Life gets in the way of things we ought to do, such as spend time giving family nice emails and texts, and surely not to forget birthday wishes. This is for my sister, one of my best friends, and yesterday I had not made her birthday card. Shame on me. But i made it today.
If you reach out to me at marian(at)pdqpatterns.com, i would love to create a keepsake card for you from images that you send me.
Just about finished with the construction of the base of this years “haunted gingerbread house”. I just need to take out the safety pins (that hold pieces together till the glue dries) and maybe add one “witches caldron”, not sure. Except for the glue, no building products were purchased, everything you see was saved from landfil.
Gingerbread-candy-haunted-house 2026 has at least a basic (but not finished) “layout” now. I think that is the hardest part, adding the “gingerbread” is the fun part. All leftovers, recycled, curbside rescues, “last sale dates” and discounted items, with some items left over from gingerbread houses made literally years ago will be in this particular house. New trick I discovered this year was to straighten out the aluminum foil from chocolate kisses by rubbing them gently on a soft surface, and use them like “gold leaf” (a friend who likes chocolate supplies the wrappers, LOL).
Sometimes “tiny gestures of love” can last for more than a half a century, per this very small heart (about a quarter of an inch tall) tucked away in a binder for more than 50 years. It is graphically wonderful, not because it was meant to be an art piece worth saving, but because it became an art piece for what it meant to me. The smudge tells all: life and living.
Clown Blue: Clown painting for one of my children.
Clown paintings from the 1980s, before AI (LOL). These are paintings I did in real time, for my children, who were young then. Right hand images is vectorized, left is the original.
Clowns: drawings for my own kids. THis particular painting must have come at the end of a very taxing day, LOL>
Paintings for my 3 children, who like me, liked clowns. If you would like a digital file for printing, just ask. 
This rug, which i have used as a wall hanging was made for my children by my parents. A treasure.
Clown latch hook wall art for my kids. “Clown and umbrella”
