Best Polymer Clay

Thorough instructions supported by more than 400 step-by-step color photos and 200 detailed drawings cover the entire process of sculpting realistic figures. You hold in your hands a magical book, your guide to a realm where anyone can learn to sculpt. Practical and intuitive steps lead the way to creating strong, realistic and expressive figures.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is for someone who is pretty advanced."
"Excellent!"
"I've only had a chance to look at the book."
"Step by step information empowers you to create beauty in small forms."
"I been looking at this book for more than a year and I hesitate to buy it due to some reviews in the past."
"It breaks it down into sections of the body and how to make the muscle tone accurate and symmetrical."

Going far beyond most other metal clay books currently available, Metal Clay for Jewelry Makers covers basics and much more. Sue Heaser is an internationally renowned artist, author, and teacher and has been working in polymer and metal clays for more than 25 years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It covers a very broad range of material and would be a welcome addition to anyone's workshop."
"Great book for beginners and non-beginners!"
"The content is well designed and I love the fact that she showcases works but apprentices as well as artists to better manage expectations."
"A wonderful reference book that is well written and easy to follow!"
"Wonderful guide for Metal Clay Artist!"
"This is a must-have if you want to learn about or have a reference for metal clay."
"Love this book!"

Explore the world of clay and learn to create the dramatically beautiful forms of some of the most fearsome and awe-inspiring creatures your imagination can conjure. From start to finish, you'll learn everything from brainstorming creature ideas to making the armature and building the body with clay to baking and mounting the creature onto a base. Emily Coleman has been sculpting fantasy creatures for over a decade and taught traditional art at Full Sail University.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"One of my favorite books of this topic."
"This book had easy to follow instructions with beautiful illustrations that were easy to follow."
"My grandson makes plastilina action figures and this gave him many good ideas for construction of figures."
"Excellent book with clear examples and techniques."
"nice book, good pictures, useful."
"She is a polymer clay sculptor, but she is taking a lot of the techniques and ideas from this book and using them to get better at her craft every day."
"Emily's fertile mind has given birth to some astounding creature sculptures."
Best Children's Clay Craft Books

Clay Lab for Kids features 52 hands-on projects made with clay, all of which get kids working creatively, and thinking three dimensionally.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"With budgets getting smaller and smaller, this has some cost cutting ways to do a clay projects with the kids on a dime if only I were that lucky more like a penny these days."
"This book has a lot of great ideas."
"This book is an excellent resource for educators, parents, camp directors or anyone working with children."
"Easily accessible materials and creative ideas to get kids excited about sculpture!"
"This book, along with a package of polymer clay would make a great gift."
"A must-have book for Art Teachers who love to teach 3-D!"
"I've known Cassie for many years and this book is just a sample of her awesomeness and creativity."
"Like getting new ideas."
Best Fashion Models

Known through much of her career only to those behind the scenes, she might have remained fashion’s best-kept secret were it not for The September Issue, the acclaimed 2009 documentary that turned publicity-averse Grace into a sudden, reluctant celebrity. With the witty, forthright voice that has endeared her to her colleagues and peers for more than forty years, Grace now creatively directs the reader through the storied narrative of her life so far. Grace reveals her private world with equal candor—the car accident that almost derailed her modeling career, her two marriages, the untimely death of her sister, Rosemary, her friendship with Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis, and her thirty-year romance with Didier Malige. Coddington, creative director of the American Vogue magazine, has much to impart (which she has done before in Grace: 30 Years of Fashion at Vogue, 2002, and The Catwalk Cats, 2008).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Excellent book, not just for current Vogue readers and fashionista's."
"She's a bit conceited but she's Grace Coddington so you give her a pass...."
"I was so sad when the book ended."
"A living legend leading an amazing life in interesting times with lots of stories, while contributing to creating iconic images."
"Her accounts of her marriages and long term relationship with a well known hairdresser, of working with various photographers as Creative Director at American Vogue and her relationship with Anna Wintour make fascinating reading."
"If you are interested in this kind of fashion - cultural career - this book is quite good."
"This book is more of a Sunday chat with a friend who has had some mildly interesting experiences."
"I had really looked forward to this book because I was fascinated with the down to earth attitude she had for fashion, and in the beginning I admired her dedication to her career, but then it was "And then I married...,and than I worked with.. and then I slept with."
Best Craft & Hobby Dough

- 3 easy steps to sculpting a cute animal.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You can make them with plasticine clay or even polymer, which i used to make the monkey, and possibly even play dough."
"I love how clean and simple this book makes crafting."
"This book maybe for molding using clay or plasticine but I used these techniques and models to make some cute fondant characters for cakes and cupcakes."
"Cute book, easy instructions."
"A book for beginners, without words .."
"Only pictures to guide you so you must have a decent knowledge of working with polymer clay before you embark on these projects."
"I love these ball animals to make for kids as presents."
"I think the designs are cute but the author only gives 3 steps for each piece."
Best Puppet Crafts

