This book is one of the best for providing suggestions on how to use silk ribbon embroidery to embellish your clothing (vests, tops, etc). It has a short section describing the stitches, and each design element is identified by the type of stitches used to make it.

The book isn't really intended for a beginner, though. It doesn't give a description of HOW to make the flowers in a given design-- in fact, it doesn't walk you through making ANY flowers.

As a result, if you already know how to make roses, lilacs, etc, and are seeking inspiration for applying these techniques to a variety of garments (vests, sweaters, girls' headbands, brooches, etc), then this is the perfect book for you. If you are a true beginner, don't expect that this book will teach you the basics.

I had never done ribbon embroidery before, but have found this book very easy to follow. Easier, in fact, than many others that I have looked at.

This is what the book covers: "The Basics" section describes types of ribbon, threads and flosses, beads, needles, fabric, embroidery hoops and other accessories that are commonly used in ribbon embroidery; how to start and end your ribbonwork; and the basics of how to make a simple pillow.

Next comes the section, "A Guide to the Stitches." Each stitch has numbered steps and shows a diagram of the needle position in each step. Both the diagrams and the written instructions are crystal clear. Here are the stitches you will learn: backstitch, bullion knot stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch, colonial knot, couching, cretan stitch, feather stitch, fern stitch, fly stitch, French knot, herringbone stitch, Japanese ribbon sitch, twisted ribbon stitch, lazy daisy, bullion-tipped lazy daisy, decorated lazy daisy, leaf stitch, loop stitch, loop-stitch flower, montano knot,pistil stitch, plume stitch, star stitch, stem stitch, straight stitch, padded straight stitch, twisted straight stitch, wave stitch, whipped running stitch, wrapped bar, Bradford rose, cabbage rose, concertina rose, gathered rose, spider web rose, stemstitch rose, and how to make rosebuds, bees, ladybugs, and "generic flying insects."

Following this section are the projects, most of which are comprised of several different types of flowers. Each project has a full-color photo, a drawing of the project, and a written description. Both the drawings and the descriptions tell which type of stitch to use to form the flowers, and sometimes there are recommendations as to which width of ribbon to use. It is true that you will have to flip back and forth between the stitch section and the project section, until you learn the stitches by heart. Perhaps a way around this would be to photocopy the stitch section and lay it out in front of you while you are following the project.

While I am sure there will be other ribbon embroidery books in my future, I suspect that this one will be the book I turn to most often.

I didn't thik this book was all that great. The designs are not really traditional and the charts are difficult to read.

A wide choice of samplers is presented in this book, even though most of the charts are difficult to read and follow, some of them might really be worth the effort. The samplers are listed as follows with my own ratings which range from a beginner to an advanced cross stitcher:
1. Country Garden -advanced
2. Alphabets in Blue-intermediate
3. Plum Vine- definitely for a beginner
4. Christmas-advanced
5. Nautical-beginner
6. Flower baskets(2)-intermediate
7. Memorial- advanced
8. Circus- beginner
9. Blue Birth- intermediate
10.Paper Dolls(2)-intermediate
11.Bow Birth-beginner
12.Nursery-beginner
13.Mama and Papa bears-beginner
14.Carnival-intermediate
15.Butterfly Birth-beginner
16.Schoolroom-intermediate
17.Pastel Birth-beginner
18.Home sweet home-beginner
19.Carribbean(shown on the cover)-advanced
20.Pastry-intermediate
21.Home Celebration-intermediate
22.Louis XVI Chairs-beginner
23.Tea party-beginner
24.Lilies of the valley-beginner
25.Brownstone house-intermediate
26.Alpine Flowers- beginner
27.Iris-beginner
28.Field Flowers-beginner *My favorite*
29.Spring Birds(2)-beginner
30.Wildfowers-intermediate
31.Garden Trio-intermediate
32.Sunflowers-intermediate
33.Romantic age-beginner
34.Roses-beginner
35.Cottage Garden-advanced
36.Winter picture-beginner
These are rough ratings, of course the colors used are many and the fabric used for each design also plays a role in the complexity of the work. Most of these samplers are big, parts of them can also be used alone for smaller projects.

This book has some bold colors, something that a lot of sampler designs miss. Also, since this is a sampler book, and mostly not of the old alphabet type, you can do portions of most of the graphs and have a good smaller project. A good variety of subjects, too, including some for children's rooms.

Some of the items are very cute and creative, but as another reviewer states, you would be ill-advised to actually burn many of these candles and taking a significant risk to sell them. It's a start, but don't use this book as your definitive way to make gel candles. It's more a "crafty" type book than a true book about making candles. And "crafty" books aren't a good idea to use when you are making things that are designed to burn. Use caution.

This book does have some pics with short wicks(which the candlemaker could fix) and one or so of the crafts could be fixed differently to keep the wicks away from embeds. The rose candle on p.49 could still work in a larger container with a shorter wick. The paper used in the candles is against the glass and away from the wick. As with all crafts, the crafter can use his judgement and change around things. That said.

