Thank you for stopping by my blog. Lately I have been reviewing books and haven't had as much time to scrap. Hopefully soon I'll get back to scrapping and creating some new files. Thank you for your patience.

I have made files available at absolutely no charge. I do this for fun. I am learning the wonderful Make The Cut (MTC) program and trying to improve my skills. Most of the files have been created from free coloring sheets online. You will need MTC software in order to cut these files. Please use these files for your personal use only and if you want to share them with others please direct others to my blog. I hope you enjoy these files. Comments are always appreciated. If you are not a follower please consider doing so. I have lots of new files that I want to add over the next few months.



PLEASE DO NOT USE MY FILES AS YOUR OWN AND DO NOT POST THEM ELSEWHERE. IF YOU WANT TO SHARE MY WORK WITH OTHERS PLEASE DIRECT THEM TO MY BLOG. THANK YOU

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Wonders of Creation coloring Bible

Doodletopia Fairies

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Everything Beautiful

Everything Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Inspiration and Reflection is done by various artists. “”Open this coloring book and be reminded of splendor everywhere. Beauty abounds in the extraordinary and the ordinary… and even in the mundane.”  This coloring book allows you to reflect using spiritual Christian quotes. This book is very similar to Whatever Lovely.
It is beautifully done single pages but the back side includes scriptures, songs, or poem to go along with the picture on the other side. It also includes the illustrator. The paper is very thick almost a cardstock thickness. The illustrations are perfect for those who don’t like tedious or small spaces to color in. The lines are bold. Some of the pages are more detailed than others but pretty simple. Pencils work well and if you don’t mind bleed through with markers they will work well also. Markers will not harm any other picture if you place a sheet between pages but it will mar the scripture or verses on the reverse side. Water based markers probably won’t bleed through but I haven’t tried.
This coloring book is perfect for those whose vision may be a little poor and perfect for reflection. A great way to color, relax and reflect on God. It is Christian based so keep that in mind if that isn’t something you enjoy. Myself I absolutely love it!!! Whatever Lovely has been a strong go to for me in the past and I’m sure this one will be too. I believe both of these books are probably the best quality books I have as far as coloring books go.
I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase your copy here 

Sunday, October 9, 2016

NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible

I absolutely love adult coloring books and journaling so my next review is will be a journaling bible that is also a coloring bible. It is the NIV Beautiful Work Coloring Bible. This bible brings together two of my favorite things, journaling and coloring.
The bible has pages with quotes that you can color as well as a few full pages to color. There are also plenty of blank spaces to do your own journaling and art work. The pages are thicker than usual bible pages to enable coloring. I would suggest using micron pens or pencils. Water color will buckle the pages but if that doesn’t bother you it makes from some very pretty journaling.  I don’t think I would use any kind of marker but that is just my opinion. I have seen some people coat the pages with gesso or something similar to keep bleed through from happening.
The word art and art work throughout the book is done by various artists so there is a variety of styles. There is an index listing the artist and their pages at the end of the bible.  I will say the scripture is quite small and a little hard on my older eyes. There are no really study sources in the bible such as a concordance or anything similar. It is basically scripture with coloring spaces and journaling spaces and that is about all.  There is a table of measurements included.
If you like journaling and coloring as well as NIV you will probably like this version. I have a KJV coloring and journaling bible that I actually prefer but I really like that I have this one too. I received this bible from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Voyage

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The coloring book “The Night Voyage” by Daria Song is a “magical journey of a little girl who joins her toy train conductor on the eve of her birthday to distribute gifts across the globe, from Paris to London to Granada.” This unique coloring book is not only for coloring but it also is a story. I love Daria Song’s books. I also have The Time Chamber, which was my very first adult coloring book. I have to say it was very intimidating to me. But The Night Voyage doesn’t seem as daunting to me. I don’t know if I’m just used to the coloring books or if it isn’t quite as intricate.
The images are whimsical as the little girl flies through the night. Her magical journey is taking her through the skies. The book is full of happiness, twirls and swirls, a mountain of fun. And if you are a cat lover there are a lot of pages with adorable cats.
The pages are double sided but very thick, quality paper. The images range from very simple to very detailed so you have a very nice variety. I’m thinking that pencils or water based markers will work best in this book because if you use alcohol based will bleed through and ruin the page on the backside. This is a very nicely done coloring book and exceptional quality. It is among my favorites.
If you love sweet stories and adult coloring books full of fun and whimsy grab this one!!!!  I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

