I have this friend who likes to have game night at her house. She has tons of board games, and occasionally we’ll get together with a bunch of other friends and play games. It really is a lot of fun. One time when I was there I was watching her get her board games out. I saw that she had a coloring book and some crayons in the same place where she held her games. I asked her if she colored. She said yes, and that it was very relaxing. I remember thinking how strange that was for a grown woman to sit and color. She must have saw the confusion on my face, because she went on to explain that sometimes it’s just nice to de-stress by coloring. You really don’t have to think about anything, it’s carthartic, and there is some satisfaction to finishing a page. I realize she was on to something.
I think my friend was a head of her time a bit, because a couple weeks ago I saw this article in Parade, about adults coloring as a way to relieve themselves from stress. Since then I’ve seen so many other links and articles about adults coloring! It was right around the same time a friend of mine invited me to a local coloring group, Color My World Coloring Club. I’ve never really ever been cool enough to do something popular, so I thought that this was my chance to finally be one of the cool kids! 😉
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rior to the big coloring day, I looked online for some adult coloring pages. (FYI-beware how you Google that.) Here are some links I found from Parade Magazine, as well as a whole bunch more on Pinterest. I was also told that Barnes and Noble has some coloring books to purchase as well. Here are a couple from my friends.
So, last Sunday was the big day. We met at Mia Cuppa Caffe in the Tower. This was only the second time they had met, so I didn’t feel like I was starting as a newbie, as most of us were newbies! It was so nice to have some adult time, let me tell you. It might seem weird to some, but there were about 8 of us, sitting around a table chit chatting, laughing, and coloring. There were even times when we were all so focused, that there was no talking going on. When people say that coloring helps to reduce stress, they’re right! I found myself relaxing while coloring. I didn’t have to think about money, my kids yelling, work, school, things I had to get done the next day. I was simply in the serene filled moment, and it was wonderful.
What I really liked about coloring is that I can share my creative side, without having to really be artistic. You have to have skills to paint or draw, but you really only need to be able to stay in the lines when you color. (And even that’s optional!) The only thing I really had to think about was what color scheme I wanted to use. Also, I didn’t have to buy anything fancy. I used regular colored pencils. I did happen to have some gel markers that I borrowed from my daughter, but they weren’t necessary. The other ladies in the group were more than happy to share their colored pencils, so there was plenty to go around. Now, having said that, you can very easily go and buy really nice colored pencils and/or markers, but I didn’t find the need to do that. For me this was more about the fun, making new friends, and relaxing!
This experience was such a good one that I have it on my calendar to make it back to their once a month meet up. And guess what? You can do this too! Gather up some of your girlfriends (and guy friends), pick a place to meet, find some coloring pages, and have a good ole time! You know you’d love to have a reason for a night out, and this is perfect! Can you imagine having these little meet-ups all over town? We could start something big! Like a coloring convention! Okay, maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Anyway, if you’d like to see what this is all about, Peeves is having an adult coloring night on Tuesday, the 12th. Take a couple of your friends and check it out! Then if you like it, you can start a group yourself!
I have one last question for you… Do any of you already have coloring groups formed?
Do any of you color on your own to relax? Share with us what you love most about it!
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You can join my group and get some of my designs for free 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423920061251070/?ref=bookmarks
Here is my Etsy Page with some designs you can download for .99 Cents: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1423920061251070/?ref=bookmarks