Book Review :: That's NOT Hay In My Hair by Juliette Turner

That's NOT Hay In My Hair is a new book by teen author Juliette Turner. 

Because That's NOT Hay In My Hair is a teen/tween book, I am going to hand this over to my daughter for the review (*spoilers included*):

Juliette (Jules) Turner lives in a very cramped apartment in New York. So cramped, in fact, that when she takes a bath, it floods the bathroom! Jules is about to move to Texas, where her mom grew up and where Jules lived when she was younger. When they first arrive, Jules is almost thrown off her horse, R2 (named after R2-D2!), her mom is, and they encounter a (harmless, but scary!) snake. Jules and her mom go from rescuing calves from a dry ravine to untangling a horse from a wire fence! But none of that can compare to how scary it was to have their other horse, Maggie May, get foundered, which means her hoof doesn't have enough "sole" between her hoof bone and her "sole wall". Jules and her mom face a very hard time caring for Maggie, until she finally dies. Jules finds that Texans are the best kind of friends when they're there to comfort them.

I asked my daughter a few questions about That's NOT Hay In My Hair - here they are with her responses:

Was the book interesting?

Yes.

Do you plan to read it again?

Yes!

What did you like about this book?

That it was very...emotional. You really got to know Jules, and everything that happened seemed like it was happening to you.

What (if anything) did you NOT like about this book?

There was a lot of detail in some parts, and in other parts there was none. When the cows chased after them, there was about one page on that subject, as if it were normal!

Would you recommend this book to others your age?

Yes.

What ages do you think would enjoy this book best?

Maybe 10 to 15

Any other comments about this book?

No.

Out of a total of 5 possible stars, what would you rate this book?

4 stars.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

WINNER!

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented on my recent giveaway...and a very special thanks to each of you who are followers of this blog.

Amy K.

Congratulations!

Please send me an e-mail with your US street mailing address so I can get your information to Zondervan.
{You can find a link to e-mail me on my Blogger profile.}

Also - stay tuned! Zondervan has allowed me to host monthly giveaways...so there is a lot more to come!

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book(s) directly to the winner. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.

Winner chosen by True Random Number Generator at Random.org

Upcycled Notebooks {The Twinery}

It's Earth Week and in the spirit of reducing, reusing, and recycling I've got some quick & easy upcycled notebooks to share with you today. 

I started by taking some empty boxes with fun, colorful designs and I cut them to a variety of sizes (making sure to have both a front and back of the same size for each notebook). Cereal boxes and snack boxes are a great to way get chipboard for a variety of crafting projects.

I put lined notebook paper inside, but this is also a great project for those printing mistakes and other projects that are ending up in your "scratch paper" pile.

To keep these notebooks together, I tied them up with The Twinery's Solid Natural, Solid Peapod, Solid Charcoal, and Solid Denim twines.

These are fun to make and are easy enough for kids to do. These would be great for kids' parties, too - just take something like a LEGO box and cut it to size for a great LEGO party favor. These can also be used like mini albums (just fill them with pictures instead of paper).

So many different ideas and they will get you looking at everyday boxes in a new way!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural, Solid Peapod, Solid Charcoal, Solid Denim); 
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Book Review :: Little One, God Made You Special by Amy Warren Hilliker, illustrated by Polona Lovsin

Little One, God Made You Special is a sweet board book written by Rick Warren's daughter, Amy Warren Hilliker. The cute, warm illustrations are by Polona Lovsin.

Little One, God Made You Special is short and to the point - a book written in rhyme, reminding them that God made them special, not like anyone else. It is a good length for babies and toddlers, who generally have short attention spans.

One thing I do want to point out is that the book does reference the child's toes, and as the friend of a mom who has a child who had a leg amputation, I just wanted to state that for the record...so if your little one does not have toes, you may want to choose to go with a different book. I know that may seem odd to point out, but I just wanted to be clear for anyone who might be curious.

Little One, God Made You Special is a cute little book and I look forward to reading it many times with my little one.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Adventures in Bible art & journaling :: My Cup Overflows

Hello! I am back today sharing a Bible art & journaling page - this one comes from Psalm 23:

When I first saw the new Fill Me Up stamp set from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps I just couldn't help but think of Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

(Psalm 23, NIV)

It is such a beautiful, peaceful, comforting Psalm. For the past little while (or maybe more like a year) it seems like things have just not slowed down. In a way that is such a blessing...and in other ways I feel a bit like I am drowning. Either way, we are so blessed and my cup truly is overflowing. 

Praise God!

Find all my posts pertaining to Bible art or journaling here. 

Supplies:
Bible: Zondervan (NASB Note-taker's Bible); 
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps (Fill Me Up);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Pens: ZIG; Sharpie; Tombow;

Book Review :: Wonders of Creation: Illustrations to Color and Inspire

Wonders of Creation is such a fantastic coloring book! From first glance, it is sure to catch your eye with the cheerful, foil-accented cover. Looking inside, you will find nice, thick pages with wonderful line art illustrations to color in. There is one opening with some introductory text, but otherwise the book is filled with pictures only. 

The art is fantastic, and I particularly love the animals that are done in an almost Dutch folk art style. 

I love the wide variety of animals available to color. You will find typical creatures such as birds, butterflies, frogs, and fish in the pages of Wonders of Creation, but you will also find not-so-typical animals such as rhinos, a sloth, a platypus, and an armadillo.

