Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.
Suzanne McMinn, a former romance writer and founder of the popular blog chickensintheroad.com, shares the story of her search to lead a life of ordinary splendor in Chickens in the Road, her inspiring and funny memoir. Craving a life that would connect her to the earth and her family roots, McMinn packed up her three kids, left her husband and her sterile suburban existence behind, and moved to rural West Virginia. Amid the rough landscape and beauty of this rural mountain country, she pursues a natural lifestyle filled with chickens, goats, sheep—and no pizza delivery. With her new life comes an unexpected new love—"52," a man as beguiling and enigmatic as his nickname—a turbulent romance that reminds her that peace and fulfillment can be found in the wake of heartbreak. Coping with formidable challenges, including raising a trio of teenagers, milking stubborn cows, being snowed in with no heat, and making her own butter, McMinn realizes that she’s living a forty-something’s coming-of-age story. As she dares to become self-reliant and embrace her independence, she reminds us that life is a bold adventure—if we’re willing to live it. Chickens in the Road includes more than 20 recipes, craft projects, and McMinn’s photography, and features a special two-color design.
Create your own spring, summer, fall, or winter wreaths to welcome guests all year round. Why wait for Christmas to purchase and hang a wreath on your front door? Beckon family and friends into your home with your very own handmade, statement-making wreath centerpiece—all year round! In Melissa Skidmore’s childhood home, her front door was never without a gorgeous wreath to welcome a guest. Now, she hopes to bring the same creativity, warmth, and comfort into every family home. In the style of a rustic, modern farmhouse, Beautiful Wreaths provides forty wreath tutorials for every season. Choose from spring flowers, summer greenery, fall branches, and winter evergreens to craft your own stunning art piece: Fresh Succulent, Magnolia Garland, and Grapevine Bunny Wreaths for Spring Fern and Moss, Artificial Floral, and Fourth of July Wreaths for Summer Cornucopia, Corn Husk, and Pumpkin Wreaths for Fall Greenery and Cinnamon Stick, Grapevine Snowman, and Toy Wreaths for Winter And more! Including non-traditional wreaths that use old rakes, vintage picture frames, chalkboard, and burlap bags, Beautiful Wreaths also features basic supplies and tips for wreath making, wreath form basics, and bow-tying tutorials. Full of beautiful photographs and whimsical illustrations, this is the perfect guide that belongs to any crafter’s and home decorator’s shelf.
The authors of Madderlake's Trade Secrets show us how to look around and discover for ourselves the best natural materials for creating our own Christmas decorations and traditions. You're no Grinch if you've had it with all the tinsel, standard-issue poinsettia arrangements and the rest of the commercial Christmas juggernaut--it just means that you're ready to go natural! 150+ full-color photos.
DIVIn Plant by Numbers, author Steve Asbell takes interior container gardening to a much prettier level with 50 original planting projects presented through a fun, witty, recipe-style layout with full-color photos and custom planting diagrams. /div
Everyone wants a home that is beautiful and clutter free. But most of us are unsure how to get there without breaking the bank. Popular interior designer Shannon Acheson takes the guesswork out of creating a lovely home. Home Made Lovely is a mind-set: decorating should be about those who live there, rather than making your home into a magazine-worthy spread. Shannon walks you through how to · decorate in a way that suits your family's real life · declutter in seven simple steps · perform a house blessing to dedicate your home to God · be thankful for your current home and what you already have · brush up on hospitality with more than 20 actionable ideas that will make anyone feel welcome and loved in your home In Home Made Lovely, Shannon meets you right where you are on your home-decorating journey, helping you share the peace of Christ with family members and guests.
Thriller, love story, and supernatural tale, JONAH'S BELLY is an intricately woven tapestry of tender and terrible things. Strange things are happening on the hill called Jonah's Belly. A tall circle of weathered stone pillars stands on top of the hill. The circle of stones is ancient, crumbling, and holy-a small and hidden Stonehenge, slumbering in the mist-covered woods. An old magic has begun flowing from the stone circle and spilling down Jonah's Belly. The magic touches those living near the hill, drawing together ordinary people and extraordinary beings as events and dark forces begin to collide. At the heart of the developing storm are Blue and Elissa, raw and wounded from the recent accident that claimed their son's life. Blue lies awake at night, thinking about the secrets he's keeping from Elissa-secrets about the accident that took their son, and secrets about the fragile sound he's begun hearing in the darkness outside their cabin...the sound of a baby crying. Crying somewhere on Jonah's Belly. Attracted by the drifting magic, other things gather.... ...a Gypsy carnival appears at the local fairground. The fortune-teller's sign warns, "All You Want To Know. And More You Don't." ...the Matchman arrives. A shimmering, red-haired man in a corporate black suit, he brings dangerous gifts, and counsels those he meets to "Stay small. Don't Stir. Stay tucked tight away." ...five black cars begin prowling the county's web of back roads. The cars crisscross the territory slowly, studying the area's secluded homes, and sometimes stopping to visit nightmares upon those who live inside. ... the Glammerys, a multi-generational nest of evil and violence living at the bottom of a sunless ravine are visited by something more evil and violent than they've ever imagined. ....and something else. Something unseen, prowling in the wood's dark and green tangled places. Propelled forward by the powerful forces of family, friendship, loss, and reunion, JONAH'S BELLY is a story of love, revenge, horror, myth, and the magic of every day.
The New York Times bestselling craft guide that inspired the hit new TV show, At Home With Amy Sedaris It's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In Simple Times, Amy Sedaris sets the record straight and delivers a book that will forever change the world of crafting. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters. You will discover how to make popular crafts such as Pompom Ringworms and Seashell Toilet Seat Covers, all while avoiding the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat). You will cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, with many more recipes and craft ideas that will inspire you to create your very own hastily constructed obscure d'arts. Praise for Simple Times "Amy Sedaris is a kookier, kitschier version of Martha Stewart...Simple Times is an ideal gift for the crafter who has crafted everything." - Associated Press "A wildly cheeky guide." -- InStyle "For anyone who's ever collected hats crocheted together...or simply for fans of Amy Sedaris and her idiosyncratic sense of humor." -- New York Times Book Review
Lavishly illustrated with over 300 photographs, Designing with Succulents gives design and cultivation basics for paths, borders, slopes, and containers; hundreds of succulent plant recommendations; and descriptions of 90 easy-care, drought-tolerant companion plants. Beginners and experienced designers, landscapers, and collectors alike will find what they need to visualize, create, and nurture the three-dimensional work of art that is the succulent garden.
