

Create lovely new "once upon a time" keepsakes with these 44 cross-stitch patterns, blending the traditional style of France with a charming contemporary simplicity. The designs are eye-catchingly lovely with their subtle colors, gentle humor, and delicate lines. They're all here: wily foxes, big bad wolves, city mice and country mice . . . not to mention princesses, enchanted worlds, and fun rhym

Enter this deliciously vintage universe of 500 patterns and add a touch of nostalgia to your stitchwork. Re-create designs from 1800s and 1900s fashion houses and milliners’ catalogs. Take your cross stitch on a bon voyage into the past with traveling motifs like trunk labels of exotic destinations and railroad advertising posters. Other sections of patterns feature tea and coffee motifs, and dail