Thank You's and Art Attempts

When my sister passed away last month we were gifted with food, mass cards, and other remembrances and these are some of the thank you cards that I quickly put together.  

While looking for something else in my craft stash I came across a package of water soluble wax pastels and gave them a try late one night laying the colors down first and then blending with an aquapainter. 

I sent away for a black sketch pad to try to work with the moonlight gel pens on.  This was done while on several phone calls - a different color for each call.  I'll continue to add to it until the page is full.  

I saw a post from Ann Martin of All Things Paper posted a link to a tutorial on her FaceBook page that I wanted to give a try.  The materials were something I knew I had - circle punches and an old book (in this case a student dictionary) and some mini clothespins.  Oh, and paper glue.

And here is the result.  I think it might need a partner.  

These days I sit at my dining room table surrounded by much "stuff" including a laptop (mine), a chromebook (work), and my cell phone on it's new stand that HWNSNBP was generous to use his time making for me since I left my little metal one at work.  There's my daylight floor lamp over my left shoulder and Kirby in his cage behind my aching right shoulder.  And then there's the art supplies.  Zentangle pens, markers, pencils, colored pencils, stacked sketchbooks, a new box of Arteza paints to try, my olfa cutting mat for sewing or puzzles, occasionally my camera, and other various bits and bobs.  At my feet are canvas bags full of more choice items - one for paints of all kinds, another for markers of all kinds.  There's a set of wax pastels and a set of oil pastels on one of the empty chairs along with some tissue paper for another project.  Behind me is an east facing window where all, or most of our orchids are on the sideboard.  I can look across the room right into the kitchen where HWNSNBP works at the kitchen island.  This has been my quarantine space for most of the time.  It's a mess, but it's a comfortable mess.  It gets straightened up every couple of days, but no chance of company coming so there's not much urgency in tidiness.  

I venture up into the stamp cave every now and then after my "working hours" when I need to get something, or make a card or two.  We have a birthday coming up on Sunday - a 1st birthday - and Mother's Day is right around the corner.  There's also Teacher Appreciation Week - which deserves some acknowledgement - I know the teachers have been working their butts off at home, most of them balancing family and students.  

There are a couple of jigsaw puzzles still waiting to be done and some various piles of clothing scattered about as well as items found during "cleaning out spurts" that need to find homes (and some of them need to runaway from home).  I get fully dressed up 2-3 times a week.  And by that I mean pants that button and zipper and socks with real shoes.  Otherwise, it's lounging clothes and sweatshirts and sandals.  

I posted a picture of this on FB and a local friend said she could use one.  I actually had asked HWNSNBP to make one for her before I saw a post from her the next morning that she scored some Lysol spray at Costco and had extra if anyone needed at cost.  I messaged her thinking they were probably all spoken for but said I would be leaving a stand in her mailbox.  She said she still had a can and we could trade.  The Lysol cost a lot more than the stand did - it was pennies of scrap wood and 15 mins of his time at most - so I think we made out in the long run.  It was nice to barter.  Cleaning products have been hit and miss here lately.