Holiday Gift Guide- Color your way down memory lane in the TOTALLY 90s COLORING BOOK.

 

It’s the perfect time of year to decompress with a coloring book! Illustrator Christina Haberkern’s, TOTALLY 90s COLORING BOOK, is the newest necessary addition to every adult coloring book collection.

From the ever-popular fashion accessories like scrunchies and fanny packs, to outdated but lovable tech like the Walkman and VCRs, this coloring book is the perfect memento for ‘90s kids. It's also a fun time capsule for artists of any age. Christina has put together her favorite 90s throwback songs for you to listen to while you color your way down memory lane. You can find this playlist on Spotify under the title, "Totally 90s". 

My Thoughts:

Being born in the beginning of the era, I feel like I got the full 90s kid experience! I was so excited when I heard about the Totally 90s coloring book. Coloring is a relaxation tool I embrace in my life even as an adult. It feels very meditative. This was the perfect coloring book to use to take a trip down memory lane and connect with my inner child. 

My favorite aspect of the Totally 90s coloring book is how detailed the pages are. They all have multiple 90s designs in the background and plenty of famous celebrities, activities, and accesssories throughout. I laughed so hard when I saw the photo of, The Rock, in his fanny packs. That's probably my favorite page out of all of them!

If you're looking for the perfect relaxation activity or a fun holiday gift, I can't recommend the Totally 90s coloring book enough! You won't be disappointed. 

Connect with Christina Haberkern:

Website  Etsy Hello Harlot Shop Instagram

Relax and Unwind with a New Scratch & Create Book from The Quarto Group!

Scratch and create is the newest form of art therapy for adults! Reconnect with your creativity, reduce stress, and unwind form a long day by scratching your artistic itch with Enchanted Animals.

With the included stylus, you can embark immediately on your scratch and create journey with this book. When your meditation is complete, you will have charming work of art to display and share—and each page is perforated for easy removal.

My Thoughts:

One of my favorite activities growing up has been coloring and scratch art! When adult coloring books became the latest in meditative practices and stress relief, I was certainly excited to rekindle my love for the projects! Scratch & Draw Enchanted Animals by Marisa Redondo was right up my alley with these designs! I adore animals, nature, as well as abstract designs that have a little magic and mysticism to them. I couldn't wait to create with this book! 

As the description states:

Scratch & Draw Enchanted Animals

by Marisa Redondo

Paperback, 20 pages

US $19.99, CAN $25.99

9781631595110

Rockport Publishers

Scuff, scrape, and scratch dark metallic coating away to create inspirational and decorative illustrations of rabbits and dandelions, raccoons, owls, foxes, and a whole forest of enchanting wildlife.

Here is the rough draft of one of the projects I've been working on in the book! I found the creative designs to be fun, easy to follow, and extremely unique. Each scratch page has a different color and they're easy to draw on with the stylus included. Hours of fun for everyone, adults and children alike! I'm excited to bring this book into my classroom for my art students to try! I know they'll love it as much as I do!

Connect with The Quarto Group:

Website  Facebook  Twitter 

FINALLY! A Coloring Book for Metalheads & Cat Lovers!

For all of us who ONLY want to color outside of the lines: rock out on kitties and headbangers!

Skulls and Siamese. Corpse paint and Persians. Baphomet, pentagrams, blood, and tabbies!



Metal Cats Coloring Book combines two juxtaposed and amazing subjects: the extreme personalities of the true metal music scene and their adorable kitties. Based on the photographs of the book Metal Cats, these incredibly cute and fluffy felines appear side by side with their loving owners from bands like Black Goat, Thrones, Isis, Lightning Swords of Death, Book of Black Earth, Skarp, Harassor, Akimbo, Aldebaran, Atriarch, Oak, Ghoul, Ludicra, Holy Grail, Xasthur, Cattle Decapitation, Murder Construct, Exhumed, Morbid Angel, Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Gypsyhawk, Nausea, Phobia, and Napalm Death, along with many other metalheads.



Featuring 30 original drawings, it's now your turn to get in on the action. Pull out your Crayolas and markers and help everyone look most evil by adding your own vibrant colors to these amazing and hilarious pairings. Fun for ages 1-666.

Alexandra Crockett, a musician, zinester and jewelry designer, has been present and active in the metal community since age 15 and is currently finishing up a doctoral degree in the Bay Area. Beginning her idea for the book by doing promotional photos for bands and friends she would cat-sit for, she found an interesting dynamic between men in the metal scene and their cats. The idea formed around giving accolades to local musicians and artists in the metal scene, while also bringing attention to no-kill shelters and their importance for animal rights.

Coloring Book / Cats / Heavy Metal

Paperback, 8 x 10.375 inches, 32 pages

ISBN: 978-1-57687-845-3, $9.99 US/CAN.

