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Home, Garden, and DIY May 2011
"The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May."
~ Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980), American naturalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
Lights, Camera, Knit!
We've all seen actresses playing Miss Marple knitting but can you list any other films in which the actresses or actors are knitting? How about men whose style affected knitting, knitting in history or stars who knit? In the Links area, you'll find a few articles and some films Houston Public Library owns on knitting, and with characters knitting in the films.

~ L. Reeves, editor
New and Recently Released!
The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that Pack a Punch - by Randy Clemens
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/2011
Share The Sriracha Cookbook%3a 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that Pack a Punch ISBN-13: 9781607740032
 ISBN-10: 1607740036
Maybe you've seen sriracha (a.k.a. "rooster sauce") table-side in your favorite local Asian eatery: a bright red bottle nicknamed for its rooster label. This humble condiment made the big time in 2009, winning Bon Appetit'sIngredient of the Year award. Randy Clemens' saucy little cookbook shows you why! For best results, start with his recipe for homemade sriracha: in no time you'll be crowing over Bacon-Sriracha Cornbread, Spicy Vietnamese Pork, Peach-Sriracha Sorbet and much more. Beginners and seasoned foodies alike can try all 50 easy recipes with a bottle of the store-bought sriracha in a pinch if need be--the secret really is in the sauce.
The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes: Personalize Your Craft with Organic Colors from Acorns, Blackberries, Coffee, and Other Everyday Ingredients - by Sasha Duerr
Publisher: Timber Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/2011
Share The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes%3a Personalize Your Craft with Organic Colors from Acorns, Blackberries, Coffee, and Other Everyday Ingredients ISBN-13: 9781604690712
 ISBN-10: 1604690712
Take your crafts to a new level with custom dyes made from all-natural, non-toxic sources! Textile artist/designer Sasha Duerr provides not only a detailed introduction to dye-making techniques (including safety basics) using plant materials found around your home and yard, but also a complete guide to growing your own dye-maker's garden. Inspiring projects show how to use your luscious home-grown dyes on fabric, paper, beads, and more. Wild about creating colors to dye for? Check out Jenny Dean's Colours from Nature, too.
The Artful Garden: Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design - by James Van Sweden and Thomas Christopher
Publisher: Random House
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/2011
Share The Artful Garden%3a Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design ISBN-13: 9781400063895
 ISBN-10: 1400063892
Get inspired while you wait for the danger of frost to pass: The Artful Garden explores garden design using principles from other fine arts in this lavishly-photographed reference. Paintings have often inspired gardeners' color and compositon choice. Here, creative gardeners can discover new ways of looking at their living designs: how musical tempo can shape a garden path, or how placement of landscape features can mimic a leaping dancer's movements. Interviews with master artists (and avid gardeners) like cellist Yo-Yo Maand modern painter Robert Dash offer insight into their arts--and the garden retreats they personally enjoy.
Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season - by Patricia Wells
Publisher: William Morrow
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/2011
Share Salad as a Meal%3a Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season ISBN-13: 9780061238833
 ISBN-10: 006123883X
Foodie Patricia Wells (Vegetable Harvest, The Provence Cookbook) tosses together old and new salad mainstays in the fresh, healthful and delicious style for which she is revered. Her chopped and chilled Cobb Salad is a tasty nod to tradition--but you won't find old-school chicken or pasta salad here. Instead, savor the unexpected: Thai Beef Salad, creamy Lobster Salad with Green Beans, Apple, and Avocado, or Ceasar Salad with Polenta Croutons. With accompaniments like Pancetta and Greek Yogurt Tart or Ham and Cheese Bread (plus top-notch wine suggestions too), this is upscale light fare at its best. Chris Schlesinger's classic Lettuce in Your Kitchen is another top pick for salad lovers.
Take it Easy with These Great Reads
Summer's lazy days are just around the corner. Get mellow early with home, garden, and DIY projects that are perfect for easy living!
City quilts : 12 dramatic projects inspired by urban views - Cherri House
Publisher: StashBooks/C&T Pub.
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/2010
Share City quilts %3a 12 dramatic projects inspired by urban views ISBN-13: 9781571208477
 ISBN-10: 157120847X
Discover endless design possibilities in everything from parks to parking lots! Create city-inspiried quilts by piecing together simple geometric shapes -- Beginner-friendly project designs are inspired by modern urban architecture and landscapes. Learn how to achieve dramatic looks with more effective use of color, value, and placement. Work with traditional blocks like Flying Geese and Log Cabin in a new way.
500 Ideas for Small Spaces: Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less - by Kimberley Seldon
Publisher: Creative Publishing International
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
Share 500 Ideas for Small Spaces%3a Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less ISBN-13: 9781589233010
 ISBN-10: 1589233018
No space is too small to be stylish as well as efficient. HGTV's Design for Living host offers 500 casually elegant decorating solutions for "small" living spaces under 1,000 square feet. Transform "cramped" into "cozy" with great fabric, paint, and organization advice. If you own your space, you'll find simple remodeling tips too. Ideas are organized room-by-room (bedroom, bath, entryways, kids' rooms, etc.) and excellent photos capture the design principle/project described. Is your style more eclectic, urban, or industrial? Investigate Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, by design blogmeister Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, or Jeannée Ledoux’s Abode à la Mode.
Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles - by Eric Toensmeier
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2007
Share Perennial Vegetables%3a From Artichoke to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener ISBN-13: 9781931498401
 ISBN-10: 1931498407
Gardeners (and cooks!) longing for a home-grown veggie patch they don't have to replant every year will love this down-to-earth gardening guide from an urban farming pro. Beginners and garden gurus alike will appreciate its friendly writing style and simple organization into three sections: techniques for sustainable, efficient plot managment; an A-Z photo-illustrated list of 100+ edible perennials with complete planting, growing, and harvesting information for each; and a resources section that includes buying sources for plants and supplies, an excellent index, and much more. Booklist praises this as "the bible for this new class of edible gardening."
Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers - by Pam Anderson
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2010
Share Perfect One-Dish Dinners%3a All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers ISBN-13: 9780547195957
 ISBN-10: 0547195958
Bestselling author and USA Weekend food columnist Pam Anderson (The Perfect Recipe) offers perfectly delicious no-stress cooking for your next casual get-together. Divided into four categories--stews, casseroles, roasts, and big salads/grilled platters--these one-dish entrees pack enough flavor to stand alone. Can't resist a little something on the side? Mix-and-match appetizer, side-dish, and dessert recipes won't let you down: try Spicy Coconut Shrimp Stew, a side of Jicama Slaw, and Miniature Lemon Raspberry Cakes for dessert. Pam's make/buy ahead variations let cooks customize recipes according to their available prep time, and her well-chosen wine pairings put the finishing touch on easy entertaining.
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Houston Events
Saturday, May 21st, 2011, 10am,
 Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Plant Sale sponsered by Houston Area Daylily Society
 
Sunday, May 22nd, 1-5pm
 
Events Outside of Houston
 
Saturday and Sunday, May 14th and 15th, 2011, 10am-6pm, Texas City, TX
Friday - Sunday, May 20th-22nd, 2011
Pasadena Strawberry Festival, check website for times
 
Saturday, June 11th, 10:30am-8pm
 

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