NIV Cultural Background Study Bible

I received the NIV Cultural Background Study Bible to review. I really looked forward to receiving it and learning more about the culture of the Bible. I have many study bibles but none that really explain the culture behind the books.
I have the hardback version which really in my opinion only lends itself to home study. I don’t believe I would really want to carry it around with me.
The beginning pages include: Presented to page, Title Page, Quick Start Guide, Table of Contents, Author Introduction, Acknowledgements, About the Authors Page, Abbreviations (General, and Old and New Testament Bible book abbreviations), Preface, Hebrew to English Translation Chart, Ancient Texts, and Old Testament Chronology.  Ending pages include: Table of Weights and Measures, Index of Articles in Canonical Order, Index of Articles in Alphabetical Order, Concordance, Index to Maps (with codes listed), and colored maps (each map is numbered and includes letters and numbers to locate rivers, mountains, towns, etc from the Index to Maps listed). And the books of the Bible are divided up in sections of: 1) The Torah, 2) Narrative Literature, 3) Wisdom of Hymnic Literature, 4) Oracles of the Prophets, 5) The Gospels and Acts, 6) The Letters and Revelation.
As others have noted the notes area is printed in light gray but this wasn’t an issue for me. The print is really small but had it not been the bible would be too thick to be able to handle. There are some really nice colored illustrations and photography throughout as well as charts and maps.
I believe the “cultural” part in my opinion is kind of minimal at the beginning of each book. Maybe I’m missing something but it is just a quick synopsis although it does help understand more of what may have been happening during the time.  I focused on the book of Esther because that is what we are studying in my Sunday School class at this time. I haven’t had the chance to dive into a lot of the information so it may get deeper as I study more. Overall I am really pleased to have this study bible in my collection and I think it will be helpful. I am sure I will reference it frequently when studying.
I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Pop Manga Coloring Book

Friday, August 26, 2016

God Gave Us Thankful Hearts

I love the God Gave Us books so I was excited to review God Gave Us Thankful Hearts by Lisa Tawn Bergren.  I love the illustrations in this book don by David Holm.  They are so pretty and well done. They are a fun way to discuss the story as we are reading it together.
This book teaches children to be thankful no matter the situation. It teaches us to find things to be thankful for even when we feel disappointment in situations around us. It is good for everyday thankfulness but also a good supplement for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
The cover is a beautiful hard cover and the pages are printed on nice thick paper. It is very well made and will make a cute addition to your child’s library.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with small children who wants to teach them to be thankful. It is a Christian themed book. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, August 5, 2016

The Drawing Lesson

The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw by Mark Crilley is just that. It is a graphic novel that will draw the attention of budding new artists. “Mark Crilley brings his easy-to-follow artistic instruction to aspiring artists in the form of a comic book.”
It begins with David running into a lady in the park who is drawing. He stops to see what she is doing and suddenly decides she should give him lessons.  Not sure if she is thrilled with the idea she tells him she is no teacher but gives him a short lesson.  She’s a little harsh with him but he is soon learning. Again and again he comes across her path. Becky continues to give him lessons covering various areas of drawing from perception, shading, sketching, etc. Even teaches how to hold a pencil.  This is easy to follow along with simple to understand instructions. 
I can see that this would appeal to anyone who wants to learn to draw but especially to middle school kids. I will say Becky scares me a little, haha. But overall I enjoyed this instructional book and I will keep it in my library for future use for my youngest child. I would suggest if you want to learn to draw or know an older child who wants to learn then this would be a good way to start. The illustrations are all done in a sepia tone so it doesn’t have distracting art. The figures are simple line drawings and very pleasing to the eye.
I received this book at no charge for an honest review from www.bloggingforbooks.com.  You can purchase a copy here.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

One Big Turkey

Monday, July 18, 2016

The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book

 
The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book by Dr. David Jeremiah “answers your questions about protecting yourself against Satan’s attacks. Scripture tells us our adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In Dr. Jeremiah’s book he  teaches us how to protect ourselves against spiritual warfare going on all around us.
In today’s world we can see Satan working overtime to destroy this world and it is so important for Christians to protect themselves by using the full armor of God. God gives us instructions in the bible on how we fight the spiritual battles. Dr. Jeremiah breaks it down into easy to understand teachings. He shows us it is important to know your enemy and how to learn about him appropriately. He also teaches us how to ready ourselves.
If you are battling a spiritual battle as I’m sure many of us are I would highly recommend The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book. It is pretty quick to read through but it is full of great teachings. Easy to follow and understand.
I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from www.booklookbloggers.com
 

