 So we are headed to H Mart this morning, which is an Asian grocery store not too far from us. Mr. Bob got a tabletop grill Gizmo for Christmas. He wants to start doing Korean barbecue at least when the weather is nice outside and Which isn't today by the way But we don't know where to get started with what Ingredients to get what kind of meat to get and all that and our daughter and son-in-law cook this way all the time And so we are meeting them at H Mart to do some shopping And I have some veggies and stuff. I think I want to get anyway, so Do some food shopping again, not because we didn't buy enough yesterday. I Wonder if they have jelly beans in H Mart We can't find jelly beans anywhere Anyway, other than it's a quiet Sunday, and we've just been hanging out around the house catching up on laundry and stuff It's not been you know Anything over the top or anything. I haven't even done any painting yet, but I will Anyway, all right, let's go see what they have at H Mart. I'll be back Just before one o'clock on Monday, January 6th 6th, I think Yep, on January. Oh my god. It's February I'm never gonna get it straight. Anyway, I edited the vlog for last week. It's saving and rendering right now about a painting done Something per my husband's request. I Have mixed feelings about how it turned out. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below I can't believe that I finally got the 2022 bookkeeping done And hand it over to Bob so we can put it with all the other Personal bookkeeping and we can hand it into our tax man Speaking of which I think there's a tax form in the mailbox. I didