Making Homes That Work

Making Homes: Anthropology and Design is a strong addition to the emerging field of design anthropology. Based on the latest scholarship and practice in the social sciences as well as design, this interdisciplinary text introduces a new design ethnography which offers unique and original approaches to research and intervention in the home.Presenting a coherent theoretical and methodological framework for both ethnographers and designers, the authors examine ‘hot’ topics – ranging from movements and mobilities to im/material environments, to digital culture – and confront the challenges of a research and design environment which seeks to bring about the changes required for a sustainable, resilient, ‘safe’, and comfortable future.Written by leading experts in the field, the book draws on real-life examples from a wide range of international projects developed by the authors, other researchers, and designers. Illustrations throughout help to convey the methods and research visually. Readers will also have access to a related website which follows the authors’ ongoing research and includes video and written narrative examples of ethnographic research in the home.Transforming current understandings of the home, this is an essential read for students and researchers in fields such as design, anthropology, human geography, sociology, and media and communication studies.

“Shows us why the actions that prepare us for emergencies and energy descent are the right things to do no matter what the future brings.” —Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden Other books tell us how to live the good life—but you might have to win the lottery to do it. Making Home is about improving life with the real people around us and the resources we already have. While encouraging us to be more resilient in the face of hard times, author Sharon Astyk also points out the beauty, grace, and elegance that result, because getting the most out of everything we use is a way of transforming our lives into something much more fulfilling. Written from the perspective of a family who has already made this transition, Making Home shows readers how to turn the challenge of living with less into settling for more—more happiness, more security, and more peace of mind. Learn simple but effective strategies to: · Save money on everything from heating and cooling to refrigeration, laundry, water, sanitation, cooking, and cleaning · Create a stronger, more resilient family · Preserve more for future generations We must make fundamental changes to our way of life in the face of ongoing economic crisis and energy depletion. Making Home takes the fear out of this prospect, and invites us to embrace a simpler, more abundant reality. “Americans are born to be transient—Sharon Astyk has the prescription for dealing with that genetic disease, and building a healthy nativeness into our lives.” —Bill McKibben, New York Times–bestselling author “Exhaustively researched and compassionately delivered.” —Harriet Fasenfest, author of A Householder’s Guide to the Universe

Learn how to craft breathtaking fairy homes exclusively from elements found in nature, step by step, from master fairy house architect Sally J. Smith—photos of dozens of her magical miniature creations provide abundant inspiration for crafters and fantasy fanciers interested in a creative challenge. Imagine a fairy home that has dragonfly wings as stained-glass windows, twigs for window frames, birch bark for walls, and dried mushrooms for shingles—with Fairy Houses, you can create one in your own garden. Browse gorgeous photographs of fairy houses in nature, then: Design your home following the outlined steps Gather tools and materials Create magical fairy house components, including intricately detailed doors and windows Put it all together to create your own unique fairy house Add lighting and interiors Add finishing touches, like a bark roof covering or a stone pathway The final chapter gives step-by-step photo instructions on how to construct two different fairy homes. Both an inspiring gallery of art and a practical how-to guide, Fairy Houses will open new doors of creativity for you as you are transported to the magical realm where fairies live.

This study focuses on the ways in which two of the most prominent Caribbean women writers residing in the United States, Michelle Cliff and Jamaica Kincaid, have made themselves at home within Caribbean poetics, even as their migration to the United States affords them participation and acceptance within its literary space.

You may be divorcing, divorced, never married, a grandparent, or other relative of a child growing up between two homes. For whatever reason you find yourself in the situation of helping a child grow up between two homes, it's normal to wonder how to do so now that you're no longer (or maybe never were) a single-home family. Between Two Homes has the answers. In this book, you'll learn how to remain or become coparents (instead of opponents) and how to help your child grow and thrive while living between two homes. Between Two Homes helps you:* Build a successful coparenting relationship so you can stop fighting and start communicating* Recognize obstacles to the coparenting relationship* Take advantage of alternatives to litigation-you don't have to fight it out in court* Talk to your child about the changes using language he or she can understand* Learn the special needs of your child at various stages, from newborn to teenager* Create a coparenting plan* Learn what behaviors, and even what words, can help or hurt your childThis book is also a helpful resource for mental health professionals and family law professionals. Not only does it provide helpful tools to help families, but it is a valuable text to provide to your clients. "Bradley S. Craig brings practical advice to emotionally driven situations involving one of life's most precious gifts, children. Between Two Homes is a concise, informative, and well-written guide to help parents learn to effectively coparent. I enthusiastically recommend Between Two Homes and Bradley's philosophy on how to effectively coparent."- Lauren Gaydos Duffer, Attorney and President of The Law Office of Lauren Gaydos Duffer, PC"A great tool for helping families raise children between their two homes." - Jennifer Leister, LPC, Author of Meet Max: Learning about Divorce from a Basset Hound's Perspective"Brad is one of the premier mental-health professionals dealing with families of divorce in the state of Texas. I, as well as the others Brad comes across, always learn something from him." - Patrick A. Savage, MA, LPC, FAPA, BCPC