As most of you know, I love color. Bright, fun happy colors. I’ve tried creating art with more subdued colors but they just make me sad, so inevitably I brighten them up. It’s stronger than me 😂
On one of my explorations and adventures in color, I created a handful of birthday cards using alcohol inks and coffee filters. Thought they turned out pretty cool, looking like galaxies. I shared photos of them in different stages of the creation process below. Hope they inspire you to get a little crazy and have some fun with color. Have a magical weekend✨
I bought these embossed angel images on Etsy from a shop called Scrapaplenty. They’re made in Germany and are quite beautiful. I fell in love with them because they remind me of the vintage images used in cards from long ago.
I created this layout in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. The background is painted using leftover paints from one of my canvases. As I looked at this color combination, it seemed to be a perfect fit for the angels. I used a stencil to create the clouds and added the quote “Angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of Love.”
I had some leftover paint from one of my paintings and didn’t want to waste it so I used it in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. I tried a new face stencil by Jane Davenport and loved it! I added a quote by Dorothea Brandt that reads “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, Act as though it were impossible to fail.”
What would you do differently if it were impossible to fail?
I was playing with my paints and wanted to try a new color combination. I loved how the background turned out so I started working on 2 canvases. Stay tuned for those.
I just got some new artsy ephemera in the other day and thought I’d use it for this layout. I found this quote by Maria Robinson that resonated with me “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
What are mirror neurons? Mirror neurons are the part of the brain that cause us to mimic or reflect back what we are seeing in another person. For example when you see some one hurt themselves, you may winch and feel their pain. Or when some one yawns, you’ll have to yawn yourself even though you’re not tired. The same also holds true for when some one is in a bad or good mood. Their mood may rub off on us. This is because of the mirror neurons in our brains.
When I first started my morning walks I’d smile at strangers and most often I didn’t get much of a response, much less a positive one. But I didn’t let this stop me because I was determined to share my happiness.
As I continued my walks day after day, I’d smile bigger and longer. If that didn’t work I’d follow that with a twinkling wave and a cheerful “Good Morning!” I completely understand that not everyone wants to be happy and that’s ok.
But smiles are contagious and are universally understood. If you smile at some one long enough, you’ll most likely get a smile back due to the mirror neurons. Whether you’re in a good mood or not, the fact that you’re smiling instantly raises your energy and you can’t help but feel uplifted.
After a couple of weeks something magical started happening. These strangers who were not the happiest little campers suddenly became friendlier. I began to get big smiles, twinkling waves and morning shout outs of “Good Morning!” So much so that some would go out of their way to greet me. It made me feel even happier that I was able to share my positive energy with others. I may not have changed the world, but I changed my corner of it, just a bit.
Imagine if everyone tried to “Share the Happy” with those around them. Life isn’t always perfectly happy but when we put more of that positive energy out there, it will surely come back to us ten fold. So what are you waiting for, get out and share a great big smile with some one today 😊
Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” ~Buddha
I thought I would write a post, once a week about something other than art. I love creating with my whole heart, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, if you’re not happy, it’s a lot harder to get creative.
One of my New Year’s Goals was to get in better shape so I decided I would go on a 2 mile walk every other day. I knew there would be times when this wouldn’t go according to plan so I promised I wouldn’t be too hard on myself. But I really wanted to stick with this plan as best as I could.
When I first started going on these walks, my time was about 45 minutes for 2 miles. I was okay with that at first, but it didn’t take long and I wanted more. Over time I’ve become more and more competitive with myself, a part of me that I didn’t even know was there. I kept pushing myself and was able to get my 2 mile walk down to 27 minutes. Sometimes I’d even get into the 26-minute range. But that was it, I hit a plateau.
To break the barrier, I added a few minutes of running and I was able to get my best time down to 24 minutes, 43 seconds so far. I don’t do a lot of running; it’s primarily walking because I’m so not a runner. Nevertheless, I feel victorious when I beat my best time, even if it’s only by 1 second! It still feels like I accomplished something extraordinary and I’m ready to shout it from the roof tops for all to hear!!!
Bottom line is, to feel good about yourself or anything for that fact, you don’t need a big win. Sometimes it’s the smallest victories that feel like the biggest and have the most impact on your well being and state of mind. You are your own biggest fan when it comes to personal accomplishments. So, what is your victory worth celebrating today?
Flowing Waters Art 