5 comments about Flowers A to Z with Donna Dewberry.

1. I checked out all her books and this one is the most complete. It shows most of what she paints on TV. Her other books cover mostly one type, this is packed.
   
   I can't give you any more details because I didn't purchase this to learn her technique; I am a watercolorist and was looking to see if she had any interesting movements of the brush that I haven't seen yet.



2. This book is awesome! I have many of Donna's books but this is my favorite. I've been painting using the One Stroke method for about 5 months and I'm HOOKED! I've taken 13 classes with my local OSCI since then, which is the best way to improve your OS painting skills, but this book is a great compliment to those classes. Donna uses about 15 pages in the beginning of the book to go over materials, techniques and colors. Then she covers 50 flowers/blooms using 2 pages for each. The picture of her finished piece is a full page and of course very colorful. Then on the opposite page it lists the brushes and paints you'll need and a step by step guide on how to paint the flower(s). But it doesn't stop there. She uses 14 pages at the end to cover filler flowers and floral composition. Finally the last 2 pages are a gallery of floral project ideas. This is an invaluable resource! Enjoy!



3. I enjoyed the instructions in this book. First, a detailed explanation of how to complete each type of stroke is given. Then, the book has detailed information on how to paint many different types of flowers and arrangements. And finally,(this is the best part) it goes on to explain how to create original arrangements depending on the surface space the painter has to work with. This book was well written and easy to follow



4. The product was in excellent condition when I received. I will buy more books from this seller. Very pleased



5. Good solid book, but nothing really stellar. It has some good techniques, but not the Wow factor in many of the other books

No comments about The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles Volume 27 (New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles).

5 comments about Color Works: The Crafter's Guide to Color.

1. Colorworks is a great introduction to color theory for people who
   work in fiber arts, packed with lots of examples of color schemes
   worked out in knitting, weaving, beads, quilting, paper, machine and surface embroidery. While it is not nearly as in-depth as the now out-of-print Color and Fiber, it is also more accessible. It is also not as specific as Mary Fry's Color for Needlework, but it provides a good, solid ground for a stitcher's exploration of color.
   
   Almost half the book is made up of color tools, including palettes of each of twelve hue, ranging from fully saturated hues to extremely muted tones and shades. A Color Wheel and Value Scale are also provide. A series of templates has holes cut out to be used in conjunction with the color wheel to find color combinations.
   
   The seven chapters of the book cover all the major topics in color
   studies. There are chapters on color relationships, value,
   contrasts, and harmonies. Each sub-topic within the chapters is
   given s page of text. Next to it are nine samples in various media
   showing the principle discussed. These examples use the same design from page to page, varying only in the color used. As much as anything, this gives graphic demonstration of the topics and will fuel stitchers' imaginations.
   
   The last two chapters apply color to specific media. The sixth
   chapter discusses the characteristics of media in relation to color. Most folks know that shiny surfaces look lighter than matte surfaces, but how does this apply to knitting yarn or beads. Knowing something of the characteristics of yarns before you shop will help you in making choices. The final chapter, shows how a color scheme is developed in each of the nine crafts used in the book. Paper scraps show the basic colors involved while the text outlines the color harmony used as well as the specific colors. A value scale on paper is included and samples of the media used are also included in the illustration.
   
   This book provides just enough information on color to get a
   craftsperson started with this exciting topic. Unlike many books on color, this book doesn't talk about mixing colors, since these
   materials are all discreet. But it should be considered a starting point for color exploration, not a complete book.



2. If you are a craftsperson, this is a terrific reference tool! The examples of spinning, beading, weaving, quilting, and embroidery really show you how color works in each realm. Best of all are the tear out color wheel and color harmony overlays that get you thinking about your palette.



3. Deb Menz's Color Works is about color combination. There are numerous illustrations of theory and practice. The pages of samples showing several mediums makes the book for me. The same color on yarn, fabric, seed beads, or paper has a different resonance. The text illustrates how color/medium combinations "can be dramatic or theatrical." The examples push the reader to consider alternative color choices. Goethe's color theory of relative proportions is convincingly illustrated. Deb Menz offers practical methods to add more colors (hexad harmony) while avoiding a rainbow look. There's plenty to retrain the eye and mind.



