Meditative Origami Review & GIVEAWAY

It's mindfulness times two! Color and then fold with Meditative Origami: Finding Mindfulness Through Coloring and Origami by origami expert John Montroll. Begin by choosing an image to color. There are 23 detailed illustrations in a variety of patterns such as mehndi, arabesque, seashells, mandala, bird, mosaic, flowers, succulents, fruits and nature. Use your own colored pencils and/or markers to color. Each drawing has an inspirational quote to meditate upon while you're coloring it. A sample page is shown below - the seashells pattern. Remove the page from the pad by cutting along the solid line. I used a paper cutter. You're left with an 8" (20 cm) square. It's a very nice size for folding and the paper is good quality. Pick 1 of 10 origami models to fold. I began with the heart. All of the designs are listed below. Each has large, clearly diagrammed instructions with symbols and text. They conform to the internationally approved Yoshizawa-Randlett system. Dover Publications released the 64 page paperback on November 13, 2019. Get your copy below!

Introduction

Symbols

Basic Folds

Catamaran

Butterfly

Angelfish

Fish

Crane

Swan

Peacock

Heart

Rose 

Unicorn

Seashells Pattern

Meditative Origami is available worldwide at Dover Publications. Dover, Great Books, Variety & Value Since 1941. Check out their catalog at Dover Publications. Dover has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until January 15, 2020. Canada & USA only. Good luck!

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Christmas Inspirations Coloring Book Review & GIVEAWAY

Make it a colorful Christmas with Creative Haven's® Christmas Inspirations Coloring Book by Jessica Mazurkiewicz! This issue features 31 Christmas themed designs with sayings like "Be Merry", as shown on the books cover and sample pages below. These festive designs are printed on good quality 8.1 x 10.6 inch (20.6 x 26.9 cm) white paper. The back of the pages are left blank. All pages are perforated so you can easily tear out, share, display and even frame your works-of-art. For use with colored pencils or markers. Printed in the USA. At $5.99 US and $7.92 CDN you can't beat the price! Creative Haven® is Dover's best-selling series of adult coloring books. Jessica has created dozens of coloring books for Dover, many of which are best-selling titles. Dover Publications released this 64 page paperback on August 14, 2019. There are many benefits to coloring including stress reduction and artistic expression. Get your copy below!

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Creative Haven's® Christmas Inspirations Coloring Book is available worldwide at Dover Publications. Dover, Great Books, Variety & Value Since 1941. Check out their catalog at Dover Publications. Dover has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until December 30, 2019. Canada & USA only. Good luck!

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A Dangle a Day Review

Want to create beautiful letters and intricate strings of charms? Angela Porter (the best-selling coloring book creator) is the author and illustrator of A Dangle a Day. It's a fun workbook for anyone interested in learning how to dangle. Angela demos how she builds her dangles, layer-by-layer, from pencil sketch through adding color. She dangles the letters of the alphabet, numbers and all four seasons. Her dangles become more elaborate as you progress through the book. Following every demo is a space called "Now it's your turn!". This is where you get to practice and experiment with dangling. Follow the authors example or do your own thing. There are 68 step-by-step dangling exercises. I've included the first two below. Use the tools and materials of your choice or follow the authors recommendations. Dangles are perfect for accenting artwork, stationery, planners, and journals. An introduction to bullet journaling also known as BuJo is included. Race Point Publishing released this 144 page paperback on January 15, 2019. Get your copy below!

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

What Is a Dangle?

Recommended Materials

Bullet Journals A Primer

PART ONE:  DANGLE CAPS & NUMERALS

PART TWO:  DANGLE DESIGNS FOR EVERY SEASON

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Dangle Directory

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Page 14

Page 15

My copy. Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 1.7 x 25.4 cm (8 x 0.6 x 10 inches).

A Dangle a Day is available worldwide at Race Point Publishing. Check out their unique catalog at Race Point Publishing. Race Point Publishing is a division of the Quarto Publishing Group USA.