With the wide variety of animals and variation in art style and complexity, I think that Wonders of Creation is a fantastic choice for a coloring book for an adult (or child) - male or female.

It is truly a beautiful coloring book and I can't wait to dive in and color!

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Review :: Paris Street Style - A Coloring Book by Zoe de las Cases

Paris Street Style is a fabulous new coloring book. Not only does Paris Street Style feature some great art, but the cover is very sturdy. The cover has some gold foil accents and an elastic strap to hold the book closed. Paris Street Style also includes a black ribbon bookmark to hold your place.

Paris Street Style features clothing, accessories, patterns, and street scenes - a great variety that is sure to be a hit with any fashion lover (or really anyone who enjoys coloring). I also love the "sketchy" style of drawing that the artist uses. 

With the Paris theme, I must admit that I was a little unsure if it would be a little too "ooh-la-la", but it is very well done and I didn't have a problem with any of the images. (There are a couple pages featuring bras and/or undies, but none of them are on a human form, which I appreciated.) You won't find many faces in Paris Street Style, but you will find a variety of angles and "sections" of bodies on the pages that feature people. The people are always clothed.

I have enjoyed Paris Street Style much more than I even thought I would - and I think it is an excellent coloring book for adults and/or kids. 

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through the Blogging for Books book review bloggers program. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Adventures in Bible art & journaling :: Trust, Trust, Trust

Hello!

I've got a few Bible art/journaling pages to share with you today.

The first is Isaiah 40 (focusing on verses 6b-8):

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

For this one I used two Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps silhouette stamp sets - Nature Silhouettes and Serene Silhouettes. Often times I just re-write a verse (or portion of a verse) that really stands out to me, and that is what I have done here.

And here is another one, taking the idea from Deuteronomy 4:29 -
"But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Seek Him. 
Simple words, but I've got to be honest when I say it's not always easy to do or remember.
This one was created with stamps from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Seek Him stamp set.

This last page also uses the Seek Him stamp set and is inspired by the Lauren Daigle song "Trust In You".
When I think of trust, I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. Being faced with being thrown into a hotter than hot fire, they tell King Nebuchadnezzar (in verses 17 & 18), "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Sometimes we just need to hear it over and over - trust, trust, trust.

Although I had several problems with this page (lots of smearing and smudging), I still wanted to share it.

I hope these pages have sparked something in you and hope you have a wonderful day!

Find all my posts pertaining to Bible art or journaling here.

Supplies:
Bible: Zondervan (NIV Holy Bible, Journal Edition); 
Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Seek Him, Nature Silhouettes, Serene Silhouettes);
Markers: Tombow (Dual Brush Pens);
Pens: Faber-Castell (PITT Artist Pens);

Quick & Easy Garden Markers {The Twinery}

Hello! 

Today I wanted to share these quick & easy (& cute!) garden markers with you. 

I started by taking some craft sticks and snipping one end to a point with some heavy duty scissors. (Please don't try this with your standard pair - it will surely throw them out of whack.)

Once I had the points completed,  I got out my stamps and ink. I stamped each stick with a single large letter (for example: 'r' for rosemary), but you could easily stamp a whole word or just write it on with a marker. One thing you will want to keep in mind is to use a waterproof ink or marker, otherwise an "April shower" could make your label vanish.

After I had my markers marked, I took a little bit of solid twine (I used Caribbean, Strawberry, Marigold, Peapod, and Lilac) and wrapped it around the top of the garden markers to add a fun pop of color.

Quick & easy, and ready to stick in the dirt. 

Have a great day!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Caribbean, Strawberry, Marigold, Peapod, Lilac);
Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Cold Coffee Alphabet); 
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Other: (Jumbo Craft Sticks);
Tools: Tim Holtz (Scissors);

Book Review (& GIVEAWAY!) :: Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jen Corace

Baby Wren and the Great Gift is a new book written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jen Corace. Sally Lloyd-Jones is the very talented author behind The Jesus Storybook Bible, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, The Story of God's Love for You, and many other fantastic books. 

Baby Wren and the Great Gift is a hardcover book with a dust jacket. Both the hardcover and the dust jacket feature the illustration shown in the cover image. 

As baby wren goes throughout the day, she encounters several other animals doing wonderful things...wonderful things that she cannot do. She begins to wonder what she can do that is great, and at the end of the book discovers her great gift. As with any book by Sally Lloyd-Jones, it is beautifully written and inspiring to read.

The adorable illustrations are very well done and are the perfect addition to a great story. Baby Wren and the Great Gift really is a fantastic book.

...and now for the GIVEAWAY!

Zondervan/Zonderkidz has graciously allowed me to give away one copy of Baby Wren and the Great Gift to one of my blog readers!.

The Details:

To enter:
Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• "Like" Ink Blots by TRD on Facebook. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.}
• Comment on any of my giveaway posts (associated with this particular giveaway) on Facebook or Instagram (@InkBlotsbyTRD). 
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

Blog comments for the giveaway will close Sunday, April 24th @ 11:59pm (Eastern) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, April 26th here on my blog.
Please remember to check back to see if you've won.

Note: Zondervan will ship the giveaway book(s) directly to the winner. Winner(s) can expect to receive their prize within 10 to 14 business days from when they submit their address information to me.

Zonderkidz/Zondervan's rules for giveaways:

Winner must be a US resident.

Winner must be able to provide a street mailing address (no PO Box, please) for UPS delivery.

Zondervan does not store, use, or sell the winners’ contact information or address(es).

Good luck!

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.