Table Top Fountains: 40 Easy and Great-looking Projects to Make Book

Fountains have become increasingly popular home-decor accents, but they can be somewhat pricey. Fortunately, many types are not very difficult to build, and can be made with lots of found materials and garden-center water pumps. Dawn Cusick's directions are good and her ideas relatively easy to duplicate. Her most successful designs are those that direct water to mimic nature by trickling over rocks and shells, or to flow through water-resistant items like brass vases, ceramic faces, or terra-cotta pots. Less successful are those that try to be too clever, such as the gift package fountain, whereby the water pouring over a stack of gift-wrapped boxes inspires nothing so much as the urge to grab a sponge to mop up the spill, or the office desk fountain, in which water cascades down a ladder of CDs set inside an empty computer monitor. And the lack of a source list may prove a hindrance to some, though most of the more specialized materials are readily available at home centers and garden-supply stores. Dorcas Adkins's Simple Fountains for Indoors & Outdoors takes a more elaborate, artful approach, but overall Cusick's book is a good way to begin a fountain-making journey. --Amy Handy Read More