Decorating Tricks: Touches of Style : Over 40 Quick-To-Do Projects, from an Hour to a Weekend

In Decorating Tricks, Maggie Colvin uses paint, fabric, and sometimes a jigsaw to spruce up cast-off furniture and accessories from frames and window treatments to tables, cupboards, and beds. Her techniques include sewing, simple carpentry, basic upholstery, decorative painting, and lots of stenciling. Despite the insistence on ease and speed--there's a brief but good introduction to choosing a color scheme, and the project step-by-step instructions are reasonably well explained--Colvin's presentation presumes at least intermediate-level skill and probably a good deal more time than indicated. There are no pattern templates for any of the numerous projects requiring designs; yes, crafters can draw their own designs or find existing motifs to adapt, but that certainly requires extra time and some degree of experience. The trompe l'oeil kitchen cupboard, for instance, features intricately stenciled crockery surrounded by stenciled architectural details, but even an expert would be hard-pressed to design, cut, and paint these stencils in the time indicated (one evening). Also, since the text is British, American readers may occasionally be puzzled by the materials (one must know, for example, that emulsion means latex paint). Many of the items are nice looking; just be forewarned that they may require more than a nodding acquaintance with the relevant craft. --Amy Handy