I thought I'd share some of my favourite books with you. I have a pretty vast collection now, but I have gone through them and pulled out a small selection. I usually have some listed over there on the right hand side of this diary, but I wanted to share a few more with you with an honest opinion of them.
First up, books by Christina Strutt of Cabbages & Roses. I absolutely LOVE her books. It wasn't until recently that I realised I was getting quite a collection of them.
My favourite is the 'Guide to natural housekeeping', it's a seriously good book. The rest have 'how to's' for making vintage style crafts. I take these books as inspiration only, I've not made a single thing as per her instructions. Not because they are particularly difficult or for the very skilled only (I truly believe anyone could follow her instructions), but because I much prefer to take an idea and change it to suit myself. I don't follow patterns or instructions, my way of working is to make it up as I go along. If you like very good instructions, then any of these craft books would be perfect for you. 
'Christmas Details' by Mary Norden. A pearl of a book. I really love this style of compact book. You can just throw them in your handbag and enjoy them at any time, wherever you are. I bought this book last Autumn, and one idea really grabbed my attention...
So simple and yet so stunning. I couldn't wait to try it out, and I thought immediately how this idea would lend itself perfectly for all year round decoration, not just for Christmas. (my empty bonne maman jam jars were in use, I would have preferred to use one of those instead) 
Atlanta Bartlett is the author of two wonderful books that I own. 
She is responsible for the look of a light fitting & decoration in my kitchen. She also heavily influenced my decision when we purchased a new fridge recently, as she'd featured it in her book and I really loved how it looked. I adore her vision and her taste. She inspires me just as much as Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic (I haven't mentioned her books in this post because I think everyone can tell how much she and her books inspire me. I could write at least three posts about Shabby Chic alone!) this is the light fitting look from 'An Easy Elegance'..
And this is my interpretation .. 
Ordinarily I wouldn't copy something so completely, but with the light shade that I found,along with a beautiful silk rose I was sent by a very sweet friend, this just coincidentially happened to turn out to be a pretty good copy! 'The Relaxed Home' emphasises how to achieve a cosy but lived in look for your home, and is a very good read. More 'compact' books!
Both of these are fantastic, but I really, REALLY love the 'home for all seasons'. It points out how the changing seasons can influence the home, and how lovely it is to bring the outside in. From bringing home shells and pebbles from a visit to the beach, or twiggy blossoms during spring. It's an idea that I have always used in my home, so for me this book is perfect as extra inspiration. 'Comfortable country' is just that. It gives ideas and suggestions to give your home a cosy, comfortable shabby chic country style. Finally, without doubt, my favourite inspirational craft books. The 'sew' and 'crafting' series from Tone Finnanger. I've mentioned these several times before, but have to talk about them again.
Even if you don't sew or do any crafts at all, I can guarantee that they will inspire you in some way. I've read reviews of these books, and the general opinion seems to be that the instructions aren't particularly clear and that you need to be pretty competent to make anything from the books. To be totally honest, I would have to say that I would agree with that. I think the ideas are wonderful, but I've made very few of them as some instructions read a bit muddly. I tend to make things based on the ideas in the books, rather than following instructions to the letter, but my goodness, isn't that what these fabulous books SHOULD do?! I have made three crafts following the instructions, fabric apples, fabric eggs and fabric roses. I liked how all of them turned out, but speaking for myself I find it easier to work on fabric roses 'my way'. I also like knowing that I've made something unique. That said, I feel that all of these books are well worth the money. You can very easily make similar projects using partly shop bought parts with just a dash of homemade effort. They are also just so beautiful to read through, that even if you don't have a creative bone in your body you can still enjoy them.So there you are. A small peek into some of the books I love to look at over and over again. Books that I love, books that inspire me, and books that make me smile and lift me if I'm feeling down.