5 comments about Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning.

1. Naturally Clean is stock full of useful information about chemicals to avoid in the home. It is truly a must-have for every household, written by the crew at Seventh Generation, people who know their stuff. I now take it along with me when I go shopping and review labels for ingredients with a new-found appreciation for the hazards that are out there on supermarket shelves. I especially appreciate the Resource Guide at the end.
   
   I own a green bed & breakfast and plan to make Naturally Clean part of our new Honeymoon Special. It is the type of book I wish I had owned thirty-five years ago when my children were small. Clean up your act. Get yourself a copy today!



2. The actual content of the book should be required reading for everyone. People might drive a Prius or a hybrid car but their big tub o' liquid laundry detergent is made from Petroleum. It's information like this that makes it a very interesting read.
   
   I do not consider myself a stereotypical super-eco-freak, the kind that wears long flowing caftans and wears Birkenstocks and could generally be considered a modern-day hippie. Because let's face it; environmentalists do have that as a stereotype regardless of if it's true or not. I do consider myself a pretty normal person who likes to learn as much as possible about anything that involves my kids. Most people don't think that cleaning products or lawn fertilizers or driving the minivan that gets 17 miles to the gallon make a big impact on the world. But that is the danger; too many people think that what they do does not matter. This book reminds us that we live on the planet with others and should always remember that.
   
   The only problem with this book is that for the first several chapters, I felt like I was trudging through a textbook. Very informative but very dry. But as the book went along, it seemed to pick up it's pace and the writing improved, becoming more conversational and easier to read.
   
   This helped educate me a little more about living in a greener world, although much of the stuff I had read in several different places. It is nice to get all the important information in one place, though.



3. This is a great book. More should read and learn what we are doing to our bodies without even knowing. Very fast shipment.



4. On the plus side, this book provides a great recap regarding the environmental impacts of everyday household products, although the book sometimes reads like a chemistry textbook. The authors cite numerous research examples that demonstrate links between common products we use and their environmental and health effects. They also offer many common sense changes for improving our home's environment.
   
   My disappointment lies with the author's evaluations of readily-available cleaning products (which incidentally comes in the final chapter of the book). My past experiences with green cleaning products have been underwhelming at best -- performance is clearly lacking. The authors choose to evaluate over 300 products based only on the environmental impacts and specifically state that they did not evaluate cleaning performance -- a serious omission in their research. It feels like a job only half done.



5. Wow! Everyone living in modern society should be issued a copy of this book. It's amazing the things in our homes touted as "safe" that are slowly killing us, and causing numerous health problems.

No comments about Jeff May's Healthy Home Tips: A Workbook for Detecting, Diagnosing, and Eliminating Pesky Pests, Stinky Stenches, Musty Mold, and Other Aggravating Home Problems.

5 comments about Organizing Your Craft Space.

1. Excellent in case you don't know how to organize in a small space. I already had the same ideas as in the book but found a few more to make my craft room cleaner and not so messy.



2. This is a good book for organizing several different types of crafts. It includes Scrapbooking, Quilting, Beading and other crafts. The book helps you recognize alternative sources for organizing besides the organizing products on the market.



3. I was terribly disappointed with a book with such a beautiful cover, but the pretty pictures continued inside with no real organizing information.



4. Many people think that you don't need to be organized to create art. For these people, art happens naturally by grabbing canvas and paint and "doing it". However, if you ask any artist, you'll find out that this isn't always the case. I know for a fact that if my studio isn't clean and tidy, all my tools and materials organized and out where I can reach them when I need them, I cannot work on any project. A disorganized workspace tends to stifle my creativity and leaves me feeling like I cannot do anything.
   
   What prompted me to purchase this book was the idea that it focused solely on how artists, from scrapbookers to quilters, can organize their space to maximize their time spent on creating their art. I also liked how it went into a multitude of art styles, rather than focusing on just one art. If you've always wanted to organize your art space or create a perfect place for starting a new craft, then this book is for you. Like most craft-related books on the market, Packham writes for art women but don't let this fool you. There's a lot of information that can be used for artists of all ages, men and women alike.
   
   Organizing Your Craft Space begins by assessing your art space needs. Packham includes many lists and questions that cover your available space, what tools and things you use to make your crafty items, your color preferences and objects that might help store your items as well as look pleasing in your space. She explains that these questions are central to uncovering what is the best fit for your artistic needs. She even recommends that you keep a space journal and fill it with diagrams of your room, all the items you use in your art and any things you need to purchase for your room (like plastic containers, furniture or tools). Keeping a journal of this sort gives you a written record of what gives you the freedom to create and what sorts of things and colors you want to fill your creative space. She also defines the different types of storage styles and suggests many helpful tips and tricks for keeping your space free of clutter and trash. For artists whose craft space aslo doubles as a guest room, Packham gives advice on how you can accomidate both in the same space with minimal effort.
   
