Non-Fiction Reviews

Synopsis: If you long to give your rooms a vintage air and country-cottage appeal, you will love the retro floral prints and timeless designs of Home-made Vintage, your perfect guide to creating hand-made, easy elegance in your home. The book offers simple-sew projects to transform every room into the romantic retreat you’ve always wanted. In this step-by-step guide, Christina Strutt shows readers how to make a wealth of projects for the kitchen and bathroom, conservatory and bedroom and for giving as gifts as well. A skilled stylist and designer, Christina reveals how to create a look that is personal and unique, but not at all labour-intensive. Reusing old fabrics and accessories in new ways allows the vintage and modern to mingle beautifully and also saves money and time. The charming projects highlighted in this delightful book include crisp linen chair covers, a chic fabric headboard, pretty flower aprons, dreamy voile bed curtains and soothing scented pillows.

Hot Brands Verdict
This book is exactly what we love at Hot Brands, evocative, beautifully illustrated and full of wonderful original designs. ‘My passion is to make things beautiful’

We love the philosophy behind this book, as Christina explains, ‘Our passion for vintage clothing and charity shops is satisfying the need to own something different. Dressing in vintage clothing is one way of guaranteeing that you will never stumble upon your clone. But like all fashions, vintage and hand-made originals are a limited resource. So our only real option is to create our own generation of unique handmade pieces’. This book is beautifully illustrated with photography by Lucinda Symons.

Including over 40 projects divided into Living Room, Bedroom and Bathroom, Clothes and Accessories, Gifts, as well as Instructions, Templates and Stockists and how to display your collections.

There are so many fabulous projects you will be spoilt for choice. We loved the romantic Muslin Canopy, the floaty bedroom curtains, the stylish kitchen aprons, the delightful bags, “I’m of the opinion you can never have too many bags, hence the choice of three different styles’ and the practical fabric covered box-files, cushions, hot water bottle cover, and unusual accessories, and much, much, more.

If you are looking for inspiration this book should be top of your list. Highly Recommended!

http://www.cicobooks.com

Photography by Polly Wreford

Synopsis: Christmas Crafting with Kids is packed with more than 35 fun and imaginative seasonal projects for boys and girls. There are dozens of easily achievable ideas for festive decorations, great gifts to make for all the family, cute cards and even hand-made gift-wrap. Little crafters up to the age of 11 will enjoy producing decorations such as colourful paper-chains, crackers and hand-stitched stockings, as well as adorable gifts like jam-jar snow shakers, orange pomanders, decorated photo frames and delicious chocolate brownies or coconut ice. And receiving a hand-decorated card is so much more special than one bought from a shop. All the classic crafting techniques are covered, from potato printing to sewing, and taking in baking, decoupage, modelling, stencilling and much, much more along the way.

Hot Brands Verdict
The junior reviewers have already got stuck in with this book; they absolutely adored making Paper Chains using wrapping paper. The orange tree decorations made from fresh oranges, the pompom tree decorations, 3-D Christmas cards, Christmas Stocking, Cinnamon biscuits, the Button Photo Frame and stencilled Gift bag and so much more! Every project is carefully explained with step-by-step instructions, templates and beautifully photographed, throughout. This is one of the most delightful Christmas project books we have even seen. Every home should have one! Highly Recommended!

http://www.cicobooks.com/

Synopsis: The latest guidebook in our bestselling series features 33 extra-special properties in Australia and New Zealand

We’ve combed white-sand beaches, climbed snow-capped mountains, camped in sun-drenched deserts and scoured cosmopolitan cities in pursuit of the sexiest boutique and luxury hotels down under.

Undercover reporting Each hotel has been visited personally by the Smith team and then reviewed anonymously by a local tastemaker. Our incognito style-seekers from the worlds of fashion, theatre, design, food and wine include actor Sigrid Thornton, chefs Christine Manfield and Andrew McConnell, media luminary Deborah Hutton, and events guru David Grant.

Specially commissioned photography This glamour-strewn guidebook also features original images from leading Australian photographer Earl Carter.

Insider secrets As well as evocative photographs and entertaining reviews, there are destination guides covering every practicality from getting around to sniffing out the finest vineyards, shops and galleries, plus in-the-know details such as the best rooms to book, the top tables in the most special restaurants and the most secluded beaches.

Luxe for less Each copy comes with an exclusive Smith membership card, which entitles holders to a year’s free membership, fast-tracking you to upgrades, hotel discounts, exclusive on-arrival gifts and other life-enhancing extras and money-can’t-buy
privileges.

http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/australianew-zealand/product-view

Hot Brands Verdict
We love the Mr. & Mrs. Smith Collections and this is another fabulous example. This is no ordinary hotel guide, the exclusive Smith membership card and the depth and detail supplied by the Mr. & Mrs Smith team ensures that you get the most helpful information to help you make the right choice about where to stay.

‘The walk-through ends at our room, where a view of the dam, a four-poster bed and a roll-top tub greet us’

Stunningly illustrated with evocative photographs, and with details of how to get there, local knowledge and our favourite section, ‘Worth Getting Out of Bed For’ this is the crème de la crème guide to stylish places to stay in Australia and New Zealand. We loved it ! Highly Recommended!

Synopsis: The Annual will, as ever, be required reading for Strictly fans young and old, with the inside scoop on all the Series 7 celebrities, a chat with each of the dancers, an audience with the judges, a backstage pass on the Live Tour, a special report on John Sergeant, an interview with current champion Tom Chambers and much, much more. Plus, we're introducing some fun new interactive elements for 2010, including Strictly Bingo and an exciting board game to add sparkle to the festive season.
This glitzy companion is an essential part of the Strictly experience, and has become as much a part of Christmas as the competition itself.

http://www.bbcshop.com/Strictly-Come-Dancing-Returns/The-Official-Strictly-Come-Dancing-Annual-2010/invt/9781846079177

Hot Brands Verdict
As we gear up for the quarter final, what better weekend reading than the Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2010. Packed full of news and information about Strictly Come Dancing; there's a review of Series 6, a fun bingo game, a quiz, reports from the judges, and details of how the voting works. All this, plus profiles of all the stars of this current series, its easy to forget just how many people were involved at the start. Glitzy and glossy, it's a fabulous gift for Strictly fans young and old!