It features 25 practical projects for beadwork designs to make at home. The luxurious beauty of beadwork, featured in exquisite designs and practical projects. Complete step-by-step instructions for 25 original creations, including bead-wrapped earrings, a velvet pillow and a waterfall screen. Everything you need to know - from getting started to achieving excellence - with comprehensive guides to materials, equipment and techniques. It features the finest beadwork from today's leading designers and craft artists. It is the definitive contemporary approach to a timeless craft shown in over 300 specially commissioned photographs. "Beadwork" can lend a touch of class to everyday objects, from bead-embellished buttons and cushions or children's slippers to a flowered picture frame or sequin-covered Christmas decorations. This book is the ultimate guide to this rich and rewarding craft. The basic techniques section takes you through the essential skills you will need to embark on these easy-to-make, yet impressive projects. It includes instructions on stringing beads, making fringes and loops and threading a bead loom. Clear, step-by-step instructions take you through each of the 25 projects. Most of the basic equipment can be found in your sewing basket or around the home, but there is ample advice on choosing the best and most appropriate materials for each particular job. Trimmings for cushions, fringes and lampshades are also included. Further inspiration is provided in a gallery of the best in beadwork from contemporary artists, highlighting just what can be achieved with this exquisite craft.

Once seen, never forgotten: that's a Moss lamp! Plexiglas bodies, spun glass shades, and spinning figurines were radiantly combined to transform humdrum 1950s home decor into something extraordinary. Today, these marvels of modern design continue to spark the interest of collectors. This book offers the first-ever, in-depth look at the Moss company and its shining array of lighting products. It traces the Moss success story through exclusive interviews with family members and employees, 750 current and vintage product photos, and never-before-seen materials from the Moss archives. Also included are a product index, price guide, and detailed information on the many collectible figurines that graced Moss lamps, from such noted design houses as Ceramic Arts Studio, deLee Art, Hedi Schoop, and Lefton. An illuminating and lighthearted look at the lamps, it's ideal for anyone attracted to the fresh, fun side of brilliant '50s design!

Vic Tesolin's Projects from the Minimailist Woodworker teaches the basics of furniture making using step-by-step photos detailing the process of building handsome projects any woodworker will be proud to create. A follow-up to Vic's much-lauded first book, The Minimalist Woodworker, this book is a celebration of the small tool set needed to create beautiful work and and expansion of the techniques and skills learned in that first book. Like a seasoned woodworker lending a helping hand in the workshop, Vic Tesolin, aka "The Minimalist Woodworker," is a master at demystifying the craft of woodworking so that anyone with any skill level can dive in and do good work. With Projects from the Minimalist Woodworker and even a modest toolset, anyone can develop their skill and enjoy unlimited hours in their shop. You'll learn to build a variely to pieces including a handsome dovetailed box, a wall cabinet, a storage chest, and handy shop projects like a handplane and a marking knife.

"The style you want--at the price you want to pay!" From 1930 to 1942, such advertising slogans drew cash-strapped Depression consumers to the Chase Brass & Copper Co.'s attractive array of lamps and lighting fixtures. Heralded as "brilliant in style and authentic in design," the Chase line presented a new concept in brightening the American home, as designed by modern industrial pioneers, including Lurelle Guild, Walter Von Nessen, the Gerths, and Harry Laylon. Chromium, brass, and copper fixtures appear in hundreds of current, catalog, and historic photographs (many in color), vintage advertising, a complete cross-reference listing, price guide, and index. Admirers of twentieth-century decorative arts will enjoy this in-depth look at "lights that give lasting satisfaction."

This unusual and interesting book is a fascinating account of the world of Chinese writing. It examines Chinese space and the political and social use of writing as propaganda, a publicity booster and as a ladder for social climbing.