Selected from the pages of two clever 19th-century picture books, 28 hand-shadow illustrations demonstrate how to create marvelous images of a goose, deer (with antlers), birds, a bunny, a dog, an elephant, a tortoise, and a host of other familiar creatures. Children and adults around the world delight in hand shadows, and this little activity book shows how to perform the ancient art.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Some of these were pretty tough to finagle the fingers just right, but overall these images are all what you’d expect to see in a shadow puppet book."
"I bought it as a gift and it was pretty wimpy."
"We may love it later, but our daughter is too young to appreciate the intricate animals."
"Super cute."
"Perfect book for anyone!"
"Some fun shadows, but I wish the book didn't look so ancient inside."
"Fun, Fun, Fun.... Get the little kids laughing and trying to do it themselves."
"The pages are made exactly the same as your childhood coloring book."
Best Folkcrafts

Whether you wanted to hunt game, bake the old-fashioned way, or learn the art of successful moonshining, The Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center had a contact who could teach you how with clear, step-by-step instructions. In the late 1960's, Eliot Wigginton and his students created the magazine Foxfire in an effort to record and preserve the traditional folk culture of the Southern Appalachians.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not a survival type of book at all but a series of reflections on what or how things were done in the times of the Great Depression and before."
"completes my brother's collection."
"As advertised....prompt delivery."
"The Foxfire books are a treasure trove of information on how the folks in the. hills of the south managed on meager means and with determination."
Best Seasonal Crafts

Filled with beautiful photographs and easy-to-follow instructions on how to create over 80 different arrangements, this is the go-to guide to floral design that every flower lover will want to add to their collection. Carly's book takes you from A to Z on everything flowers and helps us amateurs bring out the flower goddess in all of us.― Ali Landry. With everything happening in design, I'm surprised that no one has done what Carly's done and has done so well: taught us the simple mysteries of how to arrange flowers beautifully. Whether you've already got flower game or you're just learning about floral design, this book offers you tips and tricks to instantly improve your styling techniques.― Laurie March, remodeler, designer, and TV host. This is my go-to book for floral designing. Carly's passion for teaching floral design comes through effortlessly in The Flower Chef .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very helpful and full of ideas."
"I was hoping for more step-by-step instructions and photos."
"It' always gets her out of trouble when she runs into flower arranging issues around the house or for parties."
"Living in SoCal, I spend a lot of time working on my garden and have flowers year around."
"Carly did a fantastic job with this publication."
"Lots of tips and beautiful photography."
"Easy to read!"
Best Toy & Model Crafts

You'll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs. The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talks. Each chapter contains several short challenges, dubbed "discoveries," which are cleverly accompanied by a legend: whimsical gear wheels represent the estimated amount of building time; tiny Microsoft Windows-esque blocks show the expected level of programming expertise; and a small clock estimates the length of time it should take to solve the challenge. The size, advanced vocabulary, and organization of the book evokes a science or physics textbook, which is warranted due to the amount of complex and detailed programming information contained within.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is super for those who want to understand this Lego Robot machine and programming better."
"As to the educational version vs the home version..... The educational packs has all of the motors and sensors of the home version with two exceptions: the remote control sensor and related beacon. There may be a few add'l pieces that we'll need in the future to build all of the projects in this book, but we are 1/4 the way thru and haven't found them. The author has also kindly responded to specific questions (relating to education vs home versions), and has been quite helpful."
"Outstanding book I love the paper edition but also bought the Kindle edition too!"
"My grandson has built just about every project in the book and he loves it."
"I bought the book (and the Mindstorms kit) for my grandsons, but first I wanted to build one of the robots in the book and to do some programming for it in case I needed to help my grandsons with the versions they build."
"The book includes 132 practice modules spread throughout the chapters which allow for an iterative process of learning. My two sons and I (ages 9 and 11) are separately going through the book and practice/design modules with each of us tracking our progress on a tracking sheet."
"The book gives you all the information you need to understand the LabView environment and each of the basic programming blocks."
"Fantastic and thorough book."
Best Nature Crafts

