I have been familiar with Maria Diaz for years from her designs published in British cross stitch magazines. I have a number of her books which I have purchased from a local needlework store, including one that has some of her larger and more well known designs. She also does many motif designs and this book is one of that series.
Another great book in the Walt Longmire series. In this book, a Tyrannosaurus rex is found on the Lone Elk ranch. It turns out to be on of the largest and most intact ever found. Almost immediately, there is a fight for who actually owns the land and the dinosaur.
At the same time, Walt Longmire is caught up in the investigation regarding the death of the owner of the Lone Elk ranch. Danny Lone Elk is found floating dead in a turtle pond on his ranch. Due to the craziness that has erupted around the finding of the dinosaur, Walt decides that he needs to take a closer look at Danny’s death.
Instead of the simple romance that I expected, reading “Sweet Girl” by Rachel Hollis was more of a real life adventure with romance thrown in. I didn’t realize that it was part of a series (“Party Girl” was the first book and one that I will be reading very soon.) You don’t need to have read the first book, but based on how well written “Sweet Girl” is done, I highly recommend reading both of the books – that way you will know more about the characters.
First of all, the book is very funny. It is told a little tongue-in-cheek and I found myself smiling and laughing my way through it. However, it also deals with very serious issues and it does so in a very responsible way. There is nothing glib about the way these characters feel about things that matter. But just like I find in my life, laughing about little things helps one cope with the hard to imagine and live with serious things.
“The House of Hawthorne” is the first book I have read by Erika Robuck though it will certainly not be the last. While I am not generally a read of historical fiction, this one simply grabbed my heart.
The story is told is such beautiful and lyrical fashion, it reads as prose which is completely appropriate for a book written about the love story of two artists – Nathaniel Hawthorne(a renowned writer) and Sophia Peabody Hawthorne(painter and illustrator.)
I have never had a cupcake from Smallcakes – the cupcake business founded by Jeff Martin but am eagerly awaiting the opening of one of their shops in my city in Texas. In the meantime, I have this wonderful book “Buttercream Dreams” with which I can make my own version of some of their tried and true recipes.
What a wonderful tool this book is for anyone who wants to learn to draw in a realistic way. “The Realism Challenge: Drawing and Painting Secrets from a Modern Master of Hyperrealism” is the first book I have by Mark Crilley.
I have recently read a book about the advent of Modernist movement of the early twentieth century – when artists were moving away from realistic art because of, in part, the invention of affordable photography. At that time, artists were less concerned about realistically capturing an image in their art. It is really interesting that about one hundred years later, this attitude has made a 180 degree change. Perhaps this is due in part to digital art being able to manipulate items into total abstract. It seems time for artists to once again capture the world around us in a realistic (or hyperrealistic) manner.
This is a wonderful set of designs for a wide variety of crocheted stuffed animals. The book is written in British terms, so those who follow the US terms will need to adjust their brains around the stitches. I have a page of conversion terms that I have put together to remind me – so I just sit that to the side and refer back to it when I have to change stitches. I’ve done this for years and find it helpful.
“My Crochet Animals” by Isabelle Kessedjian is a lovely book of crocheted animals. There are 12 different animals that are worked from standard patterns. Each has their unique little touch that makes them stand out from the others. In addition to the animals, there are 35 different pieces of adorable clothes and accessories.
This is a cute board book for any toddler who lives in Texas, will be visiting Texas, or has family ties to Texas. It shows a little one see wildlife (flora and fauna) from around the state as well as visiting various famous spots in the state. These include everything from the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Alamo to the bat’s flying from the bridge in Austin. The book was published a few years ago but it is still applicable today.
This book is a re-release of the 2003 book of the same name by Pauline Turner. You may want to check your existing books to be sure that you don’t already have it. It does not seem to have been updated, merely re-released.
That was good for me as I don’t have a copy of the original book. Ms. Turner provides very interesting historical information about crochet and makes conclusions based on her research. Additionally, and more importantly to me, she provides excellent information about various types of lace crochet.