Bringing the existence and significance of the lost riches of Henry VIII back to life, this book sheds new light on Henrician and Tudor court culture. Henry VIII amassed the most spectacular collection of gold and silver of any British monarch. Plate and jewels were hugely prominent in medieval and Renaissance courts and played an essential role in dynastic marriages and diplomacy as well as in cementing the bonds between king and court. Ranging from plain domestic wares to extraordinary bejewelled works of art, Henry's collection embraced virtuoso continental objects as well as vast quantities of plate commissioned from London goldsmiths or inherited from his father. But nearly all of these holdings were destroyed over the following century, and of the thousands that he owned no more than a handful have survived to modern times. This book makes use of the wealth of surviving documentation - inventories, drawings, lists of payments, dispatches by foreign ambassadors and other records - to explore this lost collection and the light it sheds on the monarchy. Starting with an assessment of the young king's inheritance from his father, the book considers the role of plate at state banquets, in great church services and in the regular exchange of gifts between courtiers and ambassadors; the role of plate and jewels as a potent symbol of power; how the king used confiscation as an instrument of humiliation of those who fell from grace, including Cardinal Wolsey and Katherine of Aragon; and how Henry's avaricious seizure of church plate towards the end of his life throws light on his changing character. While the focus is on plate and goldsmiths' work, the context ranges from court ceremonial to rivalry between princes, the role of the church, the vulnerability of persons and institutions with covetable assets, and relations between the king and his own family. Bringing the existence and significance of these lost riches back to life, the book sheds new light on Henrician and Tudor court culture.

Making more from less is today's trend in crafting, and renowned craft instructor Miriam Joy reveals the amazing design boost you can give your projects by using crayons as an economical source of wax. Try the 15 basic wax designs taught here, from circles to waves to flowers, and then combine them with your own creativity to turn your crafts-or everyday objects from the thrift shop or dollar store-into colorful and eye-catching works of art. The book covers the basic materials needed, the techniques, and the many types of surfaces to which wax can be applied, from wood to glass to felt. Then 11 "starter" projects help you discover the unlimited things you can transform with wax decorating, from a simple tile magnet to more advanced projects like a masquerade party mask, wall art, and a transformed old guitar. Bonus video links help you learn even more.

The art of handcrafted metal clay jewellery is a fun and accessible way to create a range of stunning pieces from the comfort of your home. In this comprehensive guide, there are 30 main projects, each with extra projects to complete a set or to complement the main design, plus there is a wealth of advice on tools, materials and techniques, making it the perfect book for beginners. Step-by-step instructions, clear step photography and handy tips throughout will ensure confidence grows until you're happy to make alterations to suit, or to design your own masterpiece from scratch!

Upland Game Bird Carving displays all the talent and creativity of Rosalyn Daisey and makes it available to other carvers. In easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and illustrations, the reader will be able to learn the methods of creating these fine and beautiful sculptures. Beginning with accurately detailed plans, the techniques of carving, texturing, painting and mounting are explained with exquisite photographs and drawings. The book includes five carving projects. The male mourning dove is a particularly fun project, not only because the bird has opened wings but also because it is lighted from within the branch of the piece. Its base is a sculpted shadow of the bird in flight. A perched dove, a female, is one of Rosalyn's favorites because of the elegance of the dove itself. The complexity of the female woodcock project is balanced with the simplistic cuteness of the chick project. And the challenging bobwhite quail is intriguing because of its interesting feather patterns. The illustrations, carving directions and explanations, and the photographs are five conclusive seminars in tangible form. The complete instructions will lead the reader through all five Upland Game Bird Carving projects.

Wearable fiber art, whether in garment or jewelry form, is unique in that the human body breathes life, shape, and movement into the pieces. Be it a felted brooch or a dress made of book pages, wearable fiber art can provide personal expression unavailable from the world of mass production. In this volume of the acclaimed three-book series, comments from the makers, who discuss creating pieces that the wearer influences, are accompanied by more than 300 photos. Susan Taber Avila offers insights to what wearable art means and how fibers play into that combination. Margery Goldberg discusses the term in relation to jewelry. The hundreds of creations here, bridging art, design, craft, and fashion, show how fiber art that relates to the human body is in a class of its own.

Here's a little treat out of the attic. This may be today's penultimate guide for researching and pricing popular chairs from the past. This guide has hundreds of detailed illustrations of American wooden chairs ranging from golden oak to the Viennese-style bentwood. These chairs that furnished the nation's best-dressed homes at the turn of the century. An actual reprint of the detailed catalogue of the Phoenix Chair Company, each page is a careful reproduction of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, company's own 1907-1908 list of wares for dealers. This time, however, it has current values for these treasured antiques. There is no more-authoritative guide to the chairs produced by this company, which helped set the styles that furnished a nation.

This compact handbook shows the many bits available for electric-powered carving tools and how to use each properly for a wide variety of effects. The techniques for wildfowl texturing are shown through many photographs and can be used by wood sculptors for all types of art.

