Home & Hobbies

Make Magic with This Massive Collection of DIY Crafts

Let your imagination run free as you create otherworldly crafts and explore magical lands. Enter the Realm of the Dragon with projects like Suncatcher Dragon Wings, Tissue Paper Stained Glass Window and Cloud Lantern, or explore the Mermaid Grotto while creating a Seashell Fan, Leaf Mermaid or Seashell Sea Turtle. With more dazzling worlds to explore through chapters like The Land of Gnomes and Woodland Fairies, you can have a Leaf Bound Book or Paper Flower Hat at your side in no time. 

Expert crafter Jennifer Buchheit has made sure each project is eco-friendly, low cost and accessible—plus, templates are included to ensure amazing results. With this guide and a big imagination, you can fearlessly enter a fantasy world of your own creation.

This handy reference guide is packed with over 100 lifesaving crochet tips and tricks that your grandmother might not have taught you from @theknottyboss.

A collection of not-so-traditional crochet hacks meant to help troubleshoot many issues that typically arise with crocheting. The author covers everything from starting knots to perfect finishing techniques, and everything in between. This book can assist you at any stage of your project and help take your crochet game to the next level. Please note that the instructions are written in US crochet terms but there is a handy 'cheat sheet' if you want to convert them to UK terms.

It is packed full of step-by-step instructions and photography so you can follow along every step of the way and not miss a trick. Author, Anna Leyzina aka The Knotty Boss, has a huge number of followers who love her Tuesday Tips feature on her social media platforms. This collection combines her Tuesday Tips and more in one handy-sized reference book - which is perfect for keeping in your project bag.

Covering everything from how to select the right hook through to tips on how to pick the correct yarn and some clever stitch marker hacks, The Knotty Boss has got you covered. There are tips and tricks for basic skills like avoiding visible slip knots at the start of your work, working into back bumps, joining the foundation chain without twisting and an easy method for the magic ring. Later chapters look at more advanced techniques such as keeping the magic ring on your finger while working the first round, invisible joins when working in different stitches and invisible increase and decrease methods.

Other hacks include tips for working in rows and rounds including how to smooth the side edges, how to prevent stitches from slanting and how to make the perfect circle rather than a hexagon. Amigurumi techniques are also included with hacks for invisible increase and decreases, adding eyes and other facial expressions and tips for lining and stuffing toys.

There is section on working with colour which looks at how to get seamless colour changes and perfect stripes, and advice for crocheting granny squares with tips for how to prevent your squares from slanting, and how to create invisible seams.

The final chapters look at edging and borders, and finishing techniques with advice on how to seamlessly fasten off, how to weave in the ends and easy blocking, making this the ultimate handy, pocket-sized reference guide for all your crochet needs.
 

This how-to book provides readers with information they need to get started on a career in woodworking. Included are the history and cultural significance of woodworking, woodworking tools and techniques, woodworking career paths, and highlights of successful woodworkers. Step-by-step projects help readers practice woodworking skills, and idea spreads inspire ways to apply what they've learned. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo & Daughters is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: the original guide to decluttering your home once and for all.

ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE—CNN
 
Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). 

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The authors of The Home Edit and stars of the Netflix series Get Organized with The Home Edit teach you how to apply their genius, holistic approach to your work life, on-the-go necessities, and technology.

At home or on the go, you don't have to live like a minimalist to feel happy and calm. The Home Edit mentality is all about embracing your life—whether you’re a busy mom, a roommate living with three, or someone who’s always traveling for work. You just need to know how to set up a system that works for you.

In the next phase of the home organizing craze, Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin go beyond the pantry and bookshelf to show you how to contain the chaos in all aspects of your life, from office space and holiday storage to luggage and pet supplies. Get to know your organizing style, tailor it to your family’s lifestyle, and lead the low-guilt life as you apply more genius ideas to every aspect of your life.

Clea and Joanna are here to remind you that “it’s okay to own things” in the quest for pretty and smart spaces. With The Home Edit Life, you’ll soon be corralling phone cords, archiving old photos, arranging your phone apps by color, and packing your suitcase like a pro.

