4 comments about Decorating Master Class.

1. The concept of a "Master Class" is a course taught by a top, often world-renowned, professional in a field, to graduate-level students of the highest caliber. When you really understand what a master class is, you get a better sense of the proper audience for this wonderful book showcasing the work of Cullman & Kravis. BUT be prepared -- while the authors may have intended this as a book for the layman, it's for a more precise niche, either the very knowledgeable amateur, or the young professional hoping to work in ultra-high-end interior design.
   
   I would recommend it highly to someone just starting out in the design world, or someone who wants a better understanding of the options available to those with the checkbook to get anything they want. If, for example, you're planning a major interior design project and intend to work with a designer, this is a great primer on the process and details. It'll likely make you a far more informed client for the designer you'll ultimately choose.
   
   It is emphatically not, however, for the DIY reader. The authors assume that you'll be working with professionals, and present options accordingly. The guidelines in such areas as upholstery & trim, lighting, and flooring are invaluable, but such detail is for those who really want it. Your reaction may be, "Okay, that's more than I wanted to know." They also assume such luxuries as custom cabinetry, custom-colored rugs and upholstery, custom embroidery -- basically, an entirely custom environment. This is, after all, what Cullman & Kravis does so beautifully, but it may not be of help to a reader looking for guidance in the real world.
   
   Such books by top designers are the "in" thing lately -- note Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics: Expert Solutions for Designing the House of Your Dreams, Mariette Himes Gomez's Rooms: Creating Luxurious, Livable Spaces, Rose Tarlow's The Private House, Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses, Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style, etc. They cover the length and breadth of interior design today, and they vary widely in their approach. "Decorating Master Class" is for those who want only the finest, and the authors assume their readers have the wherewithal to achieve it.



2. Decorating Master Class should be required reading in all interior design firms. As a matter of fact, It is is soon to be a benchmark in the annals of decorating history. The authors have not only captured the essence of good taste and style, but they present their craft in a manner that is easy to comprehend and understand. I love this book!!!!



3. This book is especially helpful for those who do not wish to employ an interior decorator. It is filled with facts and information that is part of the basic knowledge of every designer. Guaranteed to be of great assistance.



4. Found this book helpful in better understanding and visualizing the practical requirements in running a high end luxury design business

5 comments about Building Kitchen Cabinets.

1. I am a firm believer in the KISS method of doing things. (Keep It Simple Stupid") Every step is covered in this book so that anyone can learn from it. The "Build Like A Pro" series of books are all laid out like this one. The "Expert Tips" are great. They show you short cuts to help you do the jobs right, but in less time. This is stuff you only learn by doing the job everyday. They are trade secrets.



2. This book is very well laid out and easy to follow instructions to build the greatest custom cabinets. This is the best book I own



3. This book is well written, and easy to understand. The author gives you a solid understanding of the basics and some of the more advanced "how-tos" of cabinet making. I would recommend this book to people who have some knowledge of power tools and want to learn how to build kitchen cabinets.



4. This book was a great introduction to how to build cabinets. Being an experienced person in woodworking, this book gave the guidance towards me taking on this project. As a previous review stated, I also found an error in the calculation table but after doing the calculation over and over again, it seemed to have the wrong calculation formula but is was indeed correct. I did though find an area that the publisher and the author should have covered that was overlooked. When assembling the doors the author states to assemble the rails and stiles with glue, drive a couple of 1/2 inch nails into the assembly and remove the clamps. After doing this, I discovered those nails while routing the outside edges with my round-over bit. So, I will in the future take extreme care to where I place those nails, assuring that they will not be found later. I also modified my wall cabinets by using 1/4 inch plywood for the tops and in some assemblies I found that using the pocket hole method better for attaching plywood to plywood, less splitting when the screw is at an angle.
   Otherwise this book is an excellent source that gave me the confidence and courage to build my own cabinets, as I have them all built now, just waiting to stain and assemble them and install.



5. I bought this book and Danny Proulx's Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets (Popular Woodworking). Proulx's book focused on particleboard construction and mostly 32mm cabinets. I was very dissapointed as I was anxious to start building cabinets and particleboard is not what I was looking for. This book however, was just what the Dr. ordered. I'm very comfortable with my tools and have been woodworking for years now, but I still found some usefull tips in the book. I skimmed the book without reading all of it and immediately bought the lumber I needed and began construction. I had a completed bathroom vanity cabinet in 1 afternoon (not including stain and finish). As others have mentioned, his dimensions are not perfect, but since my house doesn't perfectly match the book, I used my own tape measure.
   