Finally, alarm wristwatches are recognized for their mechanical ingenuity and the beauty of their design. This new book traces the development of mechanical wristwatches with an acoustic alarm function, one of the first wristwatch complications, and gives detailed information for collectors. Hundreds of watches are examined in 535 color images. In addition to the external design of the watch, special attention is paid to the movements and how their creators solved the multitude of challenges that confronted them. Michael Philip Horlbeck, a scholar and collector of alarm wristwatches, has written the standard work, a complete history of the alarm wristwatch. Nearly every model ever produced is chronicled, in words and pictures. The international array of companies include Eterna, Omega, Bruguet, Bulova, Citizen, Corum, Cyma, Jaeger-Le Coultre, Lemania, Pierce, Poljot, Ronda, Seiko, Venus, Vulcain, and Wittnauer, and many more. The technical data for each watch is recorded. This is required reading for all wristwatch fans and all who may become such. Whether you are interested in the design or the mechanics of these watches, you will not be disappointed.

This is a pioneering study of bookends. Through 600 color photographs, bookends are displayed from their beginnings in 19th-century Europe, through their development in 20th-century America. Bookends are practical sculpture, and therefore reflect many of the artistic movements of their day; Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, International, folk art and traditional styles are covered here in depth. Bookends made of metal, wood, glass, and ceramics are shown, including a selection by Roycroft, Bradley & Hubbard, Roseville, and Rookwood. Information is provided about the sculptors who designed bookends, and about the foundries that produced their work. Promotional bookends made for advertising purposes are shown, as are handicraft and folk art pieces made by book lovers throughout the century. The bookends are indexed according to subject and manufacturer for easy reference. A current market price is provided for each design.

The traditional art of Illumination - the creation of elaborate, decorated letters and initials - is now attracting new enthusiasts. It reached its apogee in the monasteries of medieval Europe and was practised with great skill and artistry. Embellished with gold leaf, the illuminated letters of those early scribes seemed to reflect light, as though they were indeed 'illuminated'. Illuminated Letters presents step-by-step instructions for recreating illuminated alphabets from six historical periods, including Celtic, Gothic and Romanesque. Diagrams for upper- and lower-case letters are accompanied by ideas for borders and decorations, and full instructions for gilding. Each section also explores ways in which the illuminated letters can be adapted to create a truly personal style, while a gallery of modern examples will inspire further creativity.

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)

Metalworking is generally regarded as a skill that takes years of dedication, requires a large studio space, and costs a lot of money. Fortunately, Simple Soldering proves that does not need to be the case. This handy how-to guide is complete in its exploration of the craft of creating soldered metal jewelry, including tools, techniques, and 20 beautiful projects that beginners and enthusiasts can make at home. Author and teacher Kate Richbourg demystifies basic soldering for any home crafter, showing how to create sophisticated, polished, and professional-looking jewelry pieces through simple soldering techniques. First, she instructs how to set up a jewelry workspace that fits the confines of your budget and living space. Detailed step-by-step instructions walk you through the basic tools and materials you need, plus how to use them. A sample chapter gives a host of introductory exercises that teach solid skills, allowing you to test these techniques on a small scale. Finally, you'll discover 20 finished projects that include earrings, pendants, rings, bracelets, and clasps that may also include bead or wire embellishment. Kate also demonstrates how to combine and layer techniques to gorgeous effect. She also examines common mistakes, shows how to correct or adapt them, and gives advice on when it's time to start over. Most of all, having taught thousands of classes on soldering, Kate has a "you can do it!" attitude that shines through to help even the most reluctant jewelry maker fire up the torch with ease. Paired with an instructional DVD, Kate's expert teaching skills will help projects come alive, right in your own studio. With Simple Soldering, the art of metal working one-of-a-kind jewelry is now at your fingertips.

In this compelling book Nigel Saul opens up the world of medieval gentry families, using the magnificent brasses and monuments of the Cobham family as a window on to the social and religious culture of the middle ages.

Featuring expert tips and tricks to achieving beautiful results every time, see for yourself the limitless possibilities of making one-of-a-kind jewelry! Award-winning jewelry designer and author of Making WOW Jewelry, Gay Isber brings you this comprehensive guide to everything beginning jewelry makers need to know about working with resin and epoxy clay. You'll learn how to colorize resin using micro powders, make a mold, use gold leaf, embed objects in epoxy clay, and much more. With over 10 step-by-step lessons and DIY jewelry projects to teach you how to properly use resin and epoxy clay in order to make jewelry - from necklaces and bracelets to earrings and rings - this fun, hands-on guide is perfect to start a new and exciting hobby in the colorful world of jewelry making!

