Tag Archives: Coloring book review

The Money Book – Coloring to Attract Wealth

March 26, 2020 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

Some folks believe that by focusing their energy/minds on a subject, they can bring about the result they want. While I believe in the basic gist of Karma and such, I was skeptical that by coloring a page of wealth images, I could attract wealth to me. But I’m always up to try something new, and The Belba Family makes great coloring books, so I decided to give it a shot.

I was sent The Money Book Color-by-Number in December. before they changed the cover art from the piggy bank to the Maneki-neko. Both covers are super cute!

I have to admit that I love the images in this book. There are symbols and images of wealth from all over the world and each page has the color key. This book features single-sided sheets that are black on the back to prevent bleed through if you’re like me and enjoy using pens or markers.

This book has tons of fun images, and while I have only taken photos of a few, I can promise that there is something for everyone! My sister demanded to color the Maneki-neko.

I’ve been fighting illness all winter, both my own and my mom’s. Coloring has kept me sane. Even when I’m stuck in bed, I can still color. Mind you, if they think I should rest, my cats aren’t shy!

IMG_E7238 — Hurricane Enlil sits on my page to tell me to take a break!

The final two pictures are my personal favorites. I love anything to do with fish and aquariums, and Celtic knots and trees are a common theme in my non-blogging coloring.

The fish tank finally completed! Colored with Staedtler felt-tip markers.

Colored with Staedtler felt-tip markers.

Currently, I cannot say whether or not coloring in The Money Book has brought me wealth. However, I can say it has brought me entertainment and peace during a difficult time, and that is a wealth of its own.

Notes: I love the accessibility of this book. The price is affordable, and the color key is filled with colors that can be found with ease no matter what your favorite media; crayons, colored pencils, gel pens, markers or watercolors.

Disability Notes: I found the coloring book has designs large enough to accommodate nearly any coloring age group. Some designs are more complex than others, but all are delightful!

Where to buy: The Money Book is available at Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $8.99 USD. There is also a non-color-by-number version of the book available here.

Belba Family: Website / FaceBook / Instagram

Disclosure: I received this coloring book for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2019 Belba Family. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book

Christmas & Travel Mosaics – How To Travel The World While You Color

December 17, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I’ve become enamored with color-by-number coloring books this year. I’ve tried a a few different brands, and one of my favorites so far is Belba Family. Their newest holiday book is a treat!

Christmas & Travel Mosaics lives up to its name. From religious to secular, you can celebrate winter holidays from around the world as you color.

I’m super impressed by the advances that Belba Family is making to their coloring books. In their first book, the only way to check the color/number key was on the back cover. Now, they have it printed on the edge of each page, and I cannot tell you how much nicer and easier it is.

I love the accessibility of this book. The price is affordable, and the color key is filled with colors that can be found with ease no matter what your favorite media; crayons, colored pencils, gel pens, markers or watercolors.

Disability Notes: I found the coloring book has designs large enough to accommodate nearly any coloring age group. Some designs are more complex than others, but all are delightful! If you have eye issues, you may have difficulty seeing the numbers as they are printed in a charcoal ink that is designed to blend into the colored page.

Where to buy: Christmas &Travel Mosaics is available at Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $9.99 USD. There is also a non-color by number version of the book available.

Belba Family: Website / FaceBook / Instagram

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Coloring Book

Traveling the World – Travel Mosaic

Quote August 30, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I’ve been traveling a lot this summer. While none of my destinations have been super exotic, I enjoy being new places and seeing new people. This week I’m in Atlanta, Georgia for DragonCon and I thought I’d share a new coloring book that’s been keeping me busy.

Travel Mosaic is a Color by Number coloring book by Belba Family, who also created the Animal Mosaic Book. This coloring book is fantastic!

There are 24 images of places and people from all over the world, done in a pop art sort of style.My sister, Little-Big really enjoyed this book. She did the majority of the coloring on some of the pages!

We both enjoyed the range of images and colors. I’ve found color by number books to be incredibly relaxing. All the colors are ones easily found in most crayon and colored pencil sets, and most marker sets as well.

Disability Notes: I found the coloring areas large enough to accommodate nearly any coloring age group, through a few pages have a higher level of difficulty than others. If you have eye issues, you may have difficulty seeing the numbers as they are printed in a charcoal ink that is designed to blend into the colored page.

Where to buy: Travel Mosaic is available at Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $7.99 USD.

