Crafts and Hobbies books

Be Kinder to Yourself and Others With The Kindness Rocks Project Journal

“During this time of extreme stress this journal hopefully will tell my story…Journaling in this little book with it's wonderful inspiring sayings has helped a great deal.” ─Amazon review

#1 New Release in Rocks & Minerals

Sometimes, all it takes is just one simple positive message to change your perspective, and that is what this interactive writing journal aims to help you do.

A rock for each kindness. It all started with a single stone on a beach in Cape Cod and now spans the globe. The Kindness Rocks Project, founded by Megan Murphy, author of A Pebble for Your Thoughts, is based on the profound truth that one kind message at the right moment can change someone’s day, their outlook, and their whole life. This rock painting project has become an international grassroots movement! The messages on these positivity pebbles take many forms: gratitude, affirmations, encouragement, offers of hope―all signposts along the way for someone to find at exactly the right time.

A kindness and gratitude journal. Now more than ever, people are longing for kindness and connection. During these uncertain times, daily news reports focus on disturbing events of terrorism, gun violence, senseless murders, and political bickering. We are bombarded with images that evoke fear and hostility. The Kindness Rocks Journal provides a space to create a positive counteraction to all this negativity.

In the Kindness Rocks Journal find space to:

• Respond to helpful journal prompts, affirmations, and quotes
• Grow through hard times with kindness and joy
• Learn how to paint an inspirational Kindness Rock and share it with others

Fans of Start with Gratitude, The Kindness Challenge, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul books will love the Kindness Rocks Journal.

100 Ideas, Crafts, and How-Tos for Gardeners

"… packed with DIY ideas and ways to garden no matter how big or small your home or yard is." —Ask Away Blog

A gardening book filled with DIY projects, wisdom, and joy

Awakening the gardener in all of us. Gardening allows us to live in a much more human way, grounded in nature and connected to Mother Earth and all she provides. Even if your garden is just a hanging basket of cherry tomatoes or a windowsill filled with herb pots, you will still reap the benefits of gardening.

DIY crafting and gardening. Gardening adds pleasure to your life and gives you a sense of calm. With your garden, you are quite literally growing a bounty of blessings. Lifelong gardener and bestselling author Becca Anderson has put her love of crafting and of gardening together in this book of inspired DIY ideas.

More than a gardening book. Along with gardening tips and secrets for growing flowers, herbs and veggies, Anderson shares dozens of how-tos in this delightful guide to making candles, potpourri, bath salts, essential oils, floral waters, tinctures, liquors, pickles jams and even fountains, birdhouses and fairy doors. The perfect gift for any gardener!

Inside learn:

• Time-tested gardening secrets
• How to garden in big and small spaces
• Recipes for home-grown vegetables and fruits
• How to preserve and ferment
  
• How to make DIY garden decorations and fixtures
  
• Anderson’s own gardening stories that will inspire, motivate, and lift the spirit

If you are a fan of books like Do-It-Yourself Garden Projects and Crafts, Establishing Home, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, Welcome to the Farm, Vogue Living, or Provence Style, you’ll love The Crafty Gardener.

Yes, You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

"With Tricks in the City, you will use positive training methods to build a joyful relationship with your dog….The trust and cooperative spirit developed through this process will last a lifetime." —Kyra Sundance, author of NY Times best-seller 101 Dog Tricks

#1 New Release in Animals

A fun and unique dog training book by Sassafras Lowrey – 2019 Do More With Your Dog! All Star Trainer of the Year.

Your dog can become a star. Go beyond basic dog training and discover your puppy’s hidden talents. Tricks in the City provides step-by-step training instructions to help you teach your dog tricks, from basic to advanced.

Learn from a Certified Trick Dog Instructor. Sassafras Lowrey is a celebrated author and Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI). She has trained and competed in sports from dog agility and rally obedience to canine parkour and tricks. Her writings include viral content on Dogster.com and articles in The Bark magazine, Dogster Magazine, and Whole Dog Journal.

Ever wish your dog could be like the dogs you see on TV? Now your dog can! From skateboarding and playing basketball or piano to finding hidden objects, you can have fun with your dog and transform your relationship. Tricks in the City focuses on tricks that can be done safely in small spaces, city streets, and parks. Dog tricks are a great way to bond with your dog, build your dog’s physical and mental strength, and impress your friends and family.

