Locked Down but Not Locked Out

Who is that sassy girl?
I love this envelope made by my pal Missy Millie....seeing her in my mailbox really cheered me up, especially since I can't really go out.....
She had the wrong zip code so it took a while to get to me but get to me it did...

Well, this was sure a surprise....life as we know it isn't the same....San Francisco is  locked down and rumor has it, things may get worse. So far I have only gone out for food and I am going stir crazy, even with the multitude of projects I have to work on....
So, what am I doing?

Drinking a lot of tea. I love the Smith Tea Company in Portland and treated myself to a new box. This is turmeric tea and pretty good. Just look at that tea bag -- so pretty. You KNOW I will have to do something with that tea bag....I love their Meadow Tea too....I'm just sayin' incase you are browsing their website for some tea you might like....

Besides drinking tea (and some wine) I have been reading books. I don't like to recommend books because we all have wildly different tastes in books (& movies...I hated Parasite and everyone else loved it) but I really, really enjoyed this book. And, you might too. And if you're really lucky, your library may be opened so you can get it from the library. It is a feel good-book and I need to feel better!

Happily I have a BIG stash of arty/crafty/mixed media/textile books and I have had ample time to sit and page through them and get ideas for projects. I hope you have some good books in your stash too.

This charming sewn folder was inside the Sassy Girl envelope (above).

All the way from OZ and my birthday buddy Vizma.
(Happy Birthday Aries pal!)

A delightful birthday surprise from my Portland buddy Miss Polly. My birthday is next week but what the heck....I opened it early. The PDXCC has their own pencil cases!
I really think the SF Correspondence Co-Op needs our own too.

I actually SET UP my unused sewing machine and I tried stitching on paper but the thread jammed. Or something. Now I am VERY cranky and I can't even ask anyone to come over and help me.
Damn.

When the walls start closing in, at least I can go out on my deck for some fresh air and some Meyer lemons....

And, I can go out in the garden and smell the jasmine vines. They are all blooming like crazy and small so good. I also have been watching the little buds come to life. Nature is such a balm.

This plant is old and has lots of beautiful flowers.....

Lilacs!!!
My favorite flowers and I actually have some blooming. They don't seem to do well here in San Francisco but my old lilac bush squeezes out a few every year right around my birthday.
I have lots of projects -- altered books, gelli printing, hand sewing and embroidery, etc -- but I only seem to want to sit and read. I guess I am trying to get used to the new and hopefully temporary reality.
I love Instagram and have been trolling through IG for inspiration. There is some wonderful art on there and lots of good mail ideas. You can sign up and make your account totally locked up (like SF!) and private but then you can see some great stuff. I can recommend some beautiful feeds if there is any interest.

So, I was thinking....
Maybe we could ALL make something "together"? want to try? I was thinking  Altered Altoid Tins or maybe Pocket Books....
Do you all have an Altoid tin? Some double stick tape? Gel Medium?
Want to play?
Clear those cookies and comment below if you do and I will try to set something up. It would be kind of fun to all work on the same basic project....I wish you could all come over but we know that can't happen right now.

Tell me what you think. And, tell me how you are all doing out there...How are YOU coping with things? Are you all under the Shelter In Place rule??
Stay safe and take care of yourselves.
And do something nice for someone else.

Remember,
ART SAVES LIVES