Belba Family: Website / FaceBook / Instagram

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Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Shark Week Blogiversary – Friday

August 4, 2019 PuzzlePaws 2 Comments

Return to Shark Island–

This episode was both interesting and problematic for me. I understand that reunion Island is having a higher than normal spike of fatal shark encounters; but at the same time, humans are in the water, which is where sharks live. The CRA Shark Protection Program is a great idea, as previously the government had sanctioned shark culling. CRA and Dr. Craig O’Connell implemented a new shark deterrent system, so we will most likely have another Shark island episode in next year’s Shark Week. This episode highlights the fact that it takes TIME to find solutions to problems.

Great White Kill Zone: Guadalupe –

I won’t lie, I’ve been a huge fan of Melissa Marquez’s ever since last year’s Shark Week. Lady got bitten by a crocodile doing shark research and kept going! This episode shows the fact that Great Whites can and do adapt their hunting strategies to their environment. While the title of the show is sensationalist, it is interesting that due to the unique geography of Guadalupe Island the sharks have to change their usual behavior in order to be successful. Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou has a wonderful way of explaining things to the layman shark enthusiast.

Monster Mako: Perfect Predator –

Another slightly problematic episode for me. I dislike the use of the term of “grander” Mako to describe the larger end of the Mako shark size spectrum. No other shark species has this designation. Some of the behavior of the crew is incredibly dangerous and immature when filming the Mako’s behavior. I honestly can’t tell what is natural behavior and what is baited behavior. I did like seeing Spinner Sharks and the cinematography was excellent. Focusing on a species other than Great Whites and Bull Sharks was gratifying.

Want a chance to win your own Shark puzzle? Giveaway Link: Here!

Today’s review is MindWare’s Color by Number Color Counts: Glitter Under the Sea. This is the other side to MindWare’s Mystery Mosaic Series of color by number books. Color Counts are done in a stained glass style, with larger coloring areas and an easy to see design. Like the Mystery Mosaics, Color counts features both 22 8×11 pictures as well as 8 double-fold 15×11 pages.

All of the pages are perforated, which makes removal easy. But, the best part, in my mind, is the fact that unlike Mystery Mosaics, Color Counts has duplicate images without the numbers! It is absolutely possible to color the same image twice, once using the numbers, and once by using your imagination!

Numbered page colored by me, Unnumbered page colored by Hime, age 10. Both images colored by using MindWare’s Colored Pencils Set.

While you will get excellent results using MindWare’s Colored Pencil Set, if you like Markers or crayons, it is totally possible to make great art! Every colorist has their preferences, and all are good, so long as you enjoy what you are doing!

Colored by Little-Big, using colored pencils

Colored by me using Staedtler Triplus Fineliners.

You did see that the title of the book is Glitter Under the Sea? The other nifty thing about this coloring book is that it comes with a tube of sparkle glitter glue. You can choose to use it or not on your images, but all of the numbered pages have sections where the number is followed by an asterisk(*). These let you know where to add sparkle!

I really think adding the glue made my pictures pop!

Disability Notes: Color Counts is a fantastic coloring book series to add to any colorist’s collection. The thick lines of the stained glass styling are forgiving of erroneous lines due to hand or eye issues. The larger coloring areas are just the right size for comfortable coloring, without over-stressing my hands. I find coloring CBN reduces my anxiety and relaxes me.

Where to buy: Color by Number Color Counts: Glitter Under the Sea and the 36 Colored Pencils Tin are available on the MindWare website. The book is $8.95 USD and the pencils are $19.99 USD. MindWare has tons of other Color Counts books are well as other coloring and activity books, so you’re sure to find something for nearly every taste!

MindWare : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received this coloring book for free in exchange for a review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2019 MindWare Corporation. The coloring is mine. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book

Animal Mosaic – A Pop Art Color by Number

July 9, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Last weekend was great! I hung with new and old friends, ate great food and managed to find some much needed zen in the early mornings. Part of that zen was using those early hours before everyone else was up to listen to the birds as I colored.

I was approached by the Belba Family on Instagram after they saw my other review posts. Would I be interested in reviewing some of their books? I love small press coloring books, so of course, I jumped at the chance! I recieved both Animal Mosaic and Travel Mosaic (which I’ll be reviewing later) quickly through Amazon Shipping.

Animal Mosaic is a fun color by number coloring book that uses 18 classical colors and 4 additional shades, focusing on pop art styles. The pictures are divided into geometric shapes, large enough to color easily.

There are 24 individual images, each with their own names! I found this made a delightful detail, giving each picture a little personality.

I really enjoyed this book. The pages are single-sided, and blacked on the opposite side to prevent bleed-through. The smooth pages take color well, and the pop art styling makes me smile! Due to being small press, this book does not have perforated pages. That is only a minor inconvenience for me, as I prefer to detach my pages and color on a clipboard.

