No comments about Yankee Magazine Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Repair, Restore, Revive, or Replace Just about ... in Your Life (Yankee Magazine Guidebook).

5 comments about Mission: Organization.

1. I love this book. It's very important to read the entire book before starting your organization projects. It had some great ideas and really got me motivated. I was specifically looking for a way to organize my scrapbooking materials and although it didn't hit on that, it did give me some great ideas to get started.



2. This book is well organized and easy to implement. It has simple steps to getting organized. I would have liked to see a few more pictures and room ideas, but overall it is an excellent guide to organizing rooms in a house.



3. Operation organized . . . one of the services I offer through my interior decorating business. This book is full of useful ideas, information, suggestions, advice and of course examples and photos! I own several organizing books and this is my favorite and the one I recommend to clients. Not only is it filled with information but it is very enjoyable to read - it makes the difficult task of organizing more enjoyable.



4. The author simply lists some common sense things people do, but never gives any unique ideas or strategies.



5. I would rate this 3 stars only not the 5 that are showing...a clich.
   
   Nicely done book, but was hoping for a little more in-depth information. It is a great little reminder of things seen on HGTV, but so easily forgotton during are far too busy schedules.

5 comments about Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures: 1,150 Ways to Prevent and Cure Common Ailments with Brand-Name Products.

1. Joey Green has written several books detailing the most commonplace items in your kitchen, garden, and so forth that you can use for remedies in you health, home repair, and so forth. This book, along the same genre, is not exception. Many of us don't realize what powerful chemicals already lie in many household goods that we possess. This book details some of the most commonplace items such as soap, cooking oil, and other things to repair and restore household items such scratched wooden tables, Milk of Magnesia for acne, etc. Kudos to Joey Green for this book.



2. I had seen an ad about this book with some of the remedies listed. I went and bought it just to see what I could find in there. As I started reading it, I saw ones my MOM used.
   
   Say you're cooking and some grease gets on you, try Colgate toothpaste(regular). Canada Dry Ginger Ale is great for upset stomach (generic brand works just as well) for clearing up congestion. There were quite a few old family remedies in this book that I've used before. The author also lists interesting facts about the companies whose products he lists. He also explains in many of the remedies why they work.
   
   The book is really helpful, but don't feel you can only use the brand names he lists. For example, the one about using Canada Dry Ginger Ale - I've used generic brands for years and you will get the same result. The Colgate one - I've used gel types and that works too. I'll probably be going through this book again and again. It's a nice reference for the price :)
   
   I recently picked up another copy for a relative. Her kids found the book and SHE didn't see it again for a week. I didn't realize the kids would be so fascinated with the book. It's really a great way to have kids explore how things work. Again, a great reference.



3. It is very similar to other Joey Green book that I purchased in the same order, and I wish I knew that in advance.



4. mazing kitchen cures. I think it's a great book. It has helped my son with his son as he cant' afford a doctor visit every time the child gets a minor illness. like a cold. The suggestions really work.



5. This book is great! A friend of mine was reading this book at work and I looked at it and was instantly intriged. I had to get my own. So I went to Amazon and got one. I use it when I get sick mostly. I've had family and friends call me and ask how to I get rid of this cold, flu, sore throat and etc. I tell them give me a sec, I get the book and read to them. They say its great too. It really has come in handy and saved me tons of money, because I don't have to go to the doctor for everything. Definately think everyone should own a copy OR get a friend to buy it. LOL

5 comments about Closet Control: The Ultimate Guide to Revitalizing Your Wardrobe and Revolutionizing the Way You Store It (Book & DVD).

1. Me and all my friends who have seen the book get really excited about the creative possibilities. We're all DIYers and this book shows you not just one craft project to make, it shows tons! A dozen ways to cut a shirt, skirt, pair of pants, a dozen sewing projects, dying possibilities, and shrinking. It's one book but it opens the door of creative option WIDE open. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with something I bought right off the rack again, now that I can think of a million ways to give it my own touch. Also, I just love love love the DVD where I can actually see Barbra making the tee shirts. It really is easy and great to see her in real time.



2. This book liberated me from my ideas about style! I always felt resigned about fashion, thinking it was just too much effort and too much money to be stylish. This book totally turned me around! Barbra has so many ideas for being fashionable on any budget, but even better, she makes getting dressed FUN. You start to see your clothes are an expression of yourself, and you get to make the rules about how you're going to wear them. Once you realize that you can have a tailor shorten a skirt that you never wore because it was too long or you can just dye a pink pair of shoes black, you can never look at your clothes in the same way again. The DVD is cool, too because it shows case study examples (some of them famous) of Barbra's fashion ideas in practice, which is really inspiring. This book is awesome!



