“A spectacular encyclopedia of embroidery, sharing valuable techniques passed down through the generations . . . you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it.” —Sew Magazine Enjoy the tranquility of slow stitching with this step-by-step, visual guide to 149 embroidery stitches, motifs, and extras. Go beyond basic color theory–robust color charts take the guesswork out of choosing thread, silk ribbon, buttons, beads, and trims. Then take your embroidery to the next level with luxurious seam treatments and stunning stand-alone designs. Bestselling author Christen Brown’s traditional and contemporary techniques are showcased in a colorful gallery of crazy-quilted projects. “An overview of embroidery stitches and techniques as well as inspiration for embroidery projects . . . She dissects several of her pieces, summarizing the color palette, decorative elements, and stitches used.” —Library Journal

A small-town Virginia housewife and her scrapbooking circle investigate a suspicious death in this cozy mystery series debut. Having traded in her career as a successful investigative journalist for the life of a stay-at-home mom in picturesque Cumberland Creek, Virginia, Annie can’t help but feel that something’s missing. But she finds solace in a local “crop circle” of scrapbookers united by chore-shy husbands, demanding children, and occasional fantasies of their former single lives. And when the quiet idyll of their small town is shattered by a young mother’s suicide, they band together to find out what went wrong . . . Annie resurrects her reporting skills and discovers that Maggie Rae was a closet scrapbooker who left behind more than a few secrets—and perhaps a few enemies. As they sift through Maggie Rae’s mysteriously discarded scrapbooks, Annie and her “crop” sisters begin to suspect that her suicide may have been murder. It seems that something sinister is lurking beneath the town’s beguilingly calm façade—like a killer with unfinished business . . . “A scrapbook of zany small town life with characters you'll want to visit again and again in each new novel.” —Emilie Richards, author of Sunset Bridge “Imagine the housewives of Wisteria Lane sipping tea, scrapbooking, and solving murders, and you have this gem of a debut.” —Lois Winston, author of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun “Intriguing characters, eerie happenings . . . Kept me guessing ‘til the end.” —Clare O’Donohue Includes tips and a glossary of terms for the modern scrapbooker!

A guide to all things needlepoint with over 200 needlepoint stitch diagrams and insight from a nationally recognized teacher and needlepoint writer.

Plain or fancy, formal or fun, chronicling special events or everyday moments, scrapbooks are the perfect, personal way to preserve precious memories and create lasting keepsakes. This visual guide walks you through choosing albums and papers, organizing and cropping photos, and more, and explains step-by-step essential techniques like journaling, designing appealing pages, and using embellishments to add pizzazz. The layout gallery gives you great ideas for travel, family, heritage, and other pages, while a chapter on organizing your stuff helps you keep everything in its place. Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review Each skill or technique is defined and described Detailed color photos demonstrate each step Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo Helpful tips provide additional guidance

Alice Faye's sweet demeanor, sultry glances, and velvety voice were her signatures. Her haunting rendition of “You'll Never Know” has never been surpassed by any other singer. Fans adored her in such films as Alexander's Ragtime Band, Rose of Washington Square, Tin Pan Alley, Week-End in Havana, and Hello, Frisco, Hello. In the 1930s and 1940s she reigned as queen of 20th Century Fox musicals. She co-starred with such legends as Shirley Temple, Tyrone Power, Carmen Miranda, and Don Ameche and was voted the number-one box-office attraction of 1940, placing ahead of Bette Davis and Myrna Loy. To a select cult, she remains a beloved star. In 1945 at the pinnacle of her career she chose to walk out on her Fox contract. This remarkable episode is unlike any other in the heyday of the big-studio system. Her daring departure from films left Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck and the rest of the movie industry flabbergasted. For years she had skirmished with him over her roles, her health, and her private life. His heavy-handed film editing of her fine work in Otto Preminger's drama Fallen Angel, a role she had fought for, relegated Faye to the shadows so that Zanuck could showcase the younger Linda Darnell. After leaving Fox, Faye (1915–1998) devoted herself to her marriage to radio star Phil Harris, to motherhood, and to a second career on radio in the Phil Harris–Alice Faye Show, broadcast for eight years. She happily gave up films in favor of the independence and self-esteem that she discovered in private life. She willingly freed herself of the “star-treatment” that debilitated so many of her contemporaries. In the 1980s she emerged as a spokeswoman for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, touring America to encourage senior citizens to make their lives more meaningful and vital. Before Betty Grable, before Marilyn Monroe—Alice Faye was first in the lineup of 20th Century Fox blondes. This book captures her special essence, her work in film, radio, and popular music, and indeed her graceful survival beyond the silver screen.

Jesse James is, all these years later, one of the most famous American characters who has ever lived. Not only an American paradox, James is a symbol of "the haunted stillness" of a post Civil War America, scarred for life by "that terrible conflict," the bloodiest battle ever experienced on American soil. Jansen's novel examines the James legend through the firsthand historical voice of the press and people of America, fictionally recreated by Jansen, based, however, on "actual" historical documents. George Jansen has successfully written a provocative and entertaining work of fiction worthy of the true legend of Jesse James.