I'm a big fan of colouring books. I won't attempt to justify it - if you like colouring too then you'll understand the allure of the clean lines and empty spaces begging for colour. I love the simplicity of just filling the spaces without effort, the satisfaction of it coming together in such a short period of time.
In all honesty, my colouring skills are pretty rubbish (!) but I genuinely enjoy the process. I'm usually a wannabe-perfectionist and my home is littered with half-finished projects which I have discarded due to an imperfection or a lack of patience. When it comes to colouring, my yearnings for perfection make less of an impact - if I make a mistake I can colour over it, ignore it or just turn the page and start a new picture. There are amazing, brightly coloured and artistic examples of different colouring online and on instagram but I don't aspire to be like these. I just like to do my own little thing.
Like any hobby, it can be expensive and it can take some time to work out what floats your boat - I like pictures, one of my best friends likes to colour patterns. I go for a range of colours, she likes bright shades. What matters the most when it comes to colouring is doing what makes you happy and relaxed, you can be traditional or wacky, use pens or pencils, crayons or paints. I love how everyone can be given the same picture and interpret it so differently, you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy colouring.
I'm picky when it comes to buying books. Good ones can cost more than £10 so it's good to really check out something before you buy - especially online. Most of the Christmas colouring books I'd found were quite child like or overly intricate, so I actually squealed when I uncovered my package from Parragon Books earlier this month because the Inspired Colouring Christmas by Parragon Books is a beautiful collection of varied designs with something for everyone.
Described as 'colouring to relax and free your mind' I can confirm that it does exactly what it says on the tin! It's packed full of evocative Christmas images - ribbons, foliage, baubles and beautifully wrapped gifts adorn each page and in no time at all you're in Christmas colouring heaven!
The first thing you notice after the beautiful images is the paper quality. The paper is a pure white and quite heavy with a smooth texture which I really like. I use pens rather than any other tools and tend to use the Artiste brush pens by Do Crafts and Faber Castell Pitt Pens from Curtis Ward.
I've really enjoyed colouring different scenes over the festive season. You don't need to spend a lot of time on these to benefit from the festive relaxation.With over 100 designs it's well worth buying as a gift for a loved one - it's a book I plan to return to over and over and will be living in our Christmas book box, giving me something to personally look forward to when we get the hamper down from the loft each year.
Whether you're experienced at colouring or a newbie like me, you're sure to find something you like in this book. Don't be put off by the fabulously shiny cover - this is a classy book and I was impressed at just how much you get for just £9.99 RRP.
*I was sent a copy of this book for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own*
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