Doodletopia Manga

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Oil Painting Essentials

Oil Painting Essentials: Mastering portraits, figures, still lifes, landscapes , and interiors by Gregg Kreutz  shows “how a multi-genre approach can dramatically improve your painting skills. Arranged by category, each chapter covers both the essentials specific to that subject matter and those that apply to all genres.”
This is a beautifully done book. And as the description says it covers several genres of oil painting so that no matter your specialty or preference it is likely covered. This book isn’t for the beginner oil painter. I’m not the artist in our family. My daughter loves art of all kinds so I passed this book to her and let her look at it. She expressed it was way over her current abilities. He gives step by step techniques for different approaches. I would say that if you are a well honed artist looking to improve your skills this would be a good resource. Again, it isn’t for the beginning artist in my opinion.
The book itself is filled with gorgeous pictures of oil paintings. It is chocked full of useful information to help improve your skills. I would recommend it to an experienced artist looking to improve. Whether you love portraits, landscapes, still life, etc. you can benefit. It kind of reminds me of a text book when reading through it with very comprehensive information. It may be overwhelming to the beginner.
I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Simply Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide to Elegant Lettering

Friday, May 13, 2016

Little One, God Made You Special

Little one, God Made you Special written by Amy Warren Hilliker and illustrated by Polona Lovsin is a cute little board book that will make any toddler understand that God made them special. The book is very durable for little hands and I absolutely love the illustrations. The animals all look so sweet and cuddly it makes you want to smile. “God made you special, little one. There’s no one like you – no, not one!”
Perfect little book to teach your baby and toddler just how special they are. My little one loves to read it together over and over.  I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Understanding Exposure

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson 4th edition “has taught generations of photographers how to shoot the images they want by demystifying the complex concepts of exposure in photography.” Bryan Peterson explains how to move from using your camera in fully automatic mode to fully manual mode to get the most from your camera.
In this book you will learn fundamentals of light, exposure, shutter speeds, apertures and all written in easy to understand methods. He uses many of his own photos as examples and his instructions are very clear. I own an earlier edition of this same book and was curious to see how if any had this edition. The biggest difference in my opinion are the photographs he uses. The methods and explanations are basically the same so either edition is nice to have.  I didn’t really notice any big changes.
If you are wanted to get the most out of your DSLR and are a beginner I would highly recommend this book. I have read a lot of photography manuals and Bryan Peterson is by far the easiest for me to understand and I have learned so much from all of his books. I would suggest beginning with this one and then moving on to others that he has available.
In this book you will learn how to adjust your camera to make your shutter speed and apertures to work together in order to get the effects you want. You will be able to become more creative. Learn how to adjust you aperture to blur your background or adjust your shutter speed to show movement in your pictures.  Your photography will definitely improve if you use his techniques. I love his analogy on how to get correct exposure using the “Sky Brothers” and their cousin “Mr. Green Jeans”
He also gives you tips and techniques to adjust your settings in tricky lighting situations such as night time cityscapes and high contrast situations. He talks some on using flashes and filters and what you can do to get the most out of them.
I believe novice photographers will get the most from this book but just about anyone can learn something from it from the extreme beginner to the expert.  The book is full of beautiful photography, the paper quality and print are exceptional and will lend itself to being read again and again. I often find myself needing a refresher and I’ll pick it up and read through it again and again.
I highly recommend anything by Bryan Peterson but I have to say Understanding Exposure has probably helped me the most. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Wonders of Creation

Wonderland



Wonderland by Amily Shen an adult coloring book that is based on Alice in Wonderland. Amily Shen is Taiwanese  illustrator who has really outdone herself with this book. I really like this coloring book. An excerpt from the book: Do you know Alice’s story? Do you draw pictures in your head while reading” Strange conversations with a strange cast… has the story been transformed? If you too jumped down the rabbit hole, who would you meet? What colors would you encounter? Take up your colored pencils, and together let’s make a book. Read with your colored pencils and give Alice a new adventure.

This coloring book is a coloring book and story combined. Left to color by your imagination. I wouldn’t say it is what we typically see Alice depicted as. It isn’t the traditional looking or Disney looking Alice in Wonderland. I really like that aspect of the book.  It is broken into 9 chapters In chapter 3 there is an activity that helps make the book interactive. I’ll leave that for you to discover. Don’t worry the answer key is in the back. There are so many different aspects to this book. It isn’t your ordinary adult coloring book.

