A Few More Rays

The skies this afternoon were not quite this clear but this is a bit of sunshine somewhat like what my friend Patty and I saw when we drove to Sykesville. The clouds in our sky were a bit more gray, too. :)

I woke up early (for me), around 9:30 a.m. this morning and have been 'going' ever since. Miracle! Maybe losing some weight is actually helping improve my sleep apnea? One can only hope. :) 

I spent some time this morning talking to the Office of Aging here in Howard County (where I live), Maryland. If you are poor, there are not many options open to you for retirement living. Basically, you are dependent on the good will of family or friends. Sigh. I am not giving up, yet, but I do not see a viable solution for my brother as of now. Still some other agencies to contact.

Patty got the urge to visit Photoscraps in Sykesville this afternoon. Luckily for my frozen body the temperature outside was a 'balmy' 40 degrees or so and the wind had died down. A coat was sufficient, at least for my front yard, to ward off the wintery chill. Shiver!

Our drive was quite pleasant (it takes about 40  - 45 minutes to drive westward into Carroll County where the shop is located). Patty likes to take the back roads which means pleasant scenery - some suburban, some rural, in winter colors. There is still snow in the crevices and shadows on the land ... and we have more forecast for Thursday coming. Definitely winter here. :)

I had ordered some color paper and patterned paper packages from Photoscraps. I did manage to take photos of the cards Lisa made using the same collections (not to say this is what I _will_ make:). There are two sets:

The first is called Evening Blooms and these are a few examples of projects using the papers.

The second set features sea creatures on floral and leafy motifs. I am drawn to this set especially. :)

I am looking forward to working with these pretty papers. Most likely I will make cards with mine though the odd collage is possible, too. :)

I also picked up an opaque white marking pen and a handful of pretty paper scraps they were giving away ... destined to be used in my art journal. It was really nice to just stand in the shop and absorb color/texture/pattern!

I spent most of the late afternoon and evening finishing up my current embroidery section. Here are some not-very-good photos to document this - night time here with little light.

This section features three star-like 'flowers' with green stems. Each is a different color combo.

This is the lowest/brightest colored flower - orange and purple. My favorite, of course. :)

I have a (routine) doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. Other than that, I plan to keep sewing on my Chicken Scratch project ... and maybe start gathering scraps to piece the sashing for the segments I have already finished. Onward and upward as my Dad used to say.

:) Linda