Vintage designer Pearl Lowe shows you how to create the authentic vintage look in your own home with her expert advice and simple craft projects. This practical guide, complete with inspiring photography includes … ? 50 step-by-step craft projects ? Sewing, painting, upcycling and crafting secrets ? A how-to guide to sourcing your own vintage treasures ? And Pearl’s little black book of shops and suppliers An absolute must-have for lovers of vintage and all things handmade. Craft projects include … Dyed lace window panels Vintage bunting Midsummer and winter wreaths Gypsy-style apron Two-toned fringed lampshade Personalised rubber stamp Sumptuous padded headboard Upcycled chest of draws Antique ghost mirror Handmade vintage-style tiles The patterns and templates in this ebook are best viewed on an ereader that supports colour and has a zoom function.

A hilarious field guide to the world’s most remarkable and unusual creatures: the English. Thanks to television documentaries by Bruce Parry and David Attenborough, we are better acquainted with the hunting rituals of the San bushmen and the mating habits of Papua New Guinean tribes than we are with the everyday lives of that most peculiar of species – the English. In ‘The English: A Field Guide’, Sunday Times journalist Matt Rudd, sets out to uncover what makes us, the English, tick. He will examine us in our natural habitats, starting with the living room and moving out to the kitchen, the garden, the commuter train, the office, the motorway, the high street, the sports stadium, the pub, club, bingo hall, balti house, beach and ending up in the bedroom. Hilarious, warm-hearted and surprisingly enlightening, ‘The English’ shines a strong searchlight on us all.

It all began in June 2005 when Bobby Henderson wrote an open letter to the Kansas School Board proposing a third alternative to the teaching of evolution and intelligent design in schools. Bobby is a prophet of sorts, the spiritual leader of a growing, world-wide group of followers who worship the teachings of The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM). The FSM appeared to Bobby as a giant ball of spaghetti, with meatballs for eyes, and touched Bobby with “His noodly appendage” – resulting in the revelation that the FSM is the real creator of the universe. The FSM faithful look to Bobby as their prophet and spiritual leader. Shortly after Bobby’s revelation a website (www.flyingspaghettimonster.org) came into existence to promote the word. Then came the articles, which were worldwide: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian (UK), Die Welt (Germany), Surprise (Austria), and many others chimed in to report the existence of the FSM. Bobby received letters of support from academics and Kansas School Board members alike – not to mention a couple million hits per day on the website – and it was all-too-clear that there needed to be a book to lay out FSM *ure, rites and observances, proofs, and answers to the Big Questions. This is that book.

This practical and inspirational guide, in a handy sketchbook format, is aimed at the practised beginner and shows how to achieve successful watercolour paintings of people in just 30 minutes – ideal for the busy amateur artist who doesn't have much time to paint. Many people think they don't have enough time to paint, but in this attractive guide Trevor Waugh encourages quick and simple painting. By working with just a few materials and focusing on the key techniques it is possible to achieve successful, realistic paintings of people in no more than half an hour. And for those artists who already have a little painting experience, learning to work more quickly enables them to free up their style and paint more spontaneously. All the key topics are covered, from watercolour techniques, colour and tone to learning about proportions, simple silhouettes, facial features, and backgrounds.

Step inside the world of the talented art departments who, led by Academy Award?-winning production designer Stuart Craig, were responsible for the creation of the unforgettable characters, locations and beasts from the eagerly anticipated new adventure in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.The Art of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, edited by Dermot Power, concept artist on the film, takes you on a magical journey through a design process every bit as wonderful as that encountered by Newt Scamander in the wizarding world: from the earliest gatherings of the artists, designers and filmmakers to the magical time of the film’s production itself at Leavesden Studios.Bursting with hundreds of production paintings, concept sketches, storyboards, blueprints and matte paintings, and filled with unique insights about the filmmaking journey from Stuart Craig and the artists themselves, this superb book – officially licensed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products – presents a visual feast for readers, and will welcome fans of Harry Potter films into the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Star of the Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. Now for the first time she shares her tips and tricks, offering the ultimate beginners’ guide to sewing. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing bible gives readers information on everything they need to know to get started with sewing. Providing all the essential background information on sewing, setting up your sewing space and detailed lists of all the equipment you’ll need; step-by-step instructions for over 40 projects; and a wealth of general sewing tips and techniques to help you finally master overlocking, seams, fastenings, hemming and much much more, with this book May will simplify all the skills and terms you need, demystify sewing and inspire you to unpack your sewing machine and have a go. It contains over 40 beautiful projects, including crafts, accessories, womenswear, kidswear, menswear and home furnishings. With a range of difficulties for each category – from super-easy but stylish ideas to get even the most nervous sewers started to more elaborate ideas for the aspiring sewer looking for a challenge.

