Decoupage (from the French, decoupe, meaning to cut out) entails gluing cut-out pictures to an object and covering with varnish. It's a fun and easy way to decorate just about anything, from small household items to large pieces of furniture. Find out just how simple it is to personalize your favorite things with these twelve gorgeous projects, suitable for beginners and also as a source of inspiration for those who have already got some experience with this lovely craft.

Discover the common treatments and imitations plus gemstone properties, sources and typical cuts of stones, including a guide on appraisal techniques.

Jewellers and designer goldsmiths, lapidaries and gem cutters, stone setters, gemologists, geologists, collectors and people who buy and sell jewellery at antique fairs and on the internet, this book is for anyone who has ever had a gemstone and wanted identification and information. Featuring a mix of gemstones and gem-set jewellery, it puts gems in context and contains historical context for those buying and selling antique and vintage gem-set jewellery, including details of the stones typically found in Georgian, Victorian, early 20th century settings.

Packed with fascinating gemological details and up-to-minute data on more than 70 of the most exquisite gemstones, and written by leading expert, Judith Crowe, learn the common pitfalls in identifying stones and clarify areas of confusion and misidentification.

The Herman Miller Furniture Company was devoted to manufacturing period reproduction furniture until pioneer industrial designer Gilbert Rohde walked into their Grand Rapids showroom in 1930. A devout modernist, Rohde convinced D. J. De Pree to focus on modern furniture throughout the 1930s, and to produce exclusively modern furniture by the time Rohde died in 1944. This exact reprint of the 1940 product catalog and supplement from the Herman Miller Archives is an historic document showing hundreds of Art Deco and other classic modern furniture designs, all by Rohde. His use of exotic veneers, tubular steel, bentwood, and plastics was innovative and important in the evolution of modernism. His revolutionary modular seating and cabinets laid the foundation for mid-century design. More than 160 new items were added to the line in the short span of a year, and this catalog will complement rather than repeat the equally important 1939 catalog. With a current price guide, it will be an invaluable tool for the researcher, collector, dealer, and museum curator.

Little magazines made modernism happen. These pioneering enterprises were typically founded by individuals or small groups intent on publishing the experimental works or radical opinions of untried, unpopular, or underrepresented writers. Recently, little magazines have re-emerged as an important critical tool for examining the local and material conditions that shaped modernism. This volume reflects the diversity of Anglo-American modernism, with essays on avant-garde, literary, political, regional, and African American little magazines. It also presents a diversity of approaches to these magazines: discussions of material practices and relations; analyses of the relationship between little magazines and popular or elite audiences; examinations of correspondences between texts and images; feminist modifications of the traditional canon or histories; and reflections on the emerging field of periodical studies. All emphasize the primacy and materiality of little magazines. With a preface by Mark Morrisson, an afterword by Robert Scholes, and an extensive bibliography of little magazine resources, the collection serves both as an introduction to little magazines and a reconsideration of their integral role in the development of modernism.

A global history of self-taught artists advocating for a nuanced understanding of modern and contemporary art often challenged by the establishment When the art world has paid attention to makers from outside the cultural establishment, including so-called outsider and self-taught artists, it has generally been within limiting categories. Yet these artists, including many women, people with disabilities, and people of color, have had a transformative effect on the history of modern art. Responding to growing interest in these artists, this book offers a nuanced history of their work and how it has been understood from the early twentieth century to the present day. Nonconformers includes work by Henry Darger, Hilma af Klint, and Bill Traylor alongside that of many other artists who deserve widespread recognition. The book reviews how self-taught artists influenced key movements of twentieth-century art and highlights the voices of contemporary practitioners, offering new interviews with William Scott, Mamadou Cisse, and George Widener. An international group of contributors addresses topics such as the development of the Black Folk Art movement in America and l'Art Brut in France, the creative process of self-taught artists working outside of traditional studios, and the themes of figuration, landscape, and abstraction. Global in scope and with chronological breadth, this alternative narrative is an essential introduction to the genre long known as "Outsider Art."