4. Really, this book covers all you'll need to experiment with color. I never knew that so much was involved when making color choices. It's not hard to understand, but it took me a bit to understand the chapter on value. Once I read it through twice, though, it all started to make sense.
   
   It also contains a color wheel with punch out overlays to help you choose colors. I did find them hard to punch out, as another reviewer stated, and ended up using scissors to cut the perforations.
   
   This book is just packed with information. If you are interested in exploring color, you'll find this book very helpful.



5. the colors seem dull and dark. why use a black background for the samples and examples? those pictures look a little out of focus, shadowy, and dark. i really like everything else about this book, but expected much better photography. i want a visual feast when i sit down to explore color. this was uninspiring.

No comments about Sun, Moon and Stars Tattoos (Temporary Tattoos).

5 comments about Money for Nothing: One Man's Journey Through the Dark Side of Lottery Millions.

1. Money for Nothing: One Man's Journey Through the Dark Side of Lottery Millions--an intriguing title for an intriguing book just out by Edward Ugel. So you like to gamble? Maybe just buy lottery tickets? Reading this non-fiction, astonishing book may be the best thing you've ever done for yourself. Ugel tells all in his story about his years as both a gambler, and a salesman, and then as an employee of a company that offered upfront cash to lottery winners in exchange for their prize money.
   
   You've all seen the commercial for some company that offers cash that is due to you. All of the people cry out from wherever they are that it's their money and they want it now. If that company, called The Firm, in this book, is one that caters only to lottery winners, however, there are oftentimes millions of dollars involved--and even though the winner may have won big, they may be as poor as ever!
   
   One of the key issues is whether the particular lottery allows a lump sum as opposed to long-term payments. Selection of a lump sum has not always been available. Additionally, when you see the picture of the winner getting a large check with a large sum identified on it, the amount is always the amount before taxes!
   
   Horror story after horror story for lottery winners are shared in this book--all names changed, of course.
   
   Ugel has tried hard to write in an upbeat fashion in telling his story. His chapter titles are catchy. He ridicules some of his own actions and invites the reader to smile and commiserate with his choices. But he's not really telling about a fun-filled life. The book, in my opinion, is very much an expose' of this type of financial company, albeit though they are acting legally. Additionally, Ugel's epilogue, written in a time schedule/diary fashion reveals exactly what the addicted gambler goes through each time he gives in to this vice.
   
   Ugel has been a gambler since the age of 19, working at jobs to earn enough money so he could go gamble. When he was called to a bar by a friend, where a potential supervisor was drinking and smoking, Ugel thought he had finally found the place where he belonged. Indeed, while his boss was there at the The Firm with him, he quickly moved into big money and promotions, each time his boss moved up. But no matter how far up he went, he at last began to hate working with the man and quit, even though he was offered almost twice his present salary to stay. Ugel struggled through the following time, until he was called and asked to return. His former boss had quit and he was being offered his job. This had been what he had always wanted. He believed he could do the job and was soon back at The Firm.
   
   Ugel did all right until his former boss opened his own business as a major competitor and quickly started winning potential customers away from The Firm. Ugel was finally relieved to be fired, for even though he was a super salesman, he realized that he had treated his job, and allowed his subordinates to also treat their jobs, as if each "lead" was merely a "gamble" and since there was always the potential for high commissions without working too hard, he realized that though being a better "gambler" than his former boss, he was not even close to being the kind of manager that his boss had been. As he said, "a gambler is a gambler is a gambler" (p. 212). He and his staff were quite willing to gamble both with their own money...and with the lottery winners' money!
   
   Many of us have our own addictions. If gambling is yours...read this book! If gambling is not your particular vice, read it...and insert your own predilection. For underneath the humor, Ugel has written a story that just may help you rethink what you are doing, to yourself, to your family, and on your job! Thank you, Edward Ugel, for sharing your life in such an open way and making us realize that Money for Nothing may be more trouble than anyone could imagine!



2. if you like gambling or vegas, then you'll enjoy this reading. busting vegas by ben mezrich and jonny magic & the card shark kids by david kushner were better.



3. As a counselor for problem gamblers. This is a prime example of PT Barnums saying- there's a sucker born every minute and two to fleece him.
   Although in this case there is a firm to fleece them.
   
