Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Explore Your Creative Side (#5)

Hi everyone!

It is that time of the month again where I share with you some crafty/hobby filled books with you to help you explore your creative side!

This month I have for you a cookbook which uses my most favorite kitchen tool, the slow cooker!  It is my most favorite because it is practically the only one I know how to use...that and practically all the recipes I come across it are super easy!

Then I also have two coloring books for you.  I'm sorry I couldn't be more creative myself and give you 3 different types of crafting/hobby books, but I have an abundance of coloring books because....well...I am addicted to them.

There I said it.  I am addicted to coloring books.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and I will see you again next month with even more!




Title: The Crockin' Girls: It's Our Crockin' Life
Authors: Nicole Sparks and Jenna Marwitz
Publisher: CPG holdings, LLC
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5 stars

This one is just as great, if not better than the last cookbook The Crockin Girls put out!


This one is not set up by types of food like the last one. Instead it has categories like "The Holidayer", "The Entertainer", "The Explorer", "The Budgeter" etc. The idea is that this installment is for different types of lifestyles. This is nice if you are looking for something to take over to a family members house around the holidays or are thinking of trying something new that you would not have thought of doing before.

That being said, the downside is that you can't just ask yourself "what should I do with this chicken" and flip to the section that is filled with only chicken recipes. You will have to do a bit more looking than that.

I also found it pretty interesting that under "The Explorer" section that there were a couple of recipes for non-food items. There was one for playdough (pg. 241) and there was another for crayons (pg 242)! Neither of these two things are something I would have ever thought to make with my crockpot!

Wonderfully, each recipe comes with a picture and all the recipes are easy to understand.

This is a must have for those who enjoy cooking meals and treats with their crockpots!






Title: Every Little Thing: A Flat Vernacular Coloring Book
Author: Payton Cosell Turner
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Potter Style
Publication Date: November 3, 2015
Rating: 3 stars

I get a little excited about coloring books.  Especially when they are ones that I have no knowledge of.  It is like getting a well kept secret.  I get to open the pages and be surprised, and hopefully blown away.

Sadly, this coloring book was not the kind that blew me away.  Is it bad?  No.  It just isn't my thing.  Let me tell you why.

I find myself liking coloring books with more details and nicely drawn out designs.  These are two things I thought that this coloring book lacked.  The drawings of the items, to me at least, seemed to be more of the swiggly line kind.  Something I could have drawn myself.  The kind you HOPE people will see the item you actually intended it to be.  Then the designs themselves were just repeating images over and over.  While these are nice sometimes, I do not want a whole book of them.  

Something I did like though was that not all the lines were in black.  Some of them were in color.  This is the first coloring book that I have come across that has done this (and I look at a lot of them). So to me, that is a detail it contains that definitely sets it apart from others.

In regards to the basics, the paper quality is nice.  However, the pages are double sided, so use markers at your own risk.

This review is based on a copy provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.





Title: Super Awesome Coloring Book
Author: Mark Cesark
Editor: Jenean Morrison
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Test Pattern Press
Publication Date: September 11, 2015
Source: Author
Rating: 4.5 stars

At first glance, this coloring books cover is a bit busy and hard to read which sadly may make some over look it and not even give it another though.  Don't be that person!

This coloring book is filled to the brim.  It has 50 different pages for you to color and they are all one sided!  So if you really want to frame one after you finish, you don't have to worry about losing a different page.  

That being said, the paper quality in this one is only okay.  I would definitely put a page between the page you are working on and the one that comes after it if you want to use markers.  Thankfully they made this possible though (seriously more coloring books need to have single sided pages!).

The designs range from very simple to pretty complex so you will be able to find something to suit your current mood.  You should be able to find hours of enjoyment in this Super Awesome Coloring Book!

This review is based on a copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.


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