Fun to read, clear instructions, cool style
589439
You will want to read this book like a novel over coffee or tea.  Love Molla Mills' style and patterns, especially the tips for adding handles and grommets.  Would be suitable for beginners or experienced crocheters alike.
3183532
I went straight to the book's description and missed that this fun DIY book is for 9-13 year olds. I think some of these crafts would work for that age range, but I think others would require parent assistance (and permission as the book states). I would honestly skew this age range a little higher if you want the results to turn out as well as the examples in the book! I don't think as an adult that I could paint a waterfaded flower as well as the author did on her pillow. Plus, picking up a heavy piece of furniture in order to dip the legs in paint is not something a kid can do on his/her own.

The book starts out in giving kids an idea of decluttering and organizing their room before they start planning a room design. I like the tips to use pieces of paper to lay out the bedroom. I'm not sure how effectively 9 to 13-year-olds understand scale, but I know every parent appreciates someone else telling their kids ways that they can keep their room cleaner.

As a 30-something-year-old, a lot of this book content isn't something I would want to imitate exactly, but it did inspire me to do something in a slightly more classy fashion. For example, the "Easy Peasy Earring Holder" (which is a wooden cross-stitch frame with a cloth insert) would look awesome in a modern bedroom if you painted the wood metallic silver and used a bold modern cloth to hang the earrings from. Likewise, the driftwood necklace holder painted a metallic silver or gold would also look fabulous. Even using a plain piece of driftwood could create a relaxing, natural look for your bedroom.

Another tip that I like is the painted shoebox organization idea. Although I would buy shoeboxes already in a color I like, I do appreciate the suggestion of taking a photo and taping it to the front of it. That's clever and certainly looks better than a haphazard collection of random shoe boxes in one's closet.

Overall, now knowing that this book is really for kids, I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars, which means I "liked it" using the Goodreads scale. As I said previously, I think the age range should be adjusted to a tad bit older. I appreciate the author's clear instructions that help kids take ownership of their room's look and feel. Some of the projects definitely look craftsy, which is fine for a youth. I dock one star because none of the projects blew me away with their originality. That's hard to do today though with Pinterest providing craft ideas. The cursive script is a tad hard to read--hopefully that is better with a hard copy of the book.

Thank you for the free Netgalley copy so that I could review the book!
607294
Easy to understand instructions.  Lots of variety to choose from, great instructions.  Great tidbits of information, history, and easy to read and understand.
1262044
Easy to follow, I like the style and simple presentation, looking forward to consuming this book!
2863196
This is a GREAT book! No nonsense, straight talking, smart and useful as a conceptual and practical guidance book. It dymystifies interior decoration, makes it possible for ordinary people who, like me, do not live in million dollar mansions, to relate to her decorating ideas. This is a great book for those new to interior decorating and those who want to pick up a few usable rules of interior decoration without feeling restrained by those very same rules.
The texts are incredibly easy and fun to read; very few waster words. Plenty of photos to illustrate the point and the photos and the text go hand in hand--this is not a show and tell of the rich and famous.
The text is printed in an unusual way: the types are big (which is great) and black, regular sized print are mixed in with colored, bigger sized print. I like it that way but it drove my husband nuts. There is only one paragraph in the book (one on the pros and cons of painting open floor plan houses in different colors) which I found confusing and not well written. Everything else is right on the money. I highly recommend the book.
4120996
The recipes are great and easy to follow! I love the straightforward vernacular, it's awesomely fun to read! 5 stars!
499250
The instructions are clear and easy, broken down into steps. Makes bringing students into my doodling world fun and easy.  Some really don't get the point, though.  It is a planned procedure as a meditation, warm-up, and creativity starter.  Could be expanded to by a knowledgeable teacher to introduce line types, rhythm, and interest. Enjoyable for a short time, though the "patented" designs and method are the height of arrogance and insult.  For parents who want to keep their kids who like to draw busy in the summer, this is part of a whole series, and I would recommend.
3919665
Plenty of cute ideas here with clear instructions if you're an intermediate sewer.
4073929
I had a lot of fun with this book, and it provided me with a fantastic foundation of knowledge for implementing WPF technology in my applications.

It's organized well, in that important tips are easy to find (no digging through paragraphs to find answers to common problems), and conversely thorough in detail; when more information is required. So it is quite versitile, whatever your reading mood. Whether it's casually flipping through, or digging deeper in to advanced topics.