   The rest of the book details storage and organization by art type. These chapters include stained glass and mosaics, rubber stamping, scrapbooking and other paper arts, beading, yarn crafting and quilting. Packham discusses various needs and organizational styles that can be used to suit each craft-form. She starts out by listing a few short questions about the art and materials you use and then goes into explaining how these items can be stored or contained to maximize your time spent creating art. Each chapter includes an over abundance of pictures that show different ways to contain and organize your craft space. At the end of a section, Packham showcases one or more guest artists and their real-life working spaces. She tells us about their space, challenges and solutions, as well as showing us what these artists use to contain their tools and the methods they use to keep them focused on making art.



5. I really like this book. It has wonderful photos of the best craft rooms in existence. Great little quizzes to determine your decorating/organizing styles. Nice tips sprinkled throughout to help you plan your own. But the parts of the featured craft rooms that I would like to duplicate - I will have to do a few hours of research for a purchasing source. A "Where to Buy" section would make this book a 5 star! Or at a minimum, brand names of the items used in some of the rooms that were clearly not furnished through garage sales (so that I could just google them!). As it is, it is just a coffee table book since there isn't much more than nice photos in my opinion.

5 comments about 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment & Concealment (500 Series).

1. 
   I have always been fascinated by boxes.An avid puzzle enthusiast,I am always on the lookout for what I call puzzle boxes.These are boxes that have a secret method required to open.They are designed with hidden panels,magnets,bars,bearings,and everything imaginable that keeps them from being opened until the "Puzzle" is figured out.Unfortunately, there are no boxes of this sort in the book;though there are many that could be adapted to include a locking device or mechanism.Design wise these boxes are beautiful artistic objects and a joy to behold.It would be an even greater thrill to be able to pick them up and open them.
   All the other reviews are very good and warn that what you get with this book is a picture of the box ,its overall dimensions ,color,some info on the material;but no construction methods.Not that there is any suggestion that construction methods or details are provided,one might think they are.In other words;what you see is what you get.
   Anyone who designs and makes interesting boxes should find this book a real gem,and a storehouse of design ideas.
   To someone who is interested in buying boxes like these,but not really interested in making them,you might have some success in contacting the artists.In addition to that,I attend a lot of Art and Craft Shows and without fail there are always a few artists who are selling wooden boxes similar to these.Common are inlaids,stacking,burls,sectionals,jewellery,chess,games,and at times I come across "puzzle boxes".



2. Very nice book, lots of great looking boxes. Great for new ideas (woodworker) or if you are looking for something special. Only downfall, is most do not offer a picture of the inside of box.



3. Great collection to make you think and to inspire you to "build out of the box".



4. If you, like I, can make whatever you see, this is the book for you. It is approx 400 pages of photos. All of which are fantastic boxes (works of art). This book is a must for when you don't know what to make next. It oozes originality. One of the boxes was my inspiration for new kitchen cabinets!



5. This is a wonderful book. I bought a couple of how-to books awhile back and was disappointed that those books didn't offer more inspiration photographs. This book fits satisfies that need exceptionally well. Just page and after page of beautiful woodwork.
   
   When I first got the book, I started reading it page-by-page. It took at least an hour to get through the first half. All of the boxes are wonderful to look at and contemplate.
   
   There is no style depicted. It covers everything from the small trinket holder, to jewelry boxes to turned boxes to the "Well, I guess someone would like that".
   
   All of the photos are in color and are captioned with the artist's name, dimensions of the object and types of wood used to create it. An index is in the back of the book that provides the city and state of each artist.
   
   There is absolutely no discussion of technique.
   
   Time to head back to the shop...I've got a couple of board feet of absolutely stunning bastogne walnut that needs my attention.

5 comments about Find More Time: How to Get Things Done at Home, Organize Your Life, and Feel Great About It.

1. Today, with both members of many households working, organization at home is a must if we are to have any leisure time at all to enjoy. Laura's tips for getting things done at home and organizing your life are to the point, practical, and, most importantly, easy to remember and easy to implement. Laura has provided numerous articles for OfficeOurs magazine, all of which have been very popular with our office manager and office worker readers. There is good reason she is in such demand as a speaker and we are looking forward to her keynote presentation at our annual office manager conference and future articles and books.



2. Organization is a breeze with these great tips. Best of all, they are very easy to implement in your own home.



3. We always have the excuse by saying, "I will do this tomorrow!" This book will help you how to get your life back together. Recommended.