This stunning new book showcases fantastic costume jewelry from 53 top designers of the 20th century. Examples from Christian Dior, Miriam Haskell, Kenneth Jay Lane, Elsa Schiaparelli, Stanley Hagler, Trifari, Vendome, and may others are shown in profusion. 360 luscious color photographs display exquisite examples of each designers' best work. Masterpieces abound, including many rare examples. The authors illustrate ways to enjoy these pieces today, with candid photography of friends adorned for casual occasions. Delightful stories are shared of memories associated with their passion for jewelry over the years. This remarkable exhibition displays costume jewelry as absolutely beautiful works of art. Sit back with this eye candy, relax with the fairytale spirit it projects, and enjoy the romance. Let the passion roll!

Get started with simple, useful, handcrafted woodworking projects for everyday people-with only 12 basic tools! Lots of people want to try woodwork, but they get intimidated by dangerous power tools and difficult techniques. Good news: there are lots of ways to work with wood and anyone can get a few tools and start making projects. Everyday Woodworking starts at the very beginning-with wood. How can this common material make everything from furniture to houses? What makes it so strong? Why does it break? More importantly, what can you do to a piece of wood? Sometimes we cut it with a saw. Other times, we split it with an ax or shave it with a knife. This book explains why we choose each tool and how to pick the right cut for any project. As Rex likes to say: "Trust me, it's not hard." Once you get a few tools and learn some simple techniques, you'll start making things right away. You'll begin with a simple mallet and some wooden wedges and then advance to splitting green logs into usable lumber. Next you'll pick up a knife and a drill and after just a little practice, you'll be making things you can give to your friends; things they'll actually use: A wooden butter knife A desk organizer A few pieces of sturdy furniture Sawhorses A small workbench Each project is shown step-by-step with the beginner in mind. The projects are simple but not primitive. Everyday Woodworking will give you skills that you can build on as you grow as a craftsperson.

Hundreds of stunning color photos display the wearable artwork produced by today's top art jewelers, including one-of-a-kind necklaces, brooches, bracelets, rings, and earrings in gold, silver, mixed metals, glass, enamel work, found objects, and more. Here is sculpture made small and designed to adorn the body and draw the eye, created by artists who have committed their lives to their work. The text introduces artists from around the globe. This book is the second in a series pioneered by the late Dona Meilach and provides readers familiar with her work with a new look at some of the artists they have come to know as well as an introduction to artists not previously known. This is a valuable guide to today's art jewelry, for buyers and artists alike.

This title features 25 step-by-step practical ideas for hand-crafted tinwork projects. The beauty of tinwork is celebrated in inspirational and practical projects. It offers step-by-step instructions for 25 original projects, including a photograph frame, Christmas decorations and an ornate spice rack. It offers comprehensive guidance with expert technical instruction at every stage. It shows examples in a gallery of the finest tinwork from contemporary craft artists, representing the varied styles that can be achieved with this exciting craft. It features over 250 specially commissioned photographs. An expert introduction covers techniques, materials and all the equipment you will need. The appeal of tin lies as much in its usefulness and practical applications as in its subtle tone and malleability. This book fully explores the different techniques used today, through 25 traditional and contemporary tinwork projects, all shown in step-by-step photographs. Among the projects are delicate decorative pieces, such as ornate incense holders and an embellished picture frame, and utilitarian objects such as a lunch box made out of tin cans and an oil-drum barbecue. The section on basic techniques covers cutting tin, decorative techniques such as punching, embossing and soldering, and choosing the best materials for the job. A gallery of work by contemporary designers provides further inspiration, and represents the varied styles that can be achieved using this exciting craft. Illustrated with over 250 photographs, the book provides comprehensive instruction for newcomers to the craft, and will inspire the more experienced to experiment and develop the full potential of the medium.

A complete guide for the metalwork novice, this book provides thorough and detailed overviews on a variety of blacksmithing tools, techniques, and projects. Expert instructions lead you through every stage of each project and show you how to make your own forge as well as how to build, maintain, and use a suitable fire. Including sections on safety, taking heats, finishes, cutting steel and buying a forge, this book is the ultimate resource for anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of metalwork.