Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Letter C-Get Calm with Color

Today, I am part of the Grace Notes Blog Hop and continuing the A-Z Blogging Challenge-a challenge to blog the alphabet 26 days in the month of April-with Sundays off.    Grace Notes is a blog dedicated to life's ordinary magic. 

Bella Grace is a magazine-which is part journal and part of a soulful journey inward.   Among the pages we get to embrace life's beautiful ordinary moments transformed by gorgeous photos and writing to embrace one's heart.  This magazine will help you witness magic in the ordinary.  I am giving away a copy of this lovely publication.  I will draw a name out of my hat and let you know on April 8th, who the winner is~

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

                                                  ~ Maya Angelou

 Spring, in my world arrived with a cold front, a gray over cast sky and later on in the day, drizzle.  As I stepped over puddles to get indoors, I searched the sky for a rainbow.  Sometimes  'out of the blue'- I discover one, but today there was no arc of colorful light.

 Instead, I thought why not  create my own rainbow.  There are seven colors in the rainbow's spectrum:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo and violet.   Here are a few ways I  added a profusion of color to my world.  Color makes me happy, saturates my mood, calms and energizes me.




1.  Red-Letter Days-As a child I always noticed special days on a calendar were marked in red.  I believe any day can be extraordinary day.  I started decorating  white lunch bags with calendars, touches of red and some details to remind the recipients-they are deserving of love and attention.  I love to surprise people and create a gift for them-a token to mark a moment, a ritual or a rite of passage.  For example:  A job promotion, passing a difficult exam, scoring a goal, getting a driver's license,  or just being kindhearted.  Red has heart appeal and Red-Letter Days remind me to honor even the ordinary moments. 

 

2. Orange you glad-I didn't share a knock-knock joke.  Orange reminds me of adventure and being bold.   It is a color of empowerment.  When I grow poppies-I feel there is magic in the air.  This color cheers me on  and makes me want to own an orange boho skirt.  I want to twirl, bend and bow like a flower dancing with the wind.

3. Yellow-bellied.  I had to find courage to submit a bit of  poetry to Bella Grace.  I remember the day I saw my words paired with this gorgeous photo.  I sat on a bench in a sea of people @Barnes n 'Nobles in a state of awe and shock.    Don't be a yellow bellied sap sucker-be brave and do it anyway-take a chance and go, do, submit your ideas.  One never knows what may happen~

 

  *Catching Rain by Savannah @ Flickr

4. Green Thumb-I love to give green gifts. Growing veggies and flowers,  smelling herbs and planting seeds makes me smile.  Even on the grayest day-I feel better if I tend something living and playing in the dirt wakes my inner child.  I don't  remain blue for long, when I am outside in nature's green cathedral. 

 

5. Out of the Blue-I love to take photos. Sometimes, I am surprised what appears in front of my camera's lens.   For me, taking photos is a quick way to improve my  mood.  Photos inspire my creativity with the chance to use filters, brighten, darken, lighten or sharpen an image and be creative with color.  This photo has a 'Once in a  Blue Moon' feel.  I have never seen a peacock before and this sighting was 'out of the blue' and really  brightened my day~

This peacock's name is Blue.  I was headed to my farmer's market and spied  him.  Fortunately, I had my camera.   I was stunned and talked to   Blue's owner.  Blue's favorite color is red. His favorite snack is Kibbles and Bits dog food.  

Isn't he bluetiful! 

6. Black n' Blue describes the color of the indigo evening sky and the ocean.  I love watching the night sky develop into this color.  It is like watching an artist paint with watercolors, as  the colors shift and ripple onto the sky's canvas-until a veil of  twinkling stars appear.    

 The magic of indigo never disappoints me whenever I gaze at the ocean. The depth and range of blue invites wonder as the water ebbs n' flows.  The music lulls and calms me-as the water drums a soothing lullaby churning up  childhood memories of growing up near the seashore. 

7. No Shrinking Violet-Recently, my aunt sent me this photo of my grandparents. My grandmother is the second lady on the right hand side and my grandfather is being silly-appearing like a shrinking violet in the background.  I laughed out loud when I saw the photo and found it odd it was printed in a shade of purple. My grandfather was 'no shrinking violet.'   Purple reminds me of passion and everyone in this photo looks like they are having a wonderful time~  

One of my favorite ways to add color is taking the time to color with crayons or pencils.  I love adult coloring books and all the prisms of nature found in colored pencils.   Coloring calms me.   I find this activity invites my inner child to appear and the tranquility of creation-soothes me.   Being creative is  my Somewhere Over the Rainbow, "where I can dare to dream...and where you'll find me." 

 *****

Don't forget to enter the give away!  This magazine is a journey into one's self~