4. This book focusses more on getting the home managed, but it is like alot of others that I have read. Unless you put into practice the lessons in these books they do no good. So just get up and do it. Try [...] this is a good time managing site. It works for homes as well as for offices. Teaching you how to form routines and good habbits.



5. Somehow Laura Stack, the "Productivity Pro," makes greater efficiency at home seem easy to attain. She encourages systematic, thorough evaluation of your time-management strengths and weaknesses, and lays out the "eight pillars" that form the foundation for a smoothly functioning life. Her workbook is not a quick read, but it's full of organizing tips and useful recommendations on where to find the tools and resources you need to de-clutter. getAbstract recommends this how-to manual for those who want to have it all, including free weekends.

5 comments about Slice of Organic Life.

1. I have this book and I really like it. I live in a small apartment so it's great how its divided up into sections based on the size of space you have to use. I plan on using a lot of the tips and projects and plan on using the ones for larger spaces in the future when I hopefully have the space!



2. I was raised on a farm and this book is so delightful to read and gives you the basics of what it takes to maintain a life on a farm. Brings back memories.



3. This is a beautiful book. It has full color photos and it's printed on thick and flexible paper stock. It has 352 pages full of wonderful ways to get on the way to organic living. What I adore about this book is it has a ton of very simple ways to change even the most practical things you do everyday to make them organic. Most of the ideas would work no matter if you live in a small apartment or on a homestead.
   
   Basically, "A Slice of the Organic Life" attempts to set you on a path to a more organic lifestyle, by doing the things you can do now in most any living situation or lifestyle. It's not an exhaustive guide, it does just what the title implies- a slice of the organic life (not the whole pie!).
   
   The book is broken into three sections of organic ideas as follows: 1. No Need for a Yard, 2. Roof, Terrace, Patio or Tiny Yard, 3. Yard, Community garden, or Field. Just a few examples of chapters included are: Clean without harsh chemicals, Save energy the easy way, Keep Urban Honey Bees, Make Simple Preserves & Chutneys, Preserve fruit, Harvest & store orchard fruits, Keep chickens & Keep Pigs.
   
   If you're just starting to get really interested in practical organic living, this book will be an enormous help. If you are already living a strictly organic lifestyle, the organic concepts here probably won't be anything new to you.
   
   Love it!



4. A Slice of Organic Life
   
   Edited by Sheherazade Goldsmith
   
   You don't have to live in the countryside, spend a lot of money, vote Green or be a vegetarian to be just a little bit more aware of our fragile environment, and to do your bit to lead a lifestyle that is thoughtful and working with nature rather than against it - this is the message imparted in 352 pages of ideas and suggestions.
   
   The title describes the book perfectly - "slices" of organic life. You can take from the book what suits you - as many slices as you can handle, and there is always the opportunity to return and take another slice when you can manage it. It is beautifully illustrated with photography by Peter Anderson with subjects to suit someone living in an apartment through to those on a small lifestyle property or small holding.
   
   I thought I would list a few of my favourite slices but I can't single any out - instead I ponder on which idea I will set in motion to change a daily habit that I know will ultimate simplify and enrich my life and that of my family.



5. I would have given this good book four and a half stars.Yet,there are some difficulties with the book.Number one,you need space to do the projects suggested.Who is going to raise goats in their apartment suite? Also who is going to have a vegetable garden on a roof top?Or who is going to have an apiary of bees ,on their patio?Physically,the book is heavy-duty.It was not printed on recycled paper.Yet,like your family bible,you probably would like to retain this book as a reference ,for years to come. Now if you live in the sticks,with plenty of space,then this book is for you.This book is really a 'Back to Nature' book.The pictures are brillant and colorful.Many healthful recipes and flower suggestions.This organic lifestyle is best suited from communal living,and not really for individual people or couples. I think anyone or even a couple would become simply overwhelmed by the scope of true organic living.Like preserving jams and making whole-grain bread,it's quite time consuming.So you and your companions would have to fully cooperate to make these projects a daily and weekly success.This organic book does not have all the detailed answers on natural living.Yet,it does present many excellent eco-friendly suggestions and offers basic solutions for beginning a more rational ,healthier organic life.

5 comments about 30 Days to a Simpler Life.

1. This book did not change my life, but it contained clear cut ways of simplifying. If you are already a hard core simplifier then this book is probably mostly a review. It is best for beginners or for those of us that need to be reminded that less is more. I got a lot out of it and I think you will too.



