Secret Garden: 20 Postcards

I was going through a stressful time at work dealing with an exceptionally difficult client. In my down time this coloring book has saved my sanity. I don't like wasting time on frivolous things, and I love the fact that once these are colored they can be detached and sent to friends. Sanity inspired coloring with a purpose! The card stock is thick with a high quality feel. The black lines are bold and have penetrated the card stock well. I have used watercolor pencils on these cards and the water has no effect on the black lines- no bleeding, fading, wear etc. These cards also tear away easily and cleanly. Nothing would be more frustrating than spending time on coloring a pretty card only to have the tear-away edge destroy your work. Luckily that's not an issue with these. They are definitely high quality and have helped with stress, boredom etc. The different designs are great. Some are very complex and some significantly less so. There are definitely options on how detailed of a picture you'd like to spend your time on. All are lovely and well thought out.

Where to begin? I purchased Johanna Basford's Secret Garden coloring book Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book awhile ago, and was so enchanted with it that I pre-ordered this postcard set. It finally arrived, and it was definitely worth the wait. These include more of Johanna's beautiful work in a small postcard sized format. They're printed on heavy-weight cardstock, suitable for just about any coloring medium. I tend to use mostly colored pencils, but I'll likely be using some alcohol markers with these as well (Spectrum Noir or Copic). I make hand-crafted greeting cards, and these are the perfect size to use as card fronts. I can add some heat embossing by coloring with a Versamark pen Tsukineko Dual-Ended VersaMarker Pen in Bag , then sprinkling with embossing powder and heat to add a bit of "zing." Speaking of "zing," Stickles glitter glue could also be used with these Ranger TDS-25023 Tim Holtz Designer Series Distress Stickles Glitter Glue, Scattered Straw, 0.5-Ounce . They would also be lovely matted and framed in a set with coordinated colors. The fine detail makes these designs both intricate and interesting, and the garden theme is charming. I can't wait to use several of them in my cards. (I'm about 3/4 finished with one of them as I type this.) If you like Johanna Basford's work, you'll LOVE these postcards. Highly recommended.

I bought them along with Prismacolor Pencils (24 set).. and they are beautiful garden designs for coloring. Not all the cards have garden images that is suitable for coloring cuz there are some tiny spaces, cuz the designs were originally not meant for a postcard I guess.. but if you love coloring, and you don't mind messing up cuz the true joy of coloring is in messing up a little bit.. and also, if you love sending postcards.. this is totally for you. I bought one for myself, colored as I pleased (used no reference as some people quoted they did for the Secret Garden book). I intend to continue to color as I please and create the designs I love. I also write poetry on the backside.. and it is large enough to write an 8-10 liner poem.. the area to stick the stamp has a cute little vine which I don't like to compromise so I always stick the stamps next to them, not on top of them. I bought this for myself, and bought a second one as a gift for an artist friend who loves to color as well. She was so delighted about this book. This is worthy every penny you spend on it, provided you have the time to and enjoy coloring without guidelines.

I saw & bought this in a museum gift shop on a trip. I bought one for myself on that tip and then bought another one here on Amazon as a gift. The pictures are fun to color with fine-tipped markers and then to either use them as postcards or just save them. The designs are intricate & fun, but they size makes them easy & quick to complete. I will even consider buying more for gifts. It is a good gift for all ages. Different peole will produce very different postcards from the same designs.

Really nice little postcard coloring book - all sorts of interesting pictures which you can color and decorate to suit your fancy! My only complaint is that some of the drawings are very small and make it difficult to find the lines to color without using a magnifying glass. It's great for adults, but youngsters may have problems with fine motor skills due to the small size of the lines and drawings. I would recommend using ink pens if you don't have a lighted magnifier that can be used by the colorist. But the variety of drawings are quite intricate and original, and provide hours of entertainment to develop your own stories and fairy tales!

Die Bilder sind wunderschon gewählt, sehr detailreich und ermöglichen einen großen Spielraum an eigenen Farbvorstellungen. Wenn die Stifte gute gespitzt sind und einen satten Farbauftrag ermöglichen( z.B. Faber Castell) geht es mit einem durch: intensive Farben nebeneinander, Abstufungen durch Doppelbemalungen oder pastellige Felder....alles ist möglich. Zur Entspannung ist das sehr beglückend für den Maler wie für den anschließendem Empfänger eine Freude. Der Kartenkarton ist für vielerlei trockene und feuchte Stifte geignet, das Adressfeld übersichtlich und auch noch hübsch dekoriert. Wunderbare Herbst- und Winterbeschäftigung....!!!!

This is the second book of these cards that I've bought. I used the first during lockdown and posted one every week to my granddaughter with a little message on it. They're so lovely, quality,thick card and beautiful designs. You get all the pleasure of colouring them and then spread some happiness by sending them to friends. You could actually use them instead of a birthday card. Well worth the money as they're quite intricate and can't be rushed so this one little book lasts a while.

冊子体の「秘密の花園」もよかったのですが 水彩（透明水彩+水彩色鉛筆）で塗りたかったのでこちらも買ってみました。 予想以上に厚手の紙で、水彩のぼかし、にじみもOKで大満足でした。 （大人のナントカのシリーズよりずっと良質の紙です！） ポストカードサイズなので机の上で場所を取らないのも嬉しい。 ただし、日本のハガキよりちょっと大きいので、 ポストカードとして使うなら封書料金でないと送れないかも。

Beautiful images. Some are super tiny details and others quite basic in comparison. Nice card that limits bleeding of colours. Works ok with watercolour markers. Overall I’m impressed with delivery and quality. Just wish some of the images didn’t require a magnifying glass to complete the detail

It's the size of a small notebook. The pages are around 300gsm and are really good for any medium of colors. I used color pencils, pens and water colors and the paper endured them all with perfect grace! Also you can tear out individual pages as it is glued at the spine of the book and not sewn. The book does not become flimsy and nor do the other pages come loose upon tearing out pages from in between the book. A perfect companion on long flights or silent meditative evenings! I prefer these postcard format over books as it is hardbound, there is absolutely no bleeding of colors on to the back of the page, it is easy to carry around without bending the book and the pages can be easily ripped put to frame it up or to simply post to your loved ones! i'mgonnagetmemoreofthese!!!