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House Doctor A-Z of Design - Ann Maurice
by ladybracknell
Like most people who are poverty stricken, when it comes to decorating I have always done it myself. I'm not blind to the fact that I'm not the most competent of decorators, however, and need as much help as possible when trying to work a little DIY magic. I've long been a fan of Ann Maurice, the TV House Doctor from Channel 5, and have ... marvelled at the transformations she's wrought on some very unpromising houses, allowing the owners to then sell their property instantly, so when I spotted her A-Z of Design in one of the local charity shops, I snapped it up.
Ann Maurice is a Californian interior designer who brought her own brand of 'home staging' to Britain over a decade ago and introduced the viewing public to the art of creating decorating illusions which can instantly make rooms seem bigger and more stylish for very little outlay. This book is a tie-in to her TV series of the same name which aired in 2005 and despite decorating trends having altered slightly, including re-embracing wallpaper, at least on one wall, there are some darn good tips given and the effects created don't look at all dated, largely because Ms Maurice was one of those designers extolling the virtues of minimalism, wood floors and carpet-free bathrooms well ahead of the common herd.
As the title implies, the book is laid out alphabetically, although some letters of the alphabet are given more coverage than others. Even this decorating guru, it seems, was a little stuck when it came to X, Y and Z! Each alphabetical word has at least a page dedicated to it which gives a brief introductory paragraph, a more detailed example and a coloured rectangle with bullet points which emphasises the main messages. Each page is accompanied by colour photographs many of which give a before and after view of the issue under scrutiny. Each room of the house, of course, gets a mention and in addition to the main messages and pictures, Ann Maurice also gives her Top Ten Tips, most of which are fairly obvious but provide a useful checklist for those selling their home. This includes the garden which she claims is simply an outdoor room and the front garden, in particular, is where first impressions are created and can make or break a sale.
There are plenty of photographs in the book to add emphasis to the main design points although some of these are rather hammering the message home. For instance, the bedroom before and after shows an unmade bed in the before picture with a chest of drawers covered in bits and pieces. I'm sure that most people wishing to sell their house would have the good sense to clear away any junk and make the bed at least! On the plus side with regard to the photographs, some of the before and after pictures show a dramatic improvement. Under the Colour Schemes section, Ms Maurice transforms a bedroom where the original impression given is very 'tart's boudoir' in shades of deep pink with lots of satin and net also in deep pink. Whilst retaining the deep pink colour in the bedding but lightening the wall colour and getting rid of some of the more 'tarty' features, she produces a room which is light and air as well as stylish and comfortable.
As well as an abundance of photographs to inspire there is plenty of text too, all of which is delivered in a clear and concise way with the language pared down to the bare essentials. Don't expect any floweriness here as this book is all about getting the message across and anyone who's seen the Channel 5 programmes featuring Ann Maurice will know that this lady doesn't mince her words.
As I'm not planning on selling up and moving, at least not until I win the Lottery, some of the tips are a little irrelevant. Removing furniture to make the rooms look bigger or removing all evidence of pets and children simply isn't very practicable for people who are staying put, but this is balanced out by so much good sense and some great tips that I certainly feel I haven't wasted my 99p, which is what the book cost me. This book is jam packed with ideas for creating space and light, storage tips, and how to make the most of small spaces, as well as lots of tricks of the trade, much of which is likely to prove very useful over time.
As I said, even Ann Maurice struggles a little when it comes to the latter end of the alphabet but U for unfinished business made me look afresh at all the little jobs I'd left thinking 'that'll do' and W for wasted space demonstrates that even the smallest corners can be put to very good use. There's even a Y for yuk, featuring a rather unpleasant looking bathroom and loo with the seat up! She even finds a few words under Z for zodiac. Apparently our designs are frequently inspired by our star sign. According to Ms Maurice "Air signs, Gemini, Libra (that's me) and Aquarius tend towards the artistic and the original. Their designs are lively and rarely boring." She definitely hasn't seen my house! Whilst I was away caring for my mother, my daughter moved back in and began to stamp her own astrological style on the house in my absence. She's a Pisces and they, apparently, "like to incorporate the mystical and indulge their sense of passion with some daring details" which must be how we've come to have walls of a hideous pink in the kitchen, along with a green plastic wall clock in the shape of a teapot and a framed picture of Easy Rider!
Hopefully, with the help of this book, I can once more transform my home into a haven of light, peace and tranquillity which is also "lively and rarely boring" but first I need to check out the chapter again which talks about removing children!
Book details:
Publisher: Collins
ISBN: 0-00-720078-1
Price: £12.99 RRP.
New copies of this are currently selling from £53.97 on Amazon which seems a little excessive, especially as there are numerous used copies on sale from 1p plus P&P.
