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Coloring Books -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

THIS Link Party is for all craft posts and craft product review posts!! Sharing Saturday (for kid related posts) is here. Creative Kid Culture Blog Hop (for multicultural posts) is here
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Has the adult coloring book craze hit you yet? I love it and so does Hazel. However with so many options out there it is hard to know which book to chose. We have had the pleasure of reviewing several different ones (The Time Garden, The Time Chamber, some of the Magic Series, and Colour Your Day) and today we are reviewing two new ones!! The first is from Candlewick Press  and is The Coloring Book of Cards and Envelopes: Nature by Rebecca Jones.  I have to admit we LOVE this one. Instead of just coloring pages to color and relax you are coloring cards and envelopes that you can use to send a note or for a holiday. Hazel has mostly taken over this book on me.




Hazel keeps coloring cards and giving them away before I can take pictures of them. I had to insist on coloring a few just to get some pictures. I also wanted to coloring the matching envelopes which Hazel has not been doing. 

Pictured above is the front and back of the envelope as well as the card inside the envelope and pulling it out.  My only complaint is the envelopes are square so they cost more to mail, but that is a minor complaint and they are really the only way the envelopes would work in the book.

The cards have pictures on all four sides including a place to sign who colored it. We have been really enjoying these. I think these will be our Mother's Day and Father's Day cards from Hazel this year. At the back of the book there is a page of seals for the envelopes. 
Here is another card I started working on or at least working on the envelope.

And here is one Hazel is still working on coloring. She finished the front and back but has not done the inside.

What I love is that each project is a card that can be used and is not just for the relaxation of the person coloring it. Hazel also loves making these cards and is giving them to random people when she finishes them. It is a lot of fun!! 

Our second book is from Penguin Random House and it is Cats in Paris by Won-Sun Jang. This book has bigger pictures and it took me awhile to figure out the best coloring materials for them. And to be honest I am still working on that.

Our gel pens are too fine for most of the pages in this book. I also found some of the pictures a bit overwhelming for me. 

This is one of the first pages where I used gel pens. I got bored with the bigger shapes and did not complete it. The same is true with this one.

Some of the pages bring Paris into the pictures and some do not. As a cat lover I enjoyed coloring some of the pictures for the cat. I tended to get bored with the other things.
Hazel got her hands on it as well and colored this cat to look like our cat, Fluffy. As you can see the larger pictures with the gel pens did not work for her either. I finally pulled out Hazel's brush markers and tried those.

I started coloring this one but found it strange how you could see both layers of the overlapped parts (cat's paws and flowers, etc.). I gave up on it, but did find these markers worked much better than the gel pens. Then I had fun with this one.
These pens are better but are still not the best thing. I think I will try colored pencils next. I need more shades than most markers give for the cats and want lighter shades too. The book is fun, but it is not my favorite since I really like using my gel pens for coloring. But this is a personal preference more than anything. If you like cats and Paris, you should check it out.





Thank you to everyone who shared with us at last week's party!!  I hope you will check them all out and remember it is just a sampling of the amazing crafts shared. 


Also remember for your child-oriented crafts, activities, lessons, etc. Sharing Saturday is going on!! For any cultural related posts (diversity and/or multicultural as well) be sure to share at the month long Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop. This week's features are fabric and flowers, painting and boxes and photos.

Fabrics & Flower Craft Features



1) From The Logbook: 5 Steps to Create a Felt Banner

2) From Living La Vida Holoka: Maker's Mix-Ups: DIY Wine Corked Stamped Cherry Kitchen Towel

3) From Nap Time Creations: My Favorite PJ Pattern for Kids


4) From Do More for Less: Easy Spring Home Decor Update

5) From Simply {Darr}ling: Scrabble Vase Centerpiece

Painting Features



1) From Dreaming in Color: Layering Paint on a Dresser

2) From Lynzy & Co.: DIY Distressed TV Console Cabinet

3) From The Perfect Storm: Make the Purrfect Cat Treat Jars & Treats


4) From Sunny Sweet Days: Earth Day DIY: Repurposed Vase

Boxes & Photos Features



1) From The Scrap Shoppe: Easy Customized Gift Wrap with a Label Maker

2) From Wesens-Art: DIY Box with Tear Off Strip

3) From Summer Scraps: Pyramid Treat Boxes


4) From Pink Heels Pink Truck: Favorite Photo Editing Apps & Tips to Use Them

Thank you to everyone who shared the last week!! I hope you will share again!! If you are featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog. I would love the help spreading the word about Crafty Weekends!!





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 Please share family friendly crafts here. Just crafts and/or patterns--no recipes, lessons, etc. You can share craft product reviews as well. By linking up here you are giving me permission to share your links and to pin your links. Please follow my Crafty Weekends Feature Pinterest Board to see all the features from these fun link parties!