Happy Wednesday everyone! First of all, I would like to say a HUGE Thank You for all the responses from yesterday's contest! Y'all are coming up with awesome quotes, verses & song lyrics & I'm super excited to get to hand-letter one of those bad boys!!! The good news is that if you haven't had a chance to enter yesterday's (or even Monday's) contest, you still have time! So go check out those 2 blogs to find out how!
Today's Giveaway is geared more towards the kiddos (or really stressed out adults!). I'm giving away one of my hand-drawn Coloring Books & a set of some super fun "Hungry Catapillar" crayons!
So, you might be wondering "what's with coloring pages"? Well, to understand why I'm so partial to these little gems, let me take you back a few years!
I didn't always like kids, in fact, in my pre-Jesus years--I hated them. They were noisy and selfish, (which I was very guilty of too!) & I didn't want to compete with them for attention. Post-Jesus though, changed they way I looked at them. When I relapsed on cocaine I immediately began volunteering at church and the people who took me in first were the preschool ladies. I didn't like the idea at first, but I soon came to love it! I was beginning to think that kids were cool! They were real, and pure, and had crazy imaginations (and as an added bonus loved laughing and dancing). I had found a new appreciation for them!
I got a job in a preschool the next year and those little people were more obnoxious but had the same characteristics. Some days I couldn't handle the noise they created as I was stuck back in my eating disorder and failing to see life and these "mini-humans" clearly. My mind was in a constant mess of bad thoughts and selfish thinking and I just couldn't handle the stress. So, as a way to help me through the day I decided to create coloring pages for the kids!
I don't know if you've ever seen a kid color, but they can't talk and color at the same time. It's just not possible! They were either too focused on their coloring page or they were bored...and who can blame them! These coloring pages were from the 1970's ya'll!!! So, I decided that while the other teachers were teaching I would create new coloring pages with things that were cool to them. (And, as an added bonus, their parents like them too!)
I always colored when I was a kid! it was the first art tool I ever picked up (the picture on the left me at the ripe old age of 4 & I couldn't resist posting this sweet picture my niece! I mean seriously, how cute is she?! ). I colored on everything. The walls, furniture, closets.... the list goes on & on. My mom told me this morning that I would hide behind things and color on them, maybe as a way to escape. As I was growing into an adult, I would continue to color. When I was growing up my dad drank. He drank a lot. A whole lot. I knew that going to my room and doing art by myself was better than being in the kitchen with him because he couldn't yell at me if I wasn't making him mad by talking. I had things I wanted to say I just never had a chance to say them so I used art to communicate instead. This situation helped create my feelings of being unwanted, unworthy and searching for affection from men in the years to come. I came across this article this morning and I totally get it:
"Art therapy for children can provide kids with an easier way to express themselves since children are more naturally artistic and creative. A young child is likely to be more comfortable initially expressing him/herself with some crayons and markers, for example, than he/she is going to be at expressing emotions and feelings through words.
A question and answer type of format can be daunting and intimidating for a child, especially when they have to try and explain themselves with their already limited vocabulary. Because of this, art therapy for children can be a much more viable solution for communication than simply having a conversation and talking about things. This can be especially true when it comes to children and traumatic events.
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/child-art-therapy/how-art-therapy-for-children-works/#ixzz2gYyNxmUy
I use coloring and drawing as a tool to focus on something else. If I find myself stressed out, I tend to want to binge eat. But, with binging always comes purging. And trust me, that's not good for any one involved! Bulimia is an eating disorder that steals everything from you, and I mean everything-health, joy, hope, kindness, patience, self control, concentration and priorities. When I feel overwhelmed in the world I know I don't want to pick up 28 cupcakes and a bag of chicken nuggets so I pick crayons. Crayons are the much better choice in my eyes... :)
The description of my coloring pages in the shop include that they are good for the person who is stressed out. If this is you, you should try it. Focus your concentration on the page and the colors instead of whatever it is that is trying to take over your mind. I am no doctor, but I bet that while you're coloring that thing in your head disappears and you are more at ease with crayon in hand, forgetting the worries of the world --even if it's just for and hour!
How to Enter: Leave me a comment below about what you you do when you tend to feel overwhelmed or stressed out? (And for the record... This is a safe, judgement free zone!)
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(So I know to enter your name again, please leave an additional comment below letting me know which ones you did! And like I tell my 5th graders..."Nobody likes a cheater"!)
A winner will randomly be chosen next Monday, October 7th & announced right here on the blog, so make sure you come back to see of you are the lucky winner!
Thank you so much for being so patient with me! I just believe in transparency & think that if even one life is touched by my story then I've done my job! God is Good!
Enjoy today & come back tomorrow for Day 4 of our Giveaways!
~ Valerie
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me & heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud & mire; he set my feet on a rock & gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see & fear & put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3
