Cold Autumn and Blue Winter

Feather Dreams
Breathtaking ACEO by SixSisters

This is the fourth ACEO in a series done by SixSisters. I tell you, this captured my feelings of the last week perfectly! Though I love the colors of autumn, the colder weather and the rainy days make me feel a bit blue. Especially as I get older and think about how fast the seasons have passed this year – and every year before. I am a bit creaky, my cat and dog are a bit creaky, and I find that I can be prone to a little bit of emotion. I try not to let my family see my blue funk, and in an attempt to shake myself out of it, I keep myself busy. I read, I spin, I write, I hang out on the internet. Being an introvert, I tend not to call my friends and confess my “blueness,” but instead try to get out of it myself. We might debate whether that is a good approach or not, but I can tell you about what worked for me this week, as the rains came down day after day and we felt the aftermath of hurricane Ida followed directly by the first nor’easter of the season. Looking out the window at the grey skies and wrapped in sweaters against the cold, I browsed through ETSY and found what the talented BBEST team had done with the cold autumn and blue winter at hand.

I was inspired – to smile, to create, to make something wonderful. I wonder if, when I am feeling so blue, I can find a way to express myself as in such a lovely way as the Feather Dreams ACEO. Thank you Six, for a perfect look into the complex feelings of a blue day!

It is fantastic how a look around ETSY can improve your mood. Take a look at some of the other great things our colleagues have created, and see if it doesn’t inspire you as well!

When sitting alone at my computer feeling down, I came across this fabulous photograph of a Lone Leaf by Beth Peardon. I considered how a single leaf can make such a beautiful statement, and want to thank Beth for the reminder.


And then we have Blue Winters Night , an Original Water Color Painting by Mystic Silks. This painting helped me recall those wonderful crisp cold nights when everything is beautiful and silent, yet somehow filled with breathless life. Thanks, Mystic, for reminding me that there is always something to look forward to as the seasons continue to advance!


Watching the grey rain pull all the colors of autumn from my trees and deposit them on the lawn, I found all those colors captured in this beautiful piece by Magdalene Jewels, November Rain. I just know if I had this around my neck I would look at the rain in a whole new way!

And then yesterday, the rain began to let up a tiny bit. We still had cloudy skys and drizzles, but I had a chance to see the wet earth in a new way, again inspired by my ETSY friends.


Yankee Girl encouraged me with a reminder to take a closer look at the beauty of our foliage, even when wet, with her great print "Wet Leaves," part of her TWINS series of creative photographs.


And dear KnottySheep reminded me of the beauty in the cloudy skies with her aptly named Sleepy Clouds. This great looking yarn made me want to create a shawl to remember the cold days AND the beauty of them!


Finally, I even found an expression of grace, another gift from my BBEST friends, as I smiled upon this beautiful Schrenschnitte Blue Angel piece by Janine Maves. What a lovely example of beautiful craft and inspiring detail. Thank you Janine!

And thanks to all my BBEST friends, for the wonderful inspiring creativity that you show every day. Without a doubt, you all lift up my moods and light up my life.