Leslie Linsley

I admire anyone who is naturally "crafty." But for the rest of us, Leslie Linsley in Crafts for Dummies provides basic guidance on a wide variety of crafts including needlepoint, decoupage, holiday gifts, rubber stamping, etc. A general tool list, and specific supply lists and instructions are clear and concise. Illustrations and colors photos help the reader visualize the completed project. I had no problems with the few projects I tried.

This is a good reference book when you are thinking show more of learning a new craft or want to make something beautiful and functional quickly. show less

This is a project book. It has some interesting ideas, but she seems to think that acrylic medium will adhere paper to any surface you want it on. I certainly haven't had luck with that myself, especially plastic. I suspect she is either carefully choosing her plastics or sanding them or both. But she doesn't tell you that.

Definitely for beginners in a hurry. Contains color drawings for creating traditional basics such as a Fence Rail. I always flip through it when I need a gift created over a weekend, but I'll admit I usually end up making a different quilt.

This is mostly an idea book, and she's certainly a good designer. However, I got it hoping to improve my design technique and found important information she's just not telling you. For instance, she has a bunch of decoupage's with fruits and vegetables. She doesn't tell you that all the pictures have to have the light source coming from the same direction or your composition will look funny. Since she's not even telling me things I know, I certainly didn't find anything helpful in the show more design section. show less