No comments about Screwcutting in the Lathe (Workshop Practice Series) (Workshop Practice Series).

1 comments about Hobby Farming For Dummies.

1. Excellent overview of the subject. It leads me to a more indepth study of the subject. I may find it towards the end in the bibliography. I am 90% of the way through the book.

1 comments about The Best of Signature Kitchens.

1. Best kitchen book ever! We are interior designers and this book has inspired many of our kitchen designs.

4 comments about Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Ultimate Guide).

1. I should have gone to Lowe's or some place and flip through this book. The book cover numerous topic, but only skims the surface on them. You could find all the information in this book across the Internet for free. But if you want something in your hand and all together then spend your money.



2. This is a very helpful book for new home owners and gives great tips for everything from painting to doing electrical and plumbing work!



3. Take a geniune interest in home improvement, add a basic understanding of projects and then this book - the result is many more finished projects around the house.
   
   Easy to understand, thorough, and great marriage of text and photo. Since purchasing, my husband and I have plumbed in a new kitchen and laundry room, replaced our knob-and-tube wiring with updated wiring and numerous other improvements to our 120-year-old house.



4. This is a good book, but not very detailed. However, no one book can cover all the intricacies of home improvement and construction. So it's best to try to look at the book you're thinking of buying before you purchase it. Try a bookstore or library or home improvement store, if possible. I have purchased the following books that are available at Amazon and found them to be very helpful to me:
   
   Ultimate Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Ultimate Guide);
   
   Do It Yourself Home Improvement: Step by Step Guide to Home Improvement;
   
   New Complete Guide to Home Repair & Improvement (Better Homes & Gardens);
   
   Encyclopedia of Home Maintenance & Repair (Wm. P. Spence) - This is a black & white book, but has very good explanations, especially of electrical.
   
   Popular Mechanics When Duct Tape Just Isn't Enough: Quick Fixes for Everyday Disasters (Popular Mechanics) - This is kind of a "Hints from Heloise" for the home fix'r up'r.

4 comments about Vintage Furniture Painting.

1. I'm not artistically inclined, but think that after reading this book, I might actually be able to transform one of my old pieces of furniture into something quite nice! The photos and instructions are well thought out. There are patterns to enlarge and follow, too. Pretty much everything you need but paint and brushes is in the book. I'm going to give it a try. I've been inspired! There are 'workbook' pages for vines and roses and so on, so I think I'll practice some of the easier looking ones and then jump right in and paint my furniture and see what happens. Wish me luck!



2. Ok, so I wrote it- this is Karen and I want you all to know I did my best to put everything I look for in a painting book- in this book. As an artist I am very visual so there are design ideas, adaptable patterns, and step by step instruction to turn your simple brush strokes into your own beautiful designs. And all the designs can be used on multiple surfaces- not just furniture.
   My purpose in writing this book was to give you the tools, the information, and the tricks of the trade I have learned for the past 15 years to create your own pieces and enjoy doing it! I did my best and I hope you learn and enjoy the wonder of paint and design transformations.
   And yes I did give it a 4 because I think its good but you always want it to be a little better. If you are an artist you always see where you could make improvements. Maybe on my next book. Thank you for your time and to all who helped me and encouraged me on this project. I truly hope you enjoy this book- but mostly I hope you learn from it.



3. As a small antiques and collectibles dealer, I have had the opportunity to purchase hand painted furniture and gift items from Karen Petrus Williams for the last twelve years. I knew she had a book coming out and was expecting great things. WOW!! She exceeded even my expectations. I have purchased books to display with her work in the shop. This review is to encourage other artists to follow her techniques. There is a market out there. Grandma's Keepers Katy, Texas



4. As an artist, I'm continually searching for fresh, new, inspiration and information. This book presents page after page of beautiful painting ideas and instructions. I was very pleased with the information provided- start to finish, with each project. The beautiful worksheets covering layout ideas, borders, and artwork illustrations were extremly helpful. I have been painting with the one-stroke technique for years and now have a new avenue to explore. This book would be of great value to a longtime painter like myself or someone ready to try furniture or home accessory painting for the first time. I have paid far more for many books that had much less to offer. A great value!

2 comments about Design Ideas for Windows (Design Ideas).

1. This book is very beautiful. A thick book filled with glossy high-quality photographs of a very wide range of decorating styles and architectures. As the title suggests, the emphasis is on windows, but also the way window styling integrates with room decor is heavily emphasized as well. Another thing strongly covered is the use of drapes and blinds, as well as general decorating accents (throw pillows,ect.)and color schemes. An excellent book for decorating ideas generally, too.



2. I purchased this book for an additional idea resource while looking for window treatment options for a project; it has many images of various window coverings from soft sophisticated styles to simple valances and shades.
   
   Good resource...for residential design, obviously.

4 comments about Floorcloth Magic: How to Paint Canvas Rugs for Decorative Home Use.

1. Clearly and concisely written, no confusion or contradictions like some other books on the same subject. Excellent section on contributing artists showing a wide diversity of styles.