You will learn:

• How to build better relationships with your dog through trick training
• How to teach puppies and old dogs new tricks
• The positive physical, mental, and emotional health impacts of trick training for dogs

Tricks in the City includes an interview with America's Got Talent star Sara Carson and a foreword by Kyra Sundance, founder of Do More With Your Dog! If you have read Zak George's Dog Training Revolution, Lucky Dog Lessons, or 101 Dog Tricks, you will love Tricks in the City.

Align With Design

"Such a great book. I never realized how we use the space we live in to express ourselves as much as I learned after reading this book." —Ask Away Blog

#1 New Release in Design and Decorating

Create spaces at home and work that align with your personality and support your goals with this comprehensive science-based guide to interior design

Discover a new design paradigm. Are you an adventurer or a visionary? A maveric or a maven? Designology makes design personal through author Dr. Sally Augustin’s 8 personality “Placetypes” that characterize the different ways we can relate to the space around us.

Personalize your space. What color should you paint your child’s bedroom? How do shapes and patterns influence how you think in a space? How do room dimensions influence you psychologically? Designology answers all these questions and more with practical how-to advice and real-world examples sure to help make your house a happier place.

Move forward with your design projects. Bust through the design paralysis that affects so many by applying verified science-based insights. Designology helps you regain control of your design-related efforts with suggestions customized to your personality and space-related needs.

Find out what really matters. Designology teaches you how smells, textures, and other factors in your home influence your happiness. It shows you how your personality and ideal design styles are really related.

Learn:

• How to sound-scape a place so you can concentrate or think creatively
• How to use scents in your home to help your family feel healthier
• How to use paint to make your living room feel more comfortable
• And much more!

If you have read interior design books such as The Interior Design Handbook, My Creative Space, or Styled, you will love Sally Augustin’s Designology.

A Spell Book for Love and Romance

Cerridwen Greenleaf will help you get your heart’s true desire.” ―Z Budapest, author of Goddess in the Bedroom and Grandmother Moon

A perfect spell book for true romantics.

A Wicca spell book of love magic. Witchcraft is based on the knowledge that our destinies lie in our own hands, even in matters of the heart. Why suffer love gone wrong when you can do something about it? Why doubt your own power to attract love when a little herbal chemistry (to go along with the other kind!) can make you irresistible.

Moon spells for romance. Magic influences desired outcomes, empowers, and fosters growth. Begin this process with spells for love: spells that create the potential for love, draw the attention and devotion of a lover, strengthen the union between an existing couple, invoke sexual magic, heal a broken heart, and fill your own heart with love and compassion for yourself.

Inside this book are:

• Secret recipes for aphrodisiacs
• Ritual celebrations for the high holidays of love
• Insight into the mysterious realm of the moon and the stars
• Directions for using moon phases, crystals, potions, flowers, herbs, and astrological signs for maximum power and accuracy

A great addition to your Wicca supplies. The moon magic in this book brings light and love into peoples’ lives. With desire, a loving attitude, a few natural ingredients, and a dash of magic, these custom-crafted recipes cook up exciting flirtation, enchanted courtships, and real lasting love.

Enthusiasts of Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland, 1001 Spells by Cassandra Eason, or The Modern Guide to Witchcraft by Skye Alexander will love Moon Spell Magic for Love.

The Power of Kindness in One Small Pebble

“This idea is so right on so many levels…kindness truly does rock.” ―Allen Klein, Author of The Art of Living Joyfully

#1 New Release in Rocks & Minerals

Kindness Rocks as seen on the Today show

A rock for each kindness. It all started with a single stone on a beach in Cape Cod and now spans the globe. The Kindness Rocks Project, founded by Megan Murphy, is based on the profound truth that one kind message at the right moment can change someone’s day, their outlook, and their whole life. The project has become an international grassroots movement! The messages on these thoughtful pebbles take many forms: gratitude, affirmations, encouragement, offers of hope, all signposts along the way for someone to find at exactly the right time.

