One of the easiest things you can do to relieve stress is to do some coloring as in my Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Flower Card! There are all kinds of articles about how coloring, as we did as children, is a great outlet for stress relief and anxiety. Other crafts and things you do with your hands can also be, but at least with coloring there is no creativity necessary, you just color in the picture that is already in front of you. Perhaps that is why Stampin’ Up! came up with this Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper (143830) for a free item you can choose during Sale-A-Bration with a $50 or more purchase. You’ll find it on page 11 of the brochure.
Sale-A-Bration is Stampin’ Up!’s biggest promotion of the year and one that dates back to the early days of Stampin’ Up! It has even become bigger and better from when I first joined Stampin’ Up! and we had a small pamphlet with, I think, four or maybe six stamp sets to choose from. Now we can choose from stamp sets, paper, ribbon and even a card kit! For every $50 you spend on any Stampin’ Up! products in the regular annual catalog or the Occasions Catalog, you can choose one free item in the Sale-A-Bration brochure. Just look for the items marked with the pink hot air balloon. Other products mentioned in the brochure are for sale to help you complete your project and are pictured as suggestions. Look for the hot air balloon with the word “Free!” on it!
There are no limits to your spending! For EVERY $50 you spend, you choose one Sale-A-Bration item. If your order reaches $150, you also get Hostess Benefits! A big order of $250 or more will net you at least 10% in Hostess Rewards PLUS an extra $25.00 to spend! Go together with some friends if you want to be the Hostess and try to reach a big order. Even non-stampers can use some ribbon or Paper Snips scissors or other products!
So back to my Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Flower Card! I cut a piece of the 12″ x 12″ Inside the Lines Paper to layer on a piece of Basic Black and then a card base of Melon Mambo. I could have colored the whole card, but for today I just chose this one flower to color and stand out on my card. I used the Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen . No stress! Coloring is especially easy with the Watercolor Pencils because you don’t have to completely fill in the space. Go back over the coloring with the Blender Pen and the tiny bit of moisture in the Blender Pen will spread and blend the color you have laid down. Very easy and soothing, I think!
Not necessary, but just for fun I used my Wink of Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to add a little sparkle. Unfortunately, you can’t see the glitter on this photo except maybe up by the leaf and the bee. I also tied a piece of Melon Mambo 1/8″ Stitched Ribbon around the card for an accent. I didn’t add a greeting to the front but I might just stamp a greeting inside the card or leave it blank so I can write a note. Remember, if you have a dark card base, just cut a piece of Whisper White to layer on the inside on which to write.
There are many ways to use this Sale-A-Bration Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper, from plain to fully colored. You choose! Place your $50 or more Stampin’ Up! order and choose this Inside the Lines Paper as your free item! Then when you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed get out your favorite coloring medium and color at least a portion of the paper. Let me know if you find that relaxing and comforting! Perhaps part of the stress relief factor is because coloring takes us back to our childhood.
When you get your pack, look for the page I chose for my Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Flower Card and try just coloring a portion of the flower images. After you are all “zen” perhaps you will go on to do some other stamping projects!