Remember the days in the old VW camper van, the deckchair out in the sunshine, the picnic laid out and your favourite book at the ready? Nowadays camping is done in style with a beautiful patchwork tablecloth to spread on the ground or table, fabric covered seating in big bold prints for a dramatic change of style, a colourful rag rug using up strips of fabric as a doormat, a yarn and felt flower wreath to welcome guests, a rolled-down blind, clay heart bunting personalised with letter stamps, a good old fashioned crochet food cover to keep those pesky insects off your tasty delights and crochet coasters to match made using a simple but effective pop-corn stitch, picnic basket lining in kitsch print fabrics and a number of pretty decorations like a crochet shelf edge, cross-stitch picture, glass jar storage topper, fabric bulletin board, upcycled vintage plates turned into funky wall art, lavender 'tea' bags, a pompom garland, a seaside crochet blanket, glass jar lantern, embroidered towel, pocket tidy, funky flowers shower cap and more. Not just for glamping but for indoors and outdoors fun, many of these 35 stunning projects would make fabulous homemade gifts. Step-by-step instructions and a comprehensive technique section to brush up on your crafting skills. 144 large pages, fully illustrated with colour photos and diagrams.

Beginner level for ages eight to adult and with real tools inside, the 120 pieces which are Mecanno-style and compatible are easy to assemble. Illustrations and assembly instructions are included, the parts are made from sturdy metal plate, shiny silver and with red, green and yellow plastic screws, a blue pilot?s seat. Develop your problem solving skills and learn basic engineering concepts. Look out for more in the series.

Sub-titled 'Unique Typographic Design In Sketchbooks, In Print and On Location Around the Globe', learn what typography can say about a brand or product. The book showcases the work of major international designers in branding and advertising, packaging and products, environmental and self-initiated projects. It concludes with a workbook section featuring four real-world 'briefs' related to each category. Each designer gives an insight into what each project was like from start to finish. Ian Barnard had a calligraphy project in 2016 applying calligraphy to a range of different surfaces using a variety of paint markers, brushes and pens and he shares his idea of how he collected random objects from charity shops and jumble sales like a violin or an old motorcycle helmet, resprayed them in a contrasting colour so that the type will show up. The letterers explain the harmony between concept, content and intention and the different mediums, lettering and colours to find a combination that represents the concept intuitively as opposed to literally, communicating a message without relying too heavily on words. The different styles and colours are captured in this showcase whether for whisky or a handcrafted protein lollipop, a no entry sign or a shed design. A worldwide gallery of contributors. 160 very large pages in softback, colour throughout.

Super soft creamy honey brown 8" tall teddy greets you with a wave from this box set and is ready to dress up with the fabric provided. Sew the two vest pieces, the pretty blue checked fabric skirt and use the elastic provided to make the waistband and sew to the vest to complete the dress. The second outfit is a bright red and white gingham shirt. Fold the cut out pieces provided and sew the finished sleeves and collar to the shirt then add the two red buttons included across the front for a professional finish. Another elasticated skirt in a blue floral fabric, ready scalloped, can be paired with the shirt. For ages seven to adult crafters, the box set contains the plush brown bear, a big needle, thread, fabric, buttons, press studs and elastic. CE safety approved.

For ages five to adult, this is a really simple kit and you can sing and talk through the story of Goldilocks as you create your family of three new bears, Daddy Bear measuring 12" tall and mid-brown fur, Mummy Bear measuring 10" super soft brown honey fur and a prettier face and finally Baby Bear, 7½", and super soft white with a very cute face. Each has a brown nose, long snout and beady brown eyes. Simply fill each bear with the stuffing provided and sew them up. Assembly instructions included in this big box set which contains the bears, stuffing, ribbons in lovely bright checks of red, purple and blue to tie round their necks, a needle and thread and, most importantly, their Birth Certificates so you can name your bear and who created it. Great value, CE safety approved.

Calling all toymakers and handicrafters, here are 35 super projects from animal finger puppets, small wooden animals, portable zoo animals, a zoo blanket to dolls? houses, paper barns, an embroidered pillow doll, small wire dolls, a wooden sleeping doll, to an abstract vertical puzzle, rubber band race cars, small wooden trucks, a wooden nature scene, a sewn trumpet, hand drawn fabric instruments, a bottle cap tambourine, a discoverer?s utility belt, a modular headband, an exploration cape, and in playing with art simple dress up drawings and paper animations, drawing with vintage buttons, a record sleeve art tote bag, wall hanging paper and wire sculptures and a shadow box theatre among them. Very simple instructions laid out like a recipe, full page colour photos and a series of line art numbered drawings to follow, each project will spark creative discovery and encourage open-ended play for curious toddlers to 12 year olds. 209pp in large softback, packed with colour photos.