   This is a model for gamblers to understand then even when you win you loose. I found myself feeling ill at the duplicity that is used on gullible people- Yes they have to agree to it but like banks and the stockmarket that charge high rates and hidden fees, this book lets you know the hidden backstory of what happens when you win the lottery.
   
   The author illustrates well greed is not good!



4. A humorous, quick, and easy read. At times, Ugel comes off as an adolescent in his decisions and values, but he puts it all out there for us to see.



5. "Money for Nothing" is a superficial, less than credible account of a salesman's life selling "up front" money for lottery winners with multi-year payments. The book references winners' haste to settle (not even inquiring as to interest rates involved), misleading sales pitches that focus on what the winner needs (rather than deserves) to reduce the payout, sudden divorces made possible by the new wealth, etc.
   
   However, few specifics are offered, especially on the financial terms involved. Instead, "Money for Nothing" provides lots of filler - eg. life prior to this job, getting this job, history of state lotteries, etc.
   
   Bottom Line: Buying "Money for Nothing" would be paying money for nothing.

5 comments about Winning Omaha/8 Poker.

1. There is very little material out there on this game. If you follow Mark's advice you will win in the low to middle limit games. The style is tight and somewhat boring but it works.



2. I am a novice at Omaha/8, so I write from that perspective. I have Zee's book and Cloutier's book. Neither of them come close to offering the material Tenner and Krieger present in "Winning Omaha 8" for the beginning player. I think Zee and Cloutier believe you already know this stuff; Tenner and Krieger make no such supposition and start from scratch.
   
   I am one of those players (and a pretty good one) coming from Hold 'em to Omaha/8. Over and over and over, Tenner and Krieger tell me Omaha/8 is NOT Hold 'em, and give example after example. They tell me to often muck pocket aces. What? Muck pocket aces? Yeah right! So I go to Zee's book and find one sentence: muck weak pocket aces. Tenner and Krieger devote a whole chapter to properly playing aces. Guess which book is more informative to the novice. Ever so slowly it dawns on me just how good their advice is. Ever so slowly I go from being a big loser to a small winner at the tables.
   
   Over and over and over, they say Omaha/8 is a game of scoops, not of splits. For at least a month I think they are crazy. Why would I not play the nut high straight even if I had to split the pot? But they say it so often, it gets in my head like a song you can't get rid of. And I go from being a small winner to a much bigger winner.
   
   The book is packed with facts. It has to be read, underlined, reread, reunderlined. I recall the chapter on Playing the Flop. I remember praying to God to please let this chapter come to an end. And yet it is the best chapter in the book, even if it has to be practically memorized word for word.
   
   One small criticism. While the book is most certainly complete enough for the novice (and the intermediate and maybe even the expert who writes the other review and pans the book), it is missing a few paragraphs. It fails to say anything about playing Pot Limit Omaha/8. Maybe the casinos don't spread Pot Limit Omaha/8, I don't know. But the Internet poker sites most certainly do big time! I would have wanted even a little advice on how to adjust playing the game to pot limit.
   
   I think this is the first book I've given 5 stars. I wrote this review in answer to those who criticized it. Please don't buy it if you might end up at my table.



3. Little is published on this game, so if you are into omaha 8 you should buy it all. My main objection to this book is the writing style. I like a less conversational approach; 'just the facts' and if it's important put a star by it.
   This book gives organized guidelines on flop play(page 106-107) that are quite helpful to a new player that wants specific advice, and any points of play considered important are emphasized.
   I would be wary of reviewers that praise this book above all others. They tend to be new players. There are great insights in books by Zee, Cappelletti, Ciaffone, Slotboom, Brunson, etc. If advice contradicts try to reason out why and you'll probably become a better player.
   For a new fixed limit player this is a good start but I would also get Zee's book. Also just go online and get what you can from websites.
   Then get experience and be a nit. lol



4. After reading the book, I can see why I have a hard time winning in the on line games. Since I have read the book, I have been holding my own, but using the author's information on starting hands, I sure sit on the sidelines watching a lot of the action.



5. If you've read very many books on Hold'em you are probably familiar with Lou Krieger and his "Hold'em Excellence" books. Well, Krieger has done it again - this time with Omaha/8.
   