Kindness matters. Now more than ever, people are longing for kindness and connection. During these uncertain times, daily news reports focus on disturbing events of terrorism, gun violence, senseless murders and political bickering. We are bombarded with images that evoke fear and hostility. A Pebble for Your Thoughts provides a positive counteraction to all this negativity.

Learn to be kinder to yourself and others. Sometimes, all it takes is just one simple positive message to change your perspective and that is what this book aims to do. Through visual photos of inspirational Kindness rocks, readers can connect the meaning of the rock to their life situations or circumstances. Instructions on how to create your own rock are also included.

Inside learn:

• To cultivate compassion and connection
• How to grow through hard times
• Affirmations to boost self-esteem and offer hope in hard times
• How one act of kindness can change a life
• A completely unique kind of art therapy for healing and helping

Fans of Rock Art Handbook, The Kindness Challenge, and the Chicken Soup For The Soul books will love A Pebble for Your Thoughts.

Celebrate With Cookies!

"The perfect gift for someone who enjoys making fancy treats and entertaining." ―Meredith Spidel, author of Mom of the Year.

#1 New Release in Cooking with Kids, Cookies, Sweets, and Curiosities & Wonders

A Cookie to Celebrate is full of cookie baking tips, recipes, presentation ideas, and photograph-filled instructions

Desserts made to impress at your next party. What sets A Cookie to Celebrate apart is its step-by-step instructions for gorgeously personalized cookies for all kinds of occasions, from birthdays to anniversaries to the changing of the seasons. These cookies are ornamental edibles that are perfect for the holidays, and because the recipes are easy to scale up or down, they’re great for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, kids’ parties, and potlucks.

Perfect cookie for every occasion. Jana Douglass is the founder of Jana Lee's Bake Shop, an artisan bake shop specializing in custom decorated cut-out cookies for special events and celebrations. In A Cookie to Celebrate, Jana shares her baking expertise and recipes as a veteran baker, inspiring you to create your own new classics. Each cookie in this collection is guaranteed to be a stand-out.

Reimagined recipes and exciting new treats. A Cookie to Celebrate is filled with new twists on cookie concepts, like Engagement Ring Cookies and Baby Onesie Cookies―confections decorated for every season and reason. Try something new with ice cream cone cookies with sprinkles in summer, conversation heart cookies for Valentine’s Day, or even decorating a birthday cake with cookies!

Discover:

• How to expertly roll, cut, and bake your cookie dough
• Helpful tools and techniques for coloring and piping icing
• Creative ways to spice up classics―or try something new

If you have enjoyed cookie baking books such as The Perfect Cookie, Fabulous Modern Cookies, The Cookie Companion, Creative Cookie Decorating, or Baker Betties Better Baking Book, you’ll love A Cookie to Celebrate.

Make Your Voice Heard Through Nonviolent Resistance Craft

“This book is a must for anyone who loves to make, and who seeks inspiration to make a more compassionate world though the art of craft.” ―Dr. Cathy Hope, Director of the Play, Creativity and Culture Project at the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra

# 1 Best Seller in Crafts & Hobbies, Stenciling

Craft Consciously. Craftivism can be your voice of resistance. Craftivism is a form of activism that gives people a voice when they feel voiceless and power where they feel powerless. Noted craftivism expert Sayraphim Lothian has put together the first-ever tutorial book on craftivism.

Join us in the craftivism movement. Craftivism is a movement growing worldwide. Hand-crafted works are being used to highlight political issues, creatively engage in activism, and encourage change in the world. Craftivists employ their works to open a space for people to be introduced to issues and to broaden the discussion surrounding them. While it might seem that this most colorful movement began recently, creative resistance has been with us for centuries around the globe, and craftivism and makers stating their mind through the medium of art is here to stay.

Tap into creative resistance. Artist, scholar, activist, and YouTube art teacher Sayraphim Lothian gives you an introduction to the art of craftivism and provides a brief history of creative resistance. Learn how to make and use various crafts for protest and political purposes.

You will learn:

• Embroidery
• Cross stitch
• Knitting
• Stenciling
• Decoupage
• Stamping
• and much more
  

If you have read Craft Activism, Crafting the Resistance, or Feminist Cross Stich, Guerrilla Kindness and Other Acts of Creative Resistance should be your next read.

