Adult coloring books have become popular over the past few years. They are a great way to occupy yourself or de-stress. Plus, who doesn’t like coloring? The only issue is that they can be expensive. So, if you want to save some money and be creative, you can create your own coloring book in a few simple steps!

1. Search for coloring pages

First thing’s first: Open up Google Images and start searching for images to color. One of the great things about making your own coloring book is that you choose the images and you can follow a certain theme if you’d like. For example, maybe you want all flowers, animals, patterns or a variety of images. You get to decide!

Simply type in something like “flower coloring page” and search. Check and make sure that the images are large enough and then save them into a folder. Choose as many as you want; you can decide how big or small your coloring book will be.

If you’re planning to give or distribute the coloring book, you’ll probably want to make sure the images are labeled for reuse. You can check this by filtering your search.

2. Create the book

Open up a blank page on Microsoft Word, or any similar program. Depending on how you want your coloring book set up, you can turn the page horizontally to fit two images or vertically for one. 

You can also create a table that allows you to fit two images on a page. 

Insert any of the images you saved onto the blank page and adjust the size according to your taste. 

Once you’ve got your images where you want them, insert a page break. Repeat the process until you have as many pages as you’d like. 

To get you started, we’ve included two coloring pages that you can download and use for your coloring book! 

3. Print your coloring book

Now it’s time to print your coloring book! You can print single or double-sided, depending on your taste. It may be easier to go with single sided, because you won’t be coloring on the back of another image. 

4. Put it together 

For this, you’ll need a stapler, or a hole puncher and some ribbon. 

If you’re taking the stapling route, fold your pages and then staple from the outside in. One staple at the top and one at the bottom will probably work best. 

If you’re feeling a little more creative, use a hole puncher and then intertwine a piece of ribbon to bind the pages. This can give your coloring book a more unique feel, since you can customize it further by choosing the color of ribbon. 

5. Color! 

Now you have a custom coloring book that you can take wherever you go. Color between classes or while you’re at home. You can now brag about how you have a one-of-a-kind coloring book.

Features reporter Kelley Holland can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected].