Secret Garden: 12 Notecards

These postcards are the perfect size for use with fine tip pens (I prefer pens to pencils because they produce more vibrant colors). I can finish a full postcard in a couple of coloring sessions and I love that I can send the finished products to friends and family so that I don't have a stack of colored pages sitting around the house.

I find coloring a relaxing, yet engaging activity, and working through this book has been a great way to wind down after some stressful periods at work.

Highly recommended.

This is seriously way too small to color. I have 20/20 vision and I have no idea how I am going to color these. I like how these are on thicker paper (card board like), but "coloring" it, means putting a single line of color down since that is the width of what you have to work with.

Love, love, love Johanna Basford's coloring books and "accessories" (like this book of postcards). The postcards are smaller versions of the images in her Secret Garden coloring book. To color them, you'll need some fine tipped markers or colored pencils. They look great uncolored, too, and are a fun way to send quick, personal messages through the mail. The postcard pack makes an excellent little gift for teenagers - I bought several to give to my nieces for birthday presents, and they just love them!

I already have the Secret Garden coloring book, which I love. So I thought these Secret Garden postcards would be great to actually use after finishing them with colored pencil. I was disappointed, however, when I found that the postcard paper tends to tear or rub off when using colored pencil. Oddly enough, the coloring book never tears. I thought, being postcards, they would be MORE durable, but that is not the case.

Unfortunately, there is no way to get around the problem, either, because when burnishing with colored pencil, I have to use a stronger pressure; there is no way to get the effect without using a heavier pressure so it's kind of disappointing. I will be using my micron colored markers with these instead of colored pencil.

Also, if it is important to you, please note that there are no new designs. These are all from the book. This didn't matter to me because they are still beautiful, but some people might expect new designs -- they are not new.

These cards are not only fun but a really nice, creative way to relieve stress. I read an article that says "Coloring as an adult is a good way to relieve stress." For me, it absolutely is! These notecards are very beautiful. No matter how you add color to them, they always seem to end up looking amazing.
I Highly recommend for fun or if you just want to quiet your mind from a long day.

I am very please with this item however even though the designs are beautiful they were a bit to country themed for me I expect them to look like the cover or similar. But I still colored some and sent them out and everyone that received one raved about them.

Disappointed in these. Had the impression they were for coloring like the books it designs too small. The gold accent gives them an artificial feel - not as natural and organic as the designs in the books.

I received a box of these note cards as a gift and they are very beautiful. It is nice stock paper and the pictures are delightful. I colored my first one with Staedtler Triplus Fineliner colored pens and they did not bleed through.It takes a little patience and concentration to color in the small spaces but the results are worth it. Getting a pair of magnifying eye glasses helps. :)

I love this product. I actually purchased it because the full coloring book was back-ordered/ unavailable (who knew adult coloring books were a thing?). However, this postcard edition has worked out amazing. I use crayola color pencils. I use the "fat pencil" option of a double-barrel pencil sharpener - this way I can get the pencil super sharp. I work on it piecemeal - after a stressful work day, I come home, color a couple of flowers, and recharge.

PROS: The card is smooth and satisfying to color, and unlike the coloring book, the color won't show through. It's also super portable, so it's easy to carry around, e.g. to WINE/TEQUILA COLORING PARTIES.

CONS: I believe the postcard drawings are curated from the coloring book, so obviously there are less options. Staying in the lines is a bit of a challenge with such finely rendered drawings. And it's hard to pick a card to start with!! They're all so beautiful!!

This has been one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. It has inspired me to take a drawing class (maybe). And, it makes a great gift! Love it.

Was super disappointed because the pictures are so small - shrunk smaller than the regular coloring books. I have good eye sight and still have trouble coloring with very fine markers - it isn't fun :(

I love this product. I actually purchased it because the full coloring book was back-ordered/ unavailable (who knew adult coloring books were a thing?). However, this postcard edition has worked out amazing. I use crayola color pencils. I use the "fat pencil" option of a double-barrel pencil sharpener - this way I can get the pencil super sharp. I work on it piecemeal - after a stressful work day, I come home, color a couple of flowers, and recharge.

PROS: The card is smooth and satisfying to color, and unlike the coloring book, the color won't show through. It's also super portable, so it's easy to carry around, e.g. to WINE/TEQUILA COLORING PARTIES.

CONS: I believe the postcard drawings are curated from the coloring book, so obviously there are less options. Staying in the lines is a bit of a challenge with such finely rendered drawings. And it's hard to pick a card to start with!! They're all so beautiful!!

This has been one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. It has inspired me to take a drawing class (maybe). And, it makes a great gift! Love it.

Was super disappointed because the pictures are so small - shrunk smaller than the regular coloring books. I have good eye sight and still have trouble coloring with very fine markers - it isn't fun :(

I loved the subject and the line drawings. I used gel ink pens and that is both good and bad. Some of the card the detail is too fine and small for gel pens. Good eyes and a sharp colored pencil are needed to do the tiny detail. The card stock is nice and sturdy. I sent a finished postcard in the mail to my elderly mother.

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.

Bought this for a mature 12 year old along with a 50 pack of colored pencils. She loved, loved, loved it! The book arrived in perfect condition. She has colored a few and shown me - its a lot of work, but the postcards are really beautiful once colored. This is really a great gift idea for a young girl! Of all the similar type books, Johanna Basford's are definitely the loveliest!

I'm thrilled Johanna Basford has expanded her incredible skills and amazing "creations" further.

We own all Johanna's works and share with friends. The new NOTECARDS are beautiful, cleverly presented and a very practical size. I have used several boxes sharing thoughts with friends. Thoroughly recommended.

We can't wait to see what's next !!

