This bumper edition of Aidan Meehan's practical guides to the art and design of the Celts brings together three of his bestselling titles, A Beginner's Manual, Knotwork and Illuminated Letters. This practical, step-by-step manual provides an invaluable, comprehensive source of instruction and inspiration for artists, designers and craftspeople of all kinds.

Concrete is a fascinating material in the hands of a creative person. The Direct Concrete Technique, illustrated in this book, empowers anyone to make furniture or sculpture by hand without molds or forms. The key to this method is the use of a steel armature covered with wires. With 296 vivid color photos and precise text, you can learn the steps necessary to use concrete as a fine art material to create innovative and imaginative furniture, from initial concept and the creation of the armature to the application of concrete and finishing the artwork. \nBold and elegant designs of lightweight curvilinear elements can be fashioned with this method. The advantages of concrete and the direct technique are numerous, and the results are immediate and durable. Skills to make free-formed objects of concrete are easily mastered and creative opportunities abound throughout the process. A furniture gallery is provided for further inspiration.

Sticks are essentially practical aides but are also works of art that often become integral to the owner. They have to be strong and reliable, but are beautiful too. This essential book covers all these qualities - it explains the traditional principles and methods of stickmaking, but also celebrates the designs and ideas behind these creations. Written by an award-winning stickmaker, it provides a full account of this age-old craft. Topics covered include materials, equipment and tools required to make a variety of sticks from timber, antler and horn; stick types and shapes; preparing timber to make handles and shanks; straightening shanks; making joints and exhibiting and competing. This new book will be an inspiration for all stickmakers, both new and old.

Superbly illustrated with more than 150 specially commissioned colour photographs, this book beautifully demonstrates the dazzling strengths of Morocco's crafts - a centuries-long tradition which intermingles influences from both Black Africa and Islam, and from the spectacular cultural alliance of the Moors and the Spaniards. This pioneering account, based on the author's own first-hand research, examines vibrantly coloured textiles, jewelry, leather, wood and metalwork and an enormous variety of pottery and ceramics. Complete with guidance for collectors and a uniquely revealing analysis of the belief systems, festivals and ceremonies to which the arts relate, this book by the leading scholar in the field will be invaluable to collectors, designers and all those looking for original decorative ideas.

More than 60 of today's top lighting designers from the United States and Europe are showcased here, along with up-and-coming talents. Over 300 color photos of hundreds of funky, fun, classic, far-out, retro, and whimsical designs, including chandelier and ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and table and floor lamps are featured. This is the ultimate shoppers' guide for anyone hunting for the unique and special. An index provides contact information for each design studio. Also, items shown have suggested retail prices in the captions. This is a must-have for professional interior designers, and an invaluable tool for any homeowner shopping for something truly fabulous.

Once, nutmeg was worth its weight in gold. For much of human history, the tiny Banda Islands in Indonesia were the only source of this esteemed spice. From the age of the Silk Roads through to the mid-19th century partial shift of production to the Caribbean, covering battles between the Honourable East India Company and the Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, this book traces the story of nutmeg, revealing its extensive and often surprising influence over conflict, politics, social mores, and Western society. Beautiful antique silver, gold, enamel, bone, ivory, treen and Tunbridgeware graters and rasps demonstrate how much nutmeg was valued throughout history. This book gathers pictures of some of the finest examples world-wide, alongside mechanical and base metal graters and spice containers. It illustrates, and provides useful information on, the history of pomanders which were associated with nutmeg, as this spice was once thought to ward off pestilence and plague. Combining the social history of nutmeg with explanations of the spice production and transportation process, and illustrating in detail examples in international nutmeg grater collections and museums, this book is the essential reference work for collectors, antique dealers and auctioneers.

This idea-packed compendium presents the work of today's top wood artists in over 500 photos. More than 130 artists from nine countries are showcased, including furniture makers, turners, and sculptors who borrow ideas and techniques from one another to create their art. Their disciplines have blurred as furniture makers use sculpture and turnings in their work, as turners make furniture and sculpture, and as sculptors throw purism to the winds and use anything and everything to further their expressive ideas. Woodworkers in every discipline will marvel at the creativity, artisanship, and variety shown here. Teachers of art history, creative art, craft, industrial design, and woodwork will discover new material for teaching about wood as a medium. Curators, collectors, interior designers, and all who appreciates wood will find a full platter of ideas that will take a long time to digest.

