Happy Bright

It's such fun to be on the Design Team at Color Stories Inspiration CSI.  Every week Debbi provides a colour challenge, a mood board, evidence and journalling prompts to stir the creative juices and inspire us to use colours we would not normally be drawn to.   I struggled a bit with the brights  until I altered an older photo of mine and I had a light bulb moment.

CSI LINK

The spotty paper is from Prima The optimist collection, "Perfect" 

The watercolour flowers are fussy cut from the same range, "Happy"

and the words from the reverse of "Happy"

Tim Holtz stencil and gelatos to make the harlequins

A Prima stencil to make the raindrops 

and the "Think Happy" brad is from Simple Stories

Love this quote

EVIDENCE

Flowers

Badge

Heart

Diamond shapes

Wet medium

Mini brads

Harlequin pattern

TESTIMONY

I used KNOW as my inspiration word. The journalling is on the back and it reads:-

There was a time in my past, when I trudged through each day in a grey fog. A muffled, distorted sound track accompanied the grainy film of my existence, as the listless weeks dragged by.  With the benefit of the retrospectoscope, it’s easy to identify some of the contributing factors.  But back then, society, church and family of origin, had imprinted a “stiff upper lip” approach to life.  “Don’t complain, don’t explain,”  “Least said, soonest mended.”  

What I didn’t know, was that grief, loss and anxiety can be buried and denied, but it eventually erupts in a purulent mess.  It can be cunningly disguised as major illness, headache and depression.   It was possible to function, to strive for perfection and to succeed, yet what was missing was the delight in achievement and the joy in everyday moments. The darkness of despair, lapped at the edges of each day, weakening the eggshell defence of my psyche.

Limping along with ever widening cracks, eventually I had to break down or break through.  A remarkable counsellor, tenderly unpacked the layers and scars, delicately exposing them to the nurturing sunlight of her wisdom. Through to a new knowledge of self and an acceptance of events which can not be changed.  I now know, that sometimes it’s O. K. to be sad; to speak of loss; to be the one in need.   I know that seeking help is not a sign of weakness and talking about things does help.  I've learned to identify and name the squirmy feelings in my gut, to expose them to the air and defuse their power.  

It was my good fortune to find some one when I needed her and the difference in my life is profound.    I don’t look back with regret.  I read somewhere that the greatest theft, is that which I perpetuate on myself; the waste of days given to me.   Each morning, I look forward to the potential in every new day and try to live in glorious technicolour.