Color Palette Blog Walk: The Color of Joy

Today I am super excited to be participating in the Color Palette Blog Walk hosted by the amazingly talented color genius herself - Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog.  The theme for this round is 'The Color of Joy'.  

Being the total nonce that I am, I signed up to participate without actually having any means of creating a palette (friends and family take note: Photoshop is high on the xmas wish list this year).  Luckily Brandi came to the rescue and, using my photos and my rather poor color descriptions, put these amazing palettes together for me - thank you! So, with a massive debt of gratitude to Brandi, here are three palettes based on three things that bring me joy.

1. Autumn

Let's conveniently ignore the fact that this photo was taken in Spring, because really it does scream Autumn doesn't it?  That soft, hazy light; the gorgeous red of the leaves; warm days, cool nights; comfort food; scarves and boots - oh Autumn you bring me so much joy!

2. Sea

One thing I've really missed about living in Asia these past years is the easy access to the (clean) ocean.  It's not even that I love to swim (actually I'm a bit of a wuss - I'm easily freaked out by seaweed and things lurking unkown in the ocean depths; this fear hasn't been helped by a bad Bondi beach experience involving a stinging jelly fish who didn't want to let me go...) but there is something about being close to that big salty body of water that is immediately calming.  Whether you're strolling along a windy beach in the midst of Winter, or leaping off a rock in your underwear because you've completely overheated in the height of Summer, there is something just so incredibly cleansing about the sea.

3. The Little Things

Joy isn't all about big events and big holidays, more often than not joy is found in the little things.  Joy, happiness, often comes from noticing all those little things that happen to us and surround us every day. It might be this morning's perfect coffee, the smile from a stranger in the street, or the sunshine streaming in your office window.  It might be a favourite print that you've had framed, a holiday souvenir that you treasure, or a piece of furniture that has a history all of it's own.  Or perhaps it's just admiring the wonderful harmony between this purple-grey succulent, olive green Hornsea bowl and rosewood sideboard.  Whatever it is, I'm always grateful for the little things.

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Want more?  Why don't you have a stroll around the other blogs participating in the blog walk?  And please allow for regional time differences - if their post isn't up yet, it will be up shortly.

Francesca at Francesca Watson Designs

Lori at Pretty Things

Marsha at Marsha Neal Studio Blog

Cindy at Sweet Bead Studio

Kerry at Kab's Concepts

Cynthia at Ornamental Style

Linda at Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings

Erin at Treasures Found

Brandi at Brandi Girl Blog

Jenni at Jenni's Beads

Shari at Exploring the Wonders of Life

Road Trip: Busan Fish Market

On our recent-ish road trip down south we stopped at one of the big fish markets in Busan (it's a seafoody kind of town so there's a few of them).  I could have happily spent hours there with my trusty Canon, snapping away, but I was traveling with Mr Attention Span Of A Gnat, Mr Impatient, and Mr Why On Earth Are You Taking A Photo Of That so it was not to be.  Which may have been for the best as some of the stall holders were not overjoyed with my photographic interest, so moving on quickly proved fortuitous. 

Anyway.  Look at the colours!  Notice how all the fishmongers are women?  And they wear the most amazing outfits - bright pink rubber gloves, aprons in vibrant green and orange and red, layers and layers of clothing in floral patterns and blocked hues.  And then there's the giant crabs and long fish, and those strange things that look a bit like dragon fruit but clearly aren't.  Plus sting rays!  Yes, sting rays!  Have you ever seen a skinned sting ray before?  Plus those rainbow umbrellas, and the pink and blue plastic trays everything sits in (I am most definitely getting me some of those).  Wonderful stuff.

There'll be some more fish market magic somewhere on my Flickr, if you are so inclined.