A bold reassessment of nineteenth-century British painter and decorative artist Edward Burne-Jones, elucidating his fundamentally radical defiance of the Victorian age Challenging the dominant characterization of Edward Burne-Jones as an escapist who withdrew from the modern world into imaginary realms of his own creation, this groundbreaking book argues that he was engaged in a fundamentally radical defiance of the age, protesting against imperial aggression, capitalist economic inequality, and environmental destruction in the wake of the industrial revolution. Harnessing the utopian power of embodied aesthetic encounters, Burne-Jones drew inspiration from the medieval concept of dreams as visionary states of transformation. Therefore, his art functioned not as a retreat, but as a vehicle for revolutionary awakening. Often characterized as a painter, this book re-centers Burne-Jones's practice in the decorative arts, demonstrating that he consistently interrogated the boundaries of artistic media, in keeping with wider debates over the role of the arts in the nineteenth century. The first scholarly monograph solely devoted to Burne-Jones since 1973, The Radical Vision of Edward Burne-Jones offers a thorough re-examination of his work, illuminating his radical defiance of the artistic, social, and political hierarchies of nineteenth-century Britain. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

For at least 150 years, Thomas Chippendale has been synonymous with beautifully made eighteenth-century furniture in a variety of styles - Rococo, Chinese, Gothic and Neoclassical. Born in Otley, Yorkshire, in 1718, Chippendale rose to fame because of his revolutionary design book, The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director, published in 1754. That same year he set up his famous workshops in St Martin's Lane, creating some of the most magnificent furniture ever made in Britain. This beautifully illustrated history focuses on Britain's most famous furniture maker and designer, including the worldwide phenomenon 'Chippendale style' that became popular in Europe, North America and Asia after his death in 1779. Today, his influence lives on with the ongoing production of 'Chippendale' furniture, while the eighteenth-century originals are selling for millions at auction.

This book contains papers by archaeologists and numismatists from six countries concerned with different aspects of how silver was used in both Scandinavia and the wider Viking world during the 8th to 11th centuries AD. The volume brings together a combination of recent summaries and new work on silver and gold coinage, rings and bullion, which allow a better appreciation of the broader socioeconomic conditions of the Viking world. This is an indispensable source for all archaeologists, historians and numismatists involved in Viking Studies.

Learn to make beautiful jewelry with enamel. Step-by-step instructions and 252 color photos guide newcomers to enameling through 8 projects, including creating test enamel tiles, reversible earrings, bracelets, multiple piece pendants, a flower pin, enameled beads, and words with enamel. Features different techniques including scrolling and sgraffito, counter enamel, adding non-glass objects, and stenciling. Some common mistakes are identified and how to fix them. The thorough text also explains about how to prepare your space and materials for greatest efficiency. Essential safety tips are provided. This book is especially written with the beginning enamelist in mind.

Upholstered pieces of furniture are familiar to all of us as more or less constant companions of everyday life. Upholstery is comfortable, it conveys security and promises comfort, it has a specific design, asserts or creates status and tells a (hi)story. We rarely consider its interior. At the same time, a view into the hidden content of chairs and armchairs is a journey into secrets, into lashed and sprung constructions that prove to be unknown masterpieces of craftsmanship. Deep-Seated. The Secret Art of Upholstery explores furniture and its interiors and explains why upholstery is always also a part of cultural and social history. With contributions by Thomas Andersch, Maximilian Busch, Cordula Fink, Thomas Rudi, Stefanie Seeberg, Thomas Schriefers, Xenia Schurmann, and a foreword by Olaf Thormann. Text in English and German.

Inspired by radical Italian designer Enzo Mari, this practical book with step-by-step DIY projects for hand built, beautiful furniture is a tribute to his simple ideas that challenged the consumerism of the furniture industry. Many interpreted Enzo Mari's book Autoprogettazione? as a manifesto of nostalgic longing for a pre-capitalist society where people built what they needed themselves, but Mari's goal wasn't to make people cease consuming. Mari wanted people to consider the more basic aspects of the objects we surround ourselves with and what it is that makes a piece of furniture, beautiful, comfortable and functional. Taking Enzo Mari and his book as his influence, Erik Eje Almqvist unpacks the practical aspects of the Autoprogettazione? theory, offering simple designs for handbuilt, beautiful furniture. Using just a hammer, nails and boards cut to standard dimensions, Hammer & Nail explores only a few techniques but arms the reader with skills and inspiration for life. With easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams, there are basic methods for making furniture joints, and includes tips on how to avoid cracking boards as you go, making clean cuts with a saw, and ideas on surface treatments. Projects include: Sheep chair, Tilting Shaker chair, Pinstol/Windsor chair, Garden chair, Arts & Crafts chair, Ski chair, Mirror stool, Stackable stool, Beer table, Kitchen bench, Park bench, Sofa, Top and tail bed, Dining table, Worktable, Cabinet, Gun Kessle's shelf and Giraffe lamp.

