Thursday 2 February 2012

A Month of Sunrays: A bright introduction

Hello.

Another month ... another themed blog series, so here's the story behind the latest ...

If you're a regular reader here you might recall a post last month wherein I moaned about discussed the trials and tribulations of having a January birthday. [Think: too cold to party outdoors and gifts from the sale bin and you're pretty much there].

There's a quote, [credited to various people but most often as a Chinese Proverb] which I've used many times before which goes something like:

 It's better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.

Or, as my Grandma might have re-phrased it:

If you don't like it, stop moaning and do something about it.

So this month I'm going to attempt to redress the balance thusly ...
notes on paper is going yellow this month in an attempt to cast a few sunrays over the grey new year we've had, here in the UK at least. But wherever you are I hope you'll find something here to brighten your day at some point during February.
This is an old project on the same theme. Blogged in Jan.09 - click photo to visit original post.
It can be an energetic, positive time of year where it seems that everyone's working on 'new' goals, regimes and  philosophies for thinking, eating and crafting! Yet it can also be an unsettling time ... especially if you haven't changed that much and you feel you should ... or you're already behind on that new project/diet/plan you promised yourself you'd stick to.

Personally I'm somewhere in between, and I'm also missing the warmth of the sun, so have decided to embrace the cheeriest of shades once again and wallow in a month of virtual sunshine.
And it really won't take much effort for me to turn yellow ... my blog, photo files, craft projects, home decor and wardrobe are splattered with it, so it's just a case of  bringing it all together and sharing it here this month. And there'll be a few guests dropping by to share their own particular brand of sunshine too.

And here's how you can join in too:
  • Drop by, read, listen, look etc ... smile ... go on your merry way.
  • Drop by, read, listen, look etc ... smile ... leave a comment. Even if it's just to tell me that there's no way on earth I'll convince you to wear yellow ... because I will be attempting to do that at some point in the next 27 days. Believe me.
  • Drop by, read, listen, look etc ... smile ... feel inspired, go away and blog your own cheery 'something'.
A few ideas for blogging your own sunrays: 
  •  Take a sunny photo or share one from a sunny day past.
  • Wear yellow! [I told you I wasn't going to let up on this ...] Take a photo of you doing such a wonderful thing. Blog / Tweet / Facebook / Instagram it etc.
  • Make a yellow craft project. Blog it!
  • Share any photo, story, song that makes you happy. 
  • Create your own Pinterest board and fill it with heartwarming goodness! Or yellow clothes.
Then what?
  • There's a 'Month of Sunrays' Pinterest board here.
  • If you send me a link to your bright post - which includes a quick link to my blog somewhere -  I'll pin it to the board.
  • You're likely to get more visitors to your own blog when people spot your project on Pinterest [there are currently 214 following the board] and - because you included a link to me - you are helping direct your readers to my blog in return. Which I think's fair. 
Then I can try to persuade them to wear yellow too ... 
I'm going to lead by example ... so I'll be back on Saturday with a post about ... wearing yellow. Obviously.

See you then.

Julie :-) 


22 comments:

  1. Really not sure you could ever persuade me to wear yellow but I'm sure you will do you best. Hopefully "a month of sunrays" will warm up what I think is going to be a cold February!

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  2. Well~~~ I think this is a brilliant way to "do something about it!" as grandma would say. It has been a grey and wet start to the year here in Tennessee. Our yard is soggy and can't take much more (but more is on the way), So... I am very interested in your month of sunrays. I will be back, hopefully with link-age of my own, till then~~ shine on your crazy sun!
    ~Dawn

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  3. Hmmm Im all for the cheerful sunny photos and crafting with yellow but wearing it *gulp* and especially at this time of year - well I remain to be convinced but never say never I guess

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  4. We're enjoying some wintery sun's rays here today and I will happily play along and think sunny thoughts with yellow crafting. Thanks for some great inspiration :)

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  5. Love a bit of yellow! Excited to see what you come up with, Lx

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  6. Being realistic, I'm aiming to make something yellow, bright and sunshiny. That's, I'm afraid, as far as I go.

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  7. Fantastic idea, but I will never wear yellow, ever lol
    C xx

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  8. I never wear yellow....rarely make anything yellow....but love this post....it really brightened up a very cold February day.

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  9. Great idea and I love the smily but no you cannot and will not persuade me to wear yellow. However think it is a good idea for the bright and cheerful so will keep my eye out for yellow and try to use it a bit more :0)

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  10. Superb post, I was looking forward to getting home from work to see it :) I have a yellow tee-shirt that I bought for a yellow day at work, although I wear it in bed now lol. I have also got a yellow hoodie that I like too so I definitely think I will join in with the sunrays.

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  11. This sound like an idea I will need for the middle of winter. So for me this month I am just waiting for summer to do its thing

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  12. Well, I am absolutely up for the wearing of yellow, though my cotton cardi is probably not going to do the business in February! But I love the concept and am full of enthusiasm. :)

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  13. Hurray! We could do with a spot of yellow round here. I love this idea

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  14. Ooohhh yes its just such a happy idea :) and as for wearing yellow, yup I do it everyday when I walk the dog ... And actually my everyday coat is yellow too, I'll make sure hubby takes a photo to show you :) .... Uuummm I see a yellow layout about it all in my future now

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  15. No way you see me wearing yellow... I just painted my yellow sweater to dark blue (yellow makes my face look dead, really! I looked like a zombie in that thing!) Oh wait - I do have nice trousers with yellow, that fit me well (and make me look slim too, I like that!) I don't know if I will wear them this month though, they're thin cotton and there's 3 inches of snow here... anyway, just thinking about it brings a smile to my face so your sunshiny post works! Yeehaaa! Have a nice weekend!

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  16. A sunny cheery post! Yellow eh.....ummmm i have no yellow whatsoever in my wardbrobe. Looking forward to reading your posts.

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  17. I can not wait to see what you have in store for us and since you got me to wear purple you might get me to wear yellow (even though I swear it makes me look dead!)... who knows!
    :D

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  18. Great idea Julie - I wore a yellow (actually, it is more of a lemon) soft fluffy top yesterday - next time I wear it I will ask A to take a photo! Mary G x

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  19. thanks for your lovely blog and i wish you great sunshinyness. (you could aways come and visit me in the January Summer in South Australia, no yellow coat for me but i do do lime green, is that good enough?)

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  20. Heres a link to my UKS Art Journal page inspired by your prompt and your month of sunrays

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  21. @ Happsnapper - lime green is *definitely* good enough! For anything! :-)

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  22. Hi Julie,
    My lovely little english friend Julie Jeavons put me onto your amazing blog..gosh what a wonderful mind you have!
    My daughter who is now 29 has always love yellow, & I have just finished a LO about her when she was a tiddler...just thought you might be interested...
    http://debisjoy.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/our-little-yellow-bird.html

    Hope you don't mind if I read some more, do you?

    I have to say I am a red gal...'when in doubt wear red' is my adage!

    Happy crafting!

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