Hadley Freeman brings us her personalised guide to American movies from the 1980s – why they are brilliant, what they meant to her, and how they influenced movie-making forever. For Hadley Freeman, American moves of the 1980s have simply got it all. Comedy in Three Men and a Baby, Hannah and Her Sisters, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Trading Places; all a teenager needs to know – in Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Say Anything, The Breakfast Club and Mystic Pizza; the ultimate in action – Top Gun, Die Hard, Young Sherlock Holmes, Beverly Hills Cop and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; love and sex – in 9 ? Weeks, Splash, About Last Night, The Big Chill, Bull Durham; and family fun – in The Little Mermaid, ET, Big, Parenthood and Lean On Me. Born in the late 1970s, Hadley grew up on a well-rounded diet of these movies, her entire view of the world, adult relations and expectations of what her life might hold was forged by these cult classics. In this personalised guide, she puts her obsessive movie geekery to good use, detailing the decades key players, genres and tropes, and how exactly the friendship between Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi influenced the evolution of comedy. She looks back to a cinematic world in which bankers are invariably evil, despite this being the decade of Wall Street, where children are always wiser than adults, and science is embraced with an intense enthusiasm, and the future viewed with excitement. She considers how the changes between movies then and movies today say so much about pop culture’s and society’s changing expectations of women, young people and art, and explains why Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles should be put on school syllabuses immediately.

Mike Chaplin is one of the most popular art experts on the very successful Channel 4 series Watercolour Challenge. In this book he reveals how he works and puts forward his ideas and teaching methods, offering plenty of tips and practical advice for the amateur artist. This book is intended for artists with some painting experience who wish to develop their technique, style and outlook. It is a book to make them think and to push the technical and personal boundaries of what they believe they can achieve in paint. Mike’s teaching focuses not only on techniques but also on expanding the readers’ approach to their painting as a whole. Starting with a fascinating look at the development of watercolour as an expressive art, the book then covers selective techniques, both traditional and the more unusual, and topics such as observation, drawing, colour and composition. All kinds of painting subjects are included, from the natural landscape to urban scenes, and throughout the book Mike provides plenty of practical advice and useful tips about techniques. There are also a number of special features, focusing on particular aspects of painting, as well as several full step-by-step demonstration paintings.

The last of 6 eBook-only shorts from star of The Great British Sewing Bee and doyenne of the Women’s Institute, May Martin, including fabulous tips for making those difficult sewing techniques easy to master. May has been teaching sewing for over 40 years. From hems to facings May simplifies some of the trickiest methods in sewing for those already experienced and needing a little extra helping hand in the art of sewing. Beautifully styled and simple-to-follow, this authoritative sewing e-short, taken from May Martin’s Sewing Bible, offers three new approaches to some of the more complicated ways of sewing.

