Strong, versatile, and amazingly easy to work with, concrete is the ideal medium for outdoor art and long-lasting, practical projects for the garden. And, best of all, it doesn't cost a lot of money or require special equipment; everything you need is right at the local home improvement center, ready and waiting. A celebrated teacher has gathered the tried-and-true techniques used by sculptors and folk artists, and then tailored them perfectly for low-tech surroundings and personal expression. Work with molds; form over armatures; model or carve with concrete; take advantage of technical advances to develop lighter, stronger structures; and treat concrete surfaces with mosaics, embedded objects, incising, and coloring. For dazzling outdoor embellishment, craft Garden Critter Stepping Stones, a Trough Planter, Birdbath, Little Lady Fountain, and a jazzy border. Every one of the 25 projects will open up new creative horizons!
Sherri Hunter, author of the best-selling Creating with Concrete, proves once again that concrete isn't just for sidewalks anymore; it's perfect for the garden too. A selection of 30 beautiful designs suggests the range of this increasingly popular material, and the illustrated instructions make the craft's fundamentals easy to learn. Because the simplest projects come first, beginners can work their way through the book progressively, building on their skills. Novices will have fun making the carved trough, sandcast bowl, and elegant relief panel. More sophisticated projects, including a decorative walkway and polished table, come next, and they'll bring charm to any outdoor space. More adventurous artists can unleash their creativity on a "Garden Guardian" sculpture or water feature. A Selection of the Crafters Choice and Homestyle Book Clubs.
Features all new, state-of-the-art information on decorative concrete finishes, including acid coloring, stamping, and using cementitious paints. Another new section shows easy methods for casting concrete in forms to create countertops, garden benches, and other accessories.
No projects offer more aesthetic or financial satisfaction than DIY masonry and stonework projects. Homeowners can routinely save thousands of dollars in labor costs by buying and installing materials that are now readily available for routine purchase. This book includes traditional techniques for laying concrete adapted to the special needs of ordinary homeowners, but also features cutting edge materials and techniques, such as tumbled concrete pavers, acid-etching for colored concrete slabs, and important green paving options, such as rain-garden arroyos and permeable pavers. Several cutting edge projects are included, such as polished concrete countertops and stamped concrete walkways. A complete outdoor kitchen project, ideal for a patio, is also included.
Stunning, safe custom candles made by you Craft a serene atmosphere with hand-poured candles and inspiring scents. Candlemaking is as rewarding as it is relaxing; you can enjoy custom scents, colors, and holistic ingredients in one-of-a-kind candles that match your style and home decor. Candle Craft is your one-stop guide to mastering the craft from start to finish. Cut through the online clutter and learn from accomplished candlemaking business owner Tiana Coats as she shows you how to create candles that match your desired aesthetic and burn safely. You'll also find tips on selling your candles and starting your own creative business. Simply and successfully bring a sense of serenity to your home with beautiful handcrafted candles in any shape, color, and scent you can imagine. Get started with more than two dozen projects basic and specialty projects! Learn to share your projects with the world with Tiana’s small business tips for starting and growing your own creative venture
From designing and forming to coloring, troweling, and curing, this comprehensive guide explores one of the newest trends in home design--concrete countertops. 350 color photos. Illustrations.
Demonstrates how to design and build greenhouses and other garden structures such as compost bins, benches, and trellises, through instructions and color photographs.
"Crafting Effective Lesson Plans: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators" is a practical and comprehensive book that provides educators with the knowledge and skills needed to create impactful lesson plans. The book explores the importance of lesson planning and its direct correlation with student achievement. It delves into the essential components of a lesson plan, including clear learning objectives, aligned curriculum standards, effective instructional strategies, and comprehensive assessment methods. The book emphasizes the significance of understanding student needs, interests, and diverse learning styles when preparing lesson plans. It guides educators through the process of designing engaging learning experiences, incorporating hands-on activities, fostering critical thinking, and promoting student collaboration. Furthermore, it offers insights into utilizing technology and multimedia resources effectively to enhance teaching and learning. Assessment and evaluation are key aspects of lesson planning, and the book provides guidance on utilizing formative and summative assessments, aligning assessments with learning objectives, and providing constructive feedback to students. It also addresses the importance of reflection and continuous improvement, encouraging educators to reflect on their lessons and make necessary adjustments based on student outcomes and feedback. Additionally, the book explores the integration of interdisciplinary approaches and the adaptation of lesson plans for special populations, including students with special needs and English language learners. It highlights the value of collaboration and provides strategies for collaborative lesson planning, sharing resources, and engaging in professional learning communities. The book concludes with practical tips, organizational tools, online resources, and time management strategies to assist educators in optimizing their lesson planning processes. It emphasizes the importance of embracing professional growth and development as lifelong learners. Overall, "Crafting Effective Lesson Plans" aims to empower educators with the skills and knowledge necessary to create engaging, purposeful, and student-centered lesson plans. By implementing the strategies outlined in this book, educators can enhance their instructional practices, foster student achievement, and create meaningful learning experiences for their students.
Now a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Learn a new talent, stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace throws your way. Ultralearning offers nine principles to master hard skills quickly. This is the essential guide to future-proof your career and maximize your competitive advantage through self-education. In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education—a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To counter that, Ultralearning offers powerful strategies to break you out of those mental ruts and introduces new training methods to help you push through to higher levels of retention. Scott H. Young incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself—among them Benjamin Franklin, chess grandmaster Judit Polgár, and Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymath Nigel Richards, who won the French World Scrabble Championship—without knowing French. Young documents the methods he and others have used to acquire knowledge and shows that, far from being an obscure skill limited to aggressive autodidacts, ultralearning is a powerful tool anyone can use to improve their career, studies, and life. Ultralearning explores this fascinating subculture, shares a proven framework for a successful ultralearning project, and offers insights into how you can organize and exe - cute a plan to learn anything deeply and quickly, without teachers or budget-busting tuition costs. Whether the goal is to be fluent in a language (or ten languages), earn the equivalent of a college degree in a fraction of the time, or master multiple tools to build a product or business from the ground up, the principles in Ultralearning will guide you to success.
You can make the furniture you want at a fraction of the price of store-bought furniture. Not only will you save tons of money, but you'll also make environmentally sustainable pieces that are solidly built, using real materials like metal, wood, concrete, and other recycled ready-mades. The projects in this book don't require special skills, prior experience, or even a garage full of tools. You'll be walked step-by-step through the process of making furniture, from where to buy the materials (or where to scavenge) to how to make the most of the tools you own.
