Giveaway & Review: Coloring Dream Mandalas by Wendy Piersall

In the first grade I was sent home with a note that said I needed to practice my coloring. Specifically I needed to learn how to stay within the lines. I remember spending hours at the kitchen table with a pile of crayons and coloring books. I paid attention to how the color attached itself to the paper if I went up and down, then side to side. I learned how to sweep the color in one direction as to not distract from the hash marks of coloring up/down then right/left. And being the good eldest daughter I am, I stuck to coloring inside the lines.

 Coloring Dream Mandalas: 30 Hand-drawn Designs for Mindful Relaxation by Wendy Piersall has been a bit of coloring therapy for me. Yes, I mean in the way that the press has jumped on board the grown-up coloring wagon. It does provide a great break from all the screen time and chaos of life. But it was while I was coloring the above page (left is half marker, half blank while right side shows the ride side colored with pencils) that I realized that while I have worked to push myself to color outside the lines, the lines provide needed comfort. The time it takes to stay within the lines is more than just simply coloring. The lines hug me into quiet time for myself, even if I am coloring on the couch while the TV is on.

The other bit of therapy is the need to color the page right. This moon-star page screamed at me to color it! I had splurge purchased some Le Pen markers that I knew I had to use on this page. Then I realized they weren't great for large area coloring. Details, yes, but not big spaces. Thus I added in some of my daughter's Crayola markers. In the end, I'm ok with how it turned out. I love the star, but wish the moon stood out just as big.

This dream tree is my masterpiece!

I used coloring pencils for this baby. Not only are trees sacred to me, but this page called out to me on an extremely stressful day at work. I took a walk down to my favorite turkey burger joint, grabbed a seat and started on the bark.

The cure for, or even just a holiday from,  a bad day is to pull out your coloring book and focus on the colors. And the book is thin enough to fit into most bags!

You can purchase your copy through Powells or IndieBound to support VLF.

And I want to share that cure with a lucky reader!

GIVEAWAY:

I have THREE copies of Coloring Dream Mandalas to give away! Here is how you can enter:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite coloring tool (crayon, chalk, marker, etc) and your email. Without your email I can't tell you if you won!
2. Tag me on Instagram or Twitter with a pic of something you drew, colored, or doodled.
3. Post a pic a pic of something you drew, colored, or doodled on VLF's facebook page.
4. Additional entries if you are following me on Instagram, Twitter or like VLF's facebook page.

Sadly, this giveaway is limited to those with US or Canadian mailing addresses.

All entries need to be in by September 18th.

Disclaimer: I received a copy for review from the publisher.