# 1 Best Seller in Photography Lighting ─ The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos

Learn the secrets to composition: There's a common misconception that composition is mysterious and that only certain people have that natural gift for the techniques involved. The truth is that composition involves a set of skills that you can master. Just as you can use cookbook recipes to make your favorite meal―you don't have to be a famous French chef―you also can take amazing photos by just following a recipe!

Easy-to-follow photography composition recipes: Marc Silber has spent years studying the works of masters and interviewing some of the biggest names in photography. Now he can provide you with simple and easy-to-follow recipes for creating photographs that you and others will love! The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos puts at your fingertips ideas for improving your skills by giving you easy-to-follow "recipes" that will improve your photography right now! Take your photography to the next level: Composition is one of the biggest keys to creating photos that others will love. No matter what kind of camera or smartphone you're using, you can take your photography to the next level and beyond by learning composition tools and secrets known to the masters of the art.

Carry The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos in your camera bag: The book is compact in size and easy to carry with you, so you can flip to the look you want and follow the recipe for creating an image that inspires you. Use it when you're out photographing to get new ideas and inspiration. You'll be able to rapidly up you photography game by learning the skills in Picture Perfect Processes.

Key benefits of owning The Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos include:

• Taking better photographs today by learning the keys to composition
• Having quick and easy to follow "recipes" for composition at your fingertips
• Learning the secrets of composition from the masters of classical art and photography

On Interior Design, Biophilic Design, and the Five Elements of Feng Shui

“It will change the way you think, how you view your surroundings, and how you live." ―Dr. Eva Selhub, author of Your Brain on Nature and Your Health Destiny

#1 Bestseller In Interior Design, Lighting, and Energy

Fun with feng shui. The Five Elements of feng shui refer to an ancient Chinese system that brings the cycles and benefits of nature to your home interior. Part spiritual growth workbook and part treatise on the power of nature, Creating Luminous Spaces brings an energy boost to home interior design.

Nature’s elements (of style). Discover which of nature’s elements represents your energy. Should you enhance your home with natural light or a fishbowl? New organizational habits or tall, vertical lines? Featuring practical exercises, meditations, and real stories about clients and students, as you embark on this mind-body-spirit connection with your home, you’ll find out how:

• Indoor lighting and lighting design can strengthen the fire element
• Organizational behavior is influenced by the metal element
• Space planning with plants nourishes the wood element

If you have read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Feng Shui that Makes Sense, or The Holistic Home, and are ready to create a home-life balance and incorporate feng shui into your life, then you’ll love Creating Luminous Spaces.

#1 Amazon New Release! ─ Cooking, Baking and Making ─ DIY recipes and DIY ideas for all seasons

DIY Ideas ─ DIY Recipes: From the creative mind of the Harried Housewife blog, comes a beautifully packaged one-stop-shop book bursting with DIY recipes and DIY ideas for the entire year! Cooking, Baking and Making - 100 Holiday Recipes and DIY Ideas for All Seasons and Reasons includes 60 DIY recipes with bonus designs and 40 DIY ideas that tie your home together for all 365 days. For example:

• Spring: Serve Herbed Cucumber Tea Sandwiches and a make a Spring Centerpiece
• Summer: Delight your guests with Fresh Berries and Cannoli Cream and make your own decorative coasters
• Autumn: Bake Dilled Beer and Cheddar Bread and make Autumn Harvest Potpourri
• Winter: Enjoy Creamy Eggnog Cupcakes and make Festive Votives

Ideas and Recipes for all seasons and a simpler time: Cynthia O’Hara presents incredibly user-friendly projects and dishes that make replicating her flavors and designs as natural as the changing of the seasons. The Harried Housewife has written articles and developed a wide variety of recipes that reflect a simpler time and are ideal for budget-conscious families. The "Harried Housewife's Recipe Box" column is syndicated nationally in regional newspapers.

The Perfect Guide to Little Space Living

#1 Best Seller in Small Homes & Cottages

"Joshua and Shelley get you thinking about what you can do to live a little simpler, even if you’re not building a tiny house."―Mario Soto, Tiny House MD. 