The classic bestselling book for every boy from eight to eighty, covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses*, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age-old question of what the big deal with girls is. Equal parts droll and gorgeous nostalgia book and heartfelt plea for a renewed sense of adventure in the lives of boys and men, Conn and Hal Iggulden's The Dangerous Book for Boys became a mammoth bestseller in the United Kingdom in 2006. Adapted, in moderation, for American customs in this edition (cricket is gone, rugby remains; conkers are out, Navajo Code Talkers in), The Dangerous Book is a guide book for dads as well as their sons, as a reminder of lore and technique that have not yet been completely lost to the digital age. Recall the adventures of Scott of the Antarctic and the Battle of the Somme, relearn how to palm a coin, tan a skin, and, most charmingly, wrap a package in brown paper and string. The book's ambitions are both modest and winningly optimistic: you get the sense that by learning how to place a splint or write in invisible ink, a boy might be prepared for anything, even girls (which warrant a small but wise chapter of their own). Conn taught for many years before becoming one of the most admired and popular young historical novelists with his Emperor series, based on the life of Julius Caesar, and his newly embarked series on Genghis Khan, while Hal is a theater director. Amazon.com: It's difficult to describe what a phenomenon The Dangerous Book for Boys was in the UK last year. They need to fall off things occasionally, or--and this is the important bit--they'll take worse risks on their own. Amazon.com: You made some changes for the U.S. edition, and I for one am sorry that you have removed the section on conkers, if only because it's such a lovely and mysterious word. In the entire history of the world, no one has ever been hurt by a conker, but it's still been banned by some British schools, just in case . I notice in both editions you have an excellent and useful section on table football, as played with coins. As for paper football, ever since I thought of putting the book together, people keep saying things like "You have rockets in there, yes? Have you seen boys getting up from their Xboxes to go outside and perform first aid or tan animal skins or build go-carts? Iggulden: I've had a lot of emails and letters from boys who loved the book--as well as fathers. I've had responses from kids as young as ten and an old man of 87, who pointed out a problem with the shadow stick that we've since changed. If it's hard, you don't make it easy, you grab it by the throat and hang on for as long as it takes. Good, heroic stories don't appear much in modern school curriculums--and then we wonder why boys don't seem interested.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book, BY FAR, is one of the BEST presents you could get anyone."
"I wish I had this book when I was little."
"So many activities I'm just as excited to try as my son is!"
"The Dangerous Book for Boys is a good book."
"We got this for my son for Christmas and he has been reading it everyday."
"Nice gift for a little boy."
"Oh what a neat book."
"Unfortunately, some of the pages were blurred and can’t be read."
Best Metal Work

Written by an expert in blacksmith and metal artist, this book provides readers with a basic understanding of blacksmithing, including an explanation of tools like an anvil, an anvil stand, hammers, and tongs. Through instructions and illustrations, readers will learn to make simple tools and useful items, such as nails, hinges, and handles, and also an interesting mix of artful projects, such letter openers, door knockers and botanical ornaments.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My 12 year old son has decided he wants to learn blacksmithing and he saved all of his money to buy an anvil and he and my husband built a forge out of an old brake drum from a big truck."
"I got this for my eldest son (22) for Christmas."
"Awesome book."
"Full of information, hints, practical exercises and projects."
"perfect book for those just starting out and those that have alittle bit under their belt."
"Very nice book has all info on blacksmithing basics.really like it was surprise it was a hard cover."
"Can't wait to get into this."
"Awesome book."
Best Candle Making

The pure luxury of soaps made with coconut butter, almond oil, aloe vera, oatmeal, and green tea is one of life’s little pleasures. “This book has everything you need for success.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Cons: I recognized a great many of the designs from the Amy Warden Soap Challenge and the original artisan soap makers were not given credit (design ideas are not exclusive to the Soap Queen). Instead of telling you how many ounces a recipe makes- you get how many bars based on her molds (a pain in the butt for a newbie to figure out using your own molds.). The book is a copycat of other artisans original works and really instead of using ordinary easy to find molds it compels you to go to her company to buy the equipment (or buy it cheaper here on Amazon :) SOME THINGS YOU NEED:You need a silicone log mold, a wooden slab mold, a individual silicone cavity mold, a silicone slab mold (smaller), and a long log mold with dividers, and round molds, embellishment molds, natural colorants, oxides, tons of essential oils, heating pad, section tools, sodium lactate (in all the recipes), cupcake mold, stamp, rubber mallet, sealable tea bags, herbs, bubble wrap, cookie cutters, powder sifter, chopsticks, frosting bag and tip... it goes on and on."
"Great to have these options."
"Detailed and inspirational, just what you would expect from Anne Marie, The Soap Queen!"
"Shared knowledge, reinforced guidelines."
"Love this book."
"Very much recommend this book for soaping."
Best Radio Operation

