From buying equipment to tapping your own trees to boiling the sap, this is the classic, best-selling guide to making maple syrupThis little book swept maple sugarin’ buffs off their feet when it first appeared and is still the top-selling guide to the craft after over 40 years in print. Backyard Sugarin’ tells you how you can make maple syrup right in your own backyard without having to build a sap house or buy buckets, holding tanks, evaporators, and oth...

If you want to know how to make creamy, rich, mouth-watering espresso at home, even without a fancy machine, then you want to read this book.You see, making killer espresso that blows Starbucks away (and any other coffee chain for that matter) comes down to doing a lot of little things right—selecting the right beans and roasts, and creating the right blends; using your machine and grinder correctly; dosing, tamping, level, and pulling the shots properly; and more....

Stenciling is an extremely effective way to add impressive decorations to your cakes and cookies quickly. For the best and most satisfying results, Lindy Smith recommends using laser-cut culinary stencils made from durable food-grade plastic. How you choose to add a stenciled pattern will depend on the effect you wish to achieve and the size of the item to be stencilled. This chapter, taken from The Contemporary Cake Decorating Bible, shows you various techniques using both edible...

Perfect for the beginner!I have been thinking of making my own candles for a while but wasn't sure what book to go for. This is exactly what I needed! Very simply written with pictures to demonstrate various techniques and a list of the equipment needed.Very Good, Worth It!Had a quick sift through and it looks very informative and some nice illustrations. Simple to follow well worth the price.You will learn how to make beautiful candles that not only look goo...

A thousand and one ideas for making beautiful polymer clay millefiori. In Venetian glassmaking, slender rods of molten glass are shaped, then cut to reveal amazingly detailed patterns: flowers, geometric shapes, dancing colors. These slices are called millefiori, “thousand flowers,” because they form a carpet of flowers when placed side by side. Now celebrity author Donna Kato shows crafters exactly how to re-create these intricate, fascinating designs in polymer clay. The Art of Polym...

Glazing Techniques for Paintings that GlowBring new life to your paintings using transparent glazing. Step by step and layer by layer, this book will show you how to use this classic approach to infuse your work with radiant color, exquisite texture and a breathtaking sense of light.• 5 simple studies focus on using glazes to evoke a wide variety of realistic still life textures-fruits, flowers, silver, glass and more• 5 full-length demonstrations sh...

It seems like just about everyone wants to cook outdoors these days, and what better way to do it than in your very own backyard clay oven.This book shows how easy it is to make a clay oven from scratch, and includes detailed instructions, with over 60 photographs and illustrations.It is time for the humble Barbecue or Grill to move over, and for the backyard oven to step into the role of the 'must build' outdoor cooking accessory for the 21st century.

Donna's unique One-Stroke method - which lets you blend, shade and highlight all in one stroke - makes painting quick and easy. And there's just no better way to learn this technique than by Donna's example.In this book, Donna leads you through all the strokes you need - shell strokes, C-strokes and more - to create leaves, roses, fruit, ribbons and many other beautiful subjects. You'll also find 12 step-by-step projects that show how Donna's One-Stroke method can be used to decora...

Real life happens in color!Colored pencils are wonderful tools for creating realistic drawings. Lee Hammond, popular instructor and North Light author of more than twenty instructional books on drawing and painting, is here to show you how. Now you can learn to draw lifelike flowers, buildings, animals and people in vivid color. Inside you'll find:• Easy instruction on difficult subjects such as water, glass, silver, sunsets, skin tone, hai...

Barbara Quast's miniature flower creations are simply exquisite. She uses the fun and easy medium of polymer clay to capture the delicate details and lifelike colors of a variety of blooms. With the simple instructions in this book, you can too!It's surprisingly easy to create these incredible little works of art. Just follow along with the fully illustrated step-by-step demonstrations to create seven different kinds of flowers. You'll also find some great ideas for using your mini...

Thinking about building a greenhouse in your backyard? Want to know what kind of greenhouse is best for you? What construction materials to use? What features do you need? What plants will you grow in your greenhouse and how? "Greenhouse Gardening Like A Pro" will answer all of these questions and more. In this book I share my own greenhouse gardening experiences, tricks, & tip...

Polymer clay is one of the most versatile craft projects on the market â€" you can cut, carve, stamp, mold, sculpt and add texture, all to create individualized jewelry. With easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, and the author’s “can do†attitude, success is a sure bet. Shirley Rufener will guide you through basic techniques and 25 projects. Discover how to simulate the look of glass, enamel, fine porcelain and chalked ceramics, without the use of an expensive kiln. As a bonus, ...