1 comments about Dolls' House Inspirations.

1. Living in Tasmania, Australia, and with a hobby like miniature dolls' house, people like me eagerly scan our horizons for any shows, workshops or visits from experts in this field, that may come to visit us. I love reading and collecting books and this allows an expert such as Jean Nisbett to come into my house and I can avail myself to her knowledge whenever it suits me. Thank you, Jean!

2 comments about Thirties & Forties Miniatures in 1:12 Scale.

1. There are many projects in this book, but they're mostly for furniture, and in plain wood. More accessories would have been welcome.
   
   And it's better suited for beginners. More experienced miniaturists might be disappointed.



2. I enjoyed this book because I've yet to seen one including much information on miniature decorating styles of the 1930's and 40's. Admittedly there are more wood crafts than I had hoped for, but the flavor of the book, the fun layout, and period details give one inspiration for creating their own unique projects.

2 comments about Dolls' House Shops, Cafes & Restaurants.

1. I am new to the dollhouse hobby, and have purchased several books on decorating. I like this one especially, since it takes you away from the standard decorating of kitchen, bath, living room, etc. I plan to make my next dollhouse a shop - now I just need to decide what type of shop I want!



2. A tremendous amount of excellent photos with a wide variety of ideas. Very useful for anyone who is going to decorate a miniaute shop as a source of inspiration and information.

5 comments about Food Displays: Step-By-Step Instructions for over 40 Projects (Dolls House Do-It-Yourself).

1. This book is great for those who are fascinated with the art of making miniature food. Sue Heaser explains things clearly and tells you what products to use to get that "professional look". Good sized pictures make it easier to understand the steps involved in creating miniature food using different types of mediums. Check out Sue's other great books. She's definately tallented when it comes to sculpting with polymer clay and teaching others how to do the same.



2. I found this book very informitive and well laid out.



3. This is an excellent resource book for miniaturists. Contains some different and fresh ideas other books of a similar nature do not have. My only criticism is that the step-by-step photos could be larger. Otherwise, a very good, thought-provoking publication.



4. My son requested tis book as he worked with miniatures before and wanted more. It looks wonderful and I'm glad I found it for him. It is to be a Christmas present and I'm sure he will love it.



5. A great book! This book's main strength is that it clearly shows the author's techniques for creating different colors and textures with polymer clay that are seen in real food. Appealing to beginners, the book covers the basics of working with polymer clay, including mixing colors and which tools you'll need. The book also shows techniques for making dishes and even cutting boards from which to display your work. Truly a must-have for the budget-conscious beginner or enthusiast!

5 comments about A Beginners' Guide to the Dolls' House Hobby: Revised and Expanded Edition.

1. This book is wonderful to look at and very helpful. Especially if you want a period look or a very english look to your dollhouse, which is just what I was looking for. Great value for the money. I find myself looking through it all the time.



2. I bought this book about a year ago. I have 8-10 doll house books now, and this is not one I look through very often. It is good for checking up details like which colour the wall papers usually had during the Victorian era, and some of the descriptions of how to make for example a fire look realistic are good, but many of the pictures are really boring and they dont make you wanna copy the design. There are lots of other books that are more inspirational.



3. I purchased the original edition of Jean Nisbett's book years ago and absolutely loved it! There are lots of beautiful color photos throughout and useful tables in the book. She provides a handy metric conversion table, a fine description of the different periods of which most dollhouses are designed and decorated, and offers many projects for dollhouse components and accessories. I haven't yet looked through her revised edition, but I'm sure it can only hold more wonderful pieces of information, guidelines and ideas. Inspiring and useful!



4. This book is a fine representative in the "ultimate" series. It is entertaining, informative, and has wonderful illustrations of historical dollhouses. It will interest several audiences: the historian, the collector of antiques, and the hobbyist, who will find good ideas for building and furnishing his or her own dollhouse.



5. Terrific book with the right information... Just so when you have two little girl grand children... Poppy will be very popular

5 comments about Making Miniature Food and Market Stalls.

1. Anyone who is interested in making miniature food should purchase this book, the explanations are superb.



2. This is a book come with the step by step guide to create the indivdual items. It is a book value for money.



3. I have been looking for a book that will help me make some of the foods for my little people in the doll house. Now, they can have tasty and semi-real food. Very detailed and easy step by step instructions.



4. A great book! This book covers the basics of working with polymer clay, including mixing colors and which tools you'll need. It also shows you step-by-step, with words and pictures, how to create each project. And the best part: the finished food that *I make* by following the steps, looks REAL! Making miniature food is so much fun, thanks to this book!



5. This book has plenty of pictures and also clear step-by-step instructions, easy to follow, for all stages - from beginners to more experienced artists. Very realistic miniatures, absolutely perfect!
   
   There is only "raw" food though, no dishes... (suggestion for her next book!) I'll buy any book she writes!

5 comments about Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay.

1. This book is so full of good ideas for creating items in perfect scale for a dollhouse that I don't know where to start.

   How to make your own tools and formers, making dishes and pots that are more realistically thin-walled than the commercially-available items, mimicking china, a ladies' vanity set, a desk set, baskets, metal, wood, flatware, foods, fireplace tools - even the kitchen sink! Way too many different items to name them all. If I was to be forced to give up all my dollhouse books but one, this would be the one I'd keep.