Johanna Basford 16-Month Weekly Coloring Planner Review & GIVEAWAY

I just got the September 2018 - December 2019 Johanna Basford 16-Month Weekly Coloring Planner and I love it! It features intricate artwork selected from her six best-selling coloring books Ivy and the Inky Butterfly, Magical Jungle, Johanna's Christmas, Lost Ocean, Enchanted Forest and Secret Garden. This new, spiral bound, week-per-page planner is arranged Monday through Sunday. There's lots of room for filling in your activities. Organize your plans for the week on one side and color one of Johanna's delightful drawings on the other. Her trade mark black and white illustrations are printed on creamy vanilla paper. Color with your choice of pens, pencils or markers. Several lined pages for notes and a coloring test page are included at the back. There are many benefits to coloring including relaxation. This 156 page calendar was released June 5, 2018 from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Get your copy below!

Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 1.8 x 21.6 cm or 7.7 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches

Illustrator Johanna Basford - 21 million sold!

September 2018 - December 2019.

The September 2018 - December 2019 Johanna Basford 16-Month Weekly Coloring Planner is available at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Check out their unique catalog at Andrew McMeel Publishing. AMP has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until October 19, 2018. Canada & the USA only. Good luck!

Front of my copy.

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Johanna Basford 2019 Day-to-Day Coloring Calendar Review & GIVEAWAY

I can't wait to use my Johanna Basford 2019 Day-to-Day Coloring Calendar from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Johanna is a Scottish illustrator. You might recognize her name. She is the author of a series of wildly popular coloring books beginning with the Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book in 2013. Everything about her new calendar is lovely. Starting with the striking keepsake box printed with one of Johanna's exceptional black and white illustrations and highlighted with gold foil. Opening it reveals a years worth of bite-sized illustrations chosen from her six best-selling coloring books. The calendar's beautiful pages are produced on creamy vanilla stock. It's hinged lid is an easel for the current day's page when opened. Subtle details like the black ribbon, kraft paper wrap and decorative date fonts add an extra special touch. See sample pages below. This stunning coloring calendar is now available for pre-order. It will be released on August 14, 2018. Get your copy below!

Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.7 x 5.2 inches or 17.8 x 4.3 x 13.2 cm

The Johanna Basford 2019 Day-to-Day Coloring Calendar is available for pre-order at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Check out their unique catalog at Andrew McMeel Publishing. AMP has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until June 30, 2018. Canada & the USA only. Good luck!

Photos I took of my boxed calendar. Front view.

Side view of calendar box.

Inside cover page.

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Posh Ultimate Creative Activity Book Review & GIVEAWAY

WOW! This book is mindblowing. Starting with it's size a - whopping 10 x 14.5 inches (25.4 x 36.8 cm). It's the Posh Ultimate Creative Activity Book from Andrews McMeel Publishing. The 64 page paperback was released October 10, 2017. Inside you will find a variety of complex activities - Extreme Dot-To-Dots, Color Quest, Extreme Mazes, Extreme Coloring, Colortronic and Extreme Hanjie. These 6 activities have 5 detailed designs each for a total of 30 extreme projects. Following the table of contents below you will find a sample of each activity. The books pages are single-sided. Not sure what Hanjie is? Instructions for all activities are provided. If you get stuck the answers are at the back of the book. Whether dot-to-dots, mazes or coloring, these captivating challenges will keep you entertained for hours. Get your copy below!

CONTENTS

Extreme Dot-To-Dots

Color Quest 

Extreme Mazes 

Extreme Coloring

Colortronic

Extreme Hanjie

The Posh Ultimate Creative Activity Book is available at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Check out their unique catalog at Andrew McMeel Publishing. AMP has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until June 22, 2018. Canada & the USA only. Good luck!

Photo of back cover of my copy of the book. The design is from the Extreme Coloring section.