This book has beatiful pics and some great ideas. The marbles/stones candle is very pretty. There is a garden scene with the garden supplies(that could be bought at Wal-mart in crafts)at the bottom, a wire candle,various shell candles, candles using stated nonflamable gold leaves,a glass shard candle,a candle using springs(you make springs yourself,great for a man),broken glass shards candle,fruit/vegetables at the bottom candle,tubular gel candles(could still work with rounder tubes)with materials,there is a neat shark candle, a candle using spare screws,nuts,bolts,ect.(very nice for a man),Pics with candle jars in a jar,use of button coins,ceramics,a very nice fruit cocktail,use of sand in between gel layers(different), a metal dinosaur candle,a birthday cake candle using gel and whipped gel made with crayons and real birthday candles,christmas ornament candles,cylinder/beaker candles for science looking candles,and beer caps candle or other caps.

This book does have flaws, but has great ideas/pics too. The candlemaker can always perfect these ideas and still use this book.

I don't know what either the Michigander or the Nashbabe are talking about. Rankin goes into depth about flash point and the importance of a clip-on thermometer and the dangers of gel.

The ideas in here are solid, inspirational and very creative. I was quite impressed with all the various candles that Rankin mentioned but I must admit she sorta hints that GELS cannot be taken out of their mold (she only talks in terms of this as a plus factor that you show off the mold).

Don't know why Cusick is here; not on my copy of the book. It's Rankin only.

First off, potential buyers should be aware that this is a coffee table book and definitely not useful in any way for identification purposes.

Most Barbie books have hundreds or even thousands of color photos but the quality isn't exactly award-winning. Photos are often badly lit, too small, or even grainy. So it was with great joy that I opened this book and saw large full page stunning color photographs of vintage dolls.

Unfortunately my joy was quickly dampened as I noticed that somebody forgot to hire a stylist for the dolls. The photos are so magnified and clear that it's impossible to ignore the flaking face paint, the messy hair, and the stained clothing. "The BEST of Barbie" ??? Not by a long shot!

I am thankful this book was a Christmas gift and I did not shell out money myself for it. It is SO disappointing to see crystal clear photographs of vintage dolls in a Barbie book only to have those photos ruined by dolls in crummy condition. Apparently all the dolls pictured in the book were culled from one collection. I'd hate to see the dolls that didn't make the cut!

I am not a doll snob (I buy dolls from the Goodwill and fix them up myself) but if a book calls itself "The BEST of Barbie" then I expect to see mint dolls in crisp clean outfits.

While this book has some interesting photos from this one collection, it has photographs of anything but the "best" examples of the various Barbies--especially the vintage dolls--some of them are down-right scarey looking with running, gouged face paint, chopped off hair, examples of ponytail dolls without ponytails, mis-identified dolls and a hodge-podge of information and misinformation. If I were a new collector, this book would be of little help in learning what a particular doll should look like--it's easy to find played-with dolls that are all mussed up--the hard part for a new collector is knowing what the doll should look like when learning to gauge authenticity and condition--this book seems like someone was assigned to write a Barbie book and they did it--but that someone was not a collector or authority.

I disagree with another reviewer that all photos should be of mint dolls. This book captures a wide range of Barbie's -- both through the years and through various conditions. As a collector, I find it helpful to see the less-than-perfect dolls. It gives me a far better understanding of different levels of grading. If you are a serious Barbie collector, I feel this book is a "must-have" in your library.

This book has the most attractive furniture I have seen in any how-to books. However, when I created a garden bench (the back slats of this particular bench are cut to create a diamond shape of open space between the upper two slats and lower two slats) I found errors in the layout, (drawings and measurements) of the center rail. Either the rail must be cut lower, or the mortises must be moved. My bench turned out beautifully despite the required modifications. I will make other furniture from patterns in this book, but I will definitely check the layout measurements before I mark and cut--rather than assume they are correct!

A beginner could enjoy the pictures but would not yet own the requisite tools for all of the projects. Completed projects rival area high-end specialty gardening stores. Contains materials lists, recommended woods and finishes, and easy-to-understand drawings. A pleasure to own.

This project book includes 3 main chapters:Samplers and scenes (very nice ones),home projects (throw,cushions,linen,...)and baby projects (badges,blanket,rug,...). The designs range from very basic to more detailed work and are really nice. The reason why I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that the pattern charts (which are an integral part of such a book) of the more complicated big designs are very small,difficult to read and follow and very eye-straining. The charts being in black and white doesn't help.

it's a good book, it can show you the close ups of snogs that people do, and both genders doing it as well as the old peopl

I found this book to be rather disturbing. Although there is a wide variety of ages and bodytypes, it appears to be done by an amatuer just looking to make a few bucks. So if you enjoy looking at the elderly and obese naked.....this is your book....otherwise.....go buy a cheap porno...it has to be better than this book!

It's all a matter of personal taste whether you like this book or not. It's all in what you believe a book of male nudes should be. Do you believe a book of male nudes should be a fantasy of perfection & beauty or stark naked ugliness in all of it's day to day reality? We all create our own fantasies and I think in this day and age we are looking for handsome, muscular or at least in good shape male nude models to gaze upon. This is clearly evident in the increased sales of the many popular male nude photographer's books, for example: Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Steven Underhill, Adam Raphael, and so many more. They strive to show us all what we desire and possibly wish for.

