'This book is a chance to slow down and find stillness. Self-care in the most beautiful, creative ways.' - Fearne Cotton Fifty imaginative ideas for crafts that encourage a sense of joy and mindfulness. Includes a foreword by Melissa Hemsley. The Joy Journal For Grown-ups invites you to experiment, play and unlock your creative potential with a range of simple crafts that can bring a little more calm into your everyday life. Using store-cupboard ingredients and easily foraged supplies, this beautifully illustrated handbook includes new and inspiring ideas for adding a personal touch to celebrations, creating unique gifts, and making stunning keepsakes. Whether you are a beginner or confident crafter, bestselling author Laura Brand gently guides you through a host of delightful projects including beautiful flower-pressed candles, scented body butter, and origami hearts. She invites you to carve out 'me time' and enjoy shared creative experiences with friends that can help us to feel more connected and harness the freedom of play from childhood. Imaginative, engaging and easy to follow, this gorgeous, step-by-step guide features all the encouragement you need to find inspiration, awaken your creativity and brighten your mood.

The creative duo Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912-1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband and wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses' work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics. The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple's contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture. From the couple's earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and its revolutionary impact on middle-class American living. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture series features: an introduction to the life and work of the architect the major works in chronological order information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)

Friendship knows no bounds, and now that the internet has connected us with a host of on-line friends, the desire for trading and sharing tokens such as friendship bracelets has become more popular than ever. Learn over two dozen braiding techniques and how to use the popular braiding wheel in this easy book.

Written by a leading authority on the subject of patination, this book is an inspirational resource, a how-to guide, and a book that jewelers have long been waiting for. It is neatly organized by metal for ease of access and then arranged by colour and other variables such as application method. All recipes are illustrated so you can clearly see the effect you're going to get, and step-by-step sequences walk the beginner through the processes. There are scores of possible effects and many variables: Matthew Runfola chooses the most beautiful and arresting, and selects for inclusion pieces by a range of leading artisans, working on exquisite pieces of jewelry, both large and small. All artists will draw inspiration from the range of work shown here.

An artist’s record of the homes of 89 leading creatives from interior designers to ceramicists, antiques dealers, florists and chefs. SJ Axelby brings new life to interior portraiture, capturing in paint the favourite rooms of 89 leading creatives from interior designers to ceramicists and antiques dealers (and florists and chefs). A sumptuously illustrated record of a home or special project, each interior portrait is accompanied by a charming and quirky interview with the owner, in which we discover invaluable nuggets of design advice, cocktail choice, life hacks and so much more – all illustrated in watercolour by SJ. There is a long tradition of painting rooms to provide a record of grand homes, giving a glimpse into the life and times of previous generations. Today there is a resurgence of interest in our living spaces, but there is no book in the tradition of illustrated room portraiture to inspire you. SJ Axelby's Interior Portraits will take you into multiple unique and colourful homes, seen through the artist’s eye. Creating an authentic and characterful scheme is much like the composition of a painting: the shape, form, contrast, colour, pattern and texture all need to work in harmony. This pictorial guide includes not only Sarah-Jane’s original watercolours but scrapbook pages annotated with design wisdom from each room’s owners, which will enthuse and empower the reader to try new ideas in their own homes. It’s a creative who’s who of the international design world featuring mouth-watering compositions bursting with colour and pattern and displaying the true joy of a home that reflects its owner’s personality. With a foreword by Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels. Just a few of the creatives featured: Alexandra Tolstoy Alice Stori Liechtenstein Anna Spiro Ashley Hicks Ben Pentreath & Charlie McCormick Cath Kidston Padgham Erica Davies Flora Soames Henry Holland Kit Kemp Lucinda Chambers Lulu Lytle Luke Edward Hall & Duncan Campbell Matilda Goad Penny Morrison Robert Kime Skye McAlpine Sophie Conran

The bead played a vital role in Pueblo Indian jewelry design, and its influence continues today in modernist American design. In these pages, featuring more than 250 breathtaking photos, renowned expert Baxter integrates her decades of research with updated findings. Beads were made in the prehistoric American Southwest by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians, and survived into the historic era. Bead jewelry creations in shell, stone, and silver are important in the Native American jewelry marketplace. This book revisits some leading misconceptions about Pueblo jewelry-making in the existing literature. A survey of modern Pueblo jewelry innovation confirms that its design is second to none, and discusses how Pueblo design meshed with American mid-century modernist expression. Today's Pueblo jewelers, also featured here, continue to offer invention and originality.

