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Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational and addictive!
Review: I see lots of craft books - so I can say with assurance that this one is among the best. It gave me lots of ideas to help me get going on projects of my own. I use this book for tips on techniques also - but I really LOVE it for all the inspiration it provides. Ms Rodgers surely knows her stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational and addictive!
Review: I see lots of craft books - so I can say with assurance that this one is among the best. It gave me lots of ideas to help me get going on projects of my own. I use this book for tips on techniques also - but I really LOVE it for all the inspiration it provides. Ms Rodgers surely knows her stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas for original designs!
Review: Ms. Rodgers provides the confident beader with a wealth of projects to stimulate creativity. The photos are top notch and the directions and suggestions are most helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners and experienced bead artists alike!
Review: Short Version: I love this book! Buy it and expand your mind. You do need
to know a few basic stitches, but it shows you all kinds of cool variations
on those stitches to make your work "pop."Long Version: I'll admit it: I have a soft spot in my heart for the people
at Krause. Years ago, I was their technical contact for their first
computerized typesetting and book layout machines. When the people I worked with at Krause found out I had a dream of owning an antique Buick, they sent me all the books they produced on Antique Cars, Antique Buicks, the History of the Buick, and Maintaining a Classic Car. At that time that the books
came, the dream of owning such a car was like the dream many people have of
winning the lottery: fun, but unlikely. I devoured those books, and learned to recognize and appreciate the
distinctive Krause publishing style. The books are all about as long and wide as a sheet of typing paper, and range from a few pages to big phone book types. They're all glue bound with a nice, full color cover. The books that Krause publishes are invariably of terrific quality, presented in a practical and
affordable package. This book was no disappointment. It assumed that I had some skill with
common beading stitches, but reviewed them briefly, anyway. Then it drives
right onto the projects - a beautiful lariat made with a glass drawer pull as
the focal, a multistrand firepolished necklace using a copper plumbing joint
as the foundation for a focal bead, and many variations. The projects have
enough detail that an advanced beginner would feel comfortable with most of
them, and are different enough that a proficient beader would enjoy spending
time making cool items with unrecognizable materials. My favorite is the Peyote bracelet embellished with automobile
fuses. The fuses are cheap and easy to find, and look terrific on the
finished bracelet, and no one will ever guess where you got those cool components. The strangest one, IMO, is made of lurid green rubber worm fishing lures. To make up for the worms, on the following pages there are beautiful, inexpensive pieces made with metal fishing lures. It will get you used to looking for odd objects here and there and thinking,
"So, how do I make jewelry out of this?" Right now, I'm eyeing a bunch of
dead keyboards, and wondering if I could bead bezels around the keys and make a name bracelet. If my dog held still long enough, I could probably bead her, too. The gallery is the best part of the book, IMO. I love to drool over the eye
candy, and mentally picture when I would make the pieces, and what changes
I'd make. (Can't ever leave well enough alone.) It's a great book, written in a much more down to Earth style than "The Art
and Elegance of Beadweaving." This book made me feel like a friend was
telling me how to make some cool new pieces with stuff hanging around the
house. I'm so glad that the nice people at Krause printed this treasure,
which I think will be around for a long, long time. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners and experienced bead artists alike!
Review: Short Version: I love this book! Buy it and expand your mind. You do need
to know a few basic stitches, but it shows you all kinds of cool variations
on those stitches to make your work "pop." Long Version: I'll admit it: I have a soft spot in my heart for the people
at Krause. Years ago, I was their technical contact for their first
computerized typesetting and book layout machines. When the people I worked with at Krause found out I had a dream of owning an antique Buick, they sent me all the books they produced on Antique Cars, Antique Buicks, the History of the Buick, and Maintaining a Classic Car. At that time that the books
came, the dream of owning such a car was like the dream many people have of
winning the lottery: fun, but unlikely. I devoured those books, and learned to recognize and appreciate the
distinctive Krause publishing style. The books are all about as long and wide as a sheet of typing paper, and range from a few pages to big phone book types. They're all glue bound with a nice, full color cover. The books that Krause publishes are invariably of terrific quality, presented in a practical and
affordable package. This book was no disappointment. It assumed that I had some skill with
common beading stitches, but reviewed them briefly, anyway. Then it drives
right onto the projects - a beautiful lariat made with a glass drawer pull as
the focal, a multistrand firepolished necklace using a copper plumbing joint
as the foundation for a focal bead, and many variations. The projects have
enough detail that an advanced beginner would feel comfortable with most of
them, and are different enough that a proficient beader would enjoy spending
time making cool items with unrecognizable materials. My favorite is the Peyote bracelet embellished with automobile
fuses. The fuses are cheap and easy to find, and look terrific on the
finished bracelet, and no one will ever guess where you got those cool components. The strangest one, IMO, is made of lurid green rubber worm fishing lures. To make up for the worms, on the following pages there are beautiful, inexpensive pieces made with metal fishing lures. It will get you used to looking for odd objects here and there and thinking,
"So, how do I make jewelry out of this?" Right now, I'm eyeing a bunch of
dead keyboards, and wondering if I could bead bezels around the keys and make a name bracelet. If my dog held still long enough, I could probably bead her, too. The gallery is the best part of the book, IMO. I love to drool over the eye
candy, and mentally picture when I would make the pieces, and what changes
I'd make. (Can't ever leave well enough alone.) It's a great book, written in a much more down to Earth style than "The Art
and Elegance of Beadweaving." This book made me feel like a friend was
telling me how to make some cool new pieces with stuff hanging around the
house. I'm so glad that the nice people at Krause printed this treasure,
which I think will be around for a long, long time. Enjoy!
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