A wonderfully illustrated celebration of the blood, sweat and joy to be had ‘growing your own’ in an allotment – with the in-depth, practical gardening know-how for which Collins is renowned. No longer considered the preserve of old men in sheds, allotment gardening is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest. People of all ages and from all walks of life are digging their own plots in search of the ultimate in fresh, organic produce – and you cannot get more locally-sourced than your own allotment! This book testifies to the vibrancy of allotment culture, aiming both to inspire the next generation of plot-holders and to provide all the practical knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure. Open to all the eco-gardening techniques, and the various weird and wonderful ways people make use of their plots, contents include: ? the history of allotments – from 19th century origins, through wartime ‘Dig for Victory’, to the cosmopolitan communities of today; features photos and interviews with current plot-holders ? planning your perfect allotment – finding it, assessing it, clearing the ground and working out what to grow ? the brown stuff – all you need to know about soil management, the key to growing success ? choosing a gardening method – organic, biodynamic, rotation beds, companion planting, greenhouse, multi-level, potager, cottage garden, and so on… ? the hard stuff – constructing sheds, compost bins, cold frames, fruit cages, ponds, seating and play areas ? selecting crops – what and how to grow, from parsnips and peas to chilli peppers and lemon grass ? cultivation techniques – digging, sowing, feeding, weeding and harvesting, plus troubleshooting pests and diseases ? the allotment calendar – extensive, month-by-month look at what’s in season, jobs for now and looking ahead

Star Trek. These two simple words bring forth a vast web of mental associations to millions of people. For more than twenty-five years, a remarkable and widely varied group of characters has seemingly taken over a sizable portion of our collective consciousness and made it its own. Perhaps the late science fiction visionary Philip K. Dick saw this when he had a character in his novel A Scanner Darkly refer to the latest entertainment extravaganza as a “captainkirk.”

“Like Spain’s Francisco Franco, Star Trek has been fatally dead for a long time. Now and then the mortuary shoots an electric current through the corpse, and the resultant spasm releases yet another manual or quiz or convention or novel or book of fan fiction or whathaveyou, but after nearly a decade there’s little life left in the old cadaver.”

Linda Birch paints in oils, watercolour and pastels and has taught amateurs for many years. She writes regularly for the Leisure Painter magazine and is author of The Indoor Artist. She has also illustrated many children’s books.

The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (Charity No. SC 016085; Company No. SC480530), is dedicated to promoting Scottish Country Dance. The Society exists to promote and develop Scottish country dancing worldwide for the benefit of present and future generations. It has a world-wide network of Branches and Affiliated Groups, with a small administrative team at its central office in Edinburgh.

Young Lady Lettice Burne is outstandingly beautiful with fair hair like sunshine and a flawless pink-and-white complexion. Yet her father, the Earl of Alderburne, desperate to find a wealthy suitor for her to pay off his mountain of accumulated debts, is resigned to the fact that she is immature and empty-headed and therefore unlikely to make the brilliant marriage that he had envisaged for her. So, when the handsome, dashing and rich Maximus Kirby expresses interest in her hand, the Earl is eager to send her to join him in Singapore. Maximus Kirby has been hugely successful in the Far East in trading and has started many profitable businesses that have brought unexpected prosperity to many poor communities. Lettice cannot possibly go to him in Singapore alone. So her sister Lady Dorinda goes, posing as her companion – albeit reluctantly, knowing that she is assuming her usual guise of ‘ugly sister’ thanks to the disfiguring eczema on her face and body that she has suffered from since childhood. To Dorinda’s delight and astonishment the tropical climate miraculously cures her skin complaint and now everybody can see that she is every bit as beautiful as Lettice, including Maximus Kirby. Once in Singapore Dorinda and Lettice face great dangers which Maximus Kirby and Dorinda have to defeat and Lettice becomes more and more determined that she will not marry Maximus Kirby. And will Lady Dorinda finally find the love and the ‘Magnificent Marriage’ that her disease has always denied her?

Uno de los más apuestos y codiciados solteros de Londres, lord Melsonby se encuentra inesperadamente, atrapado en el problema de la hermosa fugitiva, Perlita Lyford, heredera de una fortuna inmensa, huérfana de madre y pierde por último, ?su progenitor, que la deja al cuidado? de una? prima hermana suya, lady Whitton. Lo que su padre no sabía, es que ella se había casado con sir Gerbold, un hombre mucho más joven que ella, y cuando lady Whitton, se murió… él vio la oportunidad de echar mano a su fortuna y de autoproclamarse su tutor. Es este hombreperverso y cruel, que Perlita huye, que solamente quiere casarse con ella, para quedarse con su dinero. Perlita, desesperada e infeliz con el destino que le esperaba, en uno de sus usuales viajes, consiguió escaparse del faetón y llegar a una modesta posada llamada La Cabeza del Rey y enseguida encuentra a lord Melsonby y le pide ayuda. Ahí, empieza un enredo fascinante, entre él y la misteriosa dama, donde se ven mezclados en una romántica aventura, ?que los conduce desde la resplandeciente sociedad victoriana, hasta una peligrosa intriga en Marruecos. Esta es una más, de las muchas obras magistrales, de la más famosa autora moderna del romanticismo, Barbara Cartland .

