Plant craft 30 projects that add natural style to your home

Horticultural expertise and an eye for interior design inform Atkinson's 30 crafting projects, which integrate elements from nature with the balance and style of interior living space. Using plants such as bromeliads and mosses with accoutrements such as a hollowed tree trunk or driftwood, the book outlines how to create a stunning variety of interior accent pieces such as shadowboxes, centerpieces, and a bench planter. Each project includes detailed instructions, including a supply list and photographs demonstrating each step of production. The book further includes listings of indoor plants with specific guidance about how to cultivate and maintain them, including proper lighting, watering, and soil maintenance. These projects center around living matter, which means the creator must accept its "independent nature" and also, in some cases, its impermanence. This happy blending of nature's gifts and interior design offers the creative crafter and indoor gardener a universe of ways to highlight the beauty of nature indoors. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Bring the garden into the home with this collection of projects. Photographer and first-time author Atkinson has grouped 30 designs by general concept (e.g., build, craft, mount, plant). Included is an introduction to recommended plants and their care. The projects are well organized, with clear, bold photos illustrating each step. Standout projects include a planter bench, a plant chandelier, and flagstone planting. Several variations on hanging plantings are less inspiring. VERDICT While some of the projects are well conceived, others are not new. Still, this book is recommended for the instruction and diversity of ideas. For fresh designs with succulents, see Tawni Daigle's DIY Succulents. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction As any gardener can tell you, working with plants and other natural materials forces you to accept the independent nature of the subject matter. An indoor garden can inspire a sense of wonder and anticipation, but also disappointment, and the unpredictability of working with natural materials can be a source of awe and frustration. An artist or crafter working with living things is forced to accept the impermanence of her creation and life itself--it is always a learning experience, and while mistakes can be made, fun can be had. The projects in this book range from tabletop gardens to hanging sculptures to vertical wall gardens. A few are versatile and can be displayed by securing them to a wall or perching them on a bookshelf to lean against a wall. They vary in difficulty--a few, like the Water Sculpture Garden, merely call for assembling the materials to create the project while others, like the Bench Planter, require basic drilling know-how and comfort using a saw. Most can be made in an hour or two. Given the right care, they all have the potential to grace your home for a long time. Some projects, such as the Miniature Flagstone Planter and the Saikei Tray Garden, are miniature living landscapes, which give you a chance to go beyond caring for a houseplant and fully engage your creative spirit as you select and arrange the materials and then tend to the plants. There is no need to stop with the projects in these pages--use this book as a starting point. Seek inspiration for ideas in your daily life: from an art exhibit, a walk through a park, or a great book. Look to what is available in your local environment as well from afar when you're thinking about a new project. Exploring your surroundings closely is a way to develop a deeper connection to the place where you live. The need to connect with something beyond ourselves is necessary, the need to create elemental. There is no better way to harness the desire to create, connect, and enjoy nature than an indoor garden project. Go get dirty. Excerpted from Plant Craft: 30 Projects That Add Natural Style to Your Home by Caitlin Atkinson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.