by Areti Vassou
Lockdown stress is the common factor the breaks almost every adult out there. We all agree that next to a good night sleep, nutritious meals, healthy daily workouts we also need ways to keep our creativity alive. All the above can lower the stress levels remarkably and can actually help us stay mentally healthy.
A couple of days ago this amazing low cost DIY creative activity appeared on my social media timeline. The OMY Design & Play Posters are destined to make us happy. That’s right! There is something so smoothing and liberating when you let yourself relax while coloring the black & white posters. I was thrilled when my order arrived within 3 days from the online shop Alice On Board.
Do you want to beat stress? Then make time to play and enjoy life.
OMY Design & Play
OMY is a young French brand that imagines and designs graphic, creative and inspiring collections.
It was in 2012 that the two Parisian designers, Elvire Laurent and Marie-Cerise Lichtlé gave birth to the brand. By creating the concept of the giant coloring poster, one of the brand’s iconic products, OMY has become a benchmark all over the world.
Each season, OMY offers new, innovative and graphically different collections that can be found in the most beautiful concept stores, museums, bookstores and children’s boutiques in more than 65 countries around the world.
In Greece we can find their unique collection in the eshop Alice On Board.
Alice On Board Eshop
Alice on Board: she boarded, traveled and carries on, softly singing the words to a traveling tune: “I’ll make myself a magic garden, where I’ll sell sunshine and yo-yos and shooting stars that shine; I’ll build myself an exotic shop, where I’ll sell moonlight and lotus flowers in the summertime. If you want to join me, then you can come too, two pirates on an island in the deepest ocean blue”!
Words from the founder:
“My name is Pepi and I am the founder and owner of the online kids Boutique Alice on Board. All things started when a happy baby arrived: Alice. And the journey around the world to find things that she would love begun. Common factor for all the minimalistic design, simple forms, and materials friendly to the environment.
Clothes, Toys and several accessories that some would be hosted for the first time in Greece. This is how Alice on Board was created. An On line kids BOUTIQUE, hosting a great selection of brands from all over the world for kids up to the age of 8 years old.
So Alice On Board was, still is and will be for the rest of my life an unforgettable journey full of love, surprises, and new ideas.
Welcome on board!“
Creative Ideas for your Christmas Gifts
This coloring poster “Christmas Tree” was the perfect Christmas gift for all my friends (and for myself). The entire family can participate and gradually we will have something to hang next to our Christmas tree. I love DIY activities because they help me to calm down my anxious mind.
The quality of the coloring poster is great. After you finish coloring you can decorate it or you can enjoy the 24 surprise games hidden on the paper ! A perfect Happy Holiday decoration to hang on the wall.
Great tip: By purchasing this poster, you make a gesture of solidarity and support Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins sans Frontières : 1€ is donated to fight child malnutrition.
What I found inside my box? 1 poster, Format Unfolded: 70 x 100 cm, recycled paper, made and designed in France by OMY.
Make Time to Play
I admit that in our busy adult lives it isn’t always easy to make time to play. The benefits though deserve all the efforts (and energy) we can invest to find that time to relax and play. While play is crucial for a child’s development, it is also beneficial for people of all ages.
No one questions that playing is important for children, but adults should realize that we need time to play, too. It is the perfect solution for fighting stress and anxiety.
Our brains need pauses! Many pauses during a day!
Playing with your spouse, co-workers, friends, or children is a wonderful way of keeping your serotonin at high levels. This can boost your creativity, your problem-solving skills, and your imagination. In other words, it improves mental health. Playtime is the perfect solution to forget about work and commitments, to take a break from reality and to be social in an unstructured, creative way.
In my opinion, all creative activities add joy to life and connect us to the world around us. Putting joy as a top priority not only stimulates the mind but also improves relationships and makes us feel young and energetic.
