Turn commonplace red clay flowerpots around the house into eye-catching additions to your decor, and brighten any room, express any mood, or celebrate any holiday. From the 25 basic designs, using ordinary tools and materials like gift wrap, paint, buttons, twigs, bottle tops, and seashells, you can give any plant that special setting for any space or occasion. Plus, you can adapt the projects to customize pots to your own original designs. A Selection of BOMC's Country Book Club. 128 pages, 150 color illus., 8 1/4 x 11 1/2. The word pot calls to mind the standard flower container, but the title of Stephanie Donaldson's delightful book is actually a happy misnomer. Besides various-shaped and -sized terra-cotta pots, Donaldson also adorns glass and ceramic vases and metal buckets, and displays them not only sporting plants but serving as lovely candle holders, wine coolers, silverware and utensil caddies, bathroom storage vessels, and pencil cups. In addition to attractive takes on decoupage and paint (with lots of classy metallic looks), she also presents clever ideas with mosaics, beads, buttons, and glass-etching spray. A refreshing departure from the country-cute approach, Donaldson's sophisticated designs are nevertheless easy to realize, well explained, and beautifully photographed. --Amy Handy It is curious to find out, after perusing Donaldson's array of decorated containers, that similar items don't sell well at retail. Regardless, this is the perfect kind of crafts book that encourages anyone to pick up a tool and try. Why? Oversize color photographs, great step-by-step directions, and just plain elegant design that's easy to copy. Also, her narrative is clear-cut but not dry--and it is further enlivened by helpful hints (for instance, using foreign out-of-date newspapers in a vase collage). Almost every one of the 25 projects includes a suggested alternative; instead of a sponged mosaic pot, for instance, she suggests a diamond pattern using the same method. From the England-based author of Country Containers (1999), among others. Suppliers appended. Barbara Jacobs Used Book in Good Condition