Sunshine Spaces

Designer Orpin (Home) shines DIY ideas on readers in her fourth book of crafts, which concentrates on outdoor projects. She describes how to make concrete planters, a macramé chair, cushions, and a sun-brella. She throws two picnics, one for youngsters and one for grown-ups, for which she offers decorating directions for making paper crystals, flower crowns, table collages, and a roll-up blanket. She ends with outdoor play in a hiding space or with a jump rope. Judging by the final products, Orpin’s projects seem complex or highly technical, but they are surprisingly simple to produce with basic tools such as a handsaw (for the jump rope) and a sewing machine (for a hammock). Templates are included for the chair and the crystals. Her breezy style of writing includes nods to other artisans, and the many pictures either clarify directions or simply offer soothing, sunny moments. (Apr.)