When I tested the pages with markers, I found that there was minimal bleed-through even when using Sharpies.

Colored with a mix of Sharpies and Brush Markers.

Where to buy: Animal Mosaic is available at Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $7.99 USD.

Belba Family: Website / FaceBook / Instagram

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Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Nene Thomas’s Fairy Colouring Book

June 18, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

No, I didn’t misspell coloring. This rare coloring book was published in the UK, so the spelling is British style. I found this at Nene’s booth at DragonCon last year. It was newly published, and so very pretty! I’ve been a fan on Nene Thomas’s art for years, of course I had to pick it up!

Nene Thomas’s Fairy Colouring Book is 50 beautiful line art images on smooth mid-weight paper. There are the obvious fairies, but Nene also draws amazing horses and butterflies. The images range from being G-rated to artful nudes. While tasteful, this is very much a coloring book for adults, not for anyone under 16.

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There are images for just about every possible coloring medium and skill level. I had to break out the crayons for this lovely knight and her steed.

I had fun with watercolor brush pens with the butterfly-horse. There is something about the whimsy in these images that makes it okay to break from conventional coloring.

Disability Notes: Other than noting that some designs have more complicated line work than others, I have no complaints. Those pages are being set aside for a day when my hands don’t shake.

Where to buy: The Fairy Colouring Book is available on at the Fairy Glen website. The book’s MSRP is $15.99 USD.

Nene Thomas : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I bought this coloring book to use for this review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©2018Nene Thomas and Nemesis Now Ltd. The coloring is mine. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book

It’s MerMay! Let’s have Mermaids in Wonderland!

May 21, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

If you are not familiar with MerMay, let me direct you here, and then note that while I am not an artist, I am a colorist. And I love mermaids, the odder the better! Finding a non-Disney type mermaid coloring book was a treat!

Mom found this glorious coloring book back in April, and I fell in love with it so badly that I hunted through every local Barnes & Noble store until I found my own copy. It is not often I feel the need to own a coloring book that badly!

Mermaids in Wonderland is a 10 by 10 inch book, with 96 pages of beautiful images of mermaids and other sea life. The paper is a really nice smooth midweight, that takes color with ease without too much bleed through. The pages are double-sided, so bleed-through was something of a worry until I experimented a little.

The first half of the book has white pages, while the second half is done with black pages. These make for some stunning pictures!

Mermaids in Wonderland isn’t just another coloring book, it is a puzzle-solving adventure! Throughout the pages, cleverly woven in are clues to riddles that need to be solved. These riddles work in concert, creating a story that you can be a part of. The only other coloring book I can compare this to is Johanna Basford’s Ivy and The Inky Butterfly.

I think the best parts of this book are the mermaids doing nonstandard mermaid things. There are mermaid (and mermen!) adventurers, acrobats, and warriors. There are salons, restaurants, and amusement parks! There are mermaids from almost every possible culture, from a Chinese Dragon Dance to Native American hunters to European nobility. Unlike most mermaids drawn, there are almost no clamshell bras! It seems to be a function of fashion rather than a statement of sexuality, which is refreshing! The Mermaids of Wonderland have amazingly details on both their clothing and their scales.

Marcos Chin is a new artist to me, Mermaids is one of his three coloring books so far. He has also drawn Fairies in Wonderland and Elves in Wonderland. If they are as good as Mermaids, I’ll be adding them to my collection at some point soon!

Disability Notes: Other than noting that some designs have more complicated linework than others, I have no complaints. Those pages are being set aside for a day when my hands don’t shake.

Where to buy: Mermaids in Wonderland is available on at the HarperCollins Publishers website, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The book’s MSRP is $15.99 but some locations are selling it for less.

Marcos Chin : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I bought this coloring book to use for this review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©Marcos Chin and Harper Design 2017. The coloring is mine. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Coloring Book

Rainy Days, Whimsical Worlds, and Spring, So Much Spring!

April 26, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

It’s raining today. Not surprising, being the tail end of April in Virginia. But the rain is not unwelcome, it is warm, and will intermittently stop to let the sun shine through. I’ve always been a pluviophile. Rainy days are peaceful, so long as my body doesn’t protest; and I spend them happily curled up reading a book or coloring.

Today’s treat is on loan from Mom. I inherited my coloring habit from her, and I tend to suggest coloring books and artists to her that I think she’d like. I’ve been following Molly Harrison on Facebook for a year or so now. When she released Whimsical World #4 – Fairies, Mermaids, Animals, Flowers and Cuteness Galore!: Fantasy themed Adult Coloring Book for the Young at Heart! (That’s a mouthful! I’m calling it WhimWorld4 from now on.) I poked it at Mom. She bought the book and brought it down when she visited this last week for Easter.