   Excellent intro to using the clays - basic information. Trouble-shooting tips along the way.

   And her videos are fabulous, too. :-)




2. I made myself a miniature drugstore since I am a pharmacist and I had trouble finding things like mortars and cylinders. Thanks to this book I managed to make the most beautiful look-alike mortars with pestles and all, also a little turn-of-the-century (last century, of course) telephone. The directions are precise and you can really get what you are looking for (and I had never touched polymer clay in my life!)



3. The variety of projects in this book and the step-by-step explanations, make it a great resource for beginners and experienced miniature makers.
   I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in making their own dollhouse miniatures!



4. My son used his sister's copy of this book and loved it. He asked for it for Christmas and I bought it and received it so quickly, I was impressed. I can't wait to give it to him. It looks very impressive to me, also.



5. This is a book good for beginner has step by step guide how to make the individual items. IT is a value for money book for beginner.

5 comments about How to Make Clay Characters.

1. Wonderful book with all sorts of tips and techniques. Being a novice, I found so much that I will rely on over and over again. Well written, with many pictures as well that are just beautiful. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get into doll making.



2. Indeed a marvellous book you should have as one of your clay-book collections. Maureen has good eyes and different angles when seeing new things, and new thoughts to convert them into brilliant figurines. I love her ideas of how making the snakes and the dragons, and her tricks to get new color mixtures are awesome.
   
   I almost bought her books entirely, and have no regrets so far. Thanks to Amazon for superb service, even though I must bear waiting for a month and so for my orders.
   
   My advice, you always can give your book collections to your kids when you no longer need them.



3. I have four of Maureen Carlson's books. They are all fantastic.
   This one is my favorite. Very clear instruction. Gets you started and wanting to sculpt all the time. I love it!



4. How to make clay characters by Maureen Carlson is not available to buy in Australia. I had it on loan from my local library but only for limited periods and it was never long enough. I am happy to say that although it may have been printed initially a long time ago I am delighted to have obtained it as it has such excellent instructions and lots of handy hints for the polymer clay first timer onwards.To anyone reading this revue who wants another hobby to try (even in Australia) buy this book and you will be hooked.
   
   The mere fact that it is still in print is a sign of how good it is for any age. Easy to follow and great fun all you need is polymer clay your imagination and this book.



5. Maureen is such an amazing artist. If you are wanting to make figures in clay, then her books are a great place to start. I have several of her books now, and I love them all. Each one teaches you something more. Also this book came in great condition for a used book. Really good seller.

5 comments about Little Bead Boxes: 12 Miniature Containers Built with Beads.

1. I thought this book was great. I think the auther did a beautiful job constructing the boxes. They were a little challenging which I enjoyed because I get tired of easy projects. I found that I learned a lot because I read so much to figure out how everything worked together. Beautiful book and worth every penny.



2. I so wanted to love this book, but sadly I found it hugely frustrating. I am an experienced beader, but even so, found the 'word maps' an absolute nightmare to follow. At best, I think they can be described as 'quirky'. Thank heavens for the charts.
   
   Having said that, I was determined to finish a pentagon box, and having done so was pleased enough with the result to attempt another using the blank charts provided(most useful).
   
   These really are very clever designs, but not I feel for a beginner.



3. Need some knowledge of beading stitches. Pretty good instructions if you
   know the stitch types, good patterns and pictures.



4. While I have yet to make any of the boxes from this book, I have read it thoroughly and am anxious to begin a box. I have seen boxes others have made from the instructions in this book so I feel confident in recommending it to others. The instructions are clear, don't leave you with questions, and help you to produce a piece worthy of the effort it takes. Again, glad I added it to my personal beading library.



5. This book was great. I looked it over and was not sure I could follow the instructions but once I started I found it to be pretty easy. Her helpful tips were great as if she anticipated the problems I would have. Also the projects didnt take as long as I had thought they would. I am a medium level beader so have only limited knowledge when I started these projects.

5 comments about Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing (Jewelry Crafts).

1. 
   This book is well thought out, with brilliant photos and well-expressed text. It covers a huge span of metalworking techniques, and is great for one to see an explanation and in a fit of lightbulb-comes-on say to himself, "Oh, so THAT'S how they do that!" It conveys lots of concepts and ideas, and although it is well worthwhile as a text for the beginner, it is ideal for someone with some degree of practical working background, since you need to be able to understand the concepts to make full advantage of its possibilities. The wide array of photos express plenty of complex concepts suitable to stimulate the mind of the experienced metalsmith. I recommend this book to anyone short of a professional who wouldn't be buying a book anyway.



2. Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing (Jewelry Crafts) This book is great for anyone interested in the art of jewelry making. Wonderful, brilliant-colored photographs fill the pages and it's very well-planned, written and designed.



3. Another great product and great service. Thisa will prove to be a 'bible' for years.



4. 
   excellent book for the beginner. It explains at length how to do the job.



5. ...and goes well with his DVD. The text is definitely geared toward beginners. However if you're new at this, the photos of jewelry (albeit lovely) are a little intimidating. I'll use this book as a reference source for techniques, but I'm looking to Stephen O'Keeffe's "Jewelry Making" for projects I can actually achieve.