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Magazine
creates 50 challenges for do-it-yourselfers
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Canadian House &
Home Weekend Projects: 50 Favourite Decorating Projects from House
& Home Magazine
Edited by Cobi Ladner;
McArthur &
Company, Toronto, $29.95 softcover.
The popular magazine House & Home has published 80 Weekend
Workshops stories since 1993; Weekend Projects undertakes to bring
50 of them together in one handy volume.
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Although lavishly photographed
in full colour, this isn't the kind of book you'll want to leave
sitting on the coffee table for the occasional flip-through -- the
comprehensive lists of materials and step-by-step instructions are
going to goad you into getting off the couch and building something,
whether you intend it or not.
Laid out much like the
magazine, each project begins with an introduction explaining the
project, an editor's note from Ladner (who also edits the magazine)
giving cheerful advice for making the most of the section to follow,
and a difficulty rating. Easy projects include such touches as door
wreaths and picture frames. Difficult projects involve a lot more
woodworking -- some involve fairly extensive carpentry in fact --
such as a latticework garden trellis. (Each section is referred to
as a project, but some projects contain several sub-projects. For
example, Project 14, Summer Dress, breaks down into slipcovers, a
tablecloth and several different kinds of cushions.)
There
is a wide variety of project represented here; some will be most
appealing to sewers, others to decorators, still others to painters,
builders or even would-be plumbers. The kinds of materials used run
an equally expansive gamut: some wood, some fabric, some mirror,
some metal and so on. The thread that holds them all together is,
appropriately enough, that with sufficient dedication and patience,
each can be completed in a single weekend or less.
One of
the most eye-catching projects, rated Average, is a gabled, rustic
cedar garden shed that resembles an old-fashioned -- and charmingly
dilapidated -- outhouse. Although good at most crafts, I haven't
tried building anything from scratch, so I read the instructions
carefully to see if a know-nothing like me could follow it all. The
materials list is hardware-story ready, and provides cut sizes for
every piece of wood used in the project.
As I went through
each step, I found no difficulty following the instructions, leading
me to believe it is possible for a patient newbie to dive right into
these projects. Many, however, require tools beyond screwdrivers and
hammers, so unless you're prepared to shell out for electric saws
and levels, read the list carefully before embarking on a project.
Lynda Reeves, host of House & Home on HGTV and publisher
and founder of the magazine, provides the forward and is featured
fairly prominently in the press material, but the real stars here
are the House & Home designers and editors who searched stores
and design books for inspiration, then turned their finds into
accessible projects you can make yourself without spending an arm
and a leg.
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