Molly Harrison has a rather distinctive style. It’s a little Precious Moments©, and a little Selena Fenech, and a bit of adorable magic all her own. Honestly, I loved all 26 images in WhimWorld4, and choosing a handful to color was hard.

The only complaint I have with this coloring book is that the pages, which are single-sided, are not perforated. I can understand why, perforated pages add to printing costs. I just dislike the page wrinkling that happens when I use my craft knife to cut pages out. Other than that, the pages are lightweight, good quality paper. I colored with watercolor markers and fineline markers with no bleed through. Alcohol markers require a cardstock backing page.

Colored with Staedtler finelinerpens and UBrands gel pens.

The reason I recommended WhimWorld4 for Mom was that Molly makes sure there is a nice mix of simple and complex images. All are cute, but their differing complexities lends to differing coloring styles. Mom likes colored pencils and gel pens, I prefer markers. Every once in a while, I like to break out the crayons.

Colored with Hoolanda watercolor pens, Windsor&Newton Promarkers and Gelly Roll gel pens.

Molly has a great Facebook page where her fans can post their coloring and she does freebie pages for download. Molly Harrison does watercolors that are amazing, but that I’m not at a skill level to attempt. I have to remind myself that I color for stress relief and that my level of coloring cannot be compared to others. As SC tells me, “Everyone who colors is a colorist.”

Disability Notes: Other than needing a craft knife if you want to remove pages, I can’t think of any negatives. The images in Whimsical World 4 are all G-rated, and at the simplest, can be colored with crayons. I can recommend this book for people with both eye and coordination issues that are mild to moderate, depending on your ability. I had horrible eye strain while working my tree-fairy and was still able to keep to my lines.

Where to buy: Whimsical World #4 is available on Amazon, and currently on sale for $8.99 USD. Molly Harrison has coloring books in a multitude of styles, all are affordable, and there is bound to be something for everyone’s interest!

Molly Harrison Art : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: My Mom bought this coloring book and allowed me several pages to use for this review. The opinions are my own. All art shown on this post is Copyright ©Molly Harrison 2019. The coloring is mine. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Book Reviews, Coloring Book, Uncategorized

Spring is Coming, and World of Flowers is Here!

March 8, 2019 PuzzlePaws 1 Comment

I don’t know about you folks, but I’ve officially had my fill of winter. Gray days and cold weather, nasty colds and aching bones; I’m sick of the lot! But! The first day of Spring is coming soon, and one coloring book has been my mainstay through this whole rotten winter.

Last October, Johanna Basford put out a new coloring book. I hadn’t tried any of her coloring books before, having been intimidated by the level of detail in both Secret Garden and Lost Ocean. However, I can’t grow as a colorist if I don’t test my limits, and Johanna’s Colouring Gallery on her website is a safe, welcoming haven for all colorists of all skill levels. I have to say, I love this woman. Johanna describes herself as an “Inky Evangelist” and her tutorials for coloring are upbeat and encouraging. So I reached out to Johanna and her publisher in the US, Penguin Random House for a copy for the blog.

World of Flowers is a good deal larger than the coloring books I usually use. It has 40 pages of double-sided images, giving you 80 pages of coloring adventures to have. The pages are 10 inches by 10 inches on a fantastic medium heavyweight paper. The pages are not perforated for removal, this style of coloring book is meant to be kept whole. Johanna’s books include a color palette test page, so that you can not only see how your pencils/pens/markers look, you can also check for bleed through. This saved my bacon! My sharpies are a no-go in this book, but colored pencils, Hoolanda watercolor brush pens, fineliner markers, and Pilot Frixion markers all performed well.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the diversity of images. Johanna dedicated World of Flowers to her grandmother, an avid gardener. There is a multitude of plants, lots of tiny insects, a full gardening shed interior, a work truck and even a koi pond! Each page is different, and I found my inky journey being not sure where to go next!

Disability Notes: This is really a great coloring book if you have a wish to color on a low spoon/low energy day. The mix of simple/intermediate/ complex designs means that people with visual and fine motor control issues can all enjoy. The large size of the book means that it is a little unwieldy to use with a standard sized clipboard, if you are like me and color on the couch. However! It works beautifully on my lap desk.

Where to buy: The suggested retail price for World of Flowers is $16.95 USD. It can be found at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and online at Amazon.

Johanna Basford: Website / Facebook

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Little pieces make a bigger picture