Today’s the first day of school and we’re skipping in our usual “Not Back to School” way.  However, since stores rolled out the “Back to School” sales in June this year, it’s been hard to feel like there’s actually been a “summer vacation”.  Hello, wait for school to actually end and give everyone a breather!

The good news in all of this is that art supplies like crayons, colored pencils, and markers are on the cheap! Time to stock up!

My kids are now 19 and 17, so our back to school shopping is fairly limited. Mostly we buy what we want in the sales, and that always seems to land us in the middle of Crayola-branded aisles.

The world is a fairly stressful place on a good day, and lately I’ve had more than my fair share of stressors. This isn’t the place to get into that, let’s just say it’s a miracle I don’t need blood pressure medication.  Studies are now saying that coloring is a fantastic way to relieve stress and truly, I’ve found an almost meditative state when coloring.  Some of the best-selling books right now are those centered around coloring for adults.

Turns out, A.C. Moore provided some great resources for me! I can now color Goddesses and Mandalas that are paisley.  PAISLEY! The markers were not only on sale, but I used a coupon and am now ready to get my Zen on.

I’m totally stoked about those glitter markers.  Glitter is the new black!

Here’s a page done in gel pens from a book I picked up at a convention in April:

I sometimes post what I color on my Instagram, so make sure you follow me there!

If you like coloring, please let me know what your favorite tools are in the comments! I’m curious what others use. I have my eye on an expensive colored pencils set that I cannot afford, even with a 50% off coupon.  Ahh, well… dreaming is wonderful!

–Lady O

Come back later this week for a post about digital apps and how I use my Pinterest for coloring.