   Even with the dimension issues here and there, I highly recommend this book for anyone who actually wants to make cabinets. I have a few other books that discuss the "idea" of making cabinets. This one tells you the tools you need and how to do it. It focuses on pocket-hole joinery but it also shows how you can use other joinery techniques as well. I can't stress this point enough... if you are planning on building cabinets, you will love this book. If you just want to read about building cabinets, this book isn't what you want.
   
   I'm off to buy more lumber for more cabinets!!!!

5 comments about Fairy Houses ... Everywhere! (The Fairy Houses Series) (The Fairy Houses Series).

1. The idea behind the book, photographs of adorable houses built for fairies out of natural materials, is wonderful, but I found that the pictures were too small for my daughter to get too excited about. In future editions, I hope the authors/publisher will consider enlarging the photos and adding more text.



2. I found this book to be inspiring when it came to the beautiful fairy houses depicted, but I have to agree with another reviewer, in that the photo quality is quite poor. The photo quality really takes away from the book and the book design is unappealing. There are annoying feathered borders on photos on graded colour backgrounds which is really distracting to the eye. It looks like the photographer used a macro lens with improper settings or without a tripod, either way most closeup photos are out of focus likely from using a shutter speed too low. I recommend a new edition with a different layout and better photography....then it would be spectacular. Overall, I was disappointed and hope they put out a better edition....this book could be a real gem.



3. This book is nice to look at and does give you some ideas about making your own fairy houses, but doesn't do anything in the way of "how to". In fact, there isn't much text at all. It would have been nice to know more about the project that inspired the book.



4. Great natural photos. My pre school daughter loved the ideas and created her own fairy house by gathering natural elements from the woods. She adds to it every weeek.



5. Anyone with an imaginative child with fairy aspirations will love this book! Share an architechtural adventure with your little one as the two of you build a home for your fairy.

5 comments about How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More.

1. As a hobby, I enjoy capturing wild animals and putting them in cages. But I am fairly new to this hobby, so I do not own many cages. This book has helped me learn how to build my own animal cages.
   
   As a child, I enjoyed going to the zoo. But something was always missing in the zoo experience. Now that I am an adult, and capturing my own wild animals, I feel more fulfilled.
   
   When I see an animal in a cage, it makes me feel important and powerful, especially if I'm the one who captured the animal.



2. This book is absolutely fantastic for those who are just starting out. There are plans and pictures for every style and taste you may be searching for. It's easy to read...with great graphics.



3. I bought Carol's book about two years ago; now it's battered and ragged because it's been hauled around the farm so much, propped up on things as we use its designs to make new stuff. This is one of my all-time favorites. If you live on a small farm and you're a do-it-yourselfer, you NEED this book!



4. This book is more for the professional builder then for the do it yourself. I would bother with this one unless you have the skills to build it.



5. Great projects, concise writing, great way to add to your design ideas for building "homes" for your "crew".

5 comments about Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2006 International Building Code (Building Codes Illustrated).

1. I am not sure why everyone was so high on this. The organization is a bit scattered and it doesn't really cover a great deal of code. If you are using this as a general learning book, it is ok. But if you are looking up specifics about something you are working on, I bet that most of the time it will let you down.



2. This book does an outstanding job of explaining how to use the building code, what the code means, and the basis for some codes. If you are an engineer, architect, or someone who just wants to better understand the building code, this book is for you.



3. Ching always does a good job of clearly illustrating aspects of design and construction, but in this case the book lacks depth. Only the most basic codes are included and it is of little or no help for the building professional.



4. This is an excellent book. It makes it very easy to understand many of the issues addressed by the IBC. In a few minutes of flipping through the pages right after I received it I was able to clearly understand issues that I previously had to read over and over again in the code to try to understand. Any time I have a code issue now I first read the code and then look at the same item in this book to see if my interpretation is correct.



5. Interpretation of codes sometime is confusing. With the picture to explain, it is much easier to understand than just read the words. A picture is better than a thousand words!

5 comments about The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance.

1. This is a perfect book for any new or re-newing parent. It has helped my husband I so much. It kept us from feeling so unfirmilar about our first born. It answered questions that we felt only we must have :-)... We even re-read it when our newest arrived. It is great for both Mom's and Dad's. After reading all the "Here's what to do's and what you should do books" it is nice to reference something that tells you your doing ok and so is your new little person.