With pink and white stripes, we are immediately drawn to the big friendly saggy baggy old fat furry catpuss, Bagpuss. Relive your favourite episodes with this heart-warming selection of projects, puzzles and memoirs. Create sugar mice for the Mouse Organ, stitch your very own Madeleine the Rag Doll with lavender stuffing, a bean bag Gabriel, and knit Bagpuss himself. Emily loved him and you will, nothing but a saggy old cloth cat, baggy and a bit loose at the seams. You may wish to tighten yours! With full explanation of which sides to fold to create the legs and tail, patterns to enlarge, and the banjo-playing froggy Gabriel in bright green has a complete body pattern and banjo template. The back front inside covers have a fun Great Cheese Race game to play with dice, and there is exquisitely illustrated original Bagpuss artwork plus additional new illustrations by Peter Firmin for the book. Big and colourful, 62pp.

Sub-titled 'Maker-Inspired Projects for Building Your Own Robots', this step-by-step illustrated guide features brand new projects and specially commissioned photography. Easily-sourced components including lollipop sticks and plastic drinks bottles on page 82 or a BBC micro:bit to provide the brains for a cool project like an Avatar, a Skuttle Bot, a Catapult Bot or a Walking Robot. There are templates and diagrams and step-by-step colour photo sequences to teach you simple electronics and programming. The book helps you design and build your very own custom-made creations that can walk, draw or even guard your home - the possibilities are endless. Featured robots include Spiro Bot, a machine that creates psychedelic patterns of an amazing variety, Butterfly Bot which skips along on its own, Garden Guardian which alerts your phone when a plant needs to be watered, a CNC Writer which allows you to perform repetitive jobs at high speed and with great precision (computer numerical control). If you tinker and love such antics like building a spud cannon or ant-weight robots, take a pincer and grab this bargain. 160pp in large softback, colour photos.

With step-by-step techniques, how to diagrams, professional hints and tips and makeover projects, this is an indispensable guide to home improvement with creative ideas to decorate and personalise the home to achieve beautiful results with the minimum amount of time, effort and expense. Every home needs repairing, updating or repair work to keep it looking fresh, stylish and in good condition and whether you have a new home in need of additional features and fittings or an older property requiring a major overhaul or simply want to refresh an outmoded decorating scheme, this is a big chunky glossy reference book providing all the guidance, expertise and inspiration and information required. There is advice on colour, texture and pattern, recognising available space effectively, choosing lighting to enhance every room, and chapters on painting, wallpaper hanging, tiling, laying floor coverings, features and fittings, soft furnishings, maintenance and repairs. More than 250 instant decorating ideas and 2,000 photographs and illustrations in colour help you look after lined curtains and drapes, roman blinds, lay vinyl, lino or cork floor tiles, paint and varnish floors, add a cornice, panel a room, fit fixed shelving, doors or drawers, fit an extractor fan or extra air bricks for controllable ventilation, and in furnishings create a stool out of wood, an Astroturf chair, a space age chair, a Polynesian throne, a bent-wire chandelier, an Inca bird print, a star cupboard, a Moses backet. With advice on preparing and planning your work, choosing appropriate materials, paints and equipment for the job in hand. A quality large softback, 512 glossy pages packed with hundreds of colour photos.

Papermaking was invented in China probably around 2000 years ago and spread with the rapid expansion of Islamic culture into Spain and throughout Europe where the techniques for the production of decorated papers emerged. Often made to resemble expensive material such as marble, gold or exclusive fabric, they were sold at markets and paper shops and used as endpapers and wrappers for books, musical scores and brochures and for linings for boxes and decorating interiors of cabinets. They still appear in books today and are found in specialty paper stores. The combination of a viscous underlayer and floating dyes is essential to the flowing, organic designs typical of marbled paper. Dyes can be splashed or dipped to resemble naturally occurring structures or can be arranged into orderly patterns using a brush or comb or stick and introducing veins, curves, fans or waves. Once the desired effect is achieved, a sheet of paper is floated on the dye, transferring a mirror image of the design to the paper. This book contains examples of the best-known styles of marbling including comb pages 24-41, French curl pages 56-57, and stone marbling pages 80-119 including pebble patterns and veined marbling. Designs on pages 120-144 illustrate a shadow effect achieved by making ripples in the marbled liquid. The full page colour images throughout the book can be used as wrapping paper for small items (if you dare!), as a graphic resource and for inspiration and all are stored on the enclosed CD-ROM to decorate your letters, flyers, T-shirts etc. Large square softback, 144pp, colour.