Hi, , I hope this message finds you healthy and as happy as you possibly can be given our current challenges with the pandemic. If you're anything like me, you're waffling between, "it's going to be just fine" and "we're all gonna die!" 

 

Driving myself crazy with wildly fluctuating panic levels hasn't been helping my sanity any so I decided it was time to get creative. My inner world of creativity is my sanctuary when the outer world stops making sense and we passed the point of sensible some time last week. 

 

I have found myself with waaaaaay too much time on my hands as most of the places where I teach live classes have closed and with good reason. I'd much rather we all stay healthy!

 

With all this "free" time, I knew it was (past) time to find a way to channel myself into something more productive than hanging out on social media and news sites waiting for the next step of the crisis. I realized I finally had time to catch up on a backlog of video classes I've been meaning to get to for what seems like forever.

The first one up is the Spring Wreath you see above—just in time for the first day of Spring! I painted the first version of this wreath a few years ago to give myself a break from grief shortly after my mother died. I've returned to the project a number of times and painted different versions because it is endlessly adaptable to the seasons and holidays and just because it's fun to do. The wreath is simple enough that it doesn't take a lot of brainpower and yet it still serves a great distraction for a little while. 

 

The wreaths make a great card to send to family and friends, either as a special occasion or just because which is handy with all the social distancing we're doing! I even added one to a plain page in my planner to amuse myself. The project doesn't require a lot of water to paint so it works well with the paper used in *most* planners. You might want to experiment with your particular planner first though!

 

The Spring Wreath project will go live on the First Day of Spring, March 19, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. EDST. You will have access to the materials for one year from either March 19th or from the day you sign up if it is after the 19th. You can download the instructional pdf to keep forever. It includes step-by-step instructions and lots of suggestions for making the wreath your own. 

 

There will be more one-off projects as they're great for an afternoon's distraction and because of the economic angst, the pricing is currently set to $5 a project. It may or may not stay at that price point, but that will be the cost for the time being. I hope you enjoy creating a wreath and the marvelous distraction it brings as much as I do!

 

If you'd like to register for the class, please click the Register Now link below to learn more about the class. Meanwhile, I hope you have plenty of books, television shows, walks in the park, creative projects and toilet paper to keep you until we are past the point of crisis!