Crafting Joy

It's an everyday decision.

I wake up and have to decide...

To be joyful or not.

Some days the decision is simple...

life is moving smoothly and I'm not exhausted.

then there are those other days...those days when negativity abounds

and seems to hold me hostage.

I fight against that.

Each and every day.

The world is a complicated and many times cruel place.

Without joy, what would keep us moving forward

and striving to change the world.

I choose joy.

And when I forget, well,

I made myself a little reminder to bring focus.

 

So with an idea in mind, and a craft selected,

I headed out for Craft Night.

Southern Belle Soul, Mountain Bride Heart

With letters place, friends and a drink by my side, I dive into the project. 

But there are so many colors to choose from! What to do, what to do...

 Allison had a jump start on the project, so I knew that I needed to make some decisions.
Circles...I'm good at makes circles, so that's exactly what I did...a base of neutral circles.

Swish. Swish.

 While I watch my paint dry, literally, I chat the evening away and

watch my dear friends create beauty.

How cool is this?

Melissa used pages from a Shel Silverstein as a backdrop for her painting.

 

Genius idea.

Kelly used fabric...another genius idea.



Mindy created a beautiful ombre of blue.

Me...I chose circles. Circles. Geesh.

It will work.

Drying, drying, drying...

 Nervously I remove the vinyl letters and step back...

Not bad...not bad at all. 

With a little outlining in black to help the letters stand out...

...and a couple layers of sealer...

Now, it seems worthy for hanging up around the house.

The sun is shining, literally, the birds are singing,

and someone else has made dinner.

Perfection!

Yes, I do like to imagine myself in a Disney movie.

When joy fills my heart, mind and body,

I think of myself as Snow White.

You know, where she is singing
and all of the woodland critters come help her...

that scene epitomizes joy to me.

And so does this...friends.

Beautiful, loving friends that I can be myself with

and share an evening of joy.