A labor of love, just like bonsai
588022
I do not do bonsai but am fascinated by it.  I don't know what I loved more, the photos, windswept took my breath away, or the quotes from John Naka.  I canno imagine needing anything more to get started in bonsai than this wonderful inspirational book.
4025822
Absolutely beautiful and skillfully played. Watching the DVD, one sees how attentive the musicians are to each other and they are really feeling the music. A labor of love for sure. Highly recommended!
1899222
I don't know how she did it, but Shalon turns this little Bonsai tree into a character that you love and sympathize with! I may or may not have had tears welled up in my eyes the entire reading.... Such a beautiful, simple story that is so much more than a "simple" story. It inspires me to look at my own life and figure out what my "pot" consists of how I can reach my full potential. I seriously can't wait for the illustrated edition to be released so that I can read it to my kids- but it is a story for young and old! Read this!! You will not be disappointed. It will definitely have an impact on your life for the good.
3114832
There are 9 quilt patterns and 6 pillow coverings in Jen Kingwell's Quilt Lovely.  They are not ALL strictly applique, so don't let that put you off if that's not your thing. But they ARE all vivid, carefree, invigorating, uncommon, and retro-ish.  The look is really new even though there's a bit of tradition embedded within some very zesty fabric prints and colors.  You will become fearless with those "screamin' uglies" - the troublesome, wacky, and loud fabrics relegated to a bin under the guest bed.  In fact Quilt Lovely will have you deliberately searching for and collecting them.

The instructions, though, are a bit daunting.  This may be due to the prolific use of templates and partial seams throughout the book.  The templates often need to be reversed and piecers will need a huge amount of stick-to-it-iveness for several quilts. Take, for example, "Daisy Do', which is the quilt featured on the cover.  It is 62"x68", uses 9 different templates, and requires cutting over 1,000 pieces.

"Glitter" is a striking and resplendent quilt that is scrappy to the nth degree.  At 66.5"x73", it has hundreds of different fabrics.  It is based on the simple 9-patch block, but Kingwell makes it trickier by adding 4 partial seams to each of the 152 blocks.  Fortunately, the projects can be downsized easily to adapt to shorter attention spans.  Plus, the pillow projects provide ample opportunity to test drive the extraordinary techniques and effects here.

The photographs are gorgeous, but the matte paper does no favors for the projects.  It's a testament to their inherent radiance that the quilts still practically sing and levitate from each page.  Even the decidedly subdued pillow "Home Run" does this, despite Kingwell's uncharacteristic use of serene  taupes and quiet creams.  Gloss makes everything better - don't publishers and printers know this yet about us quilters??

Of this fabric craft, Jen Kingwell says "My soul is fed."

To that I say, and quote: "I'll have what she's having."
43139
This book of poems, In the Family of Trees, by Lori Caskey Sigety, is clearly a labor of love - and many other emotions...

Further, it is a most beautiful book - with Sigety's lush and gorgeous photography - laid out most prettily to match poems at hand. The book's poems - and their attendant photographs - are arranged by seasons.

Sigety's poetry covers a full range of emotions, and these emotions are clearly felt deeply. The poems also show Sigety's depth as a person, and how much she cares for others and her community.

For example - in "Rungs and Ladders" a respect for all professions - from blue collar to white collar - is voiced. The wording of "Processional, 27 August 1997" takes us into the middle of a community honoring of a fallen police officer.

"Eight Years Looking Up at Forty" is a sage assessment - and celebration - of getting older.

"Park Avenue Man and Dog (for Max and his Dad)" shows Sigety's adept quality with words - this is a short, short poem that conveys respect for an old man and his dog going out for a morning walk.

"Autumn's Kiss" is a sweet and happy ode to Autumn and to Thanksgiving.

"Rewind" is a poem that comes from Sigety's years as a librarian - and her observance of (probably a many through the years) - and tacit respect for - a homeless patron.

In "Chemoland", the harsh, relentless quality of chemotherapy on a loved one is expressed eloquently - you can feel the pain coming through the pages.

"Suzanne's Autumn Night (for S.M. and M.U.)" wraps the reader in a happy memory of an evening party with dear friends - you can palpably feel such a memory through this poem.

"Fumiko (Great Hanshin Earthquake, Kobe, Japan, January 17th, 1995)" similarly shows Sigety's deeply felt ties to others: in this poem she speaks of a college friend, a Japanese foreign exchange student - with whom she corresponded with for a time, then lost contact... Years passed, and when there was an earthquake in this friend's home town in Japan, Sigety found, to her horror, it was her friend's home town effected...

"Docile Horse in Snow" is another short and sweet poem - showing the animal-human connection, and celebrating it.

"Flight" shows wisdom - and the sadness that comes with it - in being with someone but knowing that it's potentially finite.

"The Tropic of Cancer" is a lyrical celebration of the seasons.

This is a collection of poems and images in which you can feel the poet and artist through the pages - it is a distinct joy!
2557395
This book is for those of us whose passions are gardening/landscaping and art. It has done a good job of blending both passions with writing (even poetry) and images of beautiful paintings. As an art lover who is familiar with European and American artists I especially enjoyed see a chapter about Australian artists and their gardens which feature the artists, Conder, McCubbin and Streeton. The flora photos and gardens  of Jekyll, Monet, Renoir and others are stimulating to the landscaper in me, I just can't wait for Spring.
4439835
My second such tree in 10yrs.  What's not to love?
2345375
I'm very pleased with both the service and the mini bonsai plant(into the second week already).

