Carol Duvall Reviews Craft Books

Books, books, and more books. I continue to be amazed at the new craft products that appear on the scene each year, but the number of new craft books is almost as amazing. These are in addition to the hundreds of craft booklets that appear in your craft stores. Some of these are hard cover, some are soft cover, and some are soft-cover versions of what was out in hard cover last year. Some of these will appear in your craft store, but many will be found in your neighborhood bookstore.

Because there are such a number of books dealing with same subject--polymer clay, mosaics, bead making, etc.--I decided this time to concentrate on the books that deal with subjects we’ve not discussed at any great length before.

For example...the first book we showed today was one on knitting for your dog. In fact, that is the title: Dogs in Knits: 17 Projects For Our Best Friends. It sounded humorous, and some of the photos would certainly bring a smile to any dog lovers’ face, but the book was filled with information and illustrations on materials you would need as well as how to measure your dog. Then came the projects and the pictures! Every item of clothing mentioned included directions and a wonderful full-color photo of a dog wearing the outfit. Any dog lover/knitter should love this one.

The book titled Crafting Handmade Shoes was fascinating. Not only was it filled with a variety of foot coverings in a variety of materials, but some of the background information on footwear was fascinating. A new craft for you to try?

One would expect the book called Gorgeous Leather Crafts to also be filled with shoe patterns, but such is not the case. This book by our regular guest Kari Lee lived up to its title in many areas. There were directions for making lampshades, pillows, chair seats, desk sets, etc., along with ideas for rubber stamping and coloring your creations and, of course, information on punching and lacing. Again, background information along with illustrations and photographs for everything made it not only fascinating reading but wonderful to look at as well.

If you have gotten a little weary with the clip art books you already have or can find in your local art store or library, check out some of the more recent publications in your bookstore or craft store. Judy Balchin has a lovely book filled with art nouveau designs; Elaine Hill concentrated on Victorian designs. Search Press, publishers of both of these books, also has them on Celtic Art and Asian Designs as well as a number of others.

Whether it’s a brush you paint with or needle and thread, you might be interested in a wonderful book of designs that can be adapted to whatever your medium might be. Called Transfer Designs From Around the World, the book contains over 300 designs and images for those who want something other than florals. Every page is an iron-on that can be transferred to wood, paper, glass, etc.

A lovely book that is both entertaining and enlightening is Embracing Child Art by Barbara McGuire. The child art it contains is entertaining, and the copy that surrounds it is enlightening. The book helps explain not only the importance that his or her art usually has to a child, but what an important part it plays in his life...and what an important part your reaction to the art plays as well. Then, to make it a book that could legitimately be shown on our craft show, there are a number of craft projects in the back of the book using child art. These are projects that you can make for or with your child.

And just for fun and not just for children are two books with Halloween as their focal point. Creepy Crafty Halloween and Halloween Decorating are good books to have as staples if you are into this particular fun day.

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Resources
Dogs in Knits: 17 Projects for Our Best Friends
by Judith L. Swartz
Interweave Press, 2002
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Crafting Handmade Shoes: Great-Looking Shoes, Sandals, Slippers & Boots
by Sharon Raymond
Sterling Publications, 2002
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Art Nouveau Designs
by Judy Balchin
Search Press Ltd, 2002
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Victorian Designs
by Elaine Hill
Search Press Ltd, 2002
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Transfer Designs from Around the World
by Katia Feder, Huguette Kirby
Search Press Ltd, 1999
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Gorgeous Leather Crafts
by Kari Lee
Lark Books, 2002
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Embracing Child Art
by Barbara McGuire
Krause Publications, 2001
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Halloween Decorating
by The Editors of Creative Publishing international
Creative Publishing International, 1998
Order this title from Amazon.com.

Creepy, Crafty Halloween
by Dawn Anderson
Sheila Haynes Rauen - contributor.
Martingale & Co Inc., 2000
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Also in this Episode

Carol Duvall Show : Episode CDS-1406
•	3D Scrapbooking Box
•	Tissue Paper Tiles
•	Carol Duvall Reviews Craft Books