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Posh Creativity: D Is for Doodling Review & GIVEAWAY

Posh Creativity: D Is for Doodling is a gorgeous doodling book you can make your own by adding pattern and color to the simple shapes and outlines. No experience is necessary. The 96 page paperback was released March 6, 2018 from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Inside there are 13 themes. Each theme has several doodles - 46 in total. Following the table of contents below you will find 4 beautiful sample pages. A moving quotation begins each theme. Just add your preferred tools - pencil, pen, colored pens, markers etc. The books compact size 6" square (15.2 cm) makes it easy to slip into your bag. Doodling has many benefits including relaxation. Get your copy below!

CONTENTS

Themes

Animals

Architecture

Bugs & Butterflies

Birds

Flowers

Geometry

Mountains

Ocean

Things That Go

Trees

Sky

Happiness

Mandalas

Pages 4, 5, 6 and 7 are from the Animals theme. Use the image on the left as inspiration or reproduce it. I love the quote from Anatole France. "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.'' 

Posh Creativity: D Is for Doodling is available at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Check out their unique catalog at Andrew McMeel Publishing. Andrews McMeel Publishing has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until June 16, 2018. Canada & the USA only. Good luck!

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Harry & Meghan Coloring Book Review & GIVEAWAY

On May 19, 2018 the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will take place at Windsor Castle - 12 p.m. GMT (or 7 a.m. ET and 4 a.m. PT). Get in on the celebration with Harry & Meghan: A Love Story Coloring Book by Teresa Goodridge. This issue contains 30 illustrations for you to color using crayons, colored pencils and/or fine markers. The all-wedding themed images are inspired by the royal romance. The pages are on good quality 8" x 11" paper, single-sided and perforated so you can easily tear out, share, display and even frame your works-of-art. The 64 page paperback was released March 21, 2018 from Dover Publications. Check out their delightful video showcasing the coloring pages and get your copy below!

Dimensions 8 1/4'' x 10 7/8''

Harry & Meghan: A Love Story Coloring Book is available worldwide at Dover Publications. Dover, Great Books, Variety & Value Since 1941. Check out their catalog at Dover Publications. Dover has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until May 18, 2018. Canada & USA. Good luck!

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Love Colored Pencils Review & GIVEAWAY

Hey You. Want to learn how to color? Just add colored pencils, a sharpener and blending stump to this fun new book Love Colored Pencils: How to Get Awesome at Drawing: An Interactive Draw-in-the-Book Journal by Vivian Wong. This popular young Instagram artist, known for her fantastical colored pencil illustrations shares the methods she uses to color on large 8.5"  x 10" pages. Publisher: Quarry Books released the 128 page paperback on February 6, 2018. The format is demo and "try it yourself". Vivian demonstrates a technique, or colors in a subject, and then provides a dedicated space for the reader to practice. Chapter One covers techniques. Chapter Two how to color portraits - the eyes, noses, lips, skin and hair. Chapter Three how to color feathers, fur and flowers. Then use your new skills alone or in various combinations to create your own masterpieces. Get your copy below!

 

CONTENTS

Meet Vivian

Chapter One: Tools and techniques
Tool and Materials
Holding your Pencil
Pressure
Hatching
Crosshatching
Stippling
Blending
Vivian's "Go-To" Colors
Color Mixes
Knowing the Color Spectrum
What is Tone?
Bringing it all together

Chapter Two: How to color
Eyes
Noses
Lips
Skin
Hair

Chapter Three: My favorite things
Feathers: Owl
Fur: Leopard
Flowers

Index and Credits

Artist and author Vivian Wong.

Page 30 and 31. Demo page on the left. "Try it yourself" practice page on right. Large 8.5"  x 10" pages.

My copy the book and colored pencils.

Love Colored Pencils is available worldwide at Quarry Books, a division of the Quarto Publishing Group USA. Check out their unique catalog at Quarry Books. Quarto has generously offered to giveaway a copy! One winner will be selected at random. Open until April 19, 2018. Canadian and USA addresses only. Good luck!

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