The service was flawless: rapid delivery; very well packaged (large box, w/much foam and bubble wrap insulation); instructions were easy to follow & I was especially fond of the attractive business card that re-printed a summary of the plant care instructions; also packed was a story about the origin of miniature bonsai along with a packet of granulized fertilizer and foldable trimming scissors(!)

The plant was in fine shape--moist soil, leaves intact on the branches & green, with moss and other vegetation covering the mound of soil.  (In fact I ordered separately from the seller a glass lantern display case & the plant inside the glass lantern is quite a sight, drawing complements from people:)
4521656
I have been waiting months and months for this to become available, and I am not sure any book could be worth such a lengthy wait.  However, I am a fan of Kumiko Sudo's, and she could write a book on canned peas and I would happily buy it!!

As with her previous publications, this is a beautiful publication, with photos that motivate you to make the projects just so that you can hold these ethereal treasures in your earthly hands.

The title refers to small hand-crafted Japanese candies ("sweet little things"), and Kumiko includes several text inserts relating how she was inspired to create the 20 projects for this book.  She gets her inspiration from all things in nature, and it is lovely to see how edible treats have led her to this book.

Included in the projects are several handbags, fabric "drums" which can become paperweights or pin cushions, a cell-phone case, a few necklaces, a tiny cache to hold a lipstick, a belt, a gorgeous butterfly pin (this will be my first project!!), a handball (much like temari, but different), and adornments such as hair ties and fabric baubles to embellish other objects.

What is new here is the addition of Japanese braiding, used primarily for purse handles and necklaces.  The results are obtainable and really unique.  If you do any beading, you will be inspired to add a bit of this weaving to your other projects.  And if you ever did gimp or macrame as a kid at summer camp, you will find Wagashi offers a much more grown-up application of these methods.

I think this publication is an improvement over her prior books in that there seem to be more detailed instructions, with more illustrative diagrams.  However, some of the projects are a bit flat and primitive, and don't always fire my imagination very much.  For instance, the cell phone cozy, the pin cushion, and a couple of the purses look, well, rather dorky and handmade.  I understand that the whole idea behind Kumiko's artistry is exactly to BE handmade, but some of these projects are more elemental and plain than I have seen in any of her books.

For me, this book (FINALLY!!) arrived at a time when I have been creating my own purse handles and exploring knotting in jewelry.  I am thrilled to add this to my collection and am pleased to see how expertly and imaginatively Kumiko Sudo applies braiding to her art.
284772
I gave this bonsai as a gift to my husband. He loved it and looked like a kid putting it together.
5 months later and she's healthy and strong!  (it's a "she" and has a name!)
4521517
simply beautiful, and such a nice touch to a garden as well as a sentimental way to remember someone you cared for
861527
This book is not a "how-to" book about growing bonsai.  As other reviewers have stated, the text accompanying the pictures is spare, sometimes hard to follow, and not all of the plants pictured are easy to find or grow well in  much of the U.S.

Nevertheless, this is the wisest book about bonsai that I know of. Why?  Murata-san approaches the concept of bonsai as applying to almost any plant, including common weeds, grasses, rare orchids, and fruit trees.  By taking a plant, matching it to a container, and giving it care, you can see the plant in a whole new perspective; the common becomes uncommon, nature takes on a fresh beauty.  The book is divided into seasons because Murata emphasizes how bonsai reflect the changing seasons, and should be viewed in that way, rather than just as show plants to be displayed only when they're at their flowering or foliage peak, and then forgotten the rest of the year.  If you want to learn how to grow and train bonsai, buy another book.  If you want to deepen your appreciation of bonsai, buy this one.
4358397
A great kit for hobbyists and tinkerers alike. It's truly a labor of love. It requires a lot of patience and the quality of your prints is truly a reflection of how much time and energy you are willing to put into tuning in your printer and dialing in the settings. This is no where near a set and forget printer and ready to go out of the box, but if you are willing to give it some TLC you can get amazing results. I've dealt extensively with many other different types of printers and i must say this printer is one of the best you can get for the price range. I am even using it to build a bigger 3d printer. Unfortunately for me Printrbot recently came out with a newer version of this kit which i highly recommend looking into, the Maker edition. They also have a beautiful new line of metal printrbot simples, some of the features to look for are GT2 timing belts, and the new auto bed leveling sensors. Also if you can afford to spend a little more i recommend the printrbot plus line with larger heated print beds. In any case you can't go wrong with printrbot.
1132251
This is a truly easy, quick way to jump start my bonsai journey by getting this DVD, which tells how, when and what to do to keep my bonsai alive well. I enjoyed this video along with its beautiful music, lovely pictures and joyful stories.  Actually my daughter watched with me together. Highly recommended!
3738643
If you've never seen a bonsai tree in person, they are truly beautiful...this Ming Aralia is no exception. While I am still fearful that shipping a small live plant is very risky, this one was gently packaged (as much as it could be...leaves are fragile!), so it recovered from the shipping process in a couple days. I appreciate the low price, because we are beginners. So far so good.
1355335
Combining different elements then injecting her love of nature to produce heartfelt creations and sharing that love with the reader, love this book!
4672279
I purchased it as a gift for my mother she loved it.  The Willow Tree decorative sculptures may look simple, but they are able to express such emotion and love.