The Time Garden is a Fun Way to Lose Youself in the Trend of Adult Coloring Books

Adult Coloring Books. Simply put, the artful trend of the moment that is more like a way for adults to reconnect with their childhoods. The Time Garden by Daria Song is a gorgeous adult coloring book that is incredibly well-illustrated and tells a charming tale. It was easy and enjoyable for me to sit down with this book, some colored pencils, and a cup of tea and just lose myself in another world for a little while.

Have fun with this adult coloring book, The Time Garden by Daria Song.

This coloring book experience allowed me to relax and just enjoy the simple pleasures of coloring. Added bonus: I instituted "coloring time" in my home and my son and I both colored our respective coloring books side by side. Peaceful, stress relieving and a great way to unwind. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to play with coloring books all over again!

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Do You Have a Camera? You Need Learning to See Creatively

Calling all newbie photographers (or really anyone who wants to get better at taking pictures), you must get your hands on the newly released Third Edition of Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson. Anyone who has even dabbled with their DSLR in non-automatic mode knows Mr. Peterson (you have to have had "the bible" of photography: Understanding Exposure). 

This book is really a gem for everyone who owns a camera. It's non-intimidating enough for beginners yet thorough enough for those with some more experience. Peterson deeply immerses the reader in information and tips certain to bring a fresh perspective to your photos, not to mention his own photos included in the book are gorgeous to look at. 

Bundle this one up along side Understanding Exposure and you've got all you need to creatively "see" a picture and capture it on camera. 

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Taking Photos of Your Kids Made Easy: Capture the Moment by SarahWilkerson

I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty confident making the following assumption: Parents want to capture every moment of their child's life. It's just human nature. And what better way to capture all the moments than by photographing them? But most of us aren't experts in how to capture the best shots, we lack the tips that would really give us the most bang for our shutter snap. Solution? Capture the Moment by Sarah Wilkerson (CEO of Clickin Moms).

Capture the Moment by Sarah Wilkerson

I love this book. LOVE it. This book is the perfect companion for any parent/ wanna-be photographer. Why? Because of it's simplicity. We all know that we should embrace all the rules and basics of good photography but sometimes what we want are tips to set up the shot. Ways to get our lighting bolt fast subjects to sit still just long enough to optimize the impact of the photo. This book is just that. Simple tips accompanied by GORGEOUS photos.

This book is for every mom (and dad) who has chased their kids around with a camera for the sake of posterity. Get this. The information is helpful, concise and easy to follow for even the most sleep deprived parent!

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Journaling Made Easy

There was a time when I would happily journal, page after page, year after year. That time was between 5th grade and my mid-twenties. Then after that two things happened: 1. My life settled down (which while being quite nice, also left a big void for self-reflecting journal fodder) and 2. The Internet (personal blogs that always seemed to start off well-intentioned but usually fizzle out quite early on).

Each new year, one of my constant resolutions is to get back into journaling. I certainly have enough to write about, though my main road block is my lack of time. If only I could capture snippets of my life in journal form quickly and easily! Then I'd be sure to have some follow through and something to reminisce back on years from now.

Queue the big bold flashing lights and ringing bells!! The solution...THIS BOOK. This cutesy little portable gem is Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal. I love it because it is easy to follow and use consistently. Each day is a question and you answer it, easy as that. And you do this for 5 years, so you can see how your answers/choices/opinions/preferences evolve through time.

I also like that the publisher has put out a slew of simple "one a day" themed mini journals that range the gamut of One Line a Day (good for capturing a snippet of a memorable conversation) and Q&A for Kids (good for those parents who always mean to capture their kids memorable quotes but never have time).

This is the way to ease yourself into journaling, whether you are a first-timer or someone looking to get back into it after a hiatus. Also great for writers to use as prompts.

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

DIY Type: Stencil Your Heart Out the Easy and Fun Way

Despite my best efforts, crafty is not a word I would use to describe myself. But that has never stopped me from testing the waters of different artsy-medium with varying degrees of success. I've been a big fan of typography, so snagging a copy of DIY Type: 50+ Typographic Stencils for Decorating, Crafting and Gifting by Dana Tanamachi with the intention of trying out some of the typographic projects was a no-brainer.

DIY Type by Dana Tanamachi

The Good: Typography really doesn't get much easier than what is presented in this book. Tanamachi has set this up basically as a book of alphabet stencils with 2 sizes for each letter, and then a short overview of ideas for projects ranging from home decor, wardrobe and entertaining. Simply trace the stencil on your desired medium, fill in with your stylistic preference and voila!

The Bad: I was hoping for more projects to inspire me. While the stencils alone are a great starting out point, as someone with little innate creativity, I need more visual examples of what I can do with them. This book, paired with another that includes specific project ideas would have been a perfect match.

All in all, this book provides the starting point for some fun projects (or just rainy day doodling), considering you have a bit more of a creative jumping off point than I do. Grab a sketch pad, some sharpies and just act like a kid again. It's fun!

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.

Finally Use That Fancy Expensive Camera with Some Help from Me Ra Kohin Your Family in Pictures

Okay so I'll be the first to admit it, when my son was born one of the things I bought (in addition to all the customary baby must-haves) was a fancy and very pricey DSLR camera. I justified this purchase quite easily: I wanted to capture all of the moments so I could have all of the memories. Birthdays, holidays and important events came and went. And I snapped away merrily, secretly hiding the fact that I had no clue what I was doing. I mean there are a reason people call themselves professional photographers, they know what they are doing behind their very expensive camera lenses.

Enter Me Ra Koh's newest book, Your Family in Pictures. THIS, fellow clueless picture-snapping parents, will now be your bible. I am not kidding. I have purchased other books that promised to help newbies like me master said fancy camera, to no avail. They were written like textbooks and I was unable to EASILY and QUICKLY access the tips and info I needed. Sure, the inner workings of camera can be very fascinating for some, but I'm a busy mom and I just don't have that kind of time on my hands.

What Koh manages to do is demystify the practice of taking good pictures. That simple. She presents the book in almost a cookbook-like way, dividing sections into topics that the picture-taker may want to capture. Very specific topics like: Bedtime, Fourth of July (seriously now I can take a good photo of fireworks!), Sisters, A Day at the Beach, Outdoor Sports...it's all here. Easy "recipes" give simple directions for capturing these moments with your DSLR OR P&S (point and shoot). It doesn't get any easier to capture beautiful pictures of your family in any situation you could possibly want to compose.

Got a new camera or just want to make the most of the one you already have? Get this book.

Your Family in Pictures by Me Ra Koh courtesy of Crown Publishing

Blogger note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. This review is entirely based on my opinion and contains my honest evaluation.