Happiness isn’t a thing; it’s a state of mind. Just like Alice who could “…(believe) in as many as six impossible things before breakfast,” I can be happy with little things like a sunny day, a cool glass of iced tea and purple nail polish. I can also be happy with big things like my car, my laptop, my Cricut Expressions and my exercise bike. Then there are those things that I can take for granted until they’re gone if I let them, HUGE things, like my husband of 37 years, my brilliant teen daughter, my son and his new family, my sisters and mom and even my 103 year old grandma, my home, my health…I jump for joy even writing about all the happiness in my life—not because I go searching for it, but because I appreciate all that I have.
And that’s the true secret to happiness: don’t look for specific things you think will make you happy. Look around you and recognize what you already have!
Open your senses to the world around you. See how happy you are on a sunny day, a rainy day, the antics of a squirrel or the success of your favorite sports teams; smell how happy you are breathing in the scent of flowers, campfires and babies’ powdered butts make you feel; listen to how happy you are while hearing birds sing, kids laughing and waves lapping at the shore; taste how happy you are with a mouthful of chocolate chip cookies, ice cream or a juicy grilled steak makes you feel.
Feel happy when you paint, stamp, sculpt or write, hug a friend, or hold a child’s hand in yours; feel happy when you’re out on a walk, riding your bike or running with your dog.
Why? Because you can!
My project today is a piece of altered art. I bought a framed cork board at the thrift store (all of 49 cents) and Mod Podged the frame with tie-dyed designer napkins to give it a surreal "Wonderland" look. Using a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper from the Serendipity stack, I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz inks (Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Faded Jeans & Bundled Sage).
The digi image is called
Alice and is from
Ike's Art, one of the Path of Positivity's regular sponsors. She has the best variety of images! If I had had the room on my project, I would have added the mad
Hatter, the chesire
KAT and the
Rabbit as well! All these characters are part of Ike's "Alice" series. I colored Alice with Copics and then fussy cut her out.
Before adhering her to my scene, I cut out parts of some Basic Grey and CTMH papers, using those parts as embellishments to symbolize the red-painted roses for the Queen and a well-traveled world. More embellishments play up the rabbit's pocket watch as well the key which symbolizes the key to happiness, which in Alice's case ended up being the way back home. I added some sequins and pearls to lend sparkle and shine to my project and it's ready to hang!
You need to think happy thoughts so you can fly high on the magic of happiness (hmm, sounds like I have more inspiration boiling away in my brain, somewhere around the second star to the right maybe?).
Don’t search for happiness—let it fill you up in all the daily moments of your life.
Your smile will never leave your face!
Want to play with us? Have a positive spin on life and wish to share it? Show us your take on the theme of HAPPINESS at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog. It could be a poem, a layout, a canvas, a card, or a simple story you need to tell. This challenge ends July 6!
