Gourds offer great surfaces to decorate, and this step-by-step book reveals the design boost you can give your gourd projects by using crayons as an economical source of wax. With over 340 detailed photos, in her popular how-to style Miriam Joy explains the inexpensive materials needed and the basic steps of the low-cost, high-impact wax design technique. Next are step-by-step instructions for four examples of creative wax-technique designs on gourds, plus four stunning rim treatments. By using these as your starting point, you can create unlimited gourd artworks of your own-all featuring low-cost, high-impact wax design technique. Projects range from the "Midnight Fern" gourd with a crocheted beaded ruffle, to the colorful "Flowers in the Jungle" gourd with a simple shell rim, to the "Blue Horizons" gourd featuring a unique coiled Arrowhead Points rim. Plus, using wax, learn how to make faux stones to decorate any project.

Create bright and cheerful designs for the holidays, using a box of crayons and a few simple tools! With step-by-step instructions and over 400 images, you can turn inexpensive and everyday items into family treasures. Start with the basics using simple shapes, freehand designs, leaves, and flowers. Decorate tile magnets, ornaments, and other mediums. Find out how to use wax with paper, wood, glass, metals, boxes, eggs, and felt. Discover twice-melted wax and add color to your designs. Learn the methods to use color washes, base coating, and floating color to create a stunning, eye-catching project. From colorful Christmas ornaments, jewelry, and snowflakes to Easter eggs, necklaces, and pumpkins, Miriam Joy will show you how to add a little color to a basket sitting in the corner, make a wonderful Christmas heirloom out of an antique sled, and turn that old saw into a harvest piece to set above the fireplace.

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.

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.

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.

With this book in one hand and a brush in the other, you can learn how to transform everyday furniture into something special, all for the price of a pot of paint. Annie Sloan is a paint legend and one of the world's most popular experts in the field of decorative painting. In Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and more, Annie presents 40 new projects and ideas, showing you the easy way to update tired furniture and transform your home. Working with her own range of chalk paints, Annie shows how to mix colours and how to achieve certain looks. Whether your taste is for colourful boho chic or restrained Swedish hues, cosy and comforting rustic shades, a modern and contemporary approach or an elegant French look, here you will find a project to suit you. Start off by mastering the simple art of colourwashing, and work your way up to transfer printing, gilding, stencilling and glazing. There are even instructions for dyeing fabric using paint. As well as painting furniture, the projects range from a staircase painted in a rainbow of colours to stencilled walls, transforming floors with a coat of paint to dyeing linen curtains and even painting a vintage chandelier. Throughout the book, Annie offers expert tips, techniques, shortcuts and guidance, showing you the easy way to create a stylish home.

Appealing to readers of various skill levels, Christine Schmidt shares new printing techniques, motifs and mediums, empowering readers to design anything at home exactly how they like it. Create stationery with inexpensive craft foam; jazz up a plain Ikea dresser with a gorgeous art deco design; or put together the easiest no-sew quilt ever with indigo dye. Then, take those same strategies - stamping, stenciling, resist dyeing (and more) - and use them with any of the other patterns throughout the book. Yellow Owl's Make It Yours is loaded with ideas for ways to use the book's cool, modern motif collections (geometries, florals, animals, travel, and seasonal) even beyond the nearly 40 step-by-step projects it shares. With this vast library of interchangeable graphics, readers will discover endless combinations for using at-home printing to customize home decor, wearables, paper products and more.

How to achieve beautiful paint finishes, including sponging, dragging, stippling, distressing and lacquering? It explains the ways to master patterned effects and faux finishes, from simple stamping to imitating the appearance of oak, mahogany, beech, marble and even a trompe l'oeil sky. This title helps you learn how to create a tiled look and to stamp panels with gold leaf for a luxurious effect. It offers an expert guide to the paints, varnishes, brushes, rollers and specialist tools you will need to achieve decorative paint effects. It includes ways to remove old paint and prepare different surfaces for new finishes. It is suitable for anyone who wants to give their home a facelift, creative paint finishes can alter a room easily and cheaply. Many effects are possible, from paint finishes that imitate wood and marble and stamped gilded panels, to trompe l'oeil, which tricks the eye into seeing a three-dimensional surface that is in fact, flat. This practical book shows you step-by-step how to transform your home.