A complete guide to identifying, buying, using and caring for a dazzling array of jewels. A complete reference for goldsmiths, collectors, and jewellery makers, this beautiful book is a comprehensive guide to identifying, buying, using and caring for a dazzling array of jewels and gems. The book includes practical advice on how to assess the quality, rarity, grade, durability, and cut of precious and semi-precious stones, and allows you to discover the origins of gemstones and understand the process of selecting the raw material. Learn how gems are calibrated, using the industry standard measurements of carats and points, and how they can be treated to improve both colour and clarity - a handy glossary contains all of the key terminology you need to know. Thanks to colourful illustrations and photographs, you can identify which gemstones are suitable for jewellery-making, from amethysts and diamonds to tourmaline and quartz, and learn how they can be used in different designs and settings.

This practical guide is perfect for those looking to try this ancient art form for the first time! In this book, Japanese master artist Shozo Koike reveals the simple secrets of Sumi-e, offering step-by-step instructions with clear photographs and online video tutorials showing you how to paint 19 traditional subjects. Sumi-e is the meditative Japanese form of ink painting taught by Zen Buddhist monks to encourage mindfulness and an awareness of our surroundings. It uses only ink, water, a brush and paper to capture natural objects and landscapes in a vivid, spontaneous fashion. Koike begins with the basics--what to buy and how to prepare the ink in a traditional inkstone. Next, he shows you how to practice the 11 basic brushstrokes used for all Sumi-e paintings. The 19 traditional subjects taught in this book include: Flowers like orchids, chrysanthemums, camellias, roses and peonies Plants and fruits including bamboo, eggplants, grapes and chestnuts Animal figures including small birds, butterflies, chicks, crabs and goldfish Koike also explains the philosophy of Sumi-e, which emerges from the use of negative white space to enhance the painted forms. Readers will enter into a world not just of black and white, but of infinite shades of gray which are capable of evoking all the sensations of color using these techniques.

Fashionable, fun and downright addictive to make, these DIY crochet jewellery accessories rock! This kit contains 2 crochet hooks, 3 colours of crochet thread, a yarn needle, and a book of step-by-step instructions and full-colour photographs that show you how to create 5 pretty jewellery designs: A Bobble Necklace, Colorful Cuff Bracelet, Lacy Metallic Ring, Chic Chevron Necklace and "Diamond" Earrings. Stitch them for yourself or as gifts for your friends, but whatever you do, plan on having fun with Crochet Jewelry.

This fabulous new book from the editor of Making Jewellery magazine is the ideal resource for jewellery makers keen to learn the intricacies of creating wedding jewellery. From elegant earrings to eye-catching headpieces, along with necklaces, bracelets and brooches galore, there are plenty of imaginative and stylish pieces to complement any bridal outfit. The book is divided into five inspirational collections in a range of captivating styles: Classic, Vintage, Lace, Nature and Floral, with six pieces of jewellery in each one. Each chapter also features at least one special technique which is unique to that particular collection. Although some jewellery-making knowledge is assumed, all the basic techniques are covered in a separate section. There is also a discussion of the tools and materials required, so the book is suitable for beginners as well as experienced makers. Every bride should feel like a princess on the big day and with the help of Sian Hamilton's gorgeous jewellery she'll look like one, too.

When first published in 1987, "The Art of Turned Bowls" was a work ahead of its time. Now, considering the resurgence in popularity of this woodworking genre, the book is perfectly poised for rediscovery. Retooled with fresh full-color photographs of contemporary bowls featuring the work of award-winning turners from around the world, Richard Raffan's classic has been totally updated to meet the demands of today's turner. With a unique talent for making even the most abstract ideas accessible, the world's most admired turning teacher offers an invaluable wealth of design advice. Practical, informative, and undeniably inspiring, this new edition also expands its exploration of form and developing profiles. Along with a good lathe and a reliable set of tools, "The Art of Turned Bowls "belongs in the shop of every serious bowl turner.

