Challenge #325 - week of 8th April 2019

April already and another week slipped from view. But spring is here and the birds are singing and the flowers are turning towards the sun and the blossoms are budding. So all is well! Colder weather will come and go for the next month or so, but winter is definitely behind us which makes most people happier and brighter.

So where does that leave us this week? Winter clothes are being ignored at the back of the wardrobe in favour of lighter, fresher styles and that made me have a look through my accessories.

When my eye fell on a favourite that appears to be broken, I knew that I should make it a prompt for us.

So this week I'd like you to be inspired by this necklace.

If you look closely, you'll notice that some of the beads are missing and it's seen better days. But it's 12 years old now so all in all, it's served its purpose and even though I still love it, it's time to let it go. There's a story attached to this buying this necklace on our Yukon adventure, and the fact that it's broken makes me sad.

But I have a photo or two of me wearing it and this photo here. Fond memories of Skagway, Alaska where I bought it come to mind when I see it, so that might be the way I go this week.

You might want to consider the following ideas:

• be inspired by the design itself - the mix of little and larger flowers, the different shapes of the petals or the curved line they form.
• be inspired by the colours - a brighter sky blue matched with a dusky grey-blue and a happy green-yellow spot in the middle.
• be inspired by a piece of costume jewellery of your own - one that you love, you dislike, you were given, you treated yourself, a cheap and cheerful piece or something a little more expensive. There's plenty of directions to take this.
• be inspired by a holiday purchase - I always try to buy something on a trip that I can take back with me to remember the happy time I had. We have prints, original paintings, pieces of jewellery or decorative items for our home. I'm sure I could make a page about each of these items and still have more to say.
• be inspired by clearing items out - this necklace, as much as I still love it, will be thrown away to make space for a new much-loved piece. Part of my ongoing decluttering, organising and sorting process that's very much an ongoing theme in my life. You might have a story to tell that's similar.

I think that these ideas could be some good jumping off points this week and I'm interested to see where you go!

Wherever that is, I really hope you'll share. It would be great to see what you make.  You can connect with us in our Facebook group here. Tag your entry with #WMXX so we know exactly which inspiration you've taken.

Have a great day everyone!