Best-selling gardening author Barbara Pleasant makes organic vegetable gardening easy, fun, and rewarding with detailed planting and care designs for 24 beginner-friendly gardens to fit any site, whether it's a tiny side yard, a border, a trellis alongside the house, or a front yard. From exactly what plants (and how many) to buy, where and when to plant them, and how to care for each vegetable throughout the season, Pleasant encourages readers to start small, grow the food they love, and expand their plant selection as their skills develop. Specially tailored plans offer choices to fit a wide range of sites and food preferences, from the Front-Yard Food Supply to the Marinara Medley, Sweet Corn & Company, and High-Value Verticals.There's a plan and plant selection to fit every gardener's passion. Detailed plot plans show progressive stages for how each garden can be expanded gradually over the course of three years, ensuring that beginning gardeners will experience success and satisfaction without being overwhelmed by an over-ambitious plan at the start. 

Joanna Gaines--cofounder of Magnolia, cook and host of Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, and New York Times bestselling author--brings us her third cookbook filled with timeless and nostalgic recipes--now reimagined--for today's home cook.

Whether it's in the making, the gathering, or the tasting of something truly delicious, this collection of recipes from Magnolia Table, Volume 3 is an invitation to savor every moment. In Joanna's first cookbook, the #1 New York Times bestselling Magnolia Table, she introduced readers to her favorite passed-down family recipes. For her second cookbook, Magnolia Table, Volume 2, she pushed herself beyond her comfort zone to develop new recipes for her family. In this, her third cookbook, Joanna shares the recipes--old and new--that she's enjoyed the most over the years. The result is a cookbook filled with recipes that are timeless, creative, and delicious! Just as in her past books, within each recipe Joanna speaks to the reader, explaining why she likes a recipe, what inspired her to create it in the first place, and how she prefers to serve it. The book is beautifully photographed and filled with dishes you will want to bring into your own home, including:

• Honey Butter Layered Biscuit Bites
• Bananas Foster Pancakes
• Brussels Sprout Gruyére Gratin
• White Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
• Garlic Shrimp over Parmesan Risotto
• Peanut Butter Pie
• Brownie Cookies

Dive deep into the world of cocktail lore, classic recipes, and hard-won wisdom in Cocktail Dive Bar: Real Drinks, Fake History, and Questionable Advice from New Orleans' Twelve Mile Limit.

In this irreverent and engaging guide T. Cole Newton, the owner and proprietor of the beloved Louisiana bar Twelve Mile Limit, brings classic and original cocktail recipes to life with a combination of colorful invented histories and real stories, alongside advice drawn from his experience as a young bar owner in the Crescent City.

Lively tongue-in-cheek mini-essays on a range of topics (including such illuminating takes as why the unflappable Maury Povich is the ideal role model for the service industry and how bar owners can work to be community allies) break up this alphabetical compendium of cocktail recipes. Make the book your own by taking recipe notes or coloring in the playful, graphic drawings by Bazil Zarensky and Laura Sanders. A detailed index of ingredients, infusion recipes, and more makes this an ideal companion for any at-home mixologist or industry professional.

Have you ever wished you had the time and tools to organize your house in a clutter-free, design-conscious, Pinterest-worthy way? From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, The Complete Book of Home Organization is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.

From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. The Complete Book of Home Organization spells out everything you need to de-clutter your house, store your belongings, and keep your home—and life—in tip-top shape. With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover—this manual is the perfect gift!

Organize the 30 main spaces of your home, including the living and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms, guest areas, baby and kids’ rooms, utility spaces and garages, entryways and offices, patios and decks, closets and pet areas! Keep track of your pantry, holiday and craft supplies, weekly menu planning, keepsakes, and schedules. From the basement to the attic, this book covers every nook and cranny.

With step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and handy checklists, say goodbye to a messy home and wasted storage space!

