I liked most of this book. I loved the color help and the explanations of tools needed, adhesives, etc. I also love that it tells you how to make books to keep your collages in. The one thing I had trouble with was that most of the collages pictured didn't really move me. They weren't my color schemes or things that I would have created. They all looked very similar as well. It would have been nice to have more variety. There are a lot of people on Instagram and tic tock that do journaling and collages that seem more everyday than high end/artist/museum collages.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and to Storey Publishing for this eARC.

A wonderful workbook with lots of great tips, and includes the work of artists who will inspire you. Goes into a lot of depth about the principles behind successful collages, which will help all of your art as well. Prompts you can dip into to jumpstart your practice, which I'm keen to try.

Rated: 10/10; a great reference book to keep.

This is the book on collaging that I have been waiting for! I was very lucky to receive a digital ARC of this (thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley). I will be purchasing a hardcopy as well, however. Collage is a mindful art. We do it as children and sometimes as adults, but I was never taught the techniques of collage. My mother always said you had an eye for it or you don't. This book proves that collage is something anyone can learn. It includes lessons on:
-Color
-Comoposition
-Materials
-Layering

Basically, if you have any interest in collage, I HIGHLY recommend that you pick up this fantastic guide. My husband and I are planning a collage date night soon!

I love to collage, although don't often find the time to do so. It gave me inspiration and ideas, which was lovely. I don't however foresee it making me go out and start doing collages more so now.

Beautiful layout, clear instructions and interesting projects make this a popular choice for public library crafts collections. Both beginners and more experienced crafters will find inspiration and librarians might use this for programming ideas as well.

A really interesting book. I loved the ideas. Refreshing and beautifully presented. A book you can dip in and out of for inspiration.

Collage Your Life is a great overview of collaging with helpful techniques, examples and projects. I have already ordered it for my library.

A thorough examination of collaging that explains techniques as well as giving plenty of practical advice and examples. Mowinski details all of the steps of collaging including what materials to have on hand, how to layout your collage, color theory, adhesive techniques, and more. The second half of the book offers 55 creative prompts, like "Patience" and "One Size Does Not Fit All". There's some explanation surrounding the prompt and directions on how to get started, offering a nice balance of some structure with plenty of creative freedom. Interspered in this section are profiles of collage artists.

I had anticipated that this book would be more for amateur crafters but was pleasantly surprised at the information on the art of collaging. While beginners or hobby crafters have plenty of support to get started, more experienced artists who are looking for ideas or to review different techniques would also benefit from this book.

This book is definitely inspiring, filled with ideas and projects for the beginner (like me). I have often wanted to try collage and Collage You Life has provided the inspiration to begin. I will definitely recommend this book for purchase at the Library.

Fantastic book! This book on collaging caught my eye because I have been interested in the "junk journals" I have seen on Pinterest. There are so many great ideas and prompts here. Her style is different than mine would/will be, but that's pretty much the point. This is supposed to be YOU. The book is worth it alone for the mini course on color and art theory, presented clearly and simply. If it can make an artistically untalented person like me start thinking about making art, you know it's good! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Collage your Life is a handy guide and introduction to the collage technique used for journaling, crafting, scrapbook and such outlets.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for review

Collage your life is a great escape from the world. A medium of art even if you're a "bad artist", there are instructions and tool advice given so even the most novice of artists can participate. I love Mowinskis work. Its so colorful and whimsical. I can totally see buying this book as a gift for my daughter who has kept every piece of paper ever given to her.

A wonderful how-to book. Recommend for high school and up.

This book is a treasure! As a beginner art journalist, I found this book invaluable with its collected knowledge and teaching.