Over 128 pages of 60 stunning designs from Britain's champion latte artist. From free pouring to etching, stencilling and more complicated designs for the black belt barista, you'll have fun emulating innovative designs such as The Swan, The Unicorn, and frothy 3-D babyccino animals. The book even includes 9 stencil patterns for you to trace and try. Starting with basic skills and patterns, readers will learn how to create the crema (the froth that acts as a canvas in the coffee cup) and how to produce the hearts, rosettas and tulips that will be used as the basis to form more complicated artworks. Dhan Tamang is a world-renowned latte artist particularly known for his use of colour, and now you too can create impressive multicoloured designs following Dhan's step-by-step instructions. By the end of this book you will be able to create fabulous designs to delight family members and dinner party guests alike.

The exquisite colours of enamelling have been the choice of kings for centuries. This book explains the rich traditions of the magnificent technique of champleve, which combines the skills of engraving and enamelling. Champleve is a technique of enamelling requiring the creation of a cell into which enamel is then applied. Celebrating fifty years of working as a master craftsman, Phil Barnes gives a unique insight into all aspects of the process. He explains the techniques of engraving in preparation for enamelling, and then looks at enamels and how to work with them to create a piece, through to the final polishing and finishing.

Re-energize your crafting space with innovative ideas for organization and accessibility! Packed with over 150 photos of studios, storage, and ideas to help keep creativity flowing.

The art of fire-writing is a returning trend, and there is no better way to learn the technique and inspire yourself than through this up-to-date edition of Daniel Wright's ultimate introduction to pyrography. Daniel Wright's enthusiasm for his subject is beautifully captured in a sequence of clear, easy-to-follow step-by-step photographs and unique projects. Taking his inspiration from pen-and-ink, engraving and watercolour techniques, he demonstrates many exciting methods and traditional ways of woodburning to create myriad patterns, pictures and motifs including landscapes, trees, flowers, animals and buildings. Information is included on the types of wood to use, how to prepare surfaces, working with the grain and enhancing designs. He goes on to illustrate shading and faux marquetry, and there's a section on using photographs and sketches to produce your own designs. With each new technique, a project is introduced by Daniel to help you learn and explore your new skill - from burning your own chessboard to a stunning fairytale stool design for your little one's bedroom. Finally, advice and demonstrations are provided on decorating old wooden objects, revitalizing much-loved pieces by working patterns into their worn, textured surfaces. This book will inspire, entertain and instruct you, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced pyrographer.

Transforming old and worn furniture into a gorgeous, modern statement piece can be intimidating, but Jen Crider makes it easy with step-by-step tutorials anyone can do. This book is packed with ingenious, approachable projects to turn old chairs, tables, sofas and more into gorgeous furniture. Jen's style fits right in to today's farmhouse decor, making the book appealing to a wide audience. Unbelievable before and after photos will blow readers away, especially when they learn how simple it is to create the effects themselves. Beginners can dive right in with quick tricks and techniques like applying stain for a luxury wood finish and using paint to make details pop. More advanced projects are accessible to all-levels with Jen's super helpful step-by-step instructions and photos. With plenty of tips on selecting and repairing furniture, it's easy to get started. Learn how to give a second-hand table that perfectly weathered antique look. DIY enthusiasts won't believe how easy it is to reupholster seat cushions, benches, armchairs and more. Give any room a special handmade touch in just a few hours and on a budget with 25 exciting techniques. Before long, readers will be impressing friends on social media with their own amazing before and after shots. This book will have 25 makeovers, each with a styled photo plus about 5 step-by-step photographs.