Do you remember kindergarten? The nonexistent homework? The arts and crafts projects every day? And, graham crackers and milk, followed by a nap? Seriously, what could be better than that?
As life moved on and we faced more and more responsibility (and no one offered us crackers or nap mats anymore) how many of you wished that you could travel back and spend some time in those simpler days?
Well, now you can!
Seriously, whoever created the first adult coloring book was a genius.
I originally heard about them on Instagram. I follow some lovely artists and they began creating their own coloring pages. People went wild over them, buying them up as soon as they were available.
Then, my niece sent my daughters and me each an adult coloring book (that she waited months for on backorder). My sweet niece is a momma and a police officer. She keeps a lovely home and acreage, is a gourmet baker, and lives a very active lifestyle. In other words, her life is filled with stress. She has found coloring to be incredibly relaxing (plus, a fun activity to do with her youngest!).
My friend, Shawn, is a breast cancer survivor and she recently had surgery for uterine cancer. Talk about stress! Friends sent her coloring books to play in while she recuperates. She especially likes the one filled with positive messages. They help remind her to keep fighting.
This week, I ran into an adorable older lady in my local craft store. She had all of her coloring books with her and she had marked the pages with sticky notes. She showed me some of her completed work. Her coloring was wavy and she often had accidentally colored outside the lines. But, like any true kindergartener, she was proud of her work and she saw no flaws in her pages. That pleased me so much. We could all learn a thing or two from her!
I myself was such a rule follower in my early years that much of my natural creativity was squelched. At first, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of adult coloring books. I didn’t want to “color inside the lines” anymore! But, then I began coloring the pages “wrong”. I happily made the grass orange and the trees blue, for example. It’s never too late to break the rules and that was a very freeing feeling.
Obviously, returning to our coloring days has hit a nerve with so many people. My little craft store now has a huge percentage of their shop dedicated to coloring books and pens and pencils in every color of the rainbow. And, considering that they have a book for every subject imaginable (steampunk or monkeys, anyone?) you won’t have any trouble choosing one that speaks to you.
Just recently, I received the Live Free coloring book by Margaret Feinberg.
I have shared with you all about my right-brain struggles to find a way to study God’s word. Oh, my goodness! This coloring book offers the perfect solution! Not only are there darling pictures with scripture verses to color, but there are pages dedicated for study notes, your own devotions, or just to doodle on! I seriously need the whole Bible done this way.
So, whether you yearn for the stress-free days of your childhood, or you need to find a way to relax, or perhaps you are looking for a fun way to put the scriptures into your brain, may I suggest you try coloring again? The graham crackers and naps are optional, but I highly recommend them!
Ready to give adult coloring books a try? We’ve got a giveaway for Margaret Feinberg’s Live Free coloring book. Enter to win a copy for yourself here!