For woodturners at an advanced level, this book offers skills, projects, and inspiration. The 10 turning techniques here allow experts to expand their skills and also learn tips that make for better projects. Step-by-step instructions and a wealth of appealing and informative photographs give precise guidance for mastering each technique. Next, 18 projects are presented with complete photo instructions. Designed by the author and five expert colleagues, these projects also offer useful tool-fabrication and chucking solutions, and include contemporary as well as traditional and artistic turned objects. A gallery section features objects designed by today's top woodturners, and provides additional inspiration for the technical and design aspects of your own projects.

The Why and How of Woodworking reflects the growing appreciation for the handmade, a movement toward simplifying and uncluttering. There is a growing understanding of the need to fill our lives with meaningful and useful objects. How can woodworkers answer that call? Mike Pekovich explains how to make work that is worth the time and effort it takes to make it, work that makes a difference, and work that will add to the quality of our lives. Explains the basics of woodworking, from choosing lumber with care, cutting joinery accurately, and preparing and finishing the surfaces. A simple approach to building boxes and furniture that are built to last. Includes information on designing and building cabinets, boxes, chests, casework, and tables.

William Morris's interests were wide-ranging: he was a poet, writer, political and social activist, conservationist and businessman, as well as a brilliant and original designer and manufacturer. This book explores the balance between Morris's various spheres of activity and influence, places his art in the context of its time and explores his ongoing and far-reaching legacy. A pioneer of the Arts & Crafts Movement, William Morris (1834-1896) is one of the most influential designers of all time. Morris turned the tide of Victorian England against an increasingly industrialized manufacturing process towards a rediscovered respect for the skill of the maker. Morris's whole approach still resonates today, and his designs are popular and much admired. Published to mark the 125th anniversary of Morris's death, this book includes contributions from a wide range of Morris experts, with chapters on painting, church decoration and stained glass, interior decoration, furniture, tiles and tableware, wallpaper, textiles, calligraphy and publishing. Additional materials include a contextualized chronology of Morris's life and a list of public collections around the world where examples of Morris's work may be seen today. This study is a comprehensive, fully illustrated exploration of a great thinker and artist, and essential reading for anyone interested in the history of design. With 668 illustrations in colour