2. Of the hundreds of this type book I have read (and almost 100 I still own) this is my favorite, the most marked, the most dog-eared. It looks like the old friend that it is.



3. The book has some fairly interesting tips, but I am glad I purchased it at a garage sale.
   Shortly after starting it, I googled both Cris and Connie. Unfortunately, this skewed the
   way I viewed the book, as I kept taking everything Cris said/wrote with a huge grain of salt.
   Connie's advice was really helpful and cheerful. Sorry, Cris seems bitter and a bit of a hag.
   Therefore, the point of this lousy review is to warn anyone else to just READ the book, and
   don't do what I did, and become predisposed to disliking one of the authors. It definitely
   had a negative impact on what's actually a pretty decent book. It's quite outdated in some
   respects, being written in the 80's, but still - interesting.



4. I thought this was a good book with many specific suggestions on how to simplify your life. One of the tips I used from the book was to put all of our carryout menus in plastic sheets in one master notebook. That one tip alone was worth the price of the book and has probably saved me hours of searching for misplaced menus over the last year.



5. I suppose this book may work well for type-A personalities who don't have husbands, children, dogs, roomates, etc. I tried a lot of these techniques and it really just caused a lot of tension in my house and got me pinned as a control freak. If you live with others, you cannot force them to change. Period. It's hard enough to force yourself to change and usually you don't succede anyway.
   
   On top that I found the book to be very waste-oriented. There was a lot of "get rid of stuff and then go buy new stuff just like it." For anyone working overtime and trying to make ends meet (you know the people who are really short on time and really need some simplicity in their lives), this is not simplifying, it is frustrating. So I knock off three stars for all the classist bull and not taking into account how some people really live.
   
   I let it keep 2 stars because this book made me realize that this kind of 'simplicity' does not improve my life. There is beauty in having some chaos, and learning to go with the flow is much more about simplicity than being an anal-retentive witch. My life is better when my fride is covered in finger paint masterpieces, my husband cant stop laughing at the sock that got stuck to the butt of the baby's jammies and my dog is passionately cuddling an old shoe like it was her first born baby. Now THAT is a good life.

5 comments about Pantry, The.

1. "The Pantry: Its History And Modern Uses" by author, architectural historian, and former house museum manager Catherine Seiberling Pond is a beautifully illustrated history of how the nature of the 19th century pantry began to change and evolve in the 20th and 21st centuries as American homemakers began to cook more, bake more, buy more, and stockpile more just as architects were designing and building homes that did not have pantries. The result was that 'big-box' items that once would have been stored in a pantry were now regulated to the garage. "The Pantry" offers cogent and persuasive arguments why the pantry should be restored to the contemporary American home as both a functional and an esthetic design element in keeping with the socio-economic and design changes that have affected and shaped the American home which ranges in style from Victorian to 20th Century, and from the great estate to the modern dwelling. While the use of the pantry has evolved, it continues to be an interesting, utilitarian space the combines nostalgia with cutting edge modern ideas for the family kitchen. "The Pantry" also covers what to put in one, food storage solutions, the selections of materials, design and layout, display, decor tips, and more. Of special note is the chapter dedicated to 'Pantries Open to the Public'. Informed and informative reading, "The Pantry" is particularly recommended to the attention of architects, home remodelers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the developmental history of the American home.



2. A great book, but needs more pixs of bungalow pantries where small windows and refrigerators were contained...there are plenty of these right where I live in North Carolina



3. I can't add anything that hasn't been written below, but I wanted to leave a positive review for the author's sake. I love all things domestic and the more vintage the better. I love the picture on the back cover of this book-ah...my dream kitchen. If I could have a hoosier cabinet like this one someday, I would die happy, lol.



4. This is a book to treasure always,for people like me who love history especially to do with food, kitchens,and domestic life this book is HEAVEN !!



5. Graet book-wonderful photos and much deatail about the use and lifestyles in use with paantries.

2 comments about Today's Homestead: Volume I.

1. This book is just packed with useful information. It would serve anyone interested in living a more self sufficient life. We've only daydreamed about making cheddar cheese, and soap, and we've never even thought about making our own yeast, but with this book to guide us, we're going to give it a try! We can't wait for the next volume in the series to be released, but, thanks to volume I, we have a lot of things to keep us busy until then.



2. This book is an absolute must have for anyone interested in living a self reliant lifestyle. I'm excited to try making butter and cheeses for my family. Looking forward to the next 2 volumes.

1 comments about Is There Life After Housework?: A Revolutionary Approach to Cutting Your Cleaning Time 75%.

1. If you're only going to buy one book on cleaning, get this one! Best book I've read so far on tips for faster, better cleaning. I highly recommend it.