Always Full Of Happiness

... that perfectly describes my delightful niece.  We all know that one person, who can walk into a room and the world seems brighter  ~  that's what happens when you're with Abbie.  She is always happy and always smiling.  She is a joy to be around.  When things aren't going your way or you're feeling a bit down  ~  there she is with her wide smile and happy nature  ~  and life just seems better some how! 

 

Don't get me wrong... she has her 'moments', the same as any child... she could win an award for her sulking and don't get me started on how very, very stubborn she is... BUT that smile and sunny disposition ALWAYS brightens my day... I am blessed to have such a charming niece.

 

This photograph was taken during a trip to 'Fantasy Farm' a local farm adventure park with animals, nature trails, play areas, boats, go karts and lots of other great things for kids to do.  Abbie is buried deep in the ball pit, grinning as usual and having loads of fun.  I can't believe that was 4 years ago! How time flies...

 

 

 

TIME PERCEPTION...{how to make time go slower}

 

The more we age, the more often we come into contact with information our brains have already processed. This familiar information takes a shortcut through our brains, giving us the feeling that time is speeding up and passing us by.  For young children, it’s easy to see how this would work in reverse, since the majority of information their brains are processing would be brand new, and require more time to process.

 

How to make your day last longer...

 

According to the research, if we feed our brains more new information, the extra processing time required will make us feel like time is moving more slowly. And supposing it’s true that perception is reality, we’d effectively be making our days longer. How awesome is that?

 

Here are five ways you could put this into practice immediately.

 

1. Keep learning

Learning new things is a pretty obvious way to pass your brain new information on a regular basis. If you’re constantly reading, trying new activities or taking courses to learn new skills, you’ll have a wealth of ‘newness’ at your fingertips to help you slow down time.

 

2. Visit new places

A new environment can send a mass of information rushing to your brain—smells, sounds, people, colours, textures. Your brain has to interpret all of this. Exposing your brain to new environments regularly will give it plenty of work to do, letting you enjoy longer-seeming days.

 

3. Meet new people

We all know how much energy we put into interactions with other people. Unlike objects, people are complex and take more effort to ‘process’ and understand. Meeting new people, then, is a good workout for our brains. That kind of interaction offers us lots of new information to make sense of, like names, voices, accents, facial features and body language.

 

4. Try new activities

Doing new stuff means you have to pay attention. Your brain is on high alert and your senses are heightened, because you’re taking in new sensations and feelings at a rapid rate. As your brain takes in and notices every little detail, that period of time seems to stretch out longer and longer in your mind.

 

5. Be spontaneous

Surprises are like new activities: they make us pay attention and heighten our senses. Anyone who hates surprises can attest to that.  If you want to stretch out your day, this is a good way to do it. Try surprising your brain with new experiences spontaneously—the less time you give your brain to prepare itself, the less familiar it will be with any information it receives, and the longer it will take to process that time period.  

 

 

Enough of 'time ' (or should that read <<never enough time>>)...

 

 

Layout #2 using my LIKE FOR EVER September kit "Acorn Avenue", this kit is made up from the Pink Paislee 'Cedar Lane' collection and with its rich hues, gorgeous florals and fabulous seasonal colour palette - it is the perfect autumnal kit.

 

'5th Avenue' paper was used for the 'feather' background with a piece of plain

white CS for the main body of the layout

I'm not the best at 'fussy cutting' but the 'Town Square' patterned paper called out to me!  So I cut out loads of the floral elements

 

Glittered alphas are always a great way to add a title, and these from American Crafts are lovely ('Fitzgerald' in peacock), adhered above the rest of the title 'full of happiness' (an acetate ephemera piece)

 

I added splatters in gold (Heidi Swapp Color Shine), blue (from stash) and a little bit of purple(Derwent Inktense)

>> more fussy cutting

 >> and more

 

 

Love those wood veneer butterflies (LIKE FOR EVER add on)

 

Acetate arrows from the ephemera pack

 

>> more ephemera

 

>> and more

 

And a few more splatters and some sequins ~ completes Layout #2!

 

I'm behind with my kits ~  my mojo went on its holidays :( and my wonderful postman has just delivered my next kit whoop whoop!!!

 

 

 

Coming Soon...

...unboxing October's kit "Hello, Beautiful"

 

 

 

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