2. I am currently expecting a baby... due in early fall. I find this book very pragmatical(obviously written by a guy). I think it is perfectly described by its title, it covers the daily tasks... it tells you how to manage your baby. It will get you through the day but do not purchase it if you are expecting and insightful book on your baby's intellectual and emotional development and ways to stimulate him/her and so on. Great for first timers!



3. We received this book as a gift. It is great! It combines sarcasm with useful advice for childcare. It reads a bit like an operation manual for an electronic product. I won't say it has all the information you ever needed for caring properly for your infant. What book does? However, this book is very thorough while keeping from being a bore to read. It also provides some very useful charts for feeding, sleep, bowel and bladder function.
   -Kiki



4. A must for all guys. Reads like a car owner's manual - no typical flowery baby stuff.



5. If you like new age, emotional, heart touching baby books that tell you about how you should raise your kid to solve all the worlds problems this isn't the book for you. If you need straight forward, to the point answers when your kid is barfing all over you at 1 am and sleep deprivation is making you function like a deer staring into headlights and don't know what to do, get this book. It's set up like an owners manual for your car, TV, etc.; a basic engineering manual and easy to follow. I got tired of the baby books telling me that if I didn't hold my kid in the proper position while soothing during teething it could lead to a lack of brain development. No guilt tripping or wild opinions here; just needed info when you need it and easy to find. Some reviews say it's boring, but it's not set up for you to read through. It's reference material you quickly look up when you need it. Just like any owners manual, who reads the thing when you get it? You look up what you need when you need it. I get this book for every guy I know who is going to have kids.

5 comments about Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects.

1. I have just started sewing at age 28 and my first sewing book was "The Sew Everything Workshop" which was a little too childish, but had the bare basics. Lotta's book has great projects that are very simple, stylish, and with good instructions. However, you might need a bare basics book to go with it if you are a very very beginner. There is a great site [...], which gives nice pictures and good advice for the different projects. The one project that many people seem to have trouble with is the Sun hat one. That is the only problem project. Lots of fun.



2. This is a great book for beginners. I can't wait to get started on some projects.



3. Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects
   
   Gran libro con estupendos diseños. Contiene patrones a tamaño real.



4. I love this book. I've made 2 of the tote bags multiple times and the yoga bag. Everything I make in this book comes out looking very cool. The instructions are well written and easy to follow. Most things don't have patterns and use measurements instead which keeps it simple. Lotta's designs are creative, functional and crafty.



5. My friend Chassity and I got this book to teach ourselves how to sew and absolutely love it! The projects are modern, simple, useful, and well designed. I haven't had any trouble deciphering instructions and I'm loving the finished items. My favorite project so far has been the All Day Tote, I'm on my third one! These projects make great gifts too!

5 comments about Landscaping with Stone (Home Landscaping).

1. I love the full color pictures - it gave me all sorts of ideas. I just wished there were a few more pages on "How to do it" I'd recommend this book though for the price - it was awesome.



2. Beautiful book, well put together, LOTS of pictures. I especially liked the way the author covered different styles of stonework. I'm not a fan of very formal design and he included examples of more informal, earthy landscaping.



3. What beautiful and innovative designs this book has. My husband and I wanted to landscape much of our property with stone. We actually did more than planned because we were so impressed by much of the ideas in this book. A concern of ours was the price. Much of the simpler projects you find you can do yourself (such as the small retaining wall around the garden), which saved on additional labor costs. We were guided which stones to use, and stones that could be found around the property. For the work that was a bit more extensive we called in a professional and showed him from the book what we wanted. He was very much impressed with this book himself.



4. Pick this up if you are always at Menards, Home depot, or you just like to play with rocks, on a friday night. It did occur to me after I read this, that my friends may think that I am wierd, because I read a book about rocks and how to place rocks, all on a...you guessed it...FRIDAY NIGHT! LOL! I am not cool!



5. From single stone placements to walkways, patios and garden rooms, this book will provide you with endless ideas and inspiration. The instructions are thorough yet easy to follow. A must for a resplendent garden!

5 comments about Wiring A House (For Pros by Pros).

1. 
   Lots of good reviews here already. I would add that this shouldn't be
   the only book you get. It's got lots of really good tips that you
   don't find other places, but it is by no means a substitute for a
   good NEC code book or textbook like Ray Mullin's.
   
