stonepicnicking_okapi

I have a cross-stitch pattern book of famous works of art and this is the first time in about 20 years I've done a cross-stitch to keep myself (not to give as a gift). This is Kandinsky's Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles.

I get excited when a kit looks as good in the making as it does on the packaging, and this one falls into that category. I picked this up on sale after October (it's a Dia de los Muertos craft) but it works for Valentine's Day, too. Love the jewel tones, and I've got stems to make 6 more and probably extra crepe paper to be EXTRA CRAFTY!

I finished the four-building paper Cornish town of Mousehole.



I also did another journal page called Caribbean Dreams from a postcard I found from a trip to the US Virgin Islands a long time ago.

Challenge #2

In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private.

Crafting

1. Assemble a miniature coffee shop.

I bought myself this kit for Christmas 2020 and never advanced past step 2, so my goal is to assemble it by 12/31/22. I am designating Sundays for this activity and started yesterday. I realised the reason I abandoned it last year is that the barstools (step 2) are very confusing to make, so I skipped the second one and vowed to come back to it at the end or simply purchase miniature barstools that will do. I did the first cabinet yesterday [in the left of the photo] Long-time friends know that I did a miniature library two years ago [in the right of the photo]. By the way, I do not recommend this kit brand. The instructions and organization of pieces is horrible.



2. Collage/Art Journaling

Create at least two collage/art journal pages a month.

After watch a ton of tiktok compliations of asmr journaling, I decided to try my hand at it. I did my first one [using a gorgeous Christmas card I received and the washi tape I allowed into my home].

First of all, my journal notebook is lovely, very vintage feel and thick pages.



Second, my first attempt, done on Saturday, isn't very fancy at all, but I impulse-bought a lot of supplies that are en route :) I fear the washi tape monster has claimed me for its own.



Learning

1. Learn enough Korean to sing along with my favourite BTS songs.

I am on Lesson #5 of the Go Billy series on Youtube. I like him. Hangul, the Korean alphabet, is difficult (for me). The only thing I've found that helps is using BTS members' names as guides, and unfortunately, they don't cover the whole alphabet.

2. Learn to juggle.

I found a juggling kit in storage when I was cleaning and want to give it a go. I am pushing this until February because I want to get settled into the other things first.

These are the only ones I want to talk about. I also want to lose weight and eat at least one vegetable a day. I am a member of GYWO comm and have a yearly 250,000 word count goal and a reading bingo of 25 squares. I'd like to reduce screen compulsion and improve the quality of my meditation (I meditation daily) and attend the online fellowship group sponsored by the spiritual centre I am a member of (I did attend their Day of Peace yesterday). I am always full of Self-Improvement at the beginning of the year. We'll see how long it lasts.

I've been thinking a lot about my bullet journal and setting something up for the new year so I've been watching a lot of bullet journalling videos on Youtube. So I naturally get recommended other kinds of journalling videos

The past couple of days I've found these asmr Journalling tiktok compliations on Youtube very soothing. So it's just hands with very decorated fingernails putting stickers and such on paper to soothing lofi beats, but the end result is so beautiful. I really like the ones where they add the sealing wax and a seal. I confess one time about a year ago, I got a bit of washi tape in the mail and I threw it away because I didn't know what it was for! Ha! I might try my hand at some of this but it looks like a bit of an investment so I might just watch the videos for free.

Every Thanksgiving, my family runs a charity 5k. I did it in 49 minutes (not bad for a fat old lady--Okapi Minor did it in 33 minutes and Okapi Minisculus and his father did it in 35 minutes), and what is even better is that my legs didn't bother me a bit (they don't bother me now, even, which is wonderful). I've been training for a few months and been having leg pain on and off for the past weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving to any and all. I have told my family I am taking the day off tomorrow so I will be unavailable to make their meals, wash their clothes, and clean up their messes. I plan to read and fic and watch various versions of Murder on the Orient Express. I am watching the Poirot TV version now.

There will be turkey and stuffing and apple pie later.

I did a Thanksgiving-themed sticker craft.

I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I had one of my favourite hours of the month on Sunday: the Shedunnit watchalong. We watched The Ninth Guest (1934) and chatted. It was nice, really, really nice. Probably the most fun I have, period.

The boys are liking gymnastics. Minor is the oldest and biggest one there, but that's okay. I specifically picked a camp which extended from his age to Minisculus' so that Minisculus wouldn't be as nervous about trying something new.

Today is a Day of Mantrams [a kind of prayer] for Peace and Healing as sponsored by the meditation center I support because my guru's wife (guru died in 1999) is turning 100 years old! I sent her a card.

We finished Minisculus' Death Star. A bit underwhelming result but I don't see how it could be otherwise given how much work we (I) put into it. That's a tiny Millennium Falcon made out of an egg carton stuck to it.



Still enjoying audiobook of Book 2 of The Rivers of London, but that creeping thought 'this is glorifying police as problem solvers and assets to the community rather than what they really are' is raising its head so I may take a break after this one.

Day one of Ye Olde Menstrual Nonsense so I feel like an enormous bloody pin cushion.

I was feeling down about still losing puzzle pieces (and since doing puzzles is my #1 therapy, I had to go to #2 therapy), so I made a miniature felt orangsicle.