Also posted on Ciao under the same user name
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The Self-Sufficiency Bible - Simon Dawson
by PlaysNicely
Ok, I make no apologies- I really like this book! Even though our thoroughly urban lifestyle dictates that we can't implement all of its lovely ideas, it's just a good read anyway which gives rise to plenty of food for thought!
What's it all about?
There are 12 different chapters which cover a range of topics, ... including:
* Kitchen garden, home baker, home dairy, home brewer!
* Natural solutions: health, beauty and the home.
* Crafting.
* Livestock , meat preparation and basic butchering
* Curing and preserving
* Foraging
* Recycling
* Renewable energy
So, what's to like about it?
* The by-line reads "from window boxes to small holdings - hundreds of ways to become self-sufficient" and one of the strengths of the book is that it doesn't necessarily expect you to have an acre (or 20 as the writer has). If you have, there's wise advice for making it productive and cost-effective but if you don't there are literally hundreds of ideas you can put into action in your own plot or even patio, across all of those topics (except perhaps livestock)!
* There's just enough depth in each of the chapters for you to be able to get started. For example, the Kitchen Garden section brings advice which you can start to implement with little cost and just a few tools. Where there are specific instructions, these are laid out clearly and there's a useful crop rotation suggestion to help you avoid making those early mistakes which could cost you a crop, but which some books already assume that you will know!
* This book actually holds wider interest than its actual genre, as the home-baker and growing-your-own sections would be very useful for anyone who suffers from allergies and needs to be sure of the content of everything they eat, including gluten-free bread recipes and recipes for making chutneys and preserves.
* The book offers a friendly, but knowledgeable writing style, from someone who wasn't born into the lifestyle, but has made that lifestyle change. Because of this, nothing is assumed and enough depth is given to the topics that may interest you. There's also an underlying essence of community which comes through in certain sections, such as the recycling chapter and the kitchen garden. It's a bit like having a neighbour that you can just pop your head over the fence to and ask a question without feeling silly!
* Some of the self-sufficiency books are too far over the line of 'going without' in order to be self-sufficient, for example they tell you how to create a composting toilet, no good if you just want to adjust your lifestyle but still use the mod cons you have (such as plumbing)! This book slots workable ideas into a contemporary lifestyle, and makes many of these ideas possible in a contemporary, urban home.
Not to like?
* Main gripe is about format, rather than content! The book's only available in hardback as far as I know, with book sleeve, which can make it hard to flick through at times. I've ended up with lots of post-its in mine for quick reference as the book alone doesn't really lend itself to it otherwise. I guess in respect of the 'bible' title though, the hardback works well and makes it feel like a solid reference book!
* You know me by now, I'd love more pictures!
* Why does self-sufficiency never equate with being a vegetarian? If you too are a veggie like me, you'll want to skip the butchery and skinning your own bunny sections, a common theme in many of these books!
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How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-sufficiency - Piers Warren
by Stewwydablue
Introduction
If, like me, you grow your own veg and at various times of the year have gluts of peas, courgettes, various herbs and soft fruits, then after a while its easy to run out of imaginative ideas on how to store it all. There are only so many courgette frittatas you can eat before the sound of an egg breaking induces ... violent fits of rage.
This book offers a myriad of preserving and storing methods, from freezing to drying and lots more in between. The book is split into two parts - part one the methods (of storing) and part two the produce.
Contents
In part one there are detailed instructions for all the preserving methods we would be able to do at home without industrial large scale equipment. Temperatures and weights are given in metric and imperial which makes the instructions easy to use - no need for fiddling about with conversion tables. I have used the book plenty of times and can say that if you follow the author's guidance then you will be successful in the chosen preserving methods. Some of the methods included in this part of the book are: clamping, vacuum packing, salting, jam making, fermenting and pickling.
In part two, a huge list of commonly grown fruit and vegetables is broken down by the author, where he gives various preserving methods for a particular fruit or vegetable - for example under apples he recommends dry storage, jamming, freezing, chutney, apple juice, cider and then goes on to give recipes for each method. He also gives advice about which varieties are best for various uses and what times of year the fruit / vegetable is ready for picking / use.
My Opinion
After using this book for a couple of years now, I know have saved money and cut down on waste by using the book's methods to extend the life of my own grown food. For example, there are only a couple of months during deepest darkest winter where my jars of dried herbs (grown mainly during the summer) are running dangerously low, and when we use the oven more often than not we will have a tray of apple rings or chillies sitiing in the grill compartment above the oven to take advantage of the warmth from the oven below as we speed the drying out process up. No need for a huge outlay on fancy equipment - most people have an oven, freezer, a pan and some empty jam jars. With these few items and the advice from the book, you'll soon be saving pennies by preventing your gluts of home-grown produce from spoiling.
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