The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes

By: Diy maven Feb 02, 2011

created at: 02/02/2011

According to Sasha Duerr, the author of The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes, if we can cook, we can dye. One of the chapters contained within is even entitled, "Kitchen Couture". And couture it is. Dozens of recipes tell us how to use such things as lavender, turmeric and red cabbage to dye plant and protein-based fibers the most luscious colors imaginable, all of which harmonize in ways 'only botanical colors can.'

created at: 02/02/2011

Sasha begins at the beginning, outlining supplies we'll need, explaining in easy to understand terms… Continue Reading

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Amy Sedaris: Crafting for the Poor and Pissing People Off

By: Diy maven Nov 30, 2010

created at: 11/30/2010

Amy Sedaris has been out promoting her new book, Simple Times: Crafting for Poor People, and one of her stops was on NPR's Marketplace. The book, of course, is a parody of the DIY and crafting culture, however, her recent comments in the NPR interview are pissing people off...at least people who don't appreciate satire. One… Continue Reading

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New: Curbly's Recommended Reading Page

By: Bruno Nov 16, 2010

I know it's 'not cool' to talk about reading 'books' these days, but we at Curbly still love 'em, and every self-respecting DIYer has their prized collection. Our copy of Budget Living's Home Cheap Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Great Decorating is dog-eared and damaged from all the use it has gotten (check out this cool book-art project we did more than three years ago!). Our other favorite book is our irreplaceable copy of the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (seriously the most useful cookbook I've even seen):

America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

So, to keep track of our favorite analog volumes, we create the Curbly Recommended Reading page. It's a quarterly-updated list of our current reading recommendations for crafty-doers like yourselves, and it looks like… Continue Reading

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Common Sense Storage

By: Diy maven Oct 26, 2010

created at: 10/26/2010

The title of the new print from Creative Publishing may have the word 'common' in it, but there is nothing common about the contents of Common Sense Storage. Filled with images of luscious interiors, the book is a cornucopia of inspiration, that just happens to solve all of our storage problems as well.

… Continue Reading
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Make a No-Slip Bookmark

By: Diy maven Oct 07, 2010

Just yesterday, I was searching for the bookmark that had fallen out of my current book group read. How delighted I was today then to see this no-slip bookmark idea. The maker claims she has seen them around all over the place. I must admit, I haven't. To make one,… Continue Reading

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Curbly Bookworm - Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

By: Chrisjob Sep 27, 2010

I was accidentally introduced to Novella Carpenter's Farm City. I was at the library, and managed to knock off an audiobook version whilst putting back another, and it fell to the floor, a CD rolled out, and wheeled itself across the aisle. I'm not a mystic, and certainly don't believe I was destined to check it out, but I did, and it's totally worth your time.

created at: translation missing: en, 2010-09-27 14:30:51 -0500

 

Novella's an urbanite, dedicated to the diversity of a metropolitan landscape. Novella's also a farmer, and keep pigs, chickens, rabbits, and huge garden on a squatted piece of land next to her apartment. She feeds her livestock from the waste stream - dumpsters behind high-end restaurants, and houses her chickens in sawdust from a local… Continue Reading

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Ripley's Real Estate--Believe it or Not!

By: Diy maven Aug 31, 2010

The Shark

The new book by Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Enter If You Dare!, includes some interesting real estate stories. Here's just a few examples you can find within its pages, if you dare to open them.

The Shark House, pictured above, is located in Headington, Oxford. The 25 foot long, fiberglass shark, commissioned by Bill Heine and created by… Continue Reading

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Zen and the Art of Renovating Your Home...and Life

By: Diy maven Aug 04, 2010

created at: 08/04/2010

We talk a lot about home renovation around here, but what if you want to renovate your life? One way to take on this monumental task is by following the Chinese Proverb that says, If you want to change your life, move 27 things in your home. It is the connection between ourselves and our living spaces and the energy we share that… Continue Reading

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Book Beads: A Pictorial Tutorial

By: Diy maven Aug 02, 2010

beads that look like teeny-tiny tomes

After you've made your Book Planter, you're going to have some book innards leftover. And since we don't like to waste ANYTHING here at Curbly--especially books or any parts of them--how about making some book… Continue Reading

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"The Real Man's Guide to Fixin' Stuff"'

By: Diy maven Jul 22, 2010

The humorously titled, “The Real Man’s Guide to Fixin’ Stuff”, is not a typical fix-it manual, and it’s not only for men, real or otherwise.

Oh, sure, it has some tips you’d expect to find in such books, like how to repair loose hinges, squeaky floors, and dripping taps, but in it you’ll also learn how to re-sole shoes, make a vacuum suck better, sharpen blender blades, and resurface a wooden cutting board,… Continue Reading

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From the Curbly Bookworm: 'The Nonstop Garden'

By: Diy maven Jun 24, 2010

created at: 06/24/2010

You know those gardens that look good in any season? Even in winter? During the growing season, something is always happily blooming. In the fall, deciduous tree leaves take center stage, varying from golden to copper to red. When winter settles in, conifers reveal their majesty and accentuate the garden’s structure and form. If this sounds like the garden you’d like to have, then The Nonstop Garden, by Stephanie Cohen and Jennifer Benner is a must… Continue Reading

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The Gardener's Color Palette

By: Diy maven Mar 17, 2010

created at: 03/17/2010

Reading the title of Tom Fischer's new book, The Gardener's Color Palette, might make you assume it's a book just for gardeners. If you did, you'd be wrong, because it is so much more than that. But before we get to the 'more' part, lets look at what makes it a great gardening book.

First, it's laid out with a picture of each plant under consideration on the right pages and all the pertinent information about the specimen on the pages… Continue Reading

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How to Make a Wire Star Bookmark

By: Diy maven Sep 15, 2009

A perfect little gift for every bookworm you know, this lovely star bookmark requires very few supplies, most of which you probably already have! Here they… Continue Reading

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‘DIY Quick Fix’: A DIY manual for newbies.

By: Diy maven Apr 03, 2008

Billed as a ‘must-have for every first-time homeowner or novice DIYer put off by the market’s large DIY manuals’, 'DIY Quick Fix' tackles the most common home improvement problems. According to a reviewer on Amazon, the book, which comes from DK, a publisher know for its high-quality photographic illustrations, includes topics such as:

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