   It's also an intermediate book and assume that you know something.
   If you grab Fine Homebuilding every month, you're the ideal reader.



2. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, this book is not worth the paper that it is printed on. The book is based on generalities with no specific information on wiring 3-way switches etc....no wiring diagrams for new circuits etc. I would never recommend this book to anyone.



3. We are building a log home & doing everything ourselves. Picked up this book after reading a framing book in the same series (For pro's by pros). This book covers all the basics, & includes many pictures, diagrams, anything you could ever want.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is an excellent book for someone with a bit of house wiring experience. It doesn't cover all the basics, and it doesn't completely cover everything one would need to wire a house, but it is chock full of ideas for doing a better wiring job, and making sure you are following the National Electric Code. I especially like the Above Code recommendations--all of which aren't applicable for wiring my cabin, but I've incorporated quite a few.
   
   I'll be going back to this book again and again as my wiring progresses through the final stages. I highly recommend this book as an addition to a library of house wiring resources.



5. This series, For Pros by Pros, is the very best series for practical, detailed information on Do It Yourself projects. Too many books just give general information that leaves you hanging if your situation is not exactly like the description in the book and don't give you sufficient information to completely describe what to expect. This series actually helps you complete the job by telling you what you really need to know.

5 comments about Organizing from the Inside Out, second edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life.

1. A good deal overall. The book was ok, still having some trouble getting through it, but that is just me, procrastinating is my hobby I think?



2. I've been a packrat hoarding things all my life. After reading this book, I got rid of all this stuff that I probably shouldn't have bought in the first place. I look at my car, my office, my bookshelves, my clothes and shoe closets, and my kitchen, and I'm amazed by how neat, clutter-free, and ORGANIZED everything is.
   
   If you want to get your tax, banking, investment, and financial records organized, I recommend reading "File Don't Pile" by Pat Dorff. Her filing system is a lot simpler. Personally, I don't think Quicken has made a huge difference. I tried it and thought it was OK. I use an old-fashioned paper day planner to keep track of where I spend my money everyday. I plan on signing up for a Franklin Covey seminar this year.



3. I really liked both this and her other book Time Management from the inside out. Both books give you great steps to take to declutter your life.



4. I personally didn't get as much information out of this book as I would have preferred, although I did like the set up of her book. She takes the first section of the book to set up her basic organizing philosophy, and then repeats that philosophy in each different area of the house (kitchen, living room, bedroom, office, etc). She has several great ideas and practices that originate with each person's personal preferences in mind. She advocates a lot of common sense ideas like containerizing, labeling and filing as well as other unconventional and creative means of organization and storage (like setting up your home office where you will actually enjoy working).
   The problem I ran into is that I would go to a certain section looking for a way to improve and find that I was already utilizing most of her suggestions, and really didn't have much left to organize.
   I would recommend this book for anyone who honestly believe that they REALLY need help organizing, and are ready to start the process. If you're already pretty well organized for the most part it still might be a worthwhile read, but I would suggest looking for a more advanced book on organizing (and let me know if you find one).



5. Julie Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out" is such a fantastic and valuable book. Her approach to organizing, as the title suggests, is whatever you are organizing -- your work/family schedule, your office, your kitchen, or your basement -- needs to reflect you: what's important to you, who you are and your value and logic system. I found it so refreshing and exciting how the focus in the book is about getting interested in who you are and how you operate and then creating a system of organization based on that. This is a more organic, natural, effective and lasting approach than the one most of us have where we impose an outside system that will "fix" our disorder. Often, those outside systems do the opposite. Reading this book demystified and made accessible the topic of organizing, one that I often found daunting and overwhelming. Julie applies conventional wisdom to organizing in a way that makes it easy, logical and even fun. Her mottos are: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it"....and "You can't fix it till you know what's broken". Applying these ideas and without even thinking, I organized in 10 minutes, a whole section of my closet that had bothered me for about 10 months!
   
   This approach of investigating and discovering who you are and how you operate is in line with two other authors who have made a huge impact in my life: Ariel and Shya Kane. Their books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, How to Create a Magical Relationship and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, are all based on a similar idea that you don't need to do anything to change or fix yourself in order for your life to be satisfying, less stressful, fun and enjoyable. If you are interested in getting the most out of all aspects of your life, I highly recommend all of these books!