The ultimate guide to getting your life in order--with hundreds of practical and empowering ideas, projects, and tips--from America's most trusted lifestyle authority

Trust Martha to help you master all things organizing--sorting, purging, tidying, and simplifying your life--with smart solutions and inspiration. Here, she offers her best guidance, methods, and DIY projects for organizing in and around your home. Topics include room-by-room strategies (how to sort office paperwork, when to purge the garage or attic), seasonal advice (when to swap out bedding and clothing, how to put away holiday decorations), and day-by-day or week-by-week plans for projects such as de-cluttering, house cleaning, creating a filing system, overhauling the closet, and more. Martha's indispensable expertise walks you through goal-setting, principles of organizing, useful supplies, and creating systems for ongoing success. A look into Martha's own personal calendars offers a template for scheduling essential tasks. Last, plenty of strategies, how-tos, timelines, and checklists will help you stay organized all year long.

Southeast Home Landscaping, third edition, is a larger-format edition of Creative Homeowner's award-winning best seller on landscaping southeast-style. Readers will find inspiring ideas for making the home landscape more attractive and functional. The 54 featured designs are created by landscape professionals from the region and use more than 200 plants that thrive in the southeast. Detailed instructions for projects such as paths, patios, ponds, and arbors are also included. Over 450 full-color photos and paintings are complemented by easy, step-by-step instructions. The southeast will be in full bloom with Southeast Home Landscaping, third edition.
States: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN

The most complete home improvement manual on the market, this book offers more than 2,300 photos, 800 drawings, and understandable, practical text. Readers will find essential instruction on plumbing and electrical repairs, heating and cooling, roofing and siding, cabinets and countertops, and more. Information is also provided on tools, materials, and basic skills, plus 325 step-by-step projects with how-to photo sequences. The Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement also includes a remodeling guide and a resource guide. Top to bottom, inside and out, this is the single, ultimate resource book for home projects and repairs.

This manual is highly recommended--Library Journal

"The definitive 'how to' reference and instructional guide for anyone seeking to re-model, renovate, repair, or maintain any aspect of their residence"-- Midwest Book Review

Published in celebration of Magnolia Bakery on the eve of its twenty-fifth anniversary, a beautifully photographed book offering nearly 150 scrumptious recipes and tips, tools, and techniques accompanied by 250 photographs and illustrations destined to be the favorite resource for the home baker.

When it opened its doors in 1996, Magnolia Bakery quickly became a landmark and destination in New York City. Fans lined up around the block to get a taste of the shop's freshly-baked cupcakes, cakes, banana pudding, cheesecakes and much more. Today, Magnolia Bakery can be found in shops in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Dubai, Manila, and Bangalore.

Bobbie Lloyd, Magnolia Bakery's Chief Baking Officer, has played a critical role in maintaining the company's reputation for handmade baked goods, and its authenticity and excellence throughout its growth. Bobbie has worked to update its classic treats, introduced new temptations, and carefully expanded the business both online and in new locations across New York and the world.

The Magnolia Bakery Handbook is the first book Magnolia Bakery has published since the business was sold by the founders in 2007. Gorgeously designed, filled with irresistible creations, it is sure to become an essential staple for home bakers. Along with almost 150 recipes, all beautifully photographed, Bobbie shares hundreds of tips, tricks, techniques, and must-have tools for successful baking.

The time is right for an authoritative how-to guide written by and for women. Statistics show that 85% of women are or expect to be solely responsible for a home at some point in their lives. And single women now comprise the second largest group of home buyers, just after married couples. Author JoAnne Liebeler approaches home improvement from a woman's perspective, with a blend of expertise and wit that women will appreciate. This book was created specifically for the woman of the house, with detailed explanations of how a house works, how it was built, and how its systems function. JoAnne elaborates on what tools work best for a woman and why, how to succeed at do-it-yourself projects, and when to call in outside help. Everything is covered: Walls, floors, plumbing, electrical, exterior maintenance, and common repairs. And with special sections on pest control and home safety/security issues, this is a must-have reference. Features: Home improvement primer written by a woman for women homeowners Step-by-step photos show basic instruction on proper tool usage How to handle the most common home repairs and improvements Guidelines for general and seasonal home maintenance.