Lord Heywood regresa de las Guerras Napoleónicas para descubrir que ha heredado un patrimonio, pero no dinero. Cuando visita la propiedad, encuentra a una bella joven viviendo allí, huyendo de su hogar. Mientras está allí, está decidida a ayudarlo a encontrar un artículo valioso, que no forme parte de la propiedad para vender, ?pero por el camino, también encuentran el amor!? Instintivamente, Lord Heywood la apretó en sus brazos y la atrajo aún más cerca, y al hacerlo, se dio cuenta de que la amaba perdidamente. Cuando Miriam levantó la cara para hacer una pregunta, un rayo de luz hizo que Lord Heywood viera sus ojos asustados, su cara muy pálida y sus labios separados. Ella lo necesitaba. Nuestra heroína había estado viviendo en las habitaciones de su difunta madre y estaba decidida a descubrir quién era y por qué había vivido en una casa vacía.? A ella le gustaba el color turqués de la ropa de la cama y cuando de repente ve a lord Heywood, se queda mirándolo con recelo a su héroe. Estaba atrapada por el amor de su vida.? Una historia de intensa pasión y de incertidumbre, donde el amor al fin, siempre vence…???????????????????????

"The architecture of the nations of Europe considerd inits association with natural sceneery and national characteristics." With 15 illustrations. According to Wikipedia: "John Ruskin (8 February 1819 – 20 January 1900) is best known for his work as an art critic, stage writer, and social critic, but is remembered as an author, poet and artist as well. Ruskin's essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras."

Klassisches Spiel, im Original Deutsch. Laut Wikipedia: "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28. August 1749 - 22. M?rz 1832) war ein deutscher Schriftsteller. George Eliot nannte ihn" Deutschlands gr??ten Literaten ... und der letzte wahre Universalgelehrte auf der Erde. "Goethes Werke die Gebiete der Poesie, des Dramas, der Literatur, der Theologie, des Humanismus und der Wissenschaft, Goethes Hauptwerk, das als einer der H?hepunkte der Weltliteratur gepriesen wird, ist das zweiteilige Drama Faust. Goethes andere bekannte literarische Werke sind seine zahlreichen Gedichte, der Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister und der Briefroman Die Leiden des jungen Werther. "

Classic play. According to Wikipedia: "Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854 - 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. Known for his barbed wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. As the result of a famous trial, he suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years of hard labour after being convicted of the offence of 'gross indecency.'"

Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Walt Whitman, ‘The Wound Dresser’. Walt Whitman’s “The Wound-Dresser” is a sixty-five-line free-verse poem in four sections describing the suffering in the Civil War hospitals and the poet’s suffering, faithfulness to duty, and developing compassion as he tended to soldiers’ physical wounds and gave comfort. Published at war’s end, the poem opens with an old veteran speaking, imaginatively suggesting some youths gathered about who have asked him to tell of his most powerful memories. The children request stories of battle glory, but the poet quickly dismisses these as ephemeral. He then narrates a journey through a military hospital such as Whitman experienced in Washington, D.C., during the second half of the war. Walter "Walt" Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. Born in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and—in addition to publishing his poetry—was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral became a public spectacle. Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry. Though biographers continue to debate his sexuality, he is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual in his feelings and attractions. However, there is disagreement among biographers as to whether Whitman had actual sexual experiences with men. Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. He supported the Wilmot Proviso and opposed the extension of slavery generally. His poetry presented an egalitarian view of the races, though his attitude in life reflected many of the racial prejudices common to nineteenth-century America and his opposition to slavery was not necessarily based on belief in the equality of races per se. At one point he called for the abolition of slavery, but later he saw the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy.