We are in mid-September and my five-year-old has started kindergarten. So far I have felt as though I am shouting in the wilderness when mentioning the thought of slowing things down. We have a girl who wakes up a 3 AM, thinking about school and all that can go wrong. There are new pressures for all of us, but, looking around, I don’t think we are in this wilderness alone.
This month our family goal has been to cut back on worry, but it’s not easy. As new school groups form and back-to-school sign ups start piling up, so do the expectations and concerns. Are we teaching our kids by modeling that more stress equals success? How do we slow down and get off the merry-go-round? No sooner did I ask this than a package arrived from Colorit, the makers of adult coloring books. Excited to start creating, I made a coffee date with a friend who has been there through play dates and preschool day. Finally, our long-awaited moment had come. We get to actually sit and just catch up.
When I was a teenager, I used to have a summer meeting with my best friend before school started to discuss just who we wanted to be in the coming year. Meeting with my fellow geeky mom friend, Kendra, reminded me of this special time. As we colored, just us two grown-ups, we talked about our futures, our kids, our hopes and dreams. The shapes on the pages reminded her of Terry Pratchett and his use of mandalas. She mentioned how she likes the color patterns to match and finds comfort in the order. I brought up how I like the free flow, being able to pick whatever colors I feel. We agreed there is a therapeutic process of putting pencil to paper. We slowed down, drank coffee, and we hit the reset button for the week.
We might be late to the dance as adult coloring books are everywhere lately. The trend defiantly has taken off. Here are a few things that make Colorit books stand out in the crowded marketplace.
HARDBACK COVERS
The books come with hardback covers to protect your artwork and make it easier to color on the go. With thick hardcovers, you can easily color on the train, bus, or plane. There are many times I am waiting for school pick-up with only a lap to support my book.
SPIRAL BINDING
Stop fighting to keep your book flat while you color. With the double wire spiral binding, you can flip to the page you want to color and lay the book perfectly flat. This is such a great feature, making it super easy to color and find each page quickly.
HAND DRAWN DESIGNS
All fifty of the Zentangle-inspired designs are painstakingly drawn by hand. Nothing is computer generated, so the finished product looks like something you created from scratch. This makes each finished project gift or frame ready. I put one on the fridge next to my kiddos.
HIGH-QUALITY PAPER
Colorit uses the highest quality paper that is acid-free and will last for years to come. Our 8.5″x11.5″ paper is ideal for coloring pencils, markers, pastels, gel pens, and more. Watercolors or watercolor markers are not recommended.
FREE BONUS BLOTTER
No need to worry about your markers bleeding through to the next page with our books. Simply tear out the complimentary blotter and place it under the page you are coloring. I love this added touch; other coloring books bleed making half the pages unusable.
PERFORATED PAGES
All the pages in our books are perforated along the top. Want to take one of your masterpieces out and frame it or give it to a friend? No problem. Another feature that sets Colorit books apart from most others. My five-year-old had no problem removing pages.
The website has tons of information and add-ons like gel pens, pencils, and monthly specials. There are even digital download pages available in PDF format. This month a pack of 20 is only 99 cents. Once you complete pages you can share your masterpiece on #MYCOLORIT Community Gallery.
Thank you to our friends at Colorit for sending me this review copy just in the nick of time. I’m feeling better about getting off the crazy train and hitting that reset button. Each new blank page invites me to color all my worries away.