Main themes included:

• All tools and equipment needed to create
• Colour wheel, coordinating colours perspective
• Techniques and planning your creations
• Stamp and stencil making
• Lettering and stencilling
• Mixed media art
• Practice and work with what inspires you
• Artist showcase and creativity

Reviewing this makes me feel anxious to get back to my practice of creating, collecting and mindfully being.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copyin exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to view this book early for an honest review. I requested this book because I can’t draw, but I want to be artsy, and I always loved the look of collages, so I thought this might inspire me. Oh boy, did it. It’s filled with different style collages (some that look very professionally done) by very talented artists. It made me see paper in a different way and I’m excited to start my creative journey.

Collaging is always something I have loved to do so when I saw this book I knew I needed to read and look through it. This book shows a variety of techniques and ideas that are fairly simple and anyone can try. I loved the beginning section with the vibrant colors explaining each element of a collage like color, line, space, etc. The extended techniques part was very interesting with the how to make a stamp, stencil and other ideas like using stitching to attach various objects.
My favorite part by far was the chapter with loads of prompts. The photos displayed were all beautiful and the prompts were a lot of fun and inspiring.

Lots of step-by-step instructions to help you stencil, letter, stamp, glue, and get more creative in what you cut, how you put it together, and where you put it.
However, the content might be a little too overwhelming for the beginner and some of the products used are more than household items.
It was ok not sure i would buy it but it had quite a few good ideas in there

I’m not very artistic but I keep a bullet journal and this book gave me some great ideas of collage styles that I can try out. I feel confident to trial some of the techniques. They were well explained and it’s a good book for beginners.

I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley and have to say that it is one of the most comprehensive collage books I have come across in a while. Although I am studying textiles, I am still finding my feet where collage is concerned but this book assumes no prior knowledge at all.

If you are a complete novice and want to try this very accessible artform Melanie Mowinski takes you through the absolute basics on everything from the best ways to apply glues and adhesives, colour theory and design basics. As someone who already is working with collage and has a fair amount of experience in other types of art and craft there was a multitude of information including an enormous number of examples of current collage artists (a great resource for inspiration and finding contemporary practitioners as part of your research if you are taking a formal course).

If once you have grasped the basics and explored other practitioners you are still hitting an artistic block this book contains 55 prompts to get you working. Making a start is always going to be the best way of getting past this so having a book to hand where you can open it to a random prompt to get cracking is ideal. There are even prompts that help you link your work to emotional or mental health challenges if this is something you want to explore but are unsure where to start. All the prompts are very accessible and usually involve around 3 basic instructions that can be taken as broadly as you want. It may be that you only need one of the 55 to speak to you and unlock those possibilities floating in the back of your mind!

I also liked that there was a short chapter on book binding. This is a pretty huge topic in itself but the chapter covered all the essential information you will need to make a couple of different styles of books to keep all your artwork safe which was a nice addition.

Like all collage, you may need to start looking at papers differently to create your own collection of papers to work with but the author is very enthusiastic about using whatever you have to hand. Who doesn't receive some sort of post, junk mail or find 'rubbish' these days? Melanie Mowinski encourages you to start with whatever you already own and begin to explore, experiment and express yourself. Next time you receive a letter in the post take a peep at the inside of the envelope and turn a potentially depressing bill into a work of art!

I have seen many contemporary collage books and this one is a very good one.
It is full of ideas as well as technical details like materials to use and how to use them. The techniques discussed are clear and accessible making the reader feel like they could very easily start a collage project right now!
Towards the end of the book are project ideas and biographies of other collage artists which I found very interesting.
This book is full of ideas and inspiration and I would highly recommend it.

As a scrapbooker and all round crafter, I enjoy being able to dip into new creative opportunities. I’ve done some basic collage before but this book really delves into all the different ways you can bring collage into your creative life. Melanie explains about all the different materials she uses and how she creates some truly beautiful pieces. Not all the ideas would be for everyone but there’s something for every level of crafter. I loved the different tips and ideas plus the clear instructions and photos are great for beginners and experienced crafters. You can be as complex or as simple as you like and this is the type of book I’d dip in and out of.