The book itself has a very nice dust cover that can be colored. The actual book has very interesting cover but I’m not sure it would lend itself to coloring with just any media. Maybe markers but I haven’t tried them. I think it is way too slick for pencils.  The pages are all double sided and printed on very thick pages. There is a slight tooth to the pages. I would be afraid to use markers for fear of bleed through and I wouldn’t want to damage the reverse side page. I will stick to pencils with this one. There are several types of drawings some more detailed than others and some being double page spreads. The pages have lots of details without being extremely tedious to finish. There is a little bit of everything in this book: mandala style pictures, animals, flowers, buildings, etc.  The pictures are quite whimsical and fun. It is going to be a fun book for me to color.

This will make a great addition to your adult coloring book collection especially if you love Alice in Wonderland. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. I love this book and you can purchase your very own copy here.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

The illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts

I didn’t really know what to expect when I ordered “The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts” by Maja Safstrom. I can honestly say I love this little book.  It is a small book much smaller than I expected. I haven’t measured it to get exact measurements but I would guess it is 5x7. It is a hardback book with black and white line drawings throughout.
The illustrations are kind of childlike drawings but still very appealing. There is approximately 100 animal and facts about them in this book. My teenage daughter came in and picked it up and said: “I really like this.” I was shocked. The facts are just cute little things such as “If a snail doesn’t like the weather it can go into its shell and hibernate until it gets better.” For up to three years.  Who knew?
I know adult coloring is very popular right now. This book isn’t intended for that purpose but I can see potential colorist wanting to color it.
I plan on using it in homeschooling just for some fun ideas during animal and unit studies. I don’t believe the facts are going to be life changing knowledge but who knows zoology might be in someone’s future. It makes a cute conversation piece. The book price of $14.99 might be a little pricey but if you can get it at a discounted price it is worth it.
I had reservations before ordering wondering if I would like it or not, or if it would be a waste of my time.  I am so glad I ordered! I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.
 

Friday, April 1, 2016

Country Cooking from a Redneck Kitchen


Country Cooking from a Redneck Kitchen by Francine Bryson and Ann Vokwein is my kind of cookbook. It is full country cooking and being from the south we love country cooking here. Many of the recipes I am familiar with but there are some that are new to me and I can’t wait to try them out.

Some of the categories are: Redneck Whatnots (dips and salads mostly), Yardbird (for all of you who don’t have a clue that’s chicken), Enough to feed a crowd (living in the Bible Belt we have a lot of after church dinners), Sides, ‘taters & ‘Maters among others.  There are 234 pages of recipes but I didn’t count the number of actual recipes. The food is beautifully photographed although not all recipes have a photo.

I love cornbread salad and the recipe in this book looks wonderful. There are so many recipes I could never list them all but a few that I can’t wait to try: Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Burgers,  Blue Cheese Spicy BBQ Burgers, Chicken Casserole, and surely can’t forget the desserts Brown Sugar Pie, and Oreo Brownies. I’m personally not a big fan of fried green tomatoes but there is a recipe in it for them and if you are looking for something to do with those green tomatoes fresh out of the garden many people love them.

If you are looking for a vegetarian cookbook you may want to stay away from this one. And I would say that if you are looking for low-fat this one isn’t for you. But if you are looking for some good southern comfort food grab it quickly. I wouldn’t suggest eating out of it every day but some indulgence is good for the soul. I believe this is one of my new favorite cookbooks and I will be using it frequently.

I received this cookbook at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of it here..

Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to meet with Jesus

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sweeter of the Vine

Mother's Day Blessings

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Cravings

Cravings: Recipes for all the food you want to eat by Chrissy Teigen is a very nice hard covered cookbook filled with beautiful photography. “With more than 100 recipes and Chrissy’s inimitable wit and stories, you’ll learn the importance of chili peppers, the secret to cheesy cheeesless eggs and life tips like how to use bacon as a home fragrance, the single best way to wake up in the morning, and how not to overthinking men or Brussels sprouts.”
She begins with a section called “Before  you start cooking” in this section she gives a description of her commonly used ingredients that is in the cookbook and what brands she typically uses. There is a breakfast section, salads, soups, main, meals etc. I wouldn’t say this will be a book that I will personally use often and if you are looking for exceptionally healthy food I don’t think this would be your go to book either. But if you want to satisfy some of your comfort cravings you will likely love this cookbook.
You will find mostly chicken recipes as well as beef and veggies. There were a couple of fish recipes and a few pork recipes. Sorry sweets lovers there isn’t a dessert section in this one. Again this is not a cookbook that I will probably be keeping in my collection I will pass it along to someone who will more likely use it than I will. But I would suggest looking through it to see if it suits you. It is a very nice cookbook and very well done
I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

