Shelf Life: What's new at Stratford Public Library
House Proud: Hip Craft for the Modern Homemaker
by Danielle Proud
@SPL: 747 Pro

The home-decor industry raked in over $20 billion in Canada in 2002 (thank you, Trading Spaces). For those of us who prefer a personalized touch without spending a fortune, House Proud is a great source. Danielle Proud, the British queen of cheap-chic, is the ultimate recycler, reclaiming forgotten treasures with tried and true crafting skills. With great detail and lots of pictures she demonstrates each step in a multitude of projects: turning a threadbare 1960s’ dress into oven mitts, past issues of Vogue magazine covers into placemats, vintage plates into an attractive roller blind (yep, roller blind), a boring IKEA-like dresser into a one-of-a-kind objet d’art, and a shark into a door-stop (yep, shark). The projects are divided by room, including ideas for “in-between” spaces and the garden and she provides tips and tricks for finding fine flea-market furniture too. Since this is a UK publication, the list of sources in the back are not especially helpful for quick visits unless you like shopping online, but armed with this book, her website (houseproudcraft.com) and possibly the IKEA-hacker site (ikeahacker.blogspot.com), anyone can transform their homes, apartments and dorm-rooms into something spectacular.

– Robyn Godfrey
librarian