From the Preface When I first went to Africa in the 1960s, I was bowled over by African art. What really got under my skin were the bangles, principally the bronze bangles from West and Central Africa. They were tactile, weighty and full of design and form. Later, when I lived in Ghana and Togo, I built up my own collection of bangles. In recent years this collection was seen by past and present curators of the British Museum and I was encouraged to work up the expertise to comment on and possibly help classify the Museum's collection of African bangles. They recognised that they have thousands of these bangles lying mostly untouched and unloved because they could not be given a story, a context, a meaning. They were so enthusiastic and helpful that I secured introductions to many major museums around the world, to study their substantial and interesting collections. Museums in Europe and on the East and West Coasts of the United States gave me access to the rich material they had accumulated. I had the rare privilege of spending days in their storerooms in the course of which I could see and compare many thousands of bangles. The curators who accompanied me in the inspection of their bangles were aware that these beautiful artefacts had lain undisturbed because they could not be explained or set in a wider context. The bangles were attractive but seldom came with a meaningful provenance. To their great credit, these highly-qualified specialists would listen enthusiastically as my wife and I noted bangles which we had encountered elsewhere. Seeing all these bangles and thus, over time, gradually building up a picture of their types, uses and probable areas of origin, I began to realise that I was looking at a decorative culture which was self-generated, wholly unlike the decorative cultures of the rest of the world. It was unique. Astonishingly, it was to be found in almost every inhabited part of the vast semi-continental area of sub-Saharan Africa. Gold and silver were of little consequence. Copper was their "precious metal". The style - instantly recognisable - was chunky, solid, weighty. Rarity was not a concern; the Eurasians' "precious stones" were unknown. Rings had no great meaning. It was bangles that were the standard means of conveying status, attraction and readiness for marriage. Most importantly, as I read the stories of explorers and the later accounts of African life in the 19th and 20th centuries while I worked through the museums' storerooms, it became clear to me, that for centuries, the bangle had been the one and only defining material culture shared by all Africans south of the Sahara. At last, an overall picture was emerging and there was now a chance of describing it before it was too late. The bangle culture that had unified Africans, through which and in which they had lived much of their lives, was fading fast. In their heartland of West and Central Africa the tactile bronze bangles that everyone wore in the 19th century - and which I saw occasionally in northern Ghana in the 1980s - were now encountered more in museums than on the bodies of inhabitants of those regions. This book will follow the art-historical practice of using "bronze" to describe all forms of copper alloys, including brass, when the composition is not directly relevant and retain "copper" for occasions when the pure metal is being discussed. "Bangle" will be used as the generic term for all forms of jewellery applied to the human body. This bangle culture is still an unselfconscious part of daily life in a few isolated African tribes and used quite naturally to send messages. But, in a few decades, this bangle culture will survive only in less traditional forms and only in limited areas in East and Southern Africa. At its height, it was an admirable system of great importance to social intercourse, replete with significance, great beauty and craftsmanship. It deserves to be recorded and I will try to do this in this book. I will set out why this bangle culture was so different from anything else in the world; the skill with which the bangles were made; and how the bangle culture spread throughout all Africa south of the Sahara; I will have to admit that the industrial world and its products have led to the Eurasian hierarchy of gold and silver overtaking bronze in Africa and, indeed, eliminating it as a "precious metal". But I will end on a note of hope, that there are indications that the sense of solidity of form and the respect for copper that was evident in classical African bangles may still live on among African Americans.

Many of the most beautiful costume jewelry pieces made since the 1940s are presented with full color photographs. In chapters arranged chronologically, the jewelry reflects the changing retail market and manufacturing changes in materials, techniques, and colors. An introduction was written by Lawrence Feldman of Fior in London. The effects of popular heroes and competition are seen to have shaped the costume jewelry industry.\nThe jewelry of such well-known manufacturers as Boucher, Coro, Christian Dior, Grosse, Jomaz, Kramer of New York, Mitchell Maer, Trifari, and many others are displayed with newly revised prices.\nThe book portrays the affordable opulence and sheer beauty of costume jewelry.

Georgian Dublin is synonymous with a period of unprecedented expansion in the market for luxury goods. At a time when new commodities, novel technologies and fashionable imports seduced elite society, silver enjoyed an established association with gentility and prestige. Earlier studies have focused predominantly on the issue of style. This book considers the demand for silver goods in Georgian Ireland from the perspectives of makers, retailers and consumers. It discusses the practical and symbolic uses of silverware, interpreted through contemporary guild accounts, inventories, trade ephemera and culinary manuscripts. For the first time the activities of Dublin's goldsmiths and their customers are considered in the context of the British Isles, acknowledging Dublin's 'second city' status in relation to London. How did the availability of new products like English porcelain and Sheffield Plate affect the demand for silver in Dublin, and how did silver imports from London affect the Dublin trade? To what extent do the practices of Dublin goldsmiths mirror their North American counterparts seeking to infer associations with the fashionable metropolis of London? Drawing on an extensive range of documentary and object evidence this wide-ranging analysis considers the context in which silver goods were made, used, valued and displayed in Georgian Ireland.

This book features seven unique hollow-form projects, presented in order of difficulty. It includes all the practical knowledge needed to get started; comprehensive chapters on tools, equipment and understanding wood. Form templates are included for people to scan, cut out and use on their own projects. For thousands of years mankind has created hollow forms to store either everyday objects or things of value - but functional objects can also be beautiful in their own right. This comprehensive book will guide the beginner through everything they need to know to get started with turning their own hollow forms. You will learn how to work with different types of wood, which tools to use and how to apply basic techniques with confidence. You can learn the basic principles of form, proportion and design and how to apply this knowledge to your own work. Seven striking projects are set out in a clear step-by-step format and progress in difficulty.