by Carol Blackburn
Published by Interweave Press
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The snail mail came and lo and behold, there is a package for me! It was after Christmas so no more packages were expected, plus there was no money left for "toys" (we're still paying for Christmas!!!) Much to my surprise it's a NEW BOOK from Interweave Press! This requires a large cup of coffee and a comfy pillow and blanket on the couch, and a couple of hours (hopefully) for daydreaming and total absorption of the new eye-candy.

Well, I was not disappointed at all. Carol Blackburn has written a fantastic book for the bead lover, and especially for those temporarily "brain-blocked" for ideas. I defy you you to go through this book and not get fascinated by something the you just have to try. If anything, I believe everyone is going to want a set of the rainbow colored pearls! On page 89 is this photo (shown below, along with some amazing faux mother-of-pearl) of colored beads and their pearlized counterparts. I am overwhelmed by this photo. Having worked with polymer clay since the early 90's I have never seen pearls duplicated the way the the author has. I am suitably impressed!!

There are basicaly four sections to this book, and each is concise and packed with useful information. The first section deals with the supplies, tools, and techniques that will be used. The second section contains directions to make a fabulous group of beads - I counted thirty four beads, but that's without variations. The third section is called "Bring It Altogether" and that's exactly what it does. You'll learn how to put the beads together into bracelets, necklaces, etc... it covers findings and threads, attaching findings, and designing with beads. And last but not least is the fourth section - a gallery showing the work of some of our favorite artists. Talk about eye-candy... make sure you have a "drooling towel" ready when you view these pictures or you'll mess up your new book!

"Really beautiful book. Great photos and easy to follow. Techniques can be used for objects other than beads. One of my favs."

— Phyllis Freeman

"Fabulous book!!....a real gold mine of information...plus it's downright FUN!!!!"

— Garnie

"I actually read some reviews for this book on amazon.com. Everyone review was very good so I ordered and I love it! I cant stop looking thru it. I needed to learn some new techniques and this book helped out quite a bit with that."

— Jennifer

"I love the book! Such great colorful pictures and easy to follow directions. It's a good book for beginners and a great refresher tool for experienced clayers."

— MaryJ

"I just purchased the book and love it. It is great!"

— Merrie

"Thanks for the great review, Leigh. I just got my copy the other day, and I have to agree with you whole heartedly on all accounts. When I ordered the book I wasn't sure if I'd see anything "new" in it, but even the "old" stuff was presented in a new light. Well worth the cost, I'd say!"

— Melanie