Grab some tiles at the local hardware store (they are less than 20 cents a piece), some Mod Podge and cut down your coloring pages, and with this tutorial or this tutorial you will have a set of coasters in no time.  Finish up the edges of your tile by applying some Inka Gold by Viva Decor (available at P&P).  The Inka Gold will give it a gorgeous metallic finish.    

We are excited to welcome Ken Oliver to Palette & Paper a little later this month. He will be teaching three workshops focusing on using Color Bursts and other products in the Ken Oliver Crafts family. 

Color Bursts are “an amazing powder watercolor medium that lets you create beautiful watercolor techniques like you’ve never created before”. They come in 20 colors (including the newly released “Caribbean Brights Collection”), and are great for watercolor painting, fine art and mixed media. You can make artwork suitable for framing quickly and easily with Color Bursts (take Ken’s Stencil Magic Class and walk away with a framed 12x12” piece of artwork!). It’s easy to “sprinkle and spritz” to create watercolor backgrounds like an expert also. Palette & Paper has an assortment of colors in the Shoppe that can be purchased for $6 each or in 6-packs.

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Color Bursts also come in Liquid Metals (12 colors).  The Liquid Metals add an eye-catching metallic luster to your artwork and can be mixed with other Color Bursts colors.  Finely granulated metallic powder along with colorant is suspended in a dispensing liquid in a handy dropper bottle to make this unique product.   

It is so awesome to see the colorants react to water and spread over your artwork.  Once you “sprinkle and spritz” you will be hooked!
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Just look at the Gallery below showcasing items made with Color Bursts and Liquid Metals by Ken and his Creative Team.  As you can see, you can add Color Bursts and Liquid Metals to almost every kind of craft type and project.  

Another great product that is hot on the market are Ken’s Cut n’ Color stamp and die sets.  Ken says they were designed with versatility in mind.  Cut n’ Color lets you “color” stamped images, then cut them out with matching die sets making it quick and easy to cut multiple images.  You can use these sets for a multitude of projects including: card making, party décor, mixed media artwork and art journaling.  

Attendees of Ken’s Watercolor Cards class on Friday, July 29 will have the chance to use these great new Cut n’ Color stamp and die sets (there are still a few spots left so register today!).

If you haven’t signed up for one (or all three) of Ken’s classes yet we know you will want to.  His products are so fun to use and can be used in a multitude of ways with various crafts and projects.  This is a great opportunity to learn from the King of Color Bursts himself!

​As artists and customers of Palette & Paper, a lot of us are believers in the “Color Outside the Lines” adage.

However, coloring inside the lines can be just as good for our minds and souls.  The trend of “adult coloring books” has really taken off these past couple of years.  Wondering what the hype is about, read on . . .

Coloring offers a variety of mental benefits.  Marygrace Berberian, certified art therapist, stated to CNN “Coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring [about] more mindfulness.”  A research study in 2005 proved that anxiety levels dropped when subjects colored mandalas (round frames with geometric patterns inside).  When subjects simply doodled though, it had no effect in reducing their stress levels.

The act of coloring is a lot like meditation.  It allows you to switch off your brain to other things and simply focus on the moment.  This can be a major positive, since according to the American Psychological Association, Americans reported being more stressed out this past year than the year before (source).  It is easy to understand increased stress levels with the fast-paced culture we live in where so many focus on work and money.

The Coloring Studio combines a coloring book and magazine in its quarterly publication.  It is filled with over 100 coloring pages in an array of styles.  It also has interesting articles and tips. Below is a look inside the summer edition of The Coloring Studio.

Palette & Paper offers a variety of Zenspirations Coloring Books in different themes (Inspirations, Flowers and Abstract & Geometric Designs).  Also, Dylusions has a fun coloring sheet book featuring the whimsical designs of Dyan Reaveley.  This booklet contains heavyweight cardstock making them ideal to use with markers or watercolors.  Plus, these sheets work fantastically as additions to your art journal or collage pieces.  Palette & Paper also carries ADORNit coloring sheets.  These sheets are great for when you want a small scale coloring project.  You can turn them into a card to send a friend, include on a bible journaling page and more.

Some say that Johanna Basford, creator of the Secret Garden Coloring Book, launched the "adult coloring book obsession".  Her designs are gorgeous so it is easy to understand why.  Palette & Paper carries her Secret Garden Postcard book.  How lovely it would be to color a few of these and send friends and family some happy mail! 

So stop in today and get a coloring book!  You are invited to sit on our back porch and color a while too (or inside in the AC during Open Studio every Wednesday evening).  

Do you color?  We would love to see your creations.  Please share on our Facebook page or on Instagram with #paletteandpapercreation!