Rings and bangles are timeless jewellery pieces; from simple elegance to bold creations, they make stunning statements. This beautiful book explains traditional techniques with step-by-step guides, and gives inspiration through stunning examples from leading jewellers. Written by two award-winning designer makers, it encourages jewellers of all levels of experience to express themselves and make unique pieces of jewellery to be worn and treasured. This new book covers the design process, from initial observation to developing, selecting materials and finalizing an idea. Detailed instruction is given on more elaborate ways of making and decorating work, including casting, texturing, etching, granulation, inlay and keum-boo. There is also a guide to using gemstones with a range of settings. Written both for beginners wanting to make their first ring or bangle and for the more experienced looking for inspiration.

In this inventive interpretation of the popular colouring book concept, Islamic design expert Eric Broug helps readers to create their own patterns, based on compositions from across the Islamic world. The book opens up the world of intricate Islamic patterns, allowing artists, designers and doodlers alike to learn about these works of art as they produce their own. With 48 Islamic geometric compositions from around the world to choose from, artists at all skill levels will relish the myriad opportunities to replicate these intricate patterns or create their own. The workbook's clever design invites the pattern-maker to consider a composition in the book, take a corresponding loose leaf from the back of the book and figure out which sections of lines to trace to make the composition. Readers will have the unique satisfaction of making patterns appear where previously none were visible. Compositions - including a mix of more familiar geometric compositions and those that have scarcely been documented - are categorized by region and have various levels of complexity, making it possible for beginners to get started and artists or designers to develop their skills.

This lively, lavishly illustrated volume presents rare decorative arts from Asia - all of exceptional quality - from ornate handled daggers and exquisite silver fi ligree boxes to diamond-studded jewels, magnifi cent embroidered silk and divination bowls by master craftsmen. The decorative arts of South and Southeast Asia, and especially those of the 18th and 19th centuries, and trade items produced during the same period, constitute a much neglected area. Such items, which in a Europeanized context tend to be labelled objets de vertu, are under-represented in public and private collections. While the decorative arts of later Western Europe and North America might be strongly represented, when it comes to South and Southeast Asia, there is a bias towards the ancient, the religious and the sculptural. And yet the decorative arts of Asia of recent centuries is a more accessible and tangible fi eld for many. The relative attractiveness of more recent Asian decorative arts, for which provenance issues need not be so acute, grows as the movement of archaeological and other early material across international borders becomes evermore complex and problematic, be it for commercial or for exhibition purposes. Seeking to redress the balance, this volume presents objects of exceptional quality that are often incredibly rare - ranging from ornate handled daggers and exquisite silver fi ligree boxes to diamond-studded jewels and magnifi cent embroidered silk. Only some of these objects were made for religious reasons, and, though old, few are ancient. Instead, they are the product of cultural infl uences that have crossed borders, produced in the quest for beauty. The catalogue also includes a selection of items usually designated as 'tribal' art. Many of these have a decorative as much as a ritualistic component. Among the objects from Nigeria are a stunning 19th-century processional staff , topped with the figure of a queen, two museum-quality divination bowls carved by master craftsmen, and a striking and possibly unique fi ve-headed dance costume. Most have been sourced from old UK and European collections, and most are likely to have been collected during the colonial era. This is important. Overwhelmingly, most 'tribal' art items available commercially today are reproduction pieces and have no place in serious collections. Michael Backman is widely published on Asian culture, art and politics. He is the author of six books that cover all aspects of Asia. His Asian Eclipse was named by The Economist among its 'Books of the Year' and appeared on several bestseller lists. His gallery in central London specializes in works of art from India, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Himalayas, the Islamic World, and Colonial and Tribal art. The gallery sells to museums and important private collections across the world.

