There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who don't cook out of and have NEVER cooked out of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, and the other kind...The I HATE TO COOK people consist mainly of those who find other things more interesting and less fattening, and so they do it as seldom as possible. Today there is an Annual Culinary Olympics, with hundreds of cooks from many countries ardently competing. But we who hate to cook have had our own Olympics for years, seeing who can get out of the kitchen the fastest and stay out the longest.

- Peg Bracken

Philosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy.

50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't.

This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.

When Jane Dunnewold's book Complex Cloth was published in 1996, it quickly became the bible of surface design for fiber artists. In the years since, the world of surface design has significantly expanded: now fiber artists, art-to-wear designers, and art quilters have a much broader range of surface design products to choose from, and there are a wealth of technique combinations that can be used to create art cloth.

Art Cloth picks up where Complex Cloth left off, showing how to layer processes with the latest products to create stunning cloth for use in a variety of fiber art. Following Jane's techniques with step-by-step photography, you will learn to create art cloth using dyes, color removing agents, paints, and foils combined through processes that include silk-screen printing, stamping, stenciling, and handpainting.

In addition to detailed step-by-step wet-media surface design techniques, Jane demonstrates how the use of color and design contribute to successful layering. She guides and inspires artists to take their art cloth to the next level through sidebars with design tips and exercises that support the technical information.

Finally, each technique chapter concludes with project ideas for the skills learned, so anyone working through the book can literally build layers on cloth as each chapter is completed.

Carla Sonheim is an artist and creativity workshop instructor known for her fun and innovative projects and techniques designed to help adult students recover a more spontaneous, playful approach to creating. Her innovative ideas are now collected and elaborated on in this unique volume. Carla offers a year's worth of assignments, projects, ideas, and techniques that will introduce more creativity and nonsense into your art and life. Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists offers readers a fun way to learn and gain expertise in drawing through experimentation and play. There is no right or wrong result, yet, the readers gain new skills and confidence, allowing them to take their work to a new level.

An ingeniously simple and fully-illustrated book for crafting toys from objects found around the house.

This clever guide focuses on fun, homemade projects using materials anyone can find around the house or that can be purchased for a fraction of what a commercially-produced toy can cost. Using everyday objects from cardboard tubing to paper to clothespins, readers will discover how to make such projects as:

• A milk carton balloon boat

• A rubber band banjo

• A cardboard tube kaleidoscope

• An embroidery hoop tambourine

• And more

Perfect for parents and teachers, these projects enable families to spend less while keeping entertained. Because fun doesn't always have to come in a box-sometimes, it's the box itself.

Metal stamping is one of the hottest trends in metal jewelry. Using purchased metal stamps and sterling silver blanks, you can personalize your metal jewelry designs with words, textures, and creative designs. Lisa Niven Kelly, creator of the online Beaducation workshops and website, specializes in the technique and has been teaching stamping for more than six years to enthusiastic students. Although stamping is a simple technique, the right tools and skills will help you create professional and exciting results.

Stamped Metal Jewelry teaches multiple metal stamping and texturing techniques, and the projects incorporate wirework and metalsmithing to create fabulous necklaces, beads, charms, bracelets, cuffs, and earrings. The book opens with an extensive section on stamping, wirework, and metalsmithing tools and techniques. With these skills, you can begin the inspiring jewelry designs with confidence. Nineteen projects cover a variety of techniques and designs such as creating charms, incorporating stamped links into beaded projects, making stamped links from flat wire and wire-wrapping them together, stamping on blanks and layering them, riveting, texturing metal, oxidizing, and more. In addition to Lisa's projects, the book features contributions by nationally known guest artists Tracy Stanley, Kriss Silva, Lisa Claxton, Kate Richbourg, Janice Berkebile, and Connie Fox.

Entertaining made easy, with Mexican-inspired recipes and handy tips from the celebrity chef and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. Whether you’re hosting a casual get-together with friends or throwing an outdoor shindig, no one can teach you the art of fiesta like Rick Bayless. With 150 recipes, Bayless offers you the key to unforgettable parties that will have guests clamoring for repeat invitations. There are recipes for small-dish snacking (Mushroom Ceviche, Devilish Shrimp), dynamic cocktails to get the party started (Champagne Margarita, Sizzling Mojito), and Bayless’s signature takes on Mexican street food (Grilled Pork Tacos al Pastor, Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas). Live-fire grilled fish and meat dishes like the “Brava” Steak with “Lazy” Salsa will draw friends and family to the glow of open flames. And if you’re going to throw a truly epic celebration, you’ll need a killer finale like Frontera Grill’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars or Dark Chocolate–Chile Ice Cream.

