Recent years have seen a decline in craft and creative education in schools and a shift from practical to theoretical learning models in higher education. Young people are leaving school with no idea that craft-based careers are even possible, and graduates of craft-based degree courses are entering the workplace with so few hand skills that their employers must train them from scratch. Where did the idea come from that white-collar work should be rewarded more with money and status than that of a blue-collar worker? Intelligent Hands looks at this phenomenon, the historical precedents that led us here and why hand skills are crucial in education and for lifelong learning. The authors are on a mission to enlighten the uninitiated and persuade the nay-sayers who dismiss craft as no more than a nice hobby or believe that doing things with your hands is for those who can't use their heads. And for the converted, we offer more grist to your mills, ammunition for funding applications, inspiration for those who plan school curricula and further reading for your speciality. Intelligent Hands brings existing research and information together in an accessible format for those for those who don't have time to trawl through all the information that is already out there. With a brief look at the history of practical education, we have collated some of the research that has been done in disparate fields to show that combining physical ways of learning with the conceptual in education is the way forward. We include the personal stories of ten people who have discovered that working with their hands has improved their quality of life. Through the three sections of the book, we look at how physical labouring became separated from academic study, how we became divorced from the materials that surround us and the important role that the crafts and creativity have to play in education, not just for the lower streams, but for everyone. In short, how making is a skill for life.

Whether you want to fill your home with a riot of different patterns, or are looking for a single motif for a feature wall, there's an amazing array to choose from, and Love Pattern and Colour is the perfect place to start. Bursting with beautiful images of pattern designs from all over the world, this book shows how clever use of pattern can change a room: it can create a bold and striking space filled with drama, a cosy, comforting corner, or a cheery, colourful place that lifts the spirits. Being creative with pattern doesn't just mean choosing it for your walls: there's a feast of styles displayed here for furniture, lampshades, floors, tableware, curtains and cushions. Looking at eight popular themes and how they can be used in a huge variety of ways, Love Pattern and Colour shows you designs and styles that can transform your home. Chapters and motifs featured include: Abstracts - brush strokes, marbling, random swirls Botanicals - trees, leaves, grasses, seedheads Scenes and Stories - Chinoiserie, toile du jouy Florals - spectacular blooms, country garden Cultural Travellers - paisley, Ikat, Islamic arabesques Geometrics - stripes, spots, squares Animal Kingdom - animal motifs and prints Textures - visual and tactile Charlotte Abrahams loves pattern and wants you to love it too. With her expert advice on how to choose and use pattern, and how to make it work in different spaces, you can find your personal style and decorate your home with flair.

Candlelight is hygge; the smell of freshly brewed coffee is hygge; the feel of crisp, clean bed linen is hygge; dinner with friends is hygge. 'Hygge', pronounced 'hoo-ga', is a Danish philosophy that roughly translates to 'cosiness'. But it is so much more than that. It's a way of life that encourages us to be kinder to ourselves, to take pleasure in the modest, the mundane and the familiar. It is a celebration of the everyday, of sensual experiences rather then things. It's an entire attitude to life that results in Denmark regularly being voted one of the happiest countries in the world. So, with two divorces behind her and her 50th birthday rapidly approaching, journalist Charlotte Abrahams ponders whether it's hygge that's been missing from her life. Is it a philosophy we can all embrace? In a society where lifestyle trends tend to centre on deprivation - be it no sugar, no gluten, no possessions - what does cherishing yourself actually mean? And will it make her happy? In Hygge, Charlotte Abrahams weaves the history of hygge and its role in Danish culture with her own attempts, as an English woman, to embrace a more hygge life. In this beautifully written and stylishly designed book, she examines the impact this has on her home, her health, her relationships and, of course, her happiness. Light a candle, pour yourself a glass of wine, and get ready to enjoy your more hygge life.