WARNING: Unbelievably Inspiring, Truly Talented Artists With a Contagious Case of Joy Are Spreading It Everywhere!

In a society where negative criticism and cynicism can be prevalent, there is something deliciously rebellious about choosing to be joyful. When you stand up to negativity around you and silence it within yourself, you are left with a HUGE open space in which true beauty can grow. That is the perfect fertile ground for JOY.

Thanks to Brandi, the true JOY REBEL, today’s Thursday Sweet Treat is filled with more joy rebels creating from a space that’s bright, light, warm, inspiring and filled with love. These works of art created by super talented artists will make you want to dance in the streets, sing when the feeling strikes, laugh out loud and live every single day with joy in your heart.

Thank you, Brandi for inspiring me to be joyful and create a theme that celebrates JOY. Thank you for being a part of this special Thursday Sweet Treat as well.

And now, without further adieu let us do the dance of JOY!!!!!



Maureen, a talented artist, created these sensational pieces.

"Oooooh, beware of Spreading Joy!!!" said Maureen. "After painting this 9x9 watercolor, I just couldn't stop myself . . . joy oozed, dribbled, leaked out all over!! Natasha, if these 7 photos are too many to post, I understand. But it's all your fault--this overflow of joy--for giving us such a juicy prompt!!"

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/

Agathe, creator of Meherio68, created these incredible pieces.

"I'm a busy bee, but, still— as you may or may not have noticed before, I love red, all reds," said Agathe. "Now that is a colour that gives me joy. Especially in nature— roses, poppies, and sweet peas on my balcony! Today, I treated myself and rummaged in my stock of gems. I ended up with these cute earrings that are garnets on gold. And they too give me great joy!"

Blog: http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com/
Etsy shop: http://meherio68.etsy.com/
DaWanda shop: http://lebarduvent.dawanda.com/
















Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this stunning work.

"I decided to do something just a little different with mine since I've been captivated lately by the idea of Guerilla Gardening," said Althea. "It's the idea of taking empty land ie. the grass between lanes of a highway or an abandoned lot and growing beautiful and/or edible things there for everyone. I made a set of garden bombs for areas you can't access due to fences, fear, topography or what have you and filled them with wildflower seeds. The clay (harvested from a hillside on my property) will melt away in the next rain and the seeds should sprout. The large one has 4 acorns in it and reads "Spread seeds of joy."

http://salvagedexpression.com/














Catrina, creator of Minoukatze.blogspot.com, created this beautiful piece.

"I was thinking of things which always cheer me up, and cute little singing birds do the trick," said Catrina. "This is one of my watercolors combined in Photoshop with photos of birds. To see more, my art blog is at http://minoukatze.blogspot.com/."

http://minoukatze.blogspot.com/













Kelsey, creator of Caffeinated Frenzy, created these two, fabulous pieces.

"Here are two creations for this week," said Kelsey.

1. Ribbet - Hand Knit Frog-like thing.

2. Two Tone DNA Scarf - This one's still in progress, but I was thinking about how to make a mellow blue burst with joy.

http://caffeinatedfrenzy.com/

Ribbet



Two Tone DNA Scarf













Brandi, the JOY REBEL, created this awesome piece, titled, "Let's make our own joy vocabulary."

"This piece was inspired by this blog post: http://www.joyrebel.com/2009/09/mission-monday-creating-world-through.html."

http://www.joyrebel.com/












Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this gorgeous piece titled,“Art is Joy Perpetual".

"What else can I say except that art spreads joy!" said Felicia.

http://anotherbrightidea.etsy.com/
http://www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com/












Natasha, creator of Doodlestar, created this piece.

"I was walking down the street after reading something Althea had written about being rebellious and joyful and this image popped into my head. Thanks for the inspiration, Althea. I think I want this to be a journal cover. It's just makes me happy; it fills me with JOY. And of course, it makes me want to surf. LOL"

http://doodlestar.etsy.com/














Jodi, creator of Jodi Horgan - Beaded Art to Wear, created this incredible bracelet titled, "Joie de Vivre".

http://www.jodihorgan.etsy.com/
http://jodihorgan.blogspot.com/















Janet, creator of JanetDavies, created these exceptional pieces.