These illustrations are beautiful but the drawings are much too small. It is clear the artwork has been shrunken down without taking into account these are meant to be colored in. Not only are the drawings difficult to color but they are also hard to see. I would not recommend this book to anyone with a shaky hand or bad vision. I'm pretty disappointed because I really love the concept of the postcards.

Accuracy of description: Secret Garden 20 postcards, 20 detachable postcards is correct. The postcards are very beautiful and some are very intricate.
Thoughts: The postcards are beautiful. The pages are thick and it is just right for the ease of tearing them out of the book. Some people had trouble with it but if you pull at an angle they pull out easy. I was really impressed with the quality of the postcards and I can’t wait to mail them.
Usefulness: These are really useful in my opinion. I plan on mailing them to my mom colored by people at my work. I think she will get a kick out of it. People don’t really mail things anymore so getting something other than bills is always a plus.
Pros: Thick construction, easy to pull out, beautiful postcards, great quality work.
Cons: Some people had a hard time knowing how to pull the postcards out of the book so I had to do it for them. So not really too bad if you know how to do it.
Recommend to a friend: I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. They are beautiful postcards and the artist did an excellent job. Once these are all mailed out I may get more myself with different designs.

These are better-scaled to postcard size than the Lost Ocean postcards, although some are still alarmingly small. I am mostly coloring them with Triplus Fineliners with a bit of pencil shading, as keeping Prismacolors sufficiently sharpened would be a waste of pencils. The markers do occasionally feather slightly for reasons I cannot identify. If you have harder-lead pencils, they should be less frustrating to use than Prismas.

I tried doing a watercolor pencil background on one and it came out okay, but I think these do not have enough tooth to be good for watercolors, which is a shame - if you're after postcards you can use watercolor pencil or watercolor with, I'd recommend Hanna Karlzon's designs, which have more space to work and toothier paper.

Never would have thought I would begin coloring at age 65. I bought these when I saw an article about the "Zen" of coloring for adults. It is so true. I put on some music, sit on my patio and with gel pens, become engrossed to the point I lose track of time. I am going to frame some of these when I am done, add a message on the bottom and give them to my granddaughters for Christmas. Will definitely graduate to one of her coloring books next. If you have a hard time meditating, try this. Very beautiful designs and will slow down your mind.

I heard about this absolutely amazing 'coloring book for adults' and how it was unlike any other. I finally received mine (she has sold millions) and in person the beauty is truly something else. The detail! Beautiful! I would think this would cost 3 - 4 times what it sells for. Now I am waiting for her next two! I feel like a kid again.

After looking through a bunch of different coloring postcards, these were by far my favorite. They have intricate, pretty designs without being overwhelming with too many details. The fact that they're postcards are also fun because you can send personalized notes to family and friends. The price is great for the number of cards and the design quality. I would buy these again or check out the other postcard designs by Johanna Basford.

I absolutely love the idea of coloring your own postcard since it adds a truly personal touch. This is a great way to wish friends and family a happy birthday, or for other occasions as well. I love all the designs and will definitely be ordering another book once this one runs out!

Do NOT buy this book unless you're also prepared to purchase a pack of expensive fine tipped pens. The pictures are minuscule, forget giving this to any kid younger than a teenager, and if you have any problem focusing on very tiny detail incredibly close for a long time, don't buy it for yourself. The 2 stars are because the pictures really are beautiful. I hope Johanna Basford reads this, and other feedback like it, and makes a second version that isn't so difficult to actually colour.

To color or not to color--this selection of postcards is equally elegant as is, with just a little color, or fully decorated. This box is elegant, from the packaging design, and can easily store other treasures once you send all the cards to your friends. An extra-special touch (but I'm totally splitting hairs here!) would have been to line the envelopes with gold or silver-colored foil, but the tiny doodling on the envelopes give the cards a touch of class and reminds me of the art of card-writing and sending, which seems to have been lost or taken over by email and texts.

I bought the big book before last Christmas when my desire to get creativity out of me was in full swing. I came across this little book of postcards at my local crafts store and got it. The designs are beautiful, and a little too small for my liking, but I still have colored them with my pencils. Last night, I had an idea to use my waterbrush and Peerless watercolors and sha---zam I am back in heaven and creativity is unleashed! It is working perfectly for me to blend and shade better that I wasn't able to obtain with the pencils alone due to small design sizes.

it's been hard to decide which pages to color! So many choices and so much detail. Would LOVE to have more postcard books like this because they make super awesome note cards that are very personalized!

Johanna Basford was once asked what she would be if she weren't an illustrator. Her answer: "A florist, because I adore blossoms!" These stunning images are mostly blossoms from her larger coloring book. I especially recommend using Sakura Glaze pens with coloured pencils to enhance her intricate designs.

Great set of notecards. It's a practical way to personalize a card for someone you care about. It's blank on the inside so it can be used for many occasions. The paper is quite thick so I did not have any trouble with color penetration with coloring markers.

These are so relaxing. I bought them originally for my patients but I ended up enjoying them myself also. There are complex drawings and some that are a little easier. I bought them as post-cards so I could pull them out blank and make copies for myself to color over and over. You just copy them and blow-up the copy on the machine. Set it to "photo" and it comes out better. The actual postcards I like to color and send to friends, they are gorgeous and a way to create something beautiful if you can't really draw.

I examined this at the bookstore today and wasnt impressed. Kids might like it but I'm very discriminating and have studied art
for 11+ years and was disappointed with the drawings which are rather childish. Nice quality paper but look elsewhere for exciting images.

Beautiful designs, but keep in mind they are very intricate. Regular gel pens bled outside the lines of the smallest areas. Staedtler Triplus Fineliners work well. I like to frame the postcards and give them as gifts when I'm finished coloring. The cards are thick -- heavier than the regular book versions of the pictures -- so there's no chance of bleeding.