Upgrading to a General license--which conveys extensive HF privileges only requires passing a written examination. Once you do, the entire range of operating modes and the majority of the amateur spectrum below 30 MHz become available to you. Use this book to study for your General Class license exam. Every page presents information you will need to pass the exam and become an effective operator.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Using this process with a clean copy of the pool questions I got to mostly "blue" and a couple of "greens"...and easily passed the three test."
"Great information laid out in a plain to understand method that logically moves you through the subject matter in a way that you actually learn."
"I already have the Tech book and I used that and the practice exams on line to pass my Tech exam."
"Hypertext jumps from the subject to questions and answers was flawless."
"Excellent book."
"The book was so simple and easy to follow. This book will go over various topics and then at the end of the chapter it will just say, "Please review questions in section etc, etc, etc before continuing to the next chapter" I hate flipping back and forth between reading material and question pools in the back of the book. In the end this book will work and some of you might just say I have a different way of learning than others which is true."
"Very comprehensive and clear."
"Brand new and is current..."
Best Gift Decorating

From the author of the popular blog, A Cozy Kitchen, comes a beautifully photographed one-stop-shop book with all the recipes and projects you’ll need for some cozy inspiration this holiday season―and all year long. You'll want to sink right into her cozy world-why not plan a fall picnic, make Chewy Chai Snickerdoodles, and adopt a best friend corgi named Amelia? Adrianna's clear and friendly voice chats with you as if you're a dear friend, offering tips on DIY crafts and recipes you'll actually want to make. “If L.A. blogger, dog-lover, and yummy food maker Adrianna Adarme isn't already on your radar, it's time to get acquainted….An ordinary book of recipes, this is not. Not only are there cozy and comforting recipes, but the book is also filled with crafts and outings and life inspiration.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not only are the photos, crafts and ideas beautifully shot (and equally as deserving of a front-and-center coffee table spot), but the author is one of the most honest, articulate and REAL people I've ever encountered in this kind of book."
"This makes an excellent gift and is also great eye candy!"
"Such a wonderful book!"
"Adarme is a kindred spirit!"
"Love this book!"
"I love your book."
Best Scrapbooking

Organize and preserve your tickets from special concerts, shows, trips, and sporting events in this handsome ticket stub organizer!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon""Concert Ticket Album" (which I'll call "CTA") and "Just the Ticket" ticket organizer (which I'll call "JTT".). Size of tickets it will take: JTT has pockets that are 7.5" x 4" and will take tickets up to that size, but a ticket that size would cover up the label portion where you can write notes. CTA's pockets are 5x5" x 2.75"-- that is, more sized for "traditional" tickets like the kind that ticket outlets have sold for years. Quantity of tickets it will hold: Concert Ticket Album has 16 pages, with 3 tickets per side, plus two oversized. So that totals: 16 x 3 x 2 = 96 regular tickets plus two oversized tickets. Just the Ticket has 20 pages with 2 tickets per side, for a total of 80 tickets and no oversized tickets. How well it holds tickets: I haven't fully compared, but CTA has smaller pockets and thus tickets would be held snugly. JTT's larger pockets could lead to the tickets sliding around in the pockets a bit. When looking at your tickets, you'll need to turn pages carefully because there will be some flexing of the tickets in the pages."
"I'd recommend taking each page out to tape the tickets or momento on there."
"I have a TON of ticket stubs as I used to work in record stores in the 90's, I like that I have a place next to the stub to include the opening bands."
"I used to keep all of my tickets in a box and never got to look at them."
"I bought this as a graduation gift & the recipient was over the moon."
"This was a perfect Secret Santa gift for a girl who loves going to broadways!"
"If he fills up all the pages I can buy him an extra pack or the pages Couldn’t be happier with this purchase."
"This notebook makes it super easy with pockets for each ticket stub and a lined section to write notes."
Best Wood Crafts & Carving

This hardcover book with internal spiral binding is 6.5in x 8in, a perfect size for carpenters and woodworkers to keep near their workbench or toolbox for quick access.The design of this book allows it to lay open flat, which allows for easy and frequent reference, and the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginners, and provides useful tips for more advanced readers.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Was a gift for my hubby."
"A relatively small, spiral bound reference book, it has proven very handy when considering joins in my own designs."
"Husband said this is a great book."
"Great book and easy to understand."
"Some of the material is just so limited and general but then again the type of material in it I refer to is not the material I bought this for."
"Much however is with hand tools versus a modern approach with a router / saws etc."
Best Papercrafts, Stamping & Stenciling

Kids love origami—and what could be cooler than transforming a piece of paper into Boba Fett, Princess Leia, Yoda, or R2-D2? Star Wars Origami includes a foreword by Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back , and is scheduled to be published at the same time as Angleberger’s upcoming book, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee . A Look Inside Star Wars Origami.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The quality of the paper is good and there are many star war character origami designs."
"This is probably the best $6 I’ve ever spent!"
"Not for beginners!!!!"
"It will be a great use of time if you like Star Wars as my son does!"
"It was a Christmas gift."
"Lots of fun!"
"Great price for this oragami book!"
"Quite difficult not really for young kids."