From Make It Yourself magazine comes Simple Sewing, an all-inclusive introduction to sewing. Make It Yourself serves the new generation of crafters captivated by Etsy and Pinterest, inspiring them to try out sewing techniques by hand or machine. Whether it’s your first time stitching, you’re trying to introduce a friend or loved one to the craft, or you just want to brush up and expand your skillset, Simple Sewing Projects is for you.

Whether you’ve been sewing for five weeks or five decades, Simple Sewing Projects features 120+ designs, tutorials, and accompanying patterns accessible to any sewer. The time-honored craft of sewing is a tremendously useful skill—it lets you create pretty and utilitarian pieces that can be given as gifts or used to bring color, texture, and interest to your life. The designs are easy enough for beginners but will also have great appeal to more experienced sewers looking for something fun to whip up in an afternoon or two.

Each project is presented with a finished photo; step-by-step instructions, illustrations, and photos; and corresponding patterns where necessary. The look and feel of the book puts a fresh spin on traditional sewing with youthful, on-trend DIY fashion, accessories, and decor. From appliqué affirmation pillows to embroidered jewelry, from five-minute wreaths to dog beds, whether you sew for practical reasons or purely for the satisfaction of making something by hand, Simple Sewing Projects will inspire you to get stitching.

Is your bedroom looking a little blah? There's an easy and inexpensive fix for that. Try making some new decor using just a few pieces of fabric or by refreshing the stuff you already have. Don't know how to sew? That's no problem. Each activity in this book provides easy step-by-step instructions to make your own home decor without ever having to pick up a needle and thread.

“The secret to making the most of later life is to keep doing what you love. With practical advice and gentle inspiration, Gattone shows us how gardening can work for people of any age.” —Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness

You can keep gardening for life, you just need to make adjustment as you age. In The Lifelong Gardener, adaptive gardening expert Toni Gattone shares her proven methods for making your favorite hobby easier on your aging body—techniques that that will help you garden smarter, not harder. This helpful guide includes dozens tried-and-true methods that help eliminate the physical strain of gardening, like buying ergonomic tools, using raised beds, and moving tools around in bins on wheels. The Lifelong Gardener celebrates the joy of gardening, and Gattone’s message of empowerment will stir you to find joy in your garden for years to come.

Have you tired of diagnosing the Type 2 Diabetes?

Do you want to have foods that do good to Type 2 Diabetes but delicious and easy to make?

How about using an Instant Pot to save time and money, meantime cook your healthy tasty Diabetes food?

If "yes" for any questions above, then this book is right for you!

Life with diabetes can be very tough, and when you get the news that you are pre-diabetic, or have developed Type 2 diabetes, your whole world is turned upside down. All of a sudden you need to make big lifestyle changes, adjust and adapt, and even the smallest of things can start to feel like a challenge.

What this book aims to do is provide you with simple, delicious, easy to cook meals that will be healthy for you to eat every day, as well as some healthy snacks for whenever you are hypo. By sticking to five ingredients or less we make sure you always know what you are eating, and by using the Instant Pot we make sure you can cook easily every day.

If you largely live off the recipes in this book, not only will you be able to manage your Type 2 diabetes better, but you could even find that some of your symptoms begin to reverse.

#1 New York Times bestseller

Bring the family together—and take it easy on yourself!

Between my family, my website, my cookbooks, and my TV show, I make a lot of food around here! And as much as I’ve always loved cooking (and of course, eating!), it seems that more and more these days, I’m looking for ways to simplify my life in the kitchen. I find myself gravitating toward recipes that are delicious but don’t require a lot of prep or fuss, because they free me up to have more time (and energy) for other areas of my life. This also makes cooking less of a chore and more of a pleasure—exactly what cooking should be!