   There are other books that cover Omaha/8, but none that I think do it quite as well for the inexperienced player. After reading Tenner and Krieger and putting their advice into action you'll probably want to check out Ray Zee and other authors of Omaha/8 books.
   
   The book contains introductory chapters dealing with how Omaha/8 is played, basic elements of strategy and basic poker etiquette. Then a chapter introduces the basics of counting outs and calculating odds as needed in Omaha/8 with a table on page 72 giving percentage probability of hitting your hand for four to twenty outs. If the effort required for memorizing this table is a turnoff (it is for me) you'll find that you can accurately calculate the probability of hitting your card on the turn or river by multiplying the outs by four then subtracting the outs in excess of ten.
   
   The next chapter discusses starting hands and I think this may be one of the most valuable sections of the book for many players. Most authors of hold'em books give an easy to remember list of starting hands, but most writers on Omaha/8 are more vague. This is probably in large part because of the number of possible hands in Omaha. Omaha/8 is a high-low game and the hands you want to play will be either high or low. Tenner and Krieger give a brief set of principle-based rules for starting hands that should make sense of the almost infinite possibilities.
   
   Other chapters deal with playing on the flop, playing hands with two aces, playing from the blinds, kill pots, playing flops with a pair, bankroll requirements, playing online, and much more.
   
   If you aspire to become a capable Omaha/8 player this book will get you off to a good start.

No comments about Flexible French: 10 Surprise Weapons for Dynamic Chess Players.

5 comments about Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons).

1. Reading through the one- and two-star reviews for this product, I find that a lot of people don't seem to understand how the AD&D system incorporates avatars. These people should have their reviews discarded.
   
   I must confess, first off, that I have not as yet read Deities and Demigods. I've ordered it, however, and expect it to arrive in the next day or so. I was lead to purchase it because the Planescape campaign supplement "On Hallowed Ground" referenced the Finnish, Sumerian and Babylonian pantheons, and those gods and characters originally appeared in Deities and Demigods and NO PLACE ELSE. I already own and use other books similar to Deities and Demigods -- including Legends and Lore, Monster Mythology, and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting's "Faiths and Avatars" series of books.
   
   I own and use these books because I know why they include avatar statistics. The few reviewers who gave this book unflattering star-ratings, however, clearly do not understand this concept. And therefore, this book is not for them and they likely wasted their money aquiring it.
   
   If you understand that sometimes the AD&D game requires stat blocks for the creatures and characters that appear in it, and if you also understand that a deity's avatar is NOT the deity itself (but rather an incarnation that probably requires game stats), then you should probably pick up a copy of this book.



2. I would like to start by saying, ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS BOOK WAS INTENDED AS A RELIGIOUS TEXT NEEDS SERIOUS HELP. Sorry for shouting, but this book was published for a GAME and is intended for entertainment only. It makes no claims to accuracy or relevance.
   
   Now, there is a distinction that needs to be made when referring to these books, and it is mainly one of edition. The first and second editions contained 17 mythos and had 144 pages. All later editions had 15 mythos and 128 pages. The reasons are copyright issues. You can find out more by going to http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/deities.html
   
   The editions with 17 mythos and 144 pages are rare and highly sought after, while later editions are more common and less of a collector's item. Also, the editions with the title 'Legends and Lore' have different cover art, but contain the same information as previous editions.



3. This book was a great reference, gathering together in one volume information that could be used to craft the religous structure for many different campaigns, by including fictional, mythological, and "real" gods and heroes in one book. Also included in the volume was then-new information about the planes of existence, planar travel, and other-planar creatures.
   Those who complain about this book probably haven't read it. If they had, they would have seen in the intro that the authors did not intend this to be a book of adversaries (although they wrote up the avatar's stats for them if needed), but instead to be a quick reference for these different pantheons, some of which cannot be found in the reference section of the library (when did you last see a scholarly work on Lolth, Blibdoolpoolp, or Vaprak the Destroyer?). They also mention that if a particular mythos captures your interest, you should journey to your local library to research it. In other words, this is a game supplement, not a religious text.
   Personally, I used this book a lot when I was running games back in the glory days of AD&D. I loved creating settings using the Norse or Celtic mythoi, and having the quick reference along with information about the avatars of the gods (important when dealing with gods with a "hands-on" approach such as the Norse) was at times quite useful. Also, it gave a starting point for research that would have otherwise taken longer, giving the names and general spheres of influence of a number of gods and goddesses that I was not then familiar with.
   Yes, the use of still-used mythoi could be seen in this PC age as incorrect, but the only difference between a religion and a myth cycle is whether or not people still believe in it. To the Norse, their religion was all-encompassing, yet nobody complains these days about the comic book character The Mighty Thor. And look at the abuse the Greek mythos has taken in popular media, yet the Greeks manage to take it all in stride. Lighten up, people.
   The description of the product doesn't say, so I am assuming what they are selling here is a second-edition or later book. The difference is that the first edition contained the Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythoi, based on the works of Lovecraft and Moorcock, respectively. The problem was, Chaosium (a rival games maker) already had the rights to those works, and TSR violated those rights when they printed their book. The material in question was removed for later printings, making the first edition an instant collector's item.



