Another Pair of DIY Books!

     People are always asking me for books on different hobbies. Who can blame them? Most people enjoy learning new skills or improving on the ones they already have. Sometimes people want to turn their hobbies into small businesses to bring in a little extra money. Well, the library is always a good place to browse when you want to do any of the preceding. We have books on hobbies, small business, and turning your hobbies into a small business.
     A popular idea for hobbyists is soapmaking. I often see handmade soaps at flea markets and craft fairs. In the days before commercial soaps, people made their own at home; usually from ashes and animal fat also known as tallow. There were also soaps made from olive oil and later coconut oil. These were usually expensive and, as such, were reserved for the wealthy. Nowadays, however, soapmaking is usually left to hobbyists or homesteaders and is therefore not a common skill. The library has recently acquired two books on making your own soaps for your own personal use or even as a small craft-based business idea.

     The first book is called, The Natural & Handmade Soap Book written by Sarah Harper. There are twenty soap recipes for bath time, kids, home, and gifts. The author shows you how to use two key techniques in making your own artisan soap--the traditional cold-process method and the faster melt-and-pour method. Included are recipes for soaps, shampoo bars, homemade laundry detergent, and even dishwasher soaps. These recipes include handy tips and tricks that will help you perfect your technique and allow you to find your own variations of ingredients for your projects. There is a comprehensive list of the tools needed for both techniques as well as an outline of how to be safe while pursuing your new hobby. Harper also includes some advanced techniques as well as a list of suppliers and other resources that may prove useful.
     The second book for the hobby soapmaker is The Complete Soapmaker: Tips, Techniques & Recipes for Luxurious Handmade Soaps by Norma Coney. This book walks you through every step of the process of soapmaking.

From finding and using the right equipment and ingredients to handling lye safely and making basic bars or fancy molded and marbled soaps, this book covers more than fifty hand-milled recipes that include herbs, fruits, and vegetables. There are also specialty soaps including translucent bars, gels, and shampoos. Coney includes tips on storing your soaps so that their fragrance will be preserved as well as how to gift-wrap and display any soaps you want to sell. She also includes convenient conversion charts for figuring out weights, volume and temperature.
     Why not try one of these or any of the other hobby books the library offers?!

Two New Woodworking Titles

Vicksburg is considered a retirement community and we get a lot of retirees visiting our library. Many are looking for hobby books to keep their minds sharp and their hands busy. From time to time, I get a retired gentleman (and sometimes a lady) who would like to learn more about crafting their own furniture. It just so happens that we have recently received two books on the subject from the editors of Fine Woodworking Magazine.

The first of these is titled: Fine Woodworking: Tables and Chairs. While most of these projects seem to require quite a bit of knowledge of woodworking, the editors believe that even beginners will find a project to help increase their skill as well as be able to build a piece of furniture to pass down to future generations. One of the first projects in this book is a sleek Mahogany coffee table with beautifully curved legs. Other projects include a Bow-front hall table, classic Shaker dining room table, 18th-century corner chair, and a simple and elegant bench. Designed by some of America's best woodworkers, these projects cover a broad range of styles and ensure that you will find something for your taste.

The second title we have is Fine Woodworking: Chests and Cabinets. This collection of chests, cabinets, and other storage projects takes you through the process of building beautiful pieces of furniture using clear instructions and comprehensive photos and drawings. Whether you love the classic Shaker style or lean more toward a modern look, you will certainly find something to inspire you. Some of the projects in this book are: an Arts and Crafts display cabinet, a cherry and fir bookcase, a Victorian-inspired vanity cabinet, and a Shaker chest of drawers. I think my favorite project is the Pennsylvania Spice Box. This adorable chest would be perfect to pass down to future generations.

 

Both books index their projects and offer a brief bit of information on the various contributors. They both also give information about connecting with Fine Woodworking Magazine online. If you would like to check out these or other books on woodworking projects, please come to the library and look in the non-fiction section using the number 684 to find other ideas to inspire your hobby.

For Your Little Fashionista

I stumbled across the sweetest blog today!  It's all about a 4 year old girl (Mayhem) that likes to make paper dresses with her mom (Angie).  Now, you might think that these are just plain, simple frocks---but you'd be wrong!  This little girl likes to look at pictures of dresses from award shows, project runway, Hollywood galas and other events and helps her mom recreate

them from construction paper, toile, tinfoil, sheets and other pliable materials, fastened together with clear tape and glue.  Take a look at http://instagram.com/2sisters_angie and see for yourself how extraordinary these dresses are!  I love the creative talent of both the mom and the daughter.  I learned about the blog from an article located here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/26/4-year-old-paper-dresses-fashion-by-mayhem_n_4855545.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false.  Do you have your own fashionista?  The library has several books to help her create her own stylish outfits!  Cute Clothes for the Crafty Fashionista by Tina Dybvik and Stylish Shoes for the Crafty Fashionista by Mary Meiniking.  These two books describe how to make cute new clothes from repurposed items and are the perfect way to spend an afternoon designing clothes with your fashion conscious girl!