Priscilla's contemporary mixed media artworks offer a refreshingly different approach to embroidery, taking stitch to an impressive new level within wire sculpture. Working both two- and three-dimensionally, Priscilla combines colour, stitch, shape and texture, layering to transform surfaces into beautiful, whimsical sculptures full of character, curiosity and charm. With her imaginative use of the needle and her love of retro vintage nostalgia, Priscilla has picked up on an enduring trend, exploring excitingly different ideas and pushing the boundaries with her original ways of working. The book explores a playful mixed media approach to creating 3D textile sculpture, using a variety of media to transform plain papers and fabrics through colour, texture and mark-making; including both free-machine embroidery and hand stitch. Paving the way for the reader to tackle the five projects that follow, which build in complexity.

The trendy duo: watercolor & hand lettering. The trendy combination of sayings, light motifs, and elements in a watercolor look. This is a book of several blogger projects. The bloggers show their watercolor projects and the connection of watercolor paints, brush pen, and fineliner. With many step-by-step instructions for watercolor motifs, it is the perfect way to get to know the world of flowing colors. The basics of watercolor painting such as glaze, wash, and wet on wet are explained right at the beginning. The project book for beautiful watercolor letterings.

Early 20th century manufactured furniture in the Arts & Crafts style is popular again today. The famous Americn firms L. & J. G. Stickley, Limbert, Roycroft and others manufactured bold oak styles that featured simplicity of design and decoration. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's designs combined with Mission Oak style to become the standard of the time. Descriptions include the product number, dimensions, and suggested values at today's markets.

This important new book tackles the burgeoning revival of the blacksmith's art. Author Dona Meilach has brought together over 500 works by nearly 200 artist-craftsmen from sixteen countries to illustrate the unprecedented activity in modern ironwork that has led to its blossoming into a serious art form. You'll learn several techniques using hot and cold forming with the results clearly shown. You'll be able to recognize how a fence, railing, grille, table, chair, knife, and other items evolve, and better appreciate their design and workmanship. Each chapter provides background for the type of objects shown-- architectural ironwork, sculpture, furniture, containers and vessels, lighting fixtures and candleholders, fireplace accessories, wind vanes, household and liturgical items, and the incredible knives made of Damascus steel. You'll find ample information for how and where to begin your own study in this extensive resource list of organizations, Internet sources, publications, museums, and educational opportunities. The Contemporary Blacksmith** undoubtedly should be found in the libraries of every metalworker, art educator, architect, interior designer, ironwares collector, and crafts person.

John Donald, a British jeweller, designer and goldsmith, is regarded as one of the most innovative of the twentieth century. In over half a century he has been recognised as a pioneering and radical designer and craftsman with his work capturing the late twentieth century ideals of glamour and modernity. Part of a select group that revolutionised jewellery design in the 1960s and '70s, John went on to establish a successful business in London and Geneva as well as an international reputation. He is respected by art critics and his work attracted the patronage of HRH The late Princess Margaret, Countess ofSnowdon and Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.His work is seen in the collections of the V&A Museum, the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim, The Royal Museum in Edinburgh and The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. His pieces are owned by various Royal Families as well as headsof industry and those fascinated by design.

Learning the art of intarsia has never been easier thanks to celebrated intarsia artist and instructor Kathy Wise. With more than 40 skill building lessons, Intarsia Woodworking for Beginners will take you on a journey from the concepts and basics of working with an intarsia pattern, cutting, sanding, gluing, creating a backer board and finishing, to techniques that will take your work to the next level, such as staining, shims, overlays, laminations, wood burning and carving texture. With the projects divided into beginner, intermediate beginner and advanced beginner, this easy to follow book includes step-by-step instructions, over 20 patterns with reference photos, material lists, and tips and hints to help you turn multiple pieces of wood into a stunning work of art. Kathy's progressive teaching style offers something for anyone working with inlaid wood. The lessons not only cover the basics, but also describe details to look out for like the nuances of working with multiple shades of wood or the best way to create color breaks. This book offers valuable lessons that will be referenced again and again as you discover a love of intarsia.