"I started to say that I have been really focusing on finding joy in my life but what I really mean is that I’m remembering the joy that I have always had and that still is with me now, even when it’s hard for me to see," said Janet. "One of the practices that has brought me a lot of joy over the last 20 years or so is my daily dog walk. Lately the weather in my beautiful Sonoran desert home has been HOT! This is the hardest time of year for me, the summer has been long and too hot, and while the rest of the country is enjoying crisp weather and the brilliant fall colors, I am cranking up the swamp cooler to deal temps in the 100’s. So when I woke up to temps already in the mid 70’s ( promising temps well into the upper 90s...again) I took my cranky, grumbling self out for the daily dog walk and I saw the most spectacular sky! So incredibly beautiful! I had to photograph it to share with all of you.Of course my dog Chewy always brings me joy, mostly because he is so full of joy!"

http://janetdavies.etsy.com/





















Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created these phenomenal pieces.

"The Spreading Joy Theme touched me more than any I've done yet. I have three entries," said Trina.

http://wovenchains.etsy.com


1. "Stars and Rainbows"

"I'm definately channeling my inner 8-year-old with this one. Two silver and gold stars hang from either end of a rainbow. Its made to hang from a rear-view mirror or on a wall."








2. "Joy in the Garden"

"I love little critters. When I found these wonderful charms of insects and small animals, I knew they were going to have to be a charm bracelet. I also like the sun, moon, and star charms and what they added. I couldn't stop smiling while I was working on this piece. It brought me joy!"






3. "Simple Joy"

"A simple bracelet and pendant set, that brought joy when I made them."















Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this magnificent 4 1/2" x 5 3/4" handmade marbled journal.

"I couldn't think of a better way to spread joy than to host a giveaway!" said Amanda. "This journal marks the launch of a new product line in my shop (I'll be listing more for sale in the days to come). Please come visit my blog today for "joyful" details on how to enter to win this journal, made with my hand-marbled paper."

http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/
http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/PersistentGreen














Marja, creator of Glass Elements created these unforgettable pieces titled, Color of Joy.

"Funky, fun and full of color – these pieces radiate joy – and help cheer up your day just by wearing them," said Marja. "So be bold – and wear your joy. :)"

http://www.glasselements.etsy.com/
pendant: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31842393
earrings: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31842762














Phoenix Ravenswing creator of Crow Tarot, Kitty Hawke Cat Bird Crystals and
One Earth One Tribe, created these fantastic pieces.

Talismans by Crow Tarot
found at
http://www.crowtarot.etsy.com/

Our Other Etsy Shops
http://www.kittyhawke.etsy.com/
http://www.catbirdcrystals.etsy.com/
http://www.oneearthonetribe.etsy.com/



"This little guy was originally destined for another Treat, but after I saw the theme on Friday, I understood why I hadn't completed him before and had completed him now," said Phoenix. "He was originally intended for sale, but mysteriously developed this chip after I announced that, so apparently he is also supposed to join our collection."



"In the interest of spreading some joy around, I'm offering a custom-made miniature garden bottle (~2.5 to 3.0 inches high) to the first 5 TST-ers to say they would like one," said Phoenix. "They are great for small hydroponic cuttings, or for a miniature silk or dried flower arrangement, or, and thnx to Lisianblue for the idea, your favorite fragrance oil. These in the pic are samples of ones I've done before, for folks to get an idea of what they look like. The wire comes out rather randomly, but I can customize color selection to the extent of my bead stash. Enjoy!!! :-D"





"For those of you old enough to remember "Rocky & Bullwinkle", the duology of "Mage & Squirrel". :-D"

"The first series was taken in early September or so, the second last Saturday as I was getting ready to take photos. There was actually a squirrel up there both times, but the second time, I was JUST getting ready to hit the button, in fact, I think I had, when the batteries died. By the time I'd changed batteries and gotten back to the living room, the squirrel had moved on to bigger, better, and hopefully for it, less soggy pursuits. :-D I was, however, able to catch Mage in his look of "Please let the glass turn into a Squirrel-Permeable Membrane... PLEASE!!!" :-D"

This week, I looked around and found JOY among Etsy artist items. These folks do not know they are in the TST yet...I am going to write to surprise them. More artists to celebrate and invite to play - YAY!





SALE- Original Simpler Times JOY Painting Commission by Robert David Bretz
http://paintallnightstudios.etsy.com/

Glittery primitive JOY Chritmas letters with jingle bell
http://craftjunkie28.etsy.com/

Fhiona Galloway JOY Peacock Swan and Poppies Magnetic Recycled LOCKET SET
http://polarity.etsy.com/

After viewing this joyful TST are you feeling creative? Are you ready to dive in and start creating for the next theme??

Well, the next theme is theme is.........."Believe in Magic".

All of us have something beautiful inside, something that others see as "magic." Those are the people that believe in us with their whole heart. This week, create something to honor that someone or those folks in your life that have always believed in you.

Tune in tomorrow for more fun details!