4. This is a good addition to any 1st Edition AD&D library, particularly any one that is going to be set on a fantasy Earth. The book presents a number of well-known real mythoi (even if they are somewhat changed from their historical underpinnings for ease of gameplay -- but Schick and Kuntz do provide an extensive bibliography for the source material) including lesser-known pantheons such as the Native American and Finnish gods. There is even a section for King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table (following Mallory's Morte d'Arthur, and not the post-Roman noble he probably was, but that's just a nitpick). Monsters and other heroes conected with the deities are also included.
   
   But the most legendary point of the book is, of course, official AD&D stats for Cthulhu and others in the Lovecraft mythos -- and they are bruisers.
   
   Don't let the deities' stat blocks fool you into thinking the gods are there like other monsters -- for the purpose of "kill it and take its stuff." These gods are GODS -- they have stats only to be used "if absolutely necessary." Any of these deities could reasonably be expected to kill a PC of almost any level within a round or two (and some, like Cthulhu, could even make short work of some of the toughest critters from the Monster Manual such as Demogorgon or Orcus). Use them sparingly as direct combat opponents (although sending Cthulhu [400 HP, 30 attacks (you read that right) of a damage level I don't recall, but obscenely high] against a "full of itself, 'let's rip the moustache off the king and raid his treasury'" party might just knock some sense into them ), instead trying to use them as either patrons or prime movers -- The PCs probably would never face Loki or Izumo, but might be fighting fire giants or Ogre Magi/Oni that the gods are directing.
   
   One thing -- make sure to look carefully at the product description. If you want just any copy, any edition of this book (or the identical-but-for-a-different-cover-and-title Legends and Lore) are extremely serviciable. But if you're a collector, or are looking to use the 1st Edition stats for the Cthulhu or Melinebone (sp?) mythoi, be sure the product description states that it is the first edition -- after that (and perhaps a second printing), TSR decided to take the stats out rather than have to give a "thank you" credit to Chaosium. However, some later printings have the "thank you" note without the stats (they hadn't gotten around to changing the plates) -- therefore get the first printing and you're assured of Lovecraftian goodness.



5. We all loved this book as kids. Yes, we would "take on" gods so we could get their fabulous weapons. I was never a huge D&D player, but I always thought this book was great. I know it got me and many of my friends interested in (and reading about) mythology and other cultures (the Ancient Egyptians, King Arthur, etc.), and that (as Martha would say) is a good thing!

2 comments about Sea Creatures Tattoos.

1. My three-year old boy got this as a birthday present. Once he saw it demonstrated on "daddy's" stomach (i.e., one temporary tattoo applied), he wanted one. We add one new tattoo each five days or so, just as the previous one wears out. He loves them, is learning the names of sea creatures and giggles like crazy when asked to show off his "lobster" or his "nautilus". I'm here to buy another copy!



2. There are ten fascinating tattoos of sea creatures in this little book. There's an ultra-colorful blue crab, a stately nautilus, a sprawling octopus, a graceful zebra lionfish, a lovely little blue spotted stingray, an ephemeral sea nettle, a tiny anemone, a sturdy northern sea star, a spiky northern lobster, and a whelk shell.

2 comments about Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. Great guide, it includes all your needs, from fully detailed maps to the descriptions of every enemy in the game. It also includes hints to how to beat any boss in the game.



2. It's good giudance to unlock the armo and the new stages. The price is cheaper than in store a lot.