Fiesta at Rick’s offers 150 diverse preparations organized into easy-to-follow chapters. But it’s far more than a collection of recipes. With four complete, can’t-miss menus for parties ranging from a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12 to a Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24, Bayless has all your friends covered. Each of these parties has a complete game plan, from a thought-out time line with advance shopping and preparation to a fiesta playlist. Whether a first-time entertainer or a seasoned veteran, anyone can learn from the helpful sidebars, which cover topics such as how to shuck oysters, the perfect avocado for guacamole, and the best way to pick out fresh fish for ceviche preparations. Bayless breaks down the timeless building blocks that make up authentic Mexican food, explaining the value of fresh tortillas and providing surprisingly simple instructions for making your own Mexican Fresh Cheese.

Bayless’s entertaining blueprint eliminates the guesswork, so you can let your inspiration run free. Companion to seasons six and seven of Rick’s Public Television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time, Fiesta at Rick’s is required reading for everyone who loves opening their home to friends and good times. Four-color photographs throughout

New England’s seasons call for plenty of warm knitwear, and New England Knits provides an irresistible collection of beautiful designs.

Inspired by autumn and winter in New England (where the savvy knitter is never far from a sweater between September and March), the book is divided into three themes: Walk in the Woods, Around the Town, and Along the coast. Within each section readers will find a variety of flattering, wearable sweaters and accessories (including hats, mittens, scarves, bags, and shawls). Projects by guest designers from Classic Elite, Berroco, and the Fiber Company provide round out the collection.

Licensed by the makers of Cricut and organized chronologically by month, this crafters companion contains 36 creative and colorful scrapbooking ideas for the most popular holidays and occasions throughout the year. With detailed step-by-step instructions, beginning and experienced scrapbookers will find plentiful inspiration for using Cricut to help capture memories—traditional holidays, a first birthday, a special sports moment, or a dream vacation—on paper. With a variety of themes to help crafters create keepsakes that can be treasured for years to come, this resource also includes a buyer’s guide and a list of designers.

Lay it out, cut it out, sew it up, put it on!

Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studios proves that all you need to re-make your wardrobe are a few key things: Great fabric, easy-to-make patterns, a handful of simple skills, and your own personal sense of style!

Use Sew Serendipity to create a fresh, new look.

• Included in the book are tissue pattern inserts for the skirt, tunic/dress and jacket—each with 6 variations detailed in the book. 3 basic patterns x 6 variations=18 ways to show off your skills and style!

• Kay provides the master instructions for each basic garment, and individual instruction for each unique look. Once you master the basics, changing it up is a snap!

• Each clothing pattern is graded in seven sizes (bust: 32-44; waist: 24-36; hips: 34-46) from XXS to XXL. Use the “Custom Fitting” section of this book to learn how to measure yourself and adjust the patterns to get the best possible fit!

• Check out the “Tools of the Trade” and “Sewing Techniques” sections for an overview of tools and skills you’ll need to make the clothes in this book.

• Embellish your designs to match your style, whether you’re feeling the need for classic, tailored elegance, or you’re in the mood for a little ruffled whimsy. Kay’s simple embellishments make it a breeze to adapt your design to the look you want.

With Sew Serendipity, you’ll find out how to lay out the pattern pieces, cut them out and sew them up. All you have to do is put them on and strut your stuff!

Explore the elements and popular practice of using found objects in mixed media and textile art with Cas Holmes. When applied both for decoration and meaning, found objects can add texture and special accents to your art pieces. Let textile artist Cas Holmes, renowned for her use of “the found” and her many-layered, atmospheric pieces, show you a wealth of tips and ideas for this technique.

Inside you’ll discover:
Where to search for found objects and how to recycle previously used materials
Techniques to conceive and build a piece around a found object
The range of found objects—from natural materials such as driftwood
to manufactured pieces of machinery to even mundane objects like CD cases
How found objects can be used to create stunning pieces and lend deep
meaning to a work

The Found Object in Textile Art showcases how to combine mixed-media and fiber-arts techniques to create art with personal, narrative qualities.