My Thoughts: 

Words cannot describe how much I LOVE this coloring book. I was raised on metal throughout my life. As a little girl my dad was always blasting Dio, Judas Priest, and Metallica. Into my teenage years my second home was music venues supporting my local rock and metal scenes. On top of helping bands, I also frequented any music festivals I could find. Metal has and always will have a special place in my heart. Not only was it a way for my dad and to make memories and bond, it was where I felt a sense of belonging and community for many years. 

As an animal lover as well, this coloring book was ideal for me. It is true that many metalheads do indeed love their cats! I know quite musicians that are fellow animal loves and adore supporting animal charities. When I heard that not only does this coloring book have amazing art, but brings awareness to animal rights and no-kill shelters, my heart was won. 

For any music and animal lovers, this is a must have in your collection! Fun and laughs for hours on end are to be had. With unique pictures, detailed layouts, adorable cats, and a true metal feel, you will be head banging and coloring the night away!  

Connect with powerHouse Books:

Facebook Twitter  Instagram  Website  

Mythologica: Beasts to Color

This gorgeously illustrated, intricately designed collection of mythical beasts to color offers hours of relaxing, absorbing fun to coloring book fans and fantasy fans alike. It features custom-made artwork from two internationally acclaimed illustrators and includes everything from a majestic dragon, flying phoenix, and a soaring Pegasus to a fire-breathing dragon, incredible kraken, beautiful unicorn, and beyond. Every single page allows coloring fans to take their time, concentrate, and create something exquisite and unforgettable. Each striking design is printed on perforated paper, so it is easily pulled out and readily available for display once you’re done. Long-time coloring book fans and beginners alike will be delighted as they create an alternate world filled with mythical creatures in Mythologica.

My Thoughts

Coloring is a favorite pastime of kids everywhere. We all spent hours during our childhoods filling page after page with color. We had fun, and it fulfilled our creative sides. Somewhere along the way, most of us grow up and feel that coloring books are a thing that we have to set aside as we take on adult responsibilities However,. I am steadily racking up my stock of adult coloring books. I absolutely love them. They take you straight back to your childhood, and give you a relaxing outlet. As a kid I would color for hours with music playing in the background and it is still something I do today. They are much better than the kids coloring books that I play with with my kids. Now they can use their age appropriate books perfect for adults.

The Mythologica: Beasts to Color Book is my favorites from Barron so far because I love fantasy themed artwork. There are beautiful pictures of dragons, phoenixes, centaurs, and various types of  mythological creatures throughout the book.  I like to use colored pencils and skinny markers. The markers don't bleed through the pages, but even if they do they're blank on the back of each page. Plus, the pages are  perforated which is great because the pictures are so pretty, I want to take some of them out and frame them!

 Mythologica: Beasts to Color book is definitely quirky and unique. My daughter loves this book as much as I do, and had a great time working on the beautiful unicorn page.  Each page is different and it feels like the characters could step right out of the pages.  The designs are challenging to color, but still a lot of fun. The artwork in each of this book is stunning. With so many options, there really is something for everyone.

Challenging Dot-to-Dot

For those kids who think dot-to-dot puzzles are for babies, tell them to think again—because their best challenges start right NOW. Challenging Dot-to-Dot is jam-packed with over 70 amazing puzzles, from 100 to 1,000 dots. Puzzles start easy, but get harder as you go along. Find buried treasure, surf the waves, or go on a dot-to-dot adventure! Many of the completed pictures would look even better colored in—so get your favorite colored pencils or pens and go to town! Every single picture has a time challenge for kids to conquer. Ready? Set? Connect those dots! (Ages 8 and up)

My Thoughts

This book is so much fun! There are more than 70 connect the dot puzzles. These aren't like regular puzzles. These are for far more advanced practitioners. The numbers can go as high as the 500s! Each of the pictures is a beautiful, exotic animal.  It's a great collection for adults or older kids who miss the challenge of connecting the dots. Once that part is done, you still have some lovely pictures to color. My kids just loved this book and between the four of them, they have already done more than half the dot connecting. They time each other to see who can complete them the fastest. It's a great way to get them away from the video and television on a rainy day. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books in this line in the future.

Coloring Book Review: The Magic of Mandalas

Coloring Books have become hugely popular, and while I don't use them as much as I would like (too many things get in the way), they are still fun to open up when you need that occasional visit with your inner child. 

This coloring book, The Magic of Mandalas, was no exception. The intricate designs allow the adult inside to enjoy the book as much as the inner child. This book is a bit different though, as it is not a book in the traditional sense. See what I mean? 

