This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Prismacolor, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #relaxandcolor  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Relaxation is getting harder and harder to come by, isn’t it? I wouldn’t trade the life I have for the world, but sometimes at the end of the day, before I can close my eyes to sleep, I just need to take some time to… well, unwind. That’s a lot of why I’ve wholeheartedly jumped onto the adult coloring book craze– for me, it’s about a creative outlet where I just take a few minutes each night to color, relax, and breathe before I doze off. At first it started with colored pencils and a coloring book, but now I’ve added warm fuzzy socks, some nice chocolate, lit candles, and sipped some tea, and I have to say, it’s made for a much calmer me. But here’s the deal– it’s Christmastime, the season of giving, and I knew that I couldn’t keep this relaxation to myself. I had to put together the perfect gift of relaxation for my best friend.

My best friend spends her days dealing with frustrated customers. I don’t know if you’ve ever worked in a similar field, but customer service can be long and stressful– you spend the day trying to talk people down from a ledge while they blame you for problems that you didn’t create. I don’t know how she does it, honestly.

We’ve been friends since college, when she would crash in my dorm during snowy nights and late nights, since she lived off-campus. Our friendship blossomed, and we’ve become even closer in the years since college, meeting for near-weekly coffee at a local coffeehouse we love.

I decided that because of the close friendship we have, it deserved something more than a storebought card, which is why I decided to create a card that reflected our friendship. You don’t have to be a perfect artist to create a great card– just take a little bit of cardstock and doodle. I decided to draw a sweet unfrosted cupcake and a piping bag of icing, which are luckily very simple lines. Peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, cell phones and chargers, popcorn and movies, cassette tapes and pencils… they’re all great pairs that you could choose for a best friend card of your very own. Simply sketch it out, and then go over your design with a Prismacolor Premier Illustration Marker. These will produce some nice, dark lines that will act as a coloring page of your very own, to be filled in with some pretty colored pencils later.

Once you’ve finished your design, simply color it in with Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils. I love the way these feel like butter moving across the page– they’re so smooth, making them perfect for shadowing and adding details. I stopped by Michaels to get mine, where they sell the Prismacolor products a la carte, so you can buy exactly the colors you long for.

When you finish coloring in your design, add a fun phrase (I just went with “We go together like cupcakes and frosting!”) and any extra details (I decided to add some scattered sprinkles across the white space). Of course, I also chose to include a message inside the card.

I think the thing I love about adult coloring books and the whole adult coloring trend in general is that there are no rules… I picked up a coloring book the other day and decided to color. Bright green surfboard? Sure. Pink doughnuts? Why not. You can go 2D and just color it straight in like you would as a child, or you can get intricate with 3D artistry using shadows and light to really make the image come to life off of the page. I just feel like there are so many great ways to color, and the fact that I’m not an artist, that I have no talent in that way, and can still color… I think it’s beautiful.

When it comes to making a relaxing gift for a friend, it’s really quite simple… think of ways you like to relax, and think of ways they might enjoy relaxing, and from there, just make it happen! Start with a cute basket, and add in an adult coloring book based on their interests. A nature lover, for example, might love a nature themed book; someone who likes funky vintage shopping may love a great retro-inspired coloring book. Of course, my best friend is a fan of a specific TV show that a lot of people really love right now, so I picked out a coloring book fit for a mother… of dragons.

We have a shared love of tea, and after fond memories of many a late night spent studying and drinking tea, I knew that a tea leaf steeper and a nice mug would be a great thing to include… after all, a cup of tea is incredibly relaxing. Of course, if your friend is more the coffee type, a little bit of their favorite beans or pods would be a nice substitution.

Throw in some fuzzy socks and chocolates, and you have a really great, relaxing gift. Other options that might help with relaxation? A gift card to a favorite streaming service so your friend can play some relaxing tunes, a gift certificate for some pampering, a coupon saying you’ll offer up some free babysitting so she and the hubby can enjoy a dinner out, guided meditation service, or of course, favorite snacks she may enjoy.

Of course, no coloring book gift is complete without a selection of Prismacolor colored pencils in colors that will go well with the book. I went ahead and sharpened them so she could start coloring straightaway, and tied some up with a pretty bow.

For this coloring book, I knew she’d need some rich blood red, a beautiful metallic gold for opulence, and some otherwise regal colors. A nature coloring book might need more greens, browns, and sky blues. The beauty is that when you’re putting together this gift, you can visit Michaels for the perfect colors for the book you’re giving (of course, they also have a large selection of great adult coloring books, too).

As an adult, we all need an escape… that’s why I had to pick up some adult coloring supplies of my own. After all, I know that’s what I’d hope to find under the tree this Christmas. Tis the season to give, but also to give yourself some nice coloring supplies, too.

 

How do you like to relax and unwind? Let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget that you can Click here and select “free pages” to download your own printable Prismacolor coloring pages– for FREE! You can also check out Michaels coupons for additional savings in newspapers and online!