by Shelley Civkin Richmond Public Library

Books help out do-it-yourselfers with crafty tips

For those of you with little time but a propensity for appreciating beauty in the most unconventional places, there’s a new book that will surely tickle your fancy. It’s called 10-Minute Decorating by Susan Ure. The lush, color photos offer ideas for over 170 decorating projects that utilize everything from garbage cans to jewelry, food, clothing, vintage bottles and natural found items. It’s really quite amazing what a few, small touches can add to a room. And these are items that anybody could put together quickly.

Several of my favorites include: an apothecary jar filled with seashells and a beaded tassel tied to the lid; a flower arrangement comprised of fresh flowers stuck in florist vials, partially submerged in a bowl filled with dry rice, with chopsticks adorning the bowl; a large antique shawl used to drape the back of a couch; a string of beads or antique necklace used to tie back draperies; beaded or silk-threaded tassels attached to the key of a locking cabinet; unique, non-matching door handles on kitchen or bathroom cupboards; draping strings of beads around a plain chandelier; and finally, and most simply, displaying a large, full-bloom flower in a teacup and saucer. A clever selection of decorating ideas for creative types with little time on their hands.

For those with slightly more patience and time to spare, there’s a new craft book called Wire Jewelry in an Afternoon by Mickey Baskett. This crafter’s book contains lots of color photographs and clear, easy instructions. Supplies include regular beading equipment such as round nose pliers, but also things like power drills and a flat coil maker. Projects include items like a red spiral glasses chain; a beaded hair comb; stick figure brooches; and chopsticks converted into hair sticks with red wire dangles. It’s an uneven mix: some of the projects are not that unique while others are quite inventive.

For the highly ambitious crafter there’s Creating Handmade Shoes: Great-Looking Shoes, Sandals, Slippers & Boots by Sharon Raymond. This is no Elf-and-the-Shoemaker operation, but the real thing. Visually stunning, the projects in this book require mega-time, the patience of a saint, and hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in equipment. I mean, how many of us own anvils, awls, band saws, buffers, stitching machinery, wing dividers or skivers? Never mind owning them, I don’t even know what most of that stuff is! But I know that there are those of you out there that would welcome the challenge of creating something as individualized and beautiful as handmade shoes.

If you’re in the Mensa category of crafters, then you’ll want to take a look at The Art and Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz. While nobody appreciates books more than librarians do (okay, maybe book collectors), it takes a truly visionary mind to create the actual object in all its multitudinous forms. Even if nothing ever comes of it, it’s worth spending the time browsing through this one. Hail to books everywhere!

Shelley J. Civkin is the head of the Readers' Advisory Department at the Richmond Public Library.