The book's written very well, and most notably with a passion. The writer explains concepts clearly to the reader, and I'd highly recommended it to anyone interested in learning about this technology.
686944
Fun to read her comments, she helps you to be unafraid to try any of the recipes, the instructions are  precise, the photos are beautiful and she is very creative!
2274857
I especially like the "Simple Techniques" chapter.  It gets right to the important ideas, without distracting advanced details.

I am also a big fan of Weka, so it is nice to be able to easily try things.

P
3362982
Written by the easy-to-read language, the book goes through all processes in Lightroom from import of the photo, adjustments printing or publishing in Web.  Recommended for those, who is very new to Adobe Lightroom (like I was) and maybe people with a little experience. A lot of step-by-step instructions with illustrations, help to understand the process at once.
Style is nice and funny, and the jokes of the author makes the reading a pleasure.
1061396
No denying I have an affection for home styling books.

They occupy probably 1/3 of my personal library in my home office. And even though I have amassed a large collection I never tire of adding more!

Perhaps because every time I peruse the pages I always get a dose of inspiration. Or feel delighted whenever I see a well planned, yet very homey, atmosphere designed by regular folks, like me. It is always fascinating what the hobbyists can do with creating a charming haven for their families.

Early last year I posted a home DIY post that became popular with my readers. The title was Painting A Wall Frame. After completing this project I was pleased with the results, but still felt the space needs to be more functional. I did not want to make it look like a gallery, which was the majority of the feedback I received from visitors of our home. So I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Apartment Therapy: Complete + Happy Home by Maxwell Ryan and Janet Laban. Most of you will correlate the title to the popular blog Apartment Therapy. Although it is exciting to see new interior design dwellings featured in blog, it is a different experience to browse through a comprehensive book with its sole purpose is to engage its readers to creating a happy home.

The book is thick at 320 pages with three major sections: Setting Up Your Home, Living in Your Home, and Maintaining Your Home. Each of these topics were adequately covered.

Readers will be surprised to see that Setting Up Your Home starts at the very basic, from house hunting to getting the right home flow. And the chapters covering Maintaining Your Home have valuable tips on organization, repairs, and cleaning.

Within minutes of leafing through the Apartment Therapy: Complete + Happy Home pages, I had an epiphany on the hallway space where I created the mirrored wall frames. My goal was it had to be functional, appear stylish, yet very inviting. The result was positioning my brand new white piano in front of it and pairing it with a bright red storage ottoman that stored my winter blankets. On top of this footstool I decided to put all the large size books that were too big to fit in our library shelves. It was a mix of art, car, home, and wine books. To balance the look I decided to place a large floor glass vase and fill it with dried twigs on the other side of the piano.

Stepping back to look at the finished interior style I was really pleased. Now this hallway looks exactly how I want it to be. And all it took to get my creative juices in motion was reading Apartment Therapys Complete + Happy Home.
3873128
I try not to go crazy buying books, so I wanted to make sure to invest in a good one on felting techniques.  I saw this one in a store and really liked how it described various methods for felting, with clear explanations of why things turn out the way they do.  I also liked how it talked about felted knit vs. crocheted fabric.  I didn't buy it right away, but looked around at other felting books to see if they held as much promise for a beginner.  Although there were pretty projects in most books, I thought none of them compared in instruction to Felt Frenzy, so I finally ordered it.  Some of the patterns look great, and some yield a finished product that looks a little ridiculous to me (old-fashioned, or just messy), but the key thing is that it gives the reader the skills to do whatever they might want to do with felting.  I've already used this book for random instructions many times, and I'm sure I'll continue to do so.  Recommended, especially for beginners.
4801813
I haven't tried every project in this fun book, but I enjoy tinkering and reading about unusual and humorous ways to do things. And the projects I have attempted have been entertaining. This how-to book is well-written and has some helpful photographs and illustrations. Parents and kids could do many of the projects together. Or a big brother or big sister could help a younger sibling learn and be entertained by such zany things as (1) using lemons to light up LEDs or (2) making a boomerang from cardboard and foam or (3) using a paper clip and a foam packing peanut to make a record player (remember record players?). I have read several books in the Make: series, and some of the projects in this one seem well-suited for times when kids complain they are bored and want something new to do. But, key point, don't just hand them the book and go back to staring at your smartphone. Get involved, too. Some help and supervision will be needed.
575724
I've already read a few books on this topic and taken a few classes, but was very happy with the content here. Certainly not just for beginners, this fun book has good illustrations, fun examples, lively writing style and is generally a funky cool book in its own right.
3156767
The more I look through this book the more excited I get about making one of these bracelets/cuffs.  The pictures are clear.  The instructions are easy to read.  It's the perfect book for a beginner, like me.