This is my second coloring book by Lizzie Mary Cullen. The other is The Magical City. I really enjoyed the first book and like this one even more because it celebrates my favorite time of the year. Ms. Cullen’s artwork shows a beautiful swirl and flow that re-invents how I look at prospective. There are classic themes in the designs but they are imagined in a new and modern fashion. Most of the designs are very intricate, include some small areas for coloring, and fill the pages. The designs are definitely geared towards an British Christmas theme but there are nods to other places with designs specifically showing how Christmas is celebrated elsewhere. My favorite, because I love all things Holmes, is currently Christmas At Baker Street which will be my first design to color in this book.
There is also a hidden objects search and find as many artistic coloring books are now including. The key is in the back of the book, along with what amounts to a proof sheet of the pictures in the book with the names of the of the various designs. I’ll include a long listing at the bottom of this review if you would like to look through what is included especially as the designs are so detailed, the names may be of equal use in understanding the contents of this book.
There are 65 designs in this book, 17 of which span across two pages. The book is printed on a good medium weight white paper. The cover does not come off but the inside of front and back can be colored though the paper is extremely glossy. The outside of the front of the cover is beautifully illustrated and colored with touches of red and gold foil on it. There are parts left that you can color and the outside is slick but not glossy.
All of my markers bleed-through on this paper; however, none of my gel pens do though the darker colors leave a bit of shadowing on the back on the page. Coloring pencils work very well on this style of paper. As the book is printed doubled sided on non-perforated paper, I will probably be using my gel pens and colored pencils or will purchase a second book if I feel compelled to use my markers. The binding is sewn in rather than glued, so removing the pages will take a few snips of the thread every ten pages or so.
Many of the designs merge into the binding but as I won’t be cutting the book itself, that isn’t an issue if I take the book apart. For those who don’t take the pictures out of the book, I was able to bend the binding enough to get the book fairly flat.
Here is a listing of the names of the designs: Keep Christmas Well, Carolling, Mistletoe, A Visitor Over Amsterdam, Festive Birds, Red Robin, Under the Mistletoe, Flowers of the Season, I Saw Three Ships, Three Wise Men, Imagine, Rockefeller Center, Swan Lake, Frosted Winter Web, The Frost Fair on the Thames, A Santa Calls, The Rocking Horse, The Festive Welcome, Heart of the Home, A Christmas Down Under, A Christmas in Rio, Winter in Machias, The Lights of Love, Happy Hanukkah, The Festive Spread, Early on Christmas Day, The North Pole, The Mummers Make Merry, No Room at the Inn, The First Noel, Night-time on the Embankment, God Bless Us, Everyone!, A Kiwi Christmas, Community United, The Dance of the Snowmen, Twelfth Night, The No Man’s Land Truce, The Advent Candles, German Christmas Markets, Fairytale Window Display, Galeries Lafaette (Paris), The Fairy Hour, The Bells are Ringing, Medieval Merriment, Inside the Christmas Tree, A Christmas Cracker, The Nutcracker Ballet, St. Lucy’s Day Festival, Winter Solstice, A Festive Express, Snow Flurry, Tudor Tidings, A Skate at the Tower, Snowflake, Christmas at Baker Street, The Dance of the Christmas Trees, The Festive Jumpers, Time for Skating, The Gingerbread House, Stocking Surprises, Snow is Falling, A Victorian Toy Shop, A Winter Wreath, The Heart of Christmas, and The Night Before Christmas.