Can doughnuts get any cuter? You can sew your own adorable doughnut-shaped animals in this fun kit! These treats are too sweet to eat, so we are making them out of felt. This kit includes pre-cut felt pieces to make 6 doughnuts and a paper-craft box to put them in. There's Cookies-and-Cream Panda, Waffle Cone Narwhal, Coco Kitty, Pineapple Parrot, Strawbunny and Cinna-Chicken. All you need are scissors, a ruler and a pen or pencil! Components: 66 pre-cut felt bases for 6 doughnuts pre-cut eyes and cheeks 8 colours of embroidery thread 2 needles Poly-Fil stuffing doughnut box paper-craft.

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

Known as pyrography, which literally means "writing with fire," woodburning is a rewarding art that is practically infinite in its applications. This book shows you everything you need to get started in this fun and expressive craft. Award-winning artist and pyrographer Simon Easton takes you from basic woodburning concepts to tips and techniques that encourage your creativity and help you develop your own individual style. His expert lessons teach you all of the essential techniques, from making simple marks to texturing, lettering, shading and finishing. Learn to Burn offers fifteen step-by-step projects for making decorative gifts - from spoons and spatulas to bangles, bowls and bookmarks - illustrated with clear how-to photographs. Fifty bonus patterns will allow you to unleash your creativity on hundreds of additional woodburning projects.

Ruined cities overgrown by jungle. Towns buried beneath the ground. Statues lying half- hidden in the sand. Why do civilisations collapse? Why are towns abandoned? And how do once mighty cities come to be forgotten about? From the pyramids of Egypt to the ruins at Angkor in Cambodia and on to the mysteries of the Easter Island moai statues, Abandoned Civilisations is a brilliant pictorial work examining lost worlds. What emerges is a picture of how vast societies can rise, thrive and then collapse. We admire how whole cities develop, but equally fascinating is what happens when their moment has passed. From the 9th century temples at Khajuraho in India which were lost in the date palm trees until stumbled across by European engineers in the 19th century to Mayan pyramids in the Guatemalan jungle to Roman cities semi-buried - but consequently preserved - in the North African desert, the book explores why societies fall and what, once abandoned, they leave behind to history. With 150 striking colour photographs exploring 100 worlds, Abandoned Civilisations is a fascinating visual history of the mysteries of lost societies.

Esther Mahlangu: To Paint is in My Heart is a captivating exploration of the life and work of the iconic South African painter, one of the most influential artists of Pan-African Contemporary Art.

Esther Mahlangu is globally acclaimed for her bright and bold abstract paintings with vivid, geometric patterns that are rooted in South Africa’s Ndebele artistic tradition. She was a disruptor from an early age, becoming the first person to reimagine Ndebele visual artistic style—historically used for decorating houses—on painting media such as canvas, and has become a much-loved cultural ambassador of the Ndebele Nation.

Esther Mahlangu: To Paint is in My Heart celebrates Mahlangu’s remarkable journey as a pioneer of contemporary African art, whose vibrant and distinctive paintings have captured the hearts of many worldwide. Through a series of interviews with Mahlangu conducted by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Azu Nwagbogu, and Thomas Girst, readers will gain insight into her creative process, inspiration, and the cultural significance of her work. With stunning visuals and engaging narratives, this book offers an inspiring experience to the reader.

Successfully navigate the rich world of travel narratives and identify fiction and nonfiction read-alikes with this detailed and expertly constructed guide. Just as savvy travelers make use of guidebooks to help navigate the hundreds of countries around the globe, smart librarians need a guidebook that makes sense of the world of travel narratives. Going Places: A Reader's Guide to Travel Narratives meets that demand, helping librarians assist patrons in finding the nonfiction books that most interest them. It will also serve to help users better understand the genre and their own reading interests. The book examines the subgenres of the travel narrative genre in its seven chapters, categorizing and describing approximately 600 titles according to genres and broad reading interests, and identifying hundreds of other fiction and nonfiction titles as read-alikes and related reads by shared key topics. The author has also identified award-winning titles and spotlighted further resources on travel lit, making this work an ideal guide for readers' advisors as well a book general readers will enjoy browsing.