Gratitude during difficult times

 So here we are at the start of another month in what is proving to be a very strange year. Another month means another Path of Positivity Challenge, and boy we certainly all need a dose of Positivity. This month the optional theme is Gratitude. 

Now despite all the madness that is going on across the world with the pandemic on top of all the usual human made mess there is still a lot to be thankful for. It is interesting that science is now catching up with what ordinary people have know for ages, crafting and the natural world are both good for mental well being. Last year it was all about mindfulness and being in the moment with a surge of interest in colouring. Meanwhile crafters smiled to themselves and got on with crafting as usual!

This year the emphasis has shifted to the natural world as more people discover the joys and delights a simple walk can bring, or a spot of gardening. I don't think the gardens in our area have looks so cared for before!

So with that in mind I have made a scrapbook page celebrating our roses in our garden. This summer they have been glorious, even our little Rebecca Claire which is in intensive care  has had booms.

All our roses have a connection to us in some ways. I will give you the connections at the end of this post, just a sneaky way to get you reading to the end!

Materials used:
SheepSki Designs - Wild Roses 

Express It! card

photo paper

black card

white printer card

12 x 12" rose design card

various shaped dies 

Copic pens:

roses: RV23, Blender

leaves: YG21, YG23, YG95, YG99

stems: F21,  G24, G94, G99

shadow: B0000, B000, Blender

To colour the roses I used the tip to tip transfer technique. I put a bit of colour from the RV23 onto the tip of the blender pen then coloured the petals starting in the shadow area. The idea is that as you move up the petal the colour fades out. I was aiming for a more pastel look.

The title and labels were created on the computer and cut out with dies. The labels have had a black pen run around the edges so they stand out a bit more against the background.

I did say I would give you the connections for each rose so here they are.

The oldest at over 30 years and no longer available to buy is the Rebecca Claire which was given to us by friends when our daughter, Rebecca Claire, was a baby. When we rented our house out while living in the vicarage it was somewhat neglected, when we rescued it there was only one stem about 8 inches long and it looked really sad. Thankfully a few years of very careful spraying and pruning have got it going again but it will take a number of years to bring it back to it's former glory. I think I did a post about it in the past.

Birthday Boy was a present from Tim's eldest sister for his birthday. We lost his sister to cancer last year so it is especially poignant now. 

Pearl was a gift for our 30th Wedding Anniversary 5 years ago. It has gone mad this year and will need a severe prune to stop it taking over the garden!

Keep Smiling was a gift from the school I worked at for 16 years when I retired. It was in a pot until this year but in spring we planted it out and it took off. It has beautiful yellow blooms that certainly make you smile.

Rambling Rector is a fairly new one. With Tim being a vicar in the Church of England we bought it on his retirement as it had such an apt name. It is our only rambler and it does ramble, on and on. The clusters of white flowers on it covered the frame it grows up.

Rachel is the newest of them all. We have been looking for a Rachel for a long time for our youngest daughter, you've guessed it, Rachel. Up until last summer all the ones we found were the wrong spelling or had a second name. Then we found this one at a local garden centre. It has blooms that change colours as they age so it starts off deep pink then develops yellow and orange edges as it opens up. Again it was covered in a fantastic floral display this year.

My photos don't do them justice and also don't give you the fantastic perfumes of Rebecca Claire, Pearl and Rachel. Sat out on the patio enjoying some evening sun and getting wafts of scent along with the glorious colours was a bit treat this year and went a long way to easing the frustrations of lockdown and not being able to visit family and friends.

I hope that you managed to find things to be grateful for among your pandemic experiences. It would be lovely if you felt able to share them with us at Path of Positivity.

Here are the details and links for the challenge:

• This challenge, our optional twist is Gratitude. It is the perfect time of year to reflect on all the good you have in your life. Therefore, this month create a project that depicts thankfulness or gratitude in some way.
  
  In order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, remember that general types of  projects/posts will not qualify for the prizes unless they are also positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some nature. Additionally, even if a project may qualify as positive, if your post promotes negativity, hatred or anything of an abhorrent nature, your project will be disqualified. Prizes this month include:
• Three images from SheepSki Designs, our guest sponsor for this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
• ONE image (value of $5 or less) from Scribbles Designs, for the post or project that the team deems most inspiring of the bunch based on all qualifying entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

You can find the link up and more inspiration at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog here.

I do hope you will join in with the fun and spread some positivity around.

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

Entering the following challenges:

A Bit More Time To Craft #127 - Anything Goes 

Love To Scrap #139 - Anything Goes

PIP Challenge 2044 - Anything Goes 

A Bit More Time To Craft Extra #November - Anything Goes 

Love To Craft #52 - Anything Goes  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #145 - Anything Goes 

Crafts Galore Encore #November - Anything Goes 

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #483 - Anything Goes