Road Trip

We are getting ready to leave for Maryland tomorrow for a week-long visit.  Because I have laundry to do and packing to take care of, and because Rusty is currently in Houston which means I'm doing it all on my own, this challenge will be short and fairly easy to do.  It's not really even a challenge so much as an exercise.  Or maybe I'm just rambling and it doesn't really matter anyway (entirely possible.)

So here's what you can do this week:  

Finish your collage.  Or get started on your collage.  Or read the collage challenge post and go from there.  It's week 3, parts I and II.

For a second option, the easy one I mentioned, you will need to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and wander around their paint department.  Go from display to display where they have the paint cards with the colors and names on them.  Find one that makes you really happy.  Not necessarily one that you would ever use on your walls; this isn't about paint.  It's about color.  Pick a few with colors that make you feel something.  Then take those paint cards home and write or stamp your feeling or word onto that color.  

A few things: Please don't go to Walmart or Kmart for the paint cards since they don't have the huge selection of colors that the big box home-improvement stores do.  Remember, too, that this isn't about the paint so if you're not a fan of big-box paint, it doesn't matter since you won't be using any paint.  Also, feel free to do two or three or seven colors.  The more the merrier I always say!

So what's the point?  Just another exercise to try to help get those connections going between the visual and the written word.  Getting more comfortable with identifying what it is about what you see that makes you feel a certain way, and what that certain feeling is.  For example, our bedroom is painted a random color I found for $5 as a mistint.  It's a light beach house blue/teal and I love it because as soon as I walk into my room I feel relaxed, like I'm at the beach.  The color is a summer color.  It's not over-powering or obnoxious.  If I had a color card to match, I'd stamp "Summer", "Relax" and "Beach" on it (actually, I'll try to do that when we return next week!)

Anyway, after you get your word and write it or stamp it or letter stickers to put it on your paint card, then put it somewhere you'll see it regularly.  Pin it to a memo board or magnet it to your fridge (only if your fridge isn't covered with 342 other things that will cause your paint card to become hard to see.)  Or punch a hole in the top and run some ribbon through to make a bookmark for yourself.  Heck, if you really like it, do two or three cards and group them together and frame them in a little frame!  The sky's the limit.  I just want you to have fun and keep the connections going!

Ok, well, I hope you all have a good week.  I'm driving out to Maryland tomorrow with the boys while Rusty flies in from Houston (I'll be picking him up at BWI on my way by.)  I will most likely not have a challenge up next week as we're supposed to be in Ocean City from Monday to Tuesday though right now the weather is predicting that Tropical Storm Fay will move up the east coast and rain on our beach days.  Boo.  If we get some decent weather I'll do my best to post some pictures as filler.  

Have a good week and take care of yourselves!