Book Review: Creative Acrylics by Carla Co Chua

Title: Creative Acrylics

Author: Carla Co Chua

Publisher: Quarry Books - Quarto Publishing Group

Release Date: January 11, 2022

Genre: Arts & Crafts

Discover how easy, satisfying, and fun it is to create with acrylic paints and mediums in Creative Acrylics.

Acrylics are one of the most versatile, affordable, and accessible art mediums, and you’ll learn all the tips, tricks, and techniques for blending colors and building texture, plus excellent instruction on how to paint a range of different subjects.

Confused about which types of paints to use, and how to use them? Creative Acrylics cuts through the clutter and offers clear fundamentals for working with a variety of paints and mediums to produce beautiful results. Acrylic paint is water-soluble, dries quickly, and is forgiving, making it perfect for those starting out. Begin your acrylic painting journey with an expert who will guide you through enjoyable techniques and projects as you build confidence and ramp up your skills.

Step-by-step techniques, lessons, and projects cover a wide range of styles and genres, including color mixing, brushwork, glazing, and how to paint easy florals, still lifes, landscapes, and animals. Take your new skills even further and paint on different surfaces to create an apron, painted shells, a paintbrush rest, clay pot, and more.

In Creative Acrylics you’ll find: 

• How to set up your workspace to make painting more enjoyable
• A guide to the different types of acrylic paint
• Basic techniques such as understanding color and value, and how to add texture and other effects using paint and mediums
• Lessons and projects that build skills: creating still lifes, florals, landscapes and skies, and painting on fabric, wood, shells, clay, and more

With all these ideas and inspiration, your acrylic painting journey can begin today!

Perfect for all skill levels, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.

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Beginner's Garden

I have forever admired those that can keep a plant living for more than a few days.  Those that can grow something that's actually edible gets major kudos from me.  I secretly wish I could be that girl that goes out to her backyard, picks vegetables, and makes a beautiful dish out of them.  If you look at my bucket list one of the things you will see is eat something that you've grown.  If I tried that right now I would make myself incredibly sick.  I hope one day to be able to grow my own vegetables.  The only person in my family that successfully grows their own vegetables is my grandfather.  Last year I asked for gardening tips for a true beginner and he suggested I start with okra.  I took his advice and followed his instructions to a T but I started too late in the season and a few hard freezes took my sweet little plant to the grave.

I know ZERO about gardening.  That okra plant growing as much as it did was a true miracle from God!  With the wealth of information out there it's easy to get overwhelmed, which is why I was so excited to get my hands on Beginner's Garden: A Practical Guide to Growing Vegetables & Fruits without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty by Alex Mitchell.

This book takes you through the entire process and leaves a beginner like myself with no question unanswered.  Alex Mitchell states in the book that, "this is the book I wish I'd had when I started growing (on) my own," and for "people who have busy lives but still like the idea of eating a fresh salad they've grown."  That would be me!

The information is very basic, which is much appreciated for this newbie, but make no mistake the amount of information contained within these pages is generous.  I learned so much I never knew and things I didn't know I needed to know!  The book is divided into seasons which is helpful.  As far as the actual gardening, the author keeps the equipment required incredibly minimalistic which motivates you to get started quicker, without excuses.  The section about planting in various containers was especially helpful for me.  Containers do not seem as scary as a plot to me.  I also love how the author added the "where have I gone wrong?" section with each vegetable, noting things to look out for, and even "villains" for certain crops.

The recipes sprinkled throughout the book are a nice touch and the photos are gorgeous!  Simply written and easy to read, the Beginner's Garden would make a perfect housewarming gift and is a wonderful resource!  Highly recommend!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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Pokémon Cards: The Unofficial Ultimate Collector's Guide

I truly feel like my generation was the best.  Being a child of the 80's meant you got to play with the coolest toys (He-Man and She-Ra, Rainbow Brite, and Cabbage Patch Kids, not to mention Nintendo and the birth of gaming as we know it today.

In 1995, I was a freshman in high school, so when Pokémon came out I wasn't that interested.  I had enough on my plate with school and extracurricular activities.  One of my friends, however, was obsessed so I would watch her and another friend of ours battle during lunch and after school.  I never did get what the big deal was.  The only thing I did that was Pokémon related was watching a few episodes of the cartoon, which wasn't too bad.  I fell in love with Pikachu, but I was not a fanatic by any means.

When my boys were in third and fourth grade a Pokémon craze hit the elementary school and it was huge.  Every birthday and Christmas for a good three years all my boys wanted was Pokémon cards.  They now have a pretty impressive set that is collecting dust on a shelf in their closet, which seems like a waste to me, but I've heard that some Pokémon cards go for a lot of money, so I decided to do a little detective work.  That's when I stumbled on Pokémon Cards: The Unofficial Ultimate Collector's Guide by Ryan Majeske.

Since my boys were the Pokémon fanatics in the family, I thought it would be fun to include them in this review.  They are now in seventh and eighth grade, so getting them to sit down with a book was a struggle, but once they did, I heard a lot of "Wow! That's crazy!" or "Oh! I have that card!"

What we all loved about this book was all the pictures of the most valuable cards out there.  I doubt any of us will ever see any of these cards in our lifetime, so being able to see what they looked like, as well as how much they are valued at, was really fascinating.

My boys loved reading about the history behind Pokémon at the beginning of the book, and were shocked that one card could be worth so much money!  They also loved how it describes in detail how to read the cards (even though they already knew how) and all the tips for collectors. 

I too loved the part about how to read the cards because it's always baffled me.  I can't say that it made me want to "battle" anyone, but I still think it's neat how the cards are set up, and I love the history of pretty much anything.

Now that my boys are older they have contemplated getting rid of their collection, but after seeing how much a card can gain value in the future they've decided to keep them all and, instead of playing with them, become collector's themselves thanks to this book.

I thought I would be bored out of my mind flipping through this book but it ended up being really fun and a good family bonding time, which I am always grateful for at this age.  I highly recommend this resource for anyone who has Pokémon cards or is interested in collecting them.  This book is highly informative and will not disappoint.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Krause Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.

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