Res-Q 52: Sunshine

Hi everybody! This week's guest hostess for the Res-Q Challenge is the fabulous Karolyn from Paper Therapy. Here's what's she's got for you this week:

Has summer arrived where you live? Not so much where I live . . . good ole’ Seattle. Nothing but rain, rain, and more rain. So you can imagine that we pretty much crave sunshine here in Washington State. When the sun finally appears here, everyone puts on their shorts and tank tops and heads outside, including me! We also tend to stay out in the sunshine for as long as we can . . . sometimes too long, and we pay for it later.

Sunburn – it’s something that I’m sure we can all remember as children to be a miserable experience. Some of us are paying for it now, in our older age. Skin cancer and sun damage are very serious problems. I think we’ve finally realized that protecting our skin is imperative.

BUT! Did you know that as a nation we are Vitamin D deficient? Especially those of us that are “lucky” enough to live in Washington, where we so seldom see the sun. Sunshine is a wonderful source of Vitamin D, and there are studies that have been done that actually say that getting enough Vitamin D can PREVENT some types of cancer. To be specific, the exposure to UVB sun radiation has been shown to reduce the risk of 19 major types of cancer through the production of vitamin D! So some sunshine is absolutely okay!

Here are a few tips to get your supply of Vitamin D, without exposing yourself to skin cancer:

*Get 20 minutes of unprotected sun-to-skin exposure every day. This will meet our most basic needs for Vitamin D. After 20 minutes, though, it’s recommended that you take measures to protect your skin, i.e., hats, clothing, umbrellas, and sunscreens.

* Make every effort to avoid burning your skin. There is sufficient data to know that sunburns cause serious, long-term damage.

*Cover up! The use of hats, shirts and umbrellas offer safe and effective protection from the sun.

*Buyer beware. Before purchasing a sunscreen, consult with a website such as www.ewg.org to ensure you are purchasing a product that is both safe and effective.

YOUR RES-Q CHALLENGE: Create a project that includes some “sunshine”, whether it’s the color of sunshine or a sun image. Perhaps it’s a “sunny” sentiment. The sky’s the limit! Go out and spread some sunshine!!

Don’t forget to use the keyword RESQ52 if you are uploading to an online gallery and feel free to link up below so we can check out your sunny creations! Thanks for playing!