The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food

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In this enchanting narrative part memoir, part botany primer, part political manifesto Ray, author of the acclaimed Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, and lately returning to her childhood obsession with farming, has a mission: to inspire us with her own life to "understand food at its most elemental... the most hopeful thing in the world. It is a seed. In the era of dying, it is all life." Ray is inspired by the eccentric, impassioned, generous characters she visits and interviews, gardeners and farmers who populate the quietly radical world of seed savers, from Vermonter Sylvia Davatz, self-proclaimed "Imelda Marcos of seeds, "' to the more phlegmatic Bill Keener of Rabin Gap, Ga., who gives Ray two 20-inch cobs of Keener corn, grown by his family for generations, as well as Greasy Back beans and some rotten Box Car Willy tomatoes to save for seed. Despite the book's occasional tendency toward polemic, avid gardeners will relish recognizing their idiosyncratic, revolutionary sides in its pages, and it's likely to strike a spark in gardening novices. Even couch potatoes will be enthralled by Ray's intimate, poetically conversational stories of her encounters with the "lovely, whimsical, and soulful things happen in a garden, leaving a gardener giddy." Agent: Sam Stoloff, Frances Goldin Literary Agency. (Aug.) Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information. Publishers Weekly (06/04/2012)

Candice Olson Favorite Design Challenges

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Candice Olson Favorite Design Challenges follows the model established by Candice Olson Kitchens & Baths. It features two dozen of Candice's stunning room makeovers, described in Candice's approachable and authoritative voice. Her gorgeous room sketches and design boards show how each design took shape. More than 200 full-color before-and-after photos provide a wealth of visual inspiration, while Candice's tips and insights into what makes each space work give readers practical knowledge for planning their own room redos.

American Home Landscapes: A Design Guide to Creating Period Garden Styles

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Garden historian Adams ("Restoring American Gardens") and landscape designer Burchfield here collaborate on this oversize book detailing trends in American garden design from the Colonial era through the end of the 20th century. They begin by sharing information on how to conduct historic landscape research using primary documents. They also include material on conducting a site inventory and developing a landscape plan. The next chapters cover specific time periods and include a discussion of the architectural styles of homes built then, landscape designs of the time, and landscape features such as paths, driveways, fences, hedges, seating, garden accessories, and popular plants cultivated. Case studies are provided for each period. Extensive plant lists, arranged by geographic region, offer choices of plants available at the time, and conclude each chapter. Photographs, drawings, and contemporary advertisements illustrate the text, and an extensive bibliography offers avenues for further exploration. Library Journal (04/15/2013)

Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener's Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition

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Just as he demystified the soil food web in his ground-breaking book Teaming with Microbes, in this new work Jeff Lowenfels explains the basics of plant nutrition from an organic gardener s perspective. Most gardeners realize that plants need to be fed but know little or nothing about the nature of the nutrients and the mechanisms involved. In his trademark down-to-earth, style, Lowenfels explains the role of both macronutrients and micronutrients and shows gardeners how to provide these essentials through organic, easy-to-follow techniques. Along the way, Lowenfels gives the reader easy-to-grasp lessons in the biology, chemistry, and botany needed to understand how nutrients get into the plant and what they do once they re inside. (Don t worry: you won t have to learn college-level science.) Teaming with Nutrients will make you a better informed, more successful, more environmentally responsible gardener and will give you a new appreciation for the plants you grow.

House Beautiful the Apartment Book: Smart Decorating for Any Room - Large or Small

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This updated edition of "House Beautiful"'s classic "The Apartment Book" features a fully revised interior design and new photos but retains its focus on making your first apartment a showpiece of style. Arranged room-by-room, the book surveys a wide array of decorating techniques, showing professionally decorated rooms and real-life examples of before-and-after projects. Informative sidebars provide the how-to for storage, lighting, painting, entertaining, hanging art, and more. Available in hardcover for the first time, "The Apartment Book" will inspire you to make your living space personal, upscale, functional, and beautiful!

Furniture Makeovers: Simple Techniques for Transforming Furniture with Paint, Stains, Paper, Stencils, and More

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Blair was a stay-at-home mom who took advantage of naps and early bedtimes to start something spectacular. Her first project was painting kitchen cabinets; then she moved on to refinishing furniture from thrift stores. Today she owns Knack Studios in South Carolina. Her amply illustrated book shows why her repurposed furniture is in demand. The variety of techniques she describes in illustrated detail is eye-opening 24 of them, ranging from the expected, like stripping and sanding, to the inspirational, such as adding wallpaper. Little tips abound: use an overhead projector to display an image for tracing onto a piece of furniture; e-mail artwork to an office supply store to print instead of buying a pack of expensive transparencies for use at home. She saves the best before and after photos for last. The designer, who gives a name to each piece, is exceptional. The only question is: can the average home redecorator absorb her artsy knack by following directions in a book? If anyone can teach the way, Blair can. 300 color photos. (Apr. 9) Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly Used with permission. Publishers Weekly (03/18/2013):

Secrets of a Stylish Home

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Many of us dream of hiring an interior designer to create the perfect home, but it's an expense that few of us can manage these days. The affordable alternative is to undertake the work yourself, and Secrets of a Stylish Home is just the book to show you how. Written by interior designer Cate Burren, it is both a practical guide to working through a project and a visual reference of attractive design ideas. With chapters on the importance of finding your style, planning your layout, using color, creating your scheme, and managing your project, Secrets of a Stylish Home takes you through each stage of either redesigning your whole home or simply tackling the makeover of a single room, distilling the knowledge that Burren has gathered over the years into clear, easy-to-follow steps. Her insightful advice is accompanied by numerous real-life case studies, drawings and plans that help clarify the processes described, and beautiful images by interiors photographer Simon Whitmore. Whatever your experience of interior design, this book will give you the know-how and confidence to develop your own style and transform your living space.