2. The artist does a good job covering all the needed supplies and methods to create such beautiful floor cloths. There is a lot covered in these pages, although I could have skipped the color theory part given its really trial and error and personal design ultimately. There are lots of beautiful floor cloths to admire by this artist and others. Wish there were some substantial patterns to apply in addition to the very basic stripes included. This book helps motivate one to begin and do it right, and the rest is really up to one's imagination which the author gives a good springboard to leap from.



3. This is the second of 2 books I ordered because I wanted to paint and design a floor cloth.
   Easy instructions and some beautiful designs for anyone who does not want to design their own.



4. It was good to get more of the technical details about this type of artwork. Until now I only had the info I received from a one-day workshop and that wasn't as in depth as I really would have liked. I also appreciate the author's talent. There are some fine examples which provide inspiration.

2 comments about Mastering Anger and Aggression - The Brazelton Way.

1. I have many of "The Brazelton Way" books. I love them all and now give them as baby shower gifts. This one has really given us insight into our 5 year olds recent outbursts and we now have the tools to enable us to give him the loving guidance he needs to work through this stage and master self control.



2. I love Dr. Brazelton and have for years. However, this book was very disappointing. Luckily, I picked it up from my local library before I purchased it on here. It states a lot of facts about the "how and why" children act out, but it is VERY short on solutions. The book is "all over the place" and not logically organized. There are a few places where the same suggestion is repeated numerous times. My suggestion is to pick it up from the library...it's a quick read...and see if it helps your situation. I can say that the section on biting seemed extremely informative, but that was not an issue with my child.

5 comments about A Baby Book for You (British Museum of Fine Arts).

1. This review is solely a matter of personal taste as I was debating on this book or Humble Bumble's. The other reviews led me to believe this book had plenty of poems and nice illustration, however, I disagree. Again, it totally serves its purpose for the relevant memories and not bogging one down with tons of writing. It would be very easy to keep up with and had a soft, earth-tone, classy design. I was simply looking for something brighter and more colorful and also needed a few pockets for storing keepsakes, which this one does not have. I ended up returning it and ordering Humble Bumbles which has bright colors (not overbearing), photo frames, plenty of pockets, and very busy-parent friendly. I felt the use of lines from well-known nursery rhymes in A Baby Book for You did not qualify as meaningful poetry and the illustrations were dull and a bit boring. Humble Bumble's has cute pictures, nice rhymes baby will also eventually enjoy, and touching quotes on every page. For those of you who do not like bright colors, do not need a lot of storage space, and don't have a lot of time on your hands, you may really like A Baby Book for You.



2. I have two copies of this book for two of my girls. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it might have been nice to have a bit more accommodation for scrapbook-type items (early artwork and such), but I like the book's artwork and its allowance for a few pictures for each of the first 5 years. There are plenty of pages with "priming" entries for the time right around baby's birth. This isn't for heavy-duty scrapbookers, but is just right for overworked parents who still want to create a nice baby book for their child to cherish.



3. This book is completely charming. Not only are the illustrations and poems cute, but the format of the book is very versatile. We homebirth and don't do a lot od doctor's visits, and many baby memory books have several pages dedicated to these things. It means we would have to cross a lot out or have many empty pages. This book has a spiral binding inside the traditional binding, so it is easy to remove a page that does not apply to our experience.



4. I got this for my second child, a boy. I spent a while looking for a baby book that was simple enough that I could keep up without too much effort. Sure, it would be nice if there were a little more blank space for photos, or a pocket for a few keepsakes. But I'm OK with that.
   
   The best part about this book is how understated it is. The first 100 or so baby books I picked were too twee for my taste--pink! and blue! and bunnies! and puppy dogs!.... The graphics and poetry in this book are very classic.
   
   As another reviewer so aptly said, you scrapbookers out there will find this book very limiting--but it's good for the rest of us!



5. Bought for a friend and she has enjoyed. Great space to enter important dates and information.

5 comments about International Residential Code 2003 (International Residential Code).

1. Very good reference book for understanding the details of what the building inspector is using for acceptance criteria. Not for the novice, unless you have a good dictionary available. It does leave some of the minute details in the referenced industry standards (National Electric Code, ANSI standards, etc.). Provdes an excellent way to communicate specifics with the general contractor/builder.



2. IRC Codes are as the say "standard". It is good to have a single code book for residential building. However, the ability to go to one location, click on what I need when I need it, and have it delivered at a reasonable price where I need it...is the best.



3. I liked the fonts used quite a bit, but the story was slow at times. There was almost no charicter development and the plotlines were dated. Still, the surprise ending does what it intends.



4. I was shocked to recieve the Code book at least two weeks before I expected it and it was in perfect shape. The service is excellent and I could not be happier with the material.



5. You really need to WANT to have the Residential Code to wade through the 'jargon' in it. The answers ARE there, but you have to look for them. The chart on window and door header requirements is nearly 3 pages long! The code must cover all possibilities, but it doesn't need to be so technical that only 'inspectors' can decipher it (if they're lucky). The 2002 National Electric Code is just as complex, but it is written to be understood by nearly anyone. I hope the editors/writers of the next version of the IRC take the hint.