Award-winning landscape designer Jessi Bloom's comprehensive beginner's guide to keeping chickens is also a treasure trove of advice on plant selection, garden design, fencing, predator control, and much more. Bloom shows how chickens help your garden (gobbling up undesirable plants and insects, for starters) as well as how to raise happier, healthier birds by allowing them to free-roam in a safe, well-designed garden space. Her "exquisitely produced and artfully photographed" (San Francisco Chronicle) book will delight back-yard chicken enthusiasts who also love to garden; expect fans of Patricia Foreman's City Chicks or Chris Gleason's Art of the Chicken Coop to crow over this one, too.

The author of previous DIY Bride bestsellers returns with 40 spectacular new projects to help crafty brides keep their day hip, fun, and personal -- without breaking the bank. A budget section runs down the costs for traditional save-the-date cards, invitations, programs, favors, decorations, and much more -- then offers a price comparison box showing just how much each DIY project can save! One-of-a-kind brides will love this lavishly illustrated, inspiring, and eminently useful collection. Ariel Meadow Stallings' Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides is also highly recommended.

If you like Bette Hagman's iconic Gluten-Free Gourmet series, don't miss Denise Jardine's The Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Kitchen. These 150 recipes reflect Jardine's commitment to creating flavorful, attractive food that people -- not just those with restricted diets -- will love to eat. "Master recipes" allow readers to replace traditional dairy- and gluten-filled staples with delicious, healthy alternatives; for example, all-purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix, Dairy Milk Alternative, Creamy Macadamia Pine Nut Cheese, and Soy Velvet Whipped Cream become the basis for tempting dishes like Classic French Toast, Mushroom Kale Lasagna, Rustic Heirloom Pesto Pizza, Pumpkin Cheesecake and much more.

Joy the Baker is a gloriously down-to-earth, mouthwatering collection of recipes for those of us just looking for a reason to eat cake for breakfast. Self-taught baker and noted food-blogger-turned-author Joy Wilson dishes up hip yet homey goodness in every recipe -- Single Lady Pancakes, Peanut Butter Birthday Cake, Kitchen Sink Carrot Cake, and "Man Bait" Apple Crisp to name only a few. Even beginners can turn out amazing treats like Black Pepper Bacon Waffles with confidence using the instructions and recipes here -- and Wilson's offbeat humor is as warm, appealing, and delicious as her cooking.

The Vegetable Gardener's Book of Building Projects shows home gardeners how to build their way to better plants -- and save a little green, too. A well-illustrated visual introduction to tools and techniques prepares gardeners to successfully tackle any one of the 39 clever projects described here -- a simple wood-framed raised bed enclosure is a great place to start. From there, home veggie patch enthusiasts will love boosting their crops' beauty, health, and yield with custom-built planters, trellises, cold frames, and much more. Barbara Pleasant's Easy Garden Projects to Make, Build, and Grow offers many other excellent, equally green-thumbed DIY ideas.

With home-remodeling pro Brett Martin's help, you can turn your humble concrete patio into a magnificent new deck or a fully enclosed, stylish sunroom to enjoy year-round. 1001 Ideas for Outdoor Spaces covers the whole outdoor-DIY process start to finish: from good design principles to basic building techniques. Martin offers projects for a wide range of budgets as well as skill sets; with its comprehensive reference section on tools, materials, and building techniques, this is a particularly good choice for beginning outdoor-building enthusiasts to grow with.

A former editor of Martha Stewart Living shares hundreds of ideas for turning outside spaces into gorgeous extended living areas. Dedicated chapters on backyards, gardens, porches/patios/decks, pools/play spaces, and yard structures (sheds, gazebos, etc.) make it easy to find the right design options for your needs. Lavish full-color photos showcase oodles of possibilities to spark your imagination, whether you want a fairly elaborate outdoor re-do (and have the budget for contractors) or just some simple touches to spruce-up the great outdoors.

What's cooler than playing with a new video game on your smart phone? Doing it in a spiffy custom-built pirate ship treehouse, that's what! If you're a parent with a little building experience already under your belt, this family-friendly guide to treehouse fun is packed with creative ideas and practical basics to make that dream a reality for your kids. In addition to tools, materials, and building basics, it also advises how to have successful family planning meetings where kids share ideas, and parents share construction/playhouse safety. Three designs are included here, each one with step-by-step, photo-illustrated, and kid-inclusive instructions.