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Break the Rules with Coloring

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This past spring, I published a coloring book of floral mandalas called Flowers All Around. (It’s available NOW on Amazon!) I had so much fun drawing these designs. I can honestly say it was one of my favorite personal projects I’ve ever done.




Mandala designs are popular in adult coloring for their repetitive and intricate nature. I like to draw them using floral elements because I’m obsessed with drawing flowers and patterns. I’ve created floral mandalas with a variety of media—paint, pencil, ink, digital, etc. I often draw them when I don’t know what to draw. So I had a lot of practice before I got the idea to even make this book.

Adult coloring books are a great way to relieve stress and create works of art in the process. These aren’t the brand of coloring books you used as a kid. These designs are often very detailed and can be beautiful and sophisticated—though there are some fun quirky ones as well. There are adult coloring books for just about any subject matter you can think…
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More iPhone/iPad Apps

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So it's been a few more months since buying my iPad, and I'm still crazy about it. I use it just about every day. In fact, I'm hoping that if I can figure out how to create blog entries on my iPad, maybe I would post more often. So we'll see how that goes. This will be my first post created completely with my iPad.

Since we're speaking of the iPad, I thought I would highlight a few more apps that I've been using lately that I really like. I have included a variety of apps this time, and not just photography-related ones.

Magic Hour


Magic Hour is a photo editing app for iPhone that is similar it Instagram or Pixlromatic. Like these apps, Magic Hour uses filters to create retro-looking effects. What makes this app unique is the ability to tweak the settings to make your own custom filter. In addition, you can download filters that other users have created in the free filter market. I also like that you have the option to save higher resolution files.




TileDeck


I love patterns and prints, so I was super excited when I found this iPad app. It allows you to create your own pattern designs quickly and easily. First you choose a basic layout grid, and then you draw within a single tile of the grid. The app automatically repeats the tile to create the pattern, which you can then export as a wallpaper image or a repeatable tile.





ScrapPad


I've tried a few digital scrapbooking apps on my iPad, and this is the best one I've seen so far. It comes preloaded with a good selection of kits with themed backgrounds, borders, and embellishments. There are also additional kits available as in-app purchases. The interface is pretty intuitive and easy to figure out.





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**UPDATE - 2015** The miniature sweater knitting pattern has been revised.  View/Download the new pattern here:
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A gift tag template for creating a Christmas ornament from this sweater can be found on my Templates and Patterns page. Additional sweater patterns are available for sale in my Etsy shop.


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