Folksy Friday : January Blues

It's cold outside, it's grey, it's raining .... yes - it's January in good ole Britain. 

If you're anything like me, this time of the year can be the hardest: the festivities of the Christmas holidays are long gone, the days are still far too short, the garden looks sad and dreary, and you long for the spring, the sun, the bursting green shoots of renewal.

So yes, January is a time for the 'blues'.

This set me to wondering, though, why it is we associate the colour blue with sadness?  

Blue is quite a rare colour in nature: apart from the sky and the sea, which have the appearance of blue, there are not many natural blues. Blue flowers are prized by many gardeners precisely because they are rarer, and often harder to cultivate successfully (think of delphiniums, blue poppies, and the elusive search for a blue rose), while the blue stone lapis lazuli has always been highly valued as a rare naturally occurring instance of blue:

Yet blue is also credited with being cooling and calming; scientists have reported using blue light successfully to treat a number of pyschological problems; another theory states that people are more productive if they work in blue rooms; while for the poet John Ruskin, "blue colour is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of delight"! 

Personally, I love blue, in all its shades. Here is a small selection of handmade blues to delight in and help banish yours :)

Rockpool Lampwork Beads by Pixel Pyro Lampwork

Embroidered Heart Charm by Lynwoodcrafts

Valentines Heart Turquoise Enamel Necklace by Cinnamon Jewellery

Peacock Blue Silk Clutch Bag by Wild Rose Designs

Mosaic Key Holder by Rock Jelly Mosaics

Knitted bear by Yarn away knits

Dark Teal Mittens by Shoogly Beads

Turquoise Charm Bracelet by Phoebe dreams