God Bless our Country

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Doodletopia cartoons

Christopher Hart’s Doodletopia Cartoons: Draw, Design, and Color your own super-fun cartoon creations Is “your first stop in this paradise of creativity?” “The world of cartoons. Your tour guide Christopher Hart is ready to introduce you to the interactive, artistic possibilities of creation your own exciting, hilarious, off-the-wall cartoon characters, gags and more.”
The author starts you with an introduction and warm up exercises then goes on to show you how to fill in the silhouette all the way to completing the cartoons. All through the book he gives advice and hints to make your drawings successful. He makes his instructions clear and easy to understand. Most of the left hand sides of the book are the instructions and hint pages. And the right hand side of the book is practice pages to practice and draw illustrations. He goes step by step through the process so that anyone can be successful.
The majority portion of the book focuses on drawings of people or animals but the last section gives instructions on cartoon lettering.  If you or someone you know would like to learn how to draw cartoon characters this would be a good book to start with. The drawings may be advanced for younger children but if you have a preteen or teen I believe they could easily follow this book. I plan on keeping this book and adding it to my art curriculum for home schooling in the future.  It is very nicely done. The paper quality is nice and thick. It   is definitely a quality book.
The book description also eludes to the fact it includes “doodling” I’m not sure that doodling is an accurate description because in my opinion it is more cartoon drawing and not much in the way of what I would describe as a doodle. You may feel like drawing a figure doodling I feel more like it is just designs. So I will leave that up to interpretation.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn cartoon drawings. You can purchase this book here.
I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Berenstain Bears: Easter Sunday

Cats in Paris A Magical Coloring Book

Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Word of Promise New Testament NKJV Audio Bible

I absolutely love The Word of Promise New Testament audio NKJV Bible!!!! I wasn’t sure what to expect but figured it would be like so many other audio bibles. Someone reading the text in a monotone voice or overly theatrical voice but this one is different. 
It consists of 20 cds and is read by various artists. Very well known actors such as Marisa Tomei, Richard Dreyfuss, Louis Gossett, Jr, Lou Diamond Philipps, Luke Perry, John Schneider, and Michael W. Smith just to name a few. It is presented in “Dramatic Audio Theater” It is like listening to an onstage theatrical play without being able to see the actors. It follows along with the actual bible but is done in a way that it comes to life. There are special effect sounds in the background to go along with the scripture.
I put the first cd into my computer and it immediately grabbed my attention. I was able to listen to quite a bit of it and hated to have to turn it off to finish what I was doing. This isn’t your typical audio bible. I’m not sure if the Old Testament is available but I’d love to have it too if it is. I am sooo glad I got these cds. If you are looking for a great audio bible I would highly suggest getting this one. You will not be disappointed. 
I received this audio book from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Brunch @ Bobby's

“Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the week.  Brunch @ Bobby’s has 140 recipes that will tempt anyone who appreciates brunch. It has 8 sections: Coffee, Tea and Cocktails, Spreads and syrups, Pancakes, Waffles and French toast, Egg dishes, Pastries and breads, Sandwiches, Fruit dishes and fruit salads, and Savory side dishes.
A lot of the drink recipes include alcohol and I don’t drink so for the most part they didn’t interest me and I didn’t spend much time in this section. Now there was a delicious looking pancake recipe “Pineapple upside down pancakes” that I hope to try soon.
The recipes throughout look easy enough to follow and are clearly written. I’m not sure I would always have the ingredients available at all times and some shopping may be required before preparing a dish from this cookbook. It does appear that most ingredients can be found in well stocked super markets.
This book is full of beautiful photographs of prepared foods.  Most of the recipes have a photograph but not all.
If you want to prepare a nice brunch I would say this is a wonderful cookbook for that. Even if you are just looking for some good breakfast foods I think you will find it here. It looks like you will need to prepare ahead and give yourself plenty of time to cook. Some of the recipes take awhile to cook. Most of the recipes tell you when it is best to serve after cooking and how long you can wait to serve.  He also gives some menu ideas at the end of the book so that you can tell what will pair well with each other.
Overall I enjoy this cookbook and it will be one I will keep in my collection.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.  I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.