That being said, this book is beautifully produced, well-designed, and the photography of Rankin is very creative in regards to lighting, shadows, and clarity. It's the subject matter that is just not appealing in most of these photos. This photo presentation was an attempt to challenge one of the last remaining social taboos: the male nude. Well, I think we are well beyond that now, and it's been accomplished, as I mentioned by all these other male nude photographers. Ads were placed in Time Out and Dazed & Confused magazines for male nude models and it produced over 150 responses. So you're going to find a variety of shapes, sizes, looks, and body types in this book.

If you're looking for excellent photography you may enjoy this book. However, if you looking for another male nude book of images of young, handsome muscular looking models, this is not for you. I believe there's a humorous side to this type of book, but I don't think it's the male nude photography we've all become accustomed to enjoying and appreciating. You've been forewarned! Proceed with Caution!!

This book must be tackled in its entirety to be fully appreciated. And that includes the preface written by both Rankin as well as William Leith. It's not fluffed with pretty pictures of pretty men, one after another after another. It is instead strong testimony from an artist, who admittedly is far more familiar with a woman's terrain, that the male body is worthy of study, worthy of admiration, and most important, worthy of the same general acceptance as the female body is. As Leith explains it, "A naked women is in a way, not naked, but dressed with centuries of imagery ... naked women come already supplied with a narrative... Naked men need explaining.." Rankin trashes this notion!

Each image is impeccably photographed, as we'd expect from Rankin, and provides unique perspective on that individual. Young men, old men, beautiful men, and ugly men are paraded in their natural glory. The penis plays a major role here. It's not relegated to the background nor is it made the star player. It's just there, in almost every picture, part of the larger package. Altogether, it's packed with personality and is a wonderful slice of what the men amongst look like naked.

Readers looking for a fantasy or for a new vision will be disappointed - this work is purposely NOT about that. It is, nonetheless, fragrant with beauty and humor, magnificence and ridiculousness, inspiration and indignation, and (hopefully) with a new level of acceptance.

I have read all of Rankin's novels and eagerly anticipated his latest. I was therefore doubly disappointed to receive a slight 70 page novella in the mail and then to discover that most of it was lifted from his last novel. Yes, a few pages are brand new, but that is hardly the point. I expected a new story and this was a rehash that appeared to have been hastily scribbled and patched together. For those who like Rankin, I'd give this one a miss and wait till he writes a real novel again.

Ripoff! Seventy-three pages, at least forty of which are a direct lift from his last book. If you like Ian Rankin or have read his books in the past, don't waste your money on this.

Ian Rankin writes crisp, dark, atmospheric police procedurals set in Edinburgh featuring Inspector John Rebus, a brooding loner with occasional regrets, given to bottling his strong feelings. Rankin's unadorned, complexly nuanced writing, his ability to breathe life into characters as much with what is not said as what is, makes the series a particular stand-out.

Since his novella "Death Is Not the End," focuses on a subplot in Rankin's 1999 novel "Dead Souls," I expected a sequel. But as Rankin explains in a note at the end, the novella was written first. The story concerns a missing young man, 23 years old, the son of an old highschool girlfriend. The narrative follows Rebus' investigation over much the same time period as "Dead Souls," though Rankin extended his investigation in the novel. And there is a different subplot featuring crooked casino operators.

New readers, or those who missed "Dead Souls" will enjoy the journey into Edinburgh's seamy side - the grim amorality of those who make their living from "punters" - and Rebus' exploration of his own past and the choices that have made him who he is.

The reviewer who said this is a collection of puzzle pieces, or Polaroids, was half right. Not many (if any) of these photos would be considered stylish, quality, or sexy if done by anyone. Cramped into this format, poorly cropped, you spend more time looking at the fold between pages and wondering what the photo might have been. Coming from Rankin, given the price, it looks like he was late on a rent payment and threw this together quickly over a weekend. The models are unattractive, to the extent you can make them out, and the photographs present them in an even-more-unflattering light. The shots of the empty sofa actually had more going for them than the shots of the models.

It's a little collection of flash-on-camera closeups. Some of them have that accidental-snapshot charm. The cover photo is by far the most engaging. Perhaps the pictures could be cut out of the book and assembled into a Hockney-esque collage of a famous model. Not much money, not very well spent, in sum.

The models are not sleek fashion models on a modern couch. They are not sexy in the way a sports car is considered but more like the comfortable, worn, brown vinyl sofa that pops up throughout the book.
The predominant feel is of skin and the beautiful hairs and colors that are noticed when in a sensual, engaged state. The photos may move anywhere on the body but never feel like the bare naked exposure of pornography. I found this book refreshing. Artful but not in the tired, traditional "ART" black and white erotic photography way.
The best sexy images I've seen in a while. The only criticism is that, for an unusual book, the models were of the body type and age of most models in fashion magazines. The women are no doubt beautiful but the same beauty could be found in models of other ages and shapes - maybe in a sequel to Sofasexy.