3. I LOVE this book! It's beautiful and entertaining, while extremely practical. I had no idea I could do so much to improve my clothes all by myself. Whether it's dying things, cutting things, or simply mixing and matching in a whole new way, Closet Control has taught me to throw caution to the wind and be fabulous no matter what my budget or body type. Barbra Horowitz is a true innovator and fashion genius - as someone whose never given fashion or clothing a lot of thought or energy (which is sadly apparent to all!) this has inspired me like nothing before... I've never seen a book on clothes be so important, uplifting, and healing to us as individuals, and to the planet. Run, run, run and read it today! :)



4. In addition to gift giving, holiday parties, and mistletoe kisses, the end of the year brings about much self-reflection, especially as we stare into our over-stuffed closets and utter the famous phrase "I have absolutely nothing to wear!" Wouldn't it be great to say sayonara to that tired phrase? Well, in 2008 you can -- and without breaking the bank on a new wardrobe. Enter Closet Control, a smart, savvy, stylishly-designed book that shows you how to revamp your wardrobe using the pieces you already own. Love that! Not only is the book useful and informative, but the accompanying DVD makes it all the more user-friendly. As someone who's gotten advice on what to wear from Barbra first-hand, I can tell you she's a seasoned pro and her book ROCKS!



5. This book shook me up. I'll never again think of my clothes as a static collection of "good investment" pieces that get archived away. Barbra's philosophy is new-millennium thinking: I purge while things have resale value, and I buy things used. And I now expect to have my clothes altered (because it really is absurd to think that mass-market clothes will fit me perfectly, right?) It does require more energy to keep my wardrobe a fluid work-in-progress, BUT I really love this new mindset that clothes will MOVE THROUGH MY WARDROBE (maybe in several incarnations, with a pair of scissors) until it's time to discard them. Only criticism: while I do feel more in "control of my closet," this book's title feels somewhat misleading.

No comments about Country Living Storage Style: Pretty and Practical Ways to Organize Your Home.

1 comments about Basics of Energy Efficient Living: A Beginner's Guide to Alternative Energy and Home Energy Savings.

1. These days it seems that energy advice is available on every street corner--"turn down your thermostat", "caulk your house" or "buy a solar panel". Unfortunately, most of this "common sense" is either massively expensive or based on "cut back" and save. It's hardly inspiring or practical for real people.
   
   This book restores my confidence in practical energy solutions. It's not "preachy" or "environmentalist"---it simply lays out how energy works and options to cut energy waste. It's easy to read, yet packed with information. I haven't seen technical writing this good in years.
   
   The content is fairly evenly divided between discussions on preventing energy loss, recapturing lost energy, and obtaining "free" energy. The explanations are lucid, logical and cover the major energy options. The book also includes worksheets for calculating energy use in your own home.
   
   Overall, what I appreciate most is this book doesn't preach/promote a specific energy solution. Instead it simply explains the options and lets you decide what will give you the most gain for your specific house/lifestyle. Once you read this book I guarantee you won't think about energy the same way again.

5 comments about Organizing Idea Book (Taunton Home Idea Books).

1. I found this book to be full of useful ideas which enabled me to better organize my humble abode. I plan on purchasing additional copies to help family and friends create a highly functional and organized living space. I loved this book.



2. Taunton needs to take a rest. Their books are usually very good, but lately I've noticed the same pictures appearing again and again. If you've seen their "Built-Ins" or "Storage" books, you've seen it all. This slim volume is a rip-off and an insult to the reader. Do they actually think that people won't recognize the photos? Take it out of the library - don't buy it.



3. If you're like me and don't know where to start with organizing your house, get this book. It has given me many idea's and how to go about starting!! The pictures are awsome too, but it's not just the pictures that are helpful, the text is great too. You should really get this book if your stuck!!!



4. If your home is so cluttered you're at a loss for where to begin, this book will give you some great pointers.



5. I loved the pictures in this book. There were lots of great ideas. It's definitely a reference book and not a "how to" book.

5 comments about Home Enlightenment: Practical, Earth-Friendly Advice for Creating a Nurturing, Healthy, and Toxin-Free Home and Lifestyle.

1. Have you ever wondered about the long-term effect of cleaning products in your home? What about pesticides, chemicals and all the other potentially toxic goods that invade our lives?
   
   Twice poisoned by such things, author Annie Bond, host of "Annie's Healthy Living Network" online, offers realistic remedies for a natural and nontoxic lifestyle that include everything from eating and cleaning to gardening and dressing. A comprehensive path toward ecologically-healthy living.