This is actually my favorite coloring book I have tried (or seen). I think it's because the design is so unique. The papers slide into an opening at the top rather than being bound, which I think makes it much easier to deal with. Also, I love that it has an opening in the side so you can display your finished pictures... 

I am definitely going to be using this one more than any other I have (at least until I run out of pages!), and I highly recommend it for any grown-up coloring enthusiasts. 

Just Add Color: Tattoo - Review

Another addition to the bestselling "Just Add Color" adult coloring book series! Coloring has taken its place at the grown up's table as a legitimate form of artistic expression, right along with painting and drawing. In Tattoo, you'll be enthralled with hours of coloring fun as you create your own masterpiece out of these inspiring tattoo designs. This book offers more than 120 gorgeous pull-out illustrations ready to be brought to life, including tribal, nature, magical creatures, fairytales, script & lettering, and more. It's so relaxing and fun that even the most mature among us will want to run for the nearest box of colored pencils. Perfect to pull-out and frame, too!

Our Thoughts 

Who doesn't like coloring? But as a mom of four, I want to be able to have my own coloring book that I can relax with while the kids are coloring in their own coloring books. What's better is when the book is something that the adult is interested in!

The Tattoo book ranges from simple designs to intricate designs of mandalas while boasting thick lines so you can easily see the detail. "Just Add Color: Tattoos" has a sturdy paperback cover and the pages are a little thicker than normal paper, making it easier to keep your page in one piece while coloring. One of the nicest things about this book is that it has perforated pages to be able to pull the page out when you're done if you'd like to hang it in a frame or take it to your tattoo artist to recreate on your skin.

I honestly would love to find more from the "Just Add Color " line to see all the different themes and explore more coloring. You can find this specific book on Amazon. 

Coloring Dream Mandalas - Adult Coloring Book - Review

Relax and de-stress from your busy life by coloring this collection of whimsical mandalas that incorporate mystical imagery into the patterns

Relax, focus, reach a higher state of mindfulness and simply enjoy yourself as you artfully turn the intricate shapes in this book into stunning works of art. Coloring Dream Mandalas offers you an imaginative array of inspiring quotes and beautiful images, including:

•Dragons
•Dream catchers
•Fairies
•Stars and Moons
•Angels
•Birds
•Sacred Symbols
•Castles

Our Thoughts

I'm sure that there are plenty parents out there, especially moms, that want to color with the kids or even color alone! I know that when I plan to color with the kids, all they do is take over my book or page because mine is so much better than theirs, even if it's the same book! The Coloring Dream Mandalas book gives mom (or dad) an opportunity to color along side the kids but have a book that is of an adult caliber. 

I absolutely loved taking time and coloring the Mandala I chose. Granted I came back to it a couple times because of it being so much more difficult than a regular book but I can't say enough about it! I love the intricacy of the designs and I love all the detail you can get with this! I recommend getting twist pencils or twist crayons to use as colors unless you're an avid artist. Your typical crayons just don't work because of the intricacy of the designs. 

The photo is one of the less complicated designs that I have colored in the book. 

You can find Coloring Dream Mandalas for purchase on Amazon or a signed copy on Etsy. You can find out more about Wendy Peirsall on her website and follow her on Instagram and Pintrest.

Art Therapy from publisher Jacqui Small

French women have found a new way to relax - and it's probably not what you think. 

In a nation that is among the world's top consumers of antidepressants, coloring books are a prescription-free way to relieve anxiety.In fact, this non-competitive, mindful and focused activity has become so popular in France that coloring books are currently outselling cookbooks!

Fans are forming groups on social media sites where they post their work and advise each other on the best books and pencils. Many find that coloring 20 minutes to an hour per day relieves headaches, quells anxieties, and provides that rarest of feelings for a busy working woman or mom - a sense of accomplishment.

My Thoughts

I never thought I would enjoy coloring at the of forty six as much I as do.  I am a stay at home mom, and I also run an in home daycare.  So at the end of my day, I sometimes am a little stressed and just need to have some down time. 

I have a ten and seven year old, and in the early evening we all get out our books and color. They of course like to have contests with me to see who can stay in the lines.  Of course they don't realize that mommies book have a little more detail and smaller areas to color in.  But it is nice to sit with both my kids, because while we are all coloring, I find myself going into a meditation state. 

I have had a couple friends pop in and see me sitting with one of these books coloring.  They asked to see which ever one I wasn't using at the time, and she actually sat down and started coloring in the other book.  We had the small talk and just relaxed and colored together. 

There are so many beautiful pictures in these books to color.  I actually have thought about framing a couple and giving them as gifts to some family members.  These are great books and would also make great gifts for those friends or family members who could use a little down time themselves.   Most relaxing thing I've done in awhile.

For more information on these go to: lobsterandswan.