With this tiny homes idea book, learn how to redefine what a house is and master organization, location, and happiness to make the best of your little space. 

You’ll want to live in a mini house after reading this book. Tiny House Basics is an adventure in off-grid living. In their debut book, mini house living experts Shelley and Joshua Engberg show how you can join the revolution to downsize without giving up everything you hold dear. As avid campers and off roaders, together they help you enter the world of comfortable and entertaining small spaces. 

Learn the best tips and tricks to owning tiny homes. Whether it’s cottage-style small houses or a mini getaway house, Tiny House Basics makes tiny house plans practical and accessible. With advice easily applicable to any small home, including spaces like apartments and studios, this micro living book turns any little space into the mini house of your dreams.

Inside, find advice on small home interior design and learn:

• How to maintain a good relationship in a little space 
• The pros and cons of off-grid living and on-grid living 
• How to make your small space feel big 
• Practical storage solutions and design tips 
• Small space living with pets 

If you’re looking for ways to ramp up your little space, coffee table books for tiny homes, or small modern house gifts—like Tiny House Designing, Building, & Living; Small Space Style; or The Little Book of Living Small—then you will love Tiny House Basics.

Embrace and Awaken the Gardener in You

In this beautifully written and designed gardening guide, Susannah Seton takes you on a journey to maintaining the perfect garden, all the while offering invaluable life advice that both applies to and transcends your at-home garden center.

Read inspiring stories from a seasoned gardener. Susannah Seton reminds us in Every Garden is a Story that the reader and the gardener alike have much to learn from their gardens. In her book, Seton incorporates poignant and touching stories, ranging from her father's quest for a seven-headed sweet pea to cancer survival.

Learn how to nurture your garden (and yourself)! Seton teaches readers how to care for themselves (and their loved ones) by caring for the Earth. Inside these pages, find an extensive resource section of garden centers, online seed catalogs, and recommended reading to satisfy your green thumb. Intertwined throughout these pages are also tips on how to become in touch with the natural world and how to let go of unnecessary stress.

Utilize invaluable gardening techniques and garden-based crafts. Did you know you can grow your own luffa sponges? Want to encourage your children to eat more vegetables? Seton’s gardening book contains dozens of recipes, ranging from red pepper soup to stir-fried asparagus. Seton also incorporates a plethora of gardening tips and crafts, such as how to make Mother’s Day sachets, how to select a meaningful bouquet, and how to make hanging planters.

Inside, find:

• Invaluable advice on cultivating your garden and your cherished relationships
• Beautiful imagery, ranging from stunning pictures of raised garden beds to magical portraits of moon gardens
• Arts & crafts to satisfy your creative side
• Endless gardening techniques and garden-to-table recipes

If you enjoyed gardening books like A Woman’s Garden, The Well-Gardened Mind, Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden, or The Hidden Life of Trees, you’ll love Every Garden is a Story.

The Art of Living Well Year-Round

An abundant sourcebook of ideas, inspirational quotes, recipes, and activities, Simple Pleasures shows you how to appreciate the simple things that make up your daily life.

Secrets to happiness. Happiness in today’s frantic world is to learn how to enjoy less than we can afford. Rediscover the pleasures our grandparents knew when life was quieter and slower. When children without TVs knew how to amuse themselves. When pleasures were made not bought and enjoyed all the more because of it. From the recipe for a homemade herbal bath to quick and easy recommendations for an instant room makeover, the suggestions collected in this book offer a new appreciation for the everyday activities that nurture and comfort you.

Self-care made easy. Organized seasonally and full of touching stories, practical tips, and dozens of satisfying crafts, Simple Pleasures is both a guide to and a celebration of the art of living well. Inside, find self-care tips and learn how to:

• Make your own perfume and body lotion
• Create old fashioned sachets
• Bake the world’s best cookies

If you enjoyed other books in the Simple Pleasures series by Susannah Seton such as 365 Simple Pleasures, Simple Pleasures of the Home, and Simple Pleasures for the Holidays or books like The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, The Self Care Prescription, or The Spirit Almanac, you’ll love 365 Simple Pleasures.