2. This book helps you take better care of yourself and your love ones. We are concerned about what we eat and if it's safe. We also need to be concerned about what we use to clean our homes with and what we use on our skin. In this book there is lots of good, practical receipes for a toxin-free home. This book will be on that I will use often.



3. I do not have a lot of time to read with four kids and this book was a easy fast book to get through. Lots of information that was displayed easily. Not the big words either. And in the back it a huge wonderful list of resources I could look up on the internet. Wealth of information. I gave this book to our school hoping when they remodel they consider what was written.



4. What an absolute miracle! Thank you, Annie for a great book! Buy it, everything you need to know is in here.



5. Excellent book with great, user friendly ideas to improve the quality of your life and your home. Recipes for cleaners are excellent. Some of the rituals described are a little far out there but are thought provoking and are worth exploring.
   
   I use this book as a home reference all the time and it has been extremely helpful and chock full of wonderful ideas for your life, home, body..inside and out.

2 comments about Built-Ins and Storage (For Pros by Pros).

1. A lot of the examples given in this book don't apply or do not easily apply but it does give some very good ideas. It sparks a lot of "What if" situations. This book was very good for getting ideas and sparking new ideas.



2. This has a lot of great material - both ideas for how to use space and how to build the things they describe. I've found this one of the better For Pros by Pros books in terms of completeness of the "how to" part and useful new ideas.

5 comments about Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More.

1. I bought this book along with his other one "It's All too Much!". I suggest reading the first book, then this one because it sets the ground work and you'll get an understanding of where he's going. It was so freeing to get rid of stuff in my cupboard that "maybe I'll make someday". I had pudding in there that was 10 years old. I then made menus, and did grocery shopping. I made what I shopped for, and with the exception of buying fruit /veggies and sandwiches one night, we had enough for a week and a half! This is because in the book he tells you not to bring in anymore stuff until you finish what you have, or use it to plan the next week's menus. This is a great way to save money and be more thoughtful about what you're making. I've only had the book for a month, so whether I'll lose anything remains to be seen. I have dieted since high school. I know tons about nutrition, portion sizes, fat, calories, exercise, etc. This book is not going to give you the latest and greatest fad. It is about getting to the bottom of what's in our kitchens and clearing our heads to focus on what we all know about healthy diets and nutrition.



2. Boy, if I can follow all the step-by-step instructions Peter recommends, life would be so much simplified! This is a great book and anyone who picks it up will benefit in some way, big or small, depending on how far you follow his lead. Just the idea of PLANNING what you are going to eat instantly rids you of bad choices resulting in loss of weight and increase in self-esteem.



3. Love this book. Humor and a quick kick in the pants all wrapped up in an organizing weight loss book.



4. The book is a common sense approach to the physical and emotional clutter in your life. Peter doesn't give you "3 easy steps" or "17 ways to fixing things" but rather knowledge that we all have already and for some reason choose not to focus in the right direction. i never associated clutter with weight gain before and it has some merits :)



5. This book goes beyond Peter Walsh's "It's All Too Much". In that book he focused on the clutter in our homes. This time he deals with that clutter first and then on how it affects our "butts." He maintains that if our lives are filled with clutter then our eating habits are probably chaotic and filled with excess and junk too.
   
   Walsh delves into the kitchen to clear it of useless gadgets and food clutter.
   
   I especially like Walsh's one size does NOT fit all approach, "You'll notice that I'm not being specific about foods you keep and what has to go. when it comes to healthier living one size does not fit all. We are individuals, and you need to make a commitment to decisions that work for you." And, "We both know you are perfectly aware of what you should and should not be eating. So enough of the charts and tables and portion measuring devices that clutter your life."
   
   His book is packed with great lists to work through, and tons of practical, encouraging tips and some obvious but perhaps forgotten lines:
   Chew your food
   Eat your vegetables
   Get a good night's sleep
   Don't fill up on bread
   Don't talk with your mouth full
   Your eyes are bigger than your belly
   
   His food clutter principle, "Recognize and celebrate every meal you enjoy. It will remind you of the great things a meal provides, beyond just the food." Walsh even pays homage to the practice of saying grace before a meal, "The expression of common prayer forced everyone at the table to stop, pause, and reflect."
   
   He ends with some really terrific "Don'ts":
   
   Don't start with the "stuff", start with a clear idea of the life you want to be living.
   
   Don't obsess. I care about you. I can't stand the idea of your turning into one of those people whose whole life is spent figuring out how not to eat a single potato chip.
   
   Don't count calories or eat fake foods or go to someone's house for dinner and tell them you brought your own meal.
   
   This book is really encouraging and really practical.