This morning I was doing the most mundane of tasks, dealing with a sink full of dishes – but when I looked down, the combination of the suds and the yellow and white patterns caught my eye, so I rushed down the house to get my trusty iPhone and snap a few shots.
Some days the dishes are just a necessary evil – another task among many to get through, and on other days you look down into the sink and see beauty. I’m glad I saw that this morning – in mugs from Coles and IKEA. It put me in a great frame of mind.
Yellow mugs and sudsy water – incidental happiness. That leads me to wondering about the power of colour in every day things.
I have found myself observing the world more consciously lately. From admiring the trees shedding their autumn fashions, to the sharp contrast between building facades and a bright blue sky, or a grey cloud filled sky and the vibrancy of a red traffic light, I’m looking for colour and pattern, and finding that the looking brings me happiness.
I am being exposed to more colour than usual through an online creativity course I’m doing. There are lessons and activities, links to videos and articles about amazing artists and creative people I’ve never heard of, and a few I know, and it is all meshing with something that starting this blog has sparked in me – the desire to SEE things.
To see where I am, who I am, where I’m going and how different ordinary things can look if you are mindful of them being more than obstacles, or background scenery or just, well, ordinary.
So today I just wanted to share some of the colour in my world, and urge you to see the colour in yours.
I bought some oil pastels yesterday for an assignment for my creativity course. I got them from the kids’ craft section – very apt for my level of artistry! I think they are beautiful.
Whether you are faced with the colours of this morning’s breakfast dishes in your kitchen sink, or a fruit bowl overflowing with limes and oranges, or the view of your garden, these ordinary things, if you allow them to register, can colour you happy.
What are you noticing that is bringing a smile to your face?
What colours make you happy? They could come from very unexpected places, if you let them.
Annette x
I Give You The Verbs 
I love the yellow mugs in your picture! Yellow is a guaranteed mood lifter for me. I’ve always loved the green trees against the blue sky and I’m noticing colour more, as part of my brain re-training is to look up and around me a lot more often!
Thanks for making me think about colour, now I’m off to do some of my bright orange and green jigsaw puzzle!
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Such a simple thing isn’t it? To look out, around and up. Enjoy your jigsaw.
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today it is red
red jelly in fact.
making retro style jelly slice for a small person’s birthday as it is her favourite
Loving your yellow
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I love red jelly! Hope the celebrations are fun, and colourful.
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Colour! Yes! Today we had the most brilliant blue sky day. It was a real contrast, and pick-me-up, to some of the super grey ones we’ve been having. And yay for your chevron mug!
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Blue skies in winter are awesome aren’t they?
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Yes!! I love colour! I am adding artworks to my walls at the moment and so am loving playing around with different colours 🙂
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So much fun to get things just the way you want them isn’t it? Enjoy!
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It’s great how the course is filtering in on our daily lives! Your photos look great Annette x
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Thanks Karen! I reckon the iPhone and a few good apps does the job!
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I feel like this all the time! I love colour, am drawn to it and can’t stop taking photos of it. I am therefore in sensory overload here in Bali with all the vibrant colours and prints everywhere. I even took a photo of some beautiful pink dragonfruit the other day in the supermarket because it was just so arresting.
Love this post Annette. Keep them coming!
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Thanks Vanessa, I will.
I love colour too – it really can lift us up can’t it? Not usually when it’s in the sink, but it did today.
Looking forward to reading about your colourful trip.
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Love this post Annette. Colour makes the world go round I say. Fav colour is purple.
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I love purple too! I was really disappointed that there wasn’t a purple pastel in my kiddie pack – I’m definitely going to rectify that.
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Lovely Annette! – I pride myself on being the most colourful person in my office! Nothing makes me happier than bright coloured tights! Perfect winter pick-me up!
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Every office needs someone who loves colour – keep it bright and cheery!
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I love those oil pastel colours. And I quite like your sink of dishes! The yellow looks lovely. I just wanted you to know that I have nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award over on my blog. Would love you to go and have a look x
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Hey Simone, how ace! I’ll check it out. Your lemon pound cake inspired me to make delicious lemon yoghurt muffins yesterday. I may have eaten a LOT of them!!
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I am just loving yellow right now. The perfect antidote to winter I reckon. x
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This is the exact reason I don’t have a “colour” scheme in my back room – but rather a “colours” scheme. I’ve got a rainbow of colours in the forms of cushions, throw rugs, prints and decorative items. They make me smile and they give the room a lift. I love yellow and I’m actually wearing my ultimate happy colour today in the form of a blazer – hot pink!
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Smart and stylish! Love hot pink too Sonia.
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It’s no surprise that I’m a massive fan of colour. It has a terrific ability to change your perception of the mundane. A yellow mug in a grey sink is the perfect example of this. What a delightful post!
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Hi Anna, thank you so much. I did think of you when writing it. Colour is king!
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Shazam! You have hit on one of my long term favourite hobbies. My favourite finds are incidental combinations, random acts of everyday life. The beauty of the mundane. In fact I blog about them regularly. I call it Photobomb Friday. Loved this post, keep up the ace work Annette! You write so well.
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Thanks Annabel! Everyday things deserve our attention too I think.
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