The Pioneer Woman Cooks—Super Easy! will free you up and transform your cooking life as well, with 120 recipes that range from effortless breakfasts to breezy skillet meals to speedy soups to ready-in-minutes Tex-Mex delights, so you’ll have lots of options for any given meal. Many recipes in this cookbook call for step-saving (and sanity-saving) shortcuts that will revolutionize the time you spend making meals for your family, and all of them are utterly scrumptious! I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this new generation of recipes, including Butter Pecan French Toast, Buffalo Chicken Totchos, Speedy Dumpling Soup, Broccoli-Cheese Stromboli (so great for kids!), and an entire section of pastas and grains, such as One-Pot Sausage Pasta and colorful and fresh Hawaiian Shrimp Bowls. You’ll find yummy meals such as Pepperoni Fried Rice, Chicken-Fried Steak Fingers, and ultra-tasty Chicken Curry in a Hurry . . . as well as assemble-in-the-baking-dish casseroles, throw-together sheet pan suppers, and simply decadent desserts such as Mug Cakes, Coconut Cream Pie, and Brownie S’Mores Bars that you’ll dream about.

There’s something for everyone in this cookbook, and not a single recipe, ingredient, or step is complicated or difficult. Now that’s the kind of cooking we can all get behind! 

50 easy-to-follow healthy recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions and inspirational images that will have kids cooking with confidence in no time.

Children will learn how to chop, mix, and stir their way to kitchen magic and put their skills to good use making a mixture of tasty savory and sweet dishes using few-and easy-to-find-ingredients. From soups to macaroni and cheese to banana bread, Cooking Step by Step is packed with 50 mouth-watering recipes that are easy to make, and will get kids into cooking and baking. Plus they will love eating their fresh, healthy, and delicious creations!

Junior chefs will also learn tips and shortcuts, and get to grips with cooking terms and kitchen fundamentals-all while having a great time making simple snacks, balanced meals, and sweet treats.

Increase your stitch repertoire! Access hundreds of crochet stitches that you can use year in and year out. From two of the most respected names in crochet, this indispensable resource provides excellent value. Find step-by-step instructions for more than 350 stitches, from easy to advanced, including shells, fans, clusters, bobbles, and more See a swatch for each stitch in a full-color, close-up photograph Locate quickly and conveniently any stitch you like; stitches are grouped by style for easy reference, and an alphabetical index is also included

Beautifully decorated cookies are within reach for every home baker, thanks to the easy and practical methods developed by cookie-crafting enthusiasts Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer. From rolling and cutting to flooding and piping, you’ll find dozens of techniques to turn plain cookies into fun treats for your next special occasion. With instructions for making stand-up cookies, tips on creating icing color palettes, and advice on freezing and shipping, the cookie fun never stops!

Sure to become your creative partner in paper crafting for years to come, The Ultimate Handbook for Paper Crafters explains which design elements make a card fun and cute (polka dots for sure), clean and graphic (no frills), classy and elegant (sweeping and dramatic), and shabby chic or vintage (layers, layers, and more layers). You'll also learn how to use unique color combinations like jewel tones and monochromatic schemes to design cards that really make an impression. There are step-by-step photos for popular stamping techniques, plus must-have information on essential tools. With more than 1,000 projects, tips, tools, and techniques, this volume of fundamentals is one to keep within reach for whenever you need to create a little paper-crafted perfection!

Design enthusiasts are bombarded with beautiful inspiration at every turn, but many lack the foundation necessary to re-create their dream projects. Materially Crafted is a must-have guide for design mavens seeking to develop their DIY chops, even if they're embracing their crafty side for the first time. Victoria Hudgins, creator of the popular design blog A Subtle Revelry, uncovers the best and least intimidating ways to work with the most popular crafting materials—from spray paint and concrete to thread, wax, and paper—and presents more than 30 easy projects to get everyone started.

Peppered with Hudgins's tips for “merrymaking the everyday” (using simple DIY ideas to live life more joyfully) plus inspirational photos of projects created by other prominent bloggers, Materially Crafted is an indispensable guide for a new generation of design enthusiasts looking to DIY their own distinctive style.

Presents illustrated, step-by-step instructions for one hundred craft projects that cost less than ten dollars to make, and includes patterns, diagrams, and photographs, as well as tips on techniques and materials.