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The History of the Snowman
Who made the first snowman? Who first came up with the idea of placing snowballs on top of each other, and who decided they would use a carrot for a nose? Most puzzling of all: How can this mystery ever be solved, with all the evidence long since melted? The snowman appears everywhere on practically everything -- from knickknacks to greeting cards to seasonal sweaters we plan to return. Whenever we see big snowballs our first impulse is to deck them out with a top hat. Humorist and writer Bob Eckstein has long been fascinated by this ubiquitous symbol of wintertime fun -- and finally, for the first time, one of the world's most popular icons gets his due. A thoroughly entertaining exploration, The History of the Snowman travels back in time to shed light on the snowman's enigmatic past -- from the present day, in which the snowman reigns as the King of Kitsch, to the Dark Ages, with the creation of the very first snowman. Eckstein's curiosity began playfully enough, but soon snowballed into a (mostly) earnest quest of chasing Frosty around the world, into museums and libraries, and seeking out the advice of leading historians and scholars. The result is a riveting history that reaches back through centuries and across cultures -- sweeping from fifteenth-century Italian snowballs to eighteenth-century Russian ice sculptures to the regrettable "white-trash years" (1975-2000). The snowman is not just part of our childhood memories, but is an integral part of our world culture, appearing -- much like a frozen Forrest Gump -- alongside dignitaries and celebrities during momentous events. Again and again, the snowman pops up in rare prints, paintings, early movies, advertising and, over the past century, in every art form imaginable. And the jolly snowman -- ostensibly as pure as the driven snow -- also harbors a dark past full of political intrigue, sex, and violence. With more than two hundred illustrations and a special section of the best snowman cartoons, The History of the Snowman is a truly original winter classic -- smart, surprisingly enlightening, and quite simply the coolest book ever..
Price: $3.88
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First Art : Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos
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Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter: Easy-to-Follow Lessons for Dynamic Art Quilts
Always wanted to design a quilt of your very own…but didn’t know where to start? Let this book show you how! Ten innovative approaches to designing art quilts make it easy for any quilter, beginning to advanced, to free the artist within. These “game plans” help quilters create a design, then turn that design into a pattern, then complete the quilt. World-renowned artist and teacher Katie Pasquini Masopust offers inspiration and practical guidance in Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter. .
Price: $15.90
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Masters: Art Quilts: Major Works by Leading Artists (The Masters)
These art quilts showcase such versatility, innovation, and beauty that readers can’t help but be truly inspired The gifted artists come from across the globe—including Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America—and their work displays their varying sensibilities, backgrounds, and talents. Abstract appliquéd shapes cascade across the surface of Ita Ziv’s brilliantly colored quilts, creating vibrant celebrations of life. Noriko Endo captures her deep feeling for trees in a stunning interplay of light, shadow, and leaves. Gloves appear in nearly every quilt by Jane Burch Cochran, representing probing hands and, sometimes, angel wings. John Lefelhocz’s fantastic imagery—including an airplane silhouette that lights up—grabs viewers’ attention. Esteemed curator Martha Sielman contributes an illuminating essay for each of the 40 featured artists, who are showcased in eight-page features. . .
Price: $14.35
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Spectrum 15: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Underwood Books))
With art drawn from a wide variety of sources — books, graphic novels, video games, films, galleries, and advertising — Spectrum 15 reinforces both the importance and prevalence of fantasy art in today’s culture. Featuring over 300 exceptional works by artists from around the globe, this gorgeous full-color collection celebrates a cadre of creators working in every style and medium. Included are luminaries such as Brom, James Gurney, Marc Gabanna, Shaun Tan, and 2008’s Grand Master Award winner, John Jude Palencar. .
Price: $25.05
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Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts
Learn to create six foundation-pieced spiral-based quilts--with no math! This one-of-a-kind technique for spiral quilt design allows you to create fascinating and beautiful art quilts. The bonus CD includes the basic shapes for the spiral patterns and the pattern insert helps you set up the perimeter shape, or draw free-hand irregular shapes without a template. Choose your technique from any of three methods: - By hand, completely freehand, using only a straight
- By hand, precisely, using a ruler to measure increments in each spoke
- On the computer -- Electric Quilt works great for all types of spirals
No matter the technique, the results will be simply amazing!.
Price: $18.80
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Collage Journeys: A Practical Guide to Creating Personal Artwork
Collage can be more, much more, than just cutting and pasting. It can be a wonderful art form and a means of self-expression. Collage Journeys presents a series of innovative workshop assignments, each designed to relate the technique and format of a collage to its subject. Gathering materials, generating ideas, painting with paper, working in layers, using text, keeping a visual journal—project by project, new collage skills are explored. Stunning finished pieces offer additional ideas and inspiration. For anyone who has ever wanted to take collage to the next level—adding meaning, subtext, and style—Collage Journeys offers the journey of a lifetime. .
Price: $11.99
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Creative Cloth Explorations: Adventures in Fairy-Inspired Fiber Art
Introduces new, creative techniques for the fiber journaler, scrapbooker, doll maker, beader, and sewer through fairy-inspired projects. This book is the fifth installment on making creative cloth fiber arts from popular art doll designer, fiber artist, and workshop instructor Patti Culea, following Creative Cloth Doll Making, Creative Cloth Doll Faces, Creative Cloth Doll Couture, and Creative Cloth Beaded Dolls. This book builds on the previous four by delving into how to make fun and elaborate-looking projects using the same old materials in a new and unique way. Readers will learn to make flat figures, fabric books, and a fairy-style fan. Culea covers the basics and provides new techniques–such as using Shiva paint sticks and stencils, working with silk rods and waste, and using lace and trims as a frame–while teaching you to how create a flat figure doll, memory journal with embellished cloth pages, and a beautiful fan. Professional tips, ideas for embellishments, cutting-edge techniques, and complete patterns for all the projects are included. .
Price: $16.49
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Foolproof Machine Quilting
Intimidated by free-motion machine quilting? Forget it. Who needs it? No one, not with Foolproof Machine Quilting, the book that gives step-by-step directions on using your machine’s walking foot and heavier-weight threads from the top (not the bobbin) to create dimensional effects without sewing from the back side of the quilt. Paper-cutting techniques, tricks for choosing needles, threads, and batting, tips on using preprogrammed decorative stitches, and much more make Foolproof Machine Quilting truly foolproof…and truly full of innovative ideas. .
Price: $14.25
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The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars
With a friendly, down-home style, this guide encourages readers to whittle away the hours. Great for beginners looking for an easy way to get started and more advanced carvers looking for a relaxing way to spend their time, this instructional manual provides 20 projects, including knives, forks, birds, animals, trees, and flowers. Chapters detail the proper whittling tools and materials, including what woods are best to carve, and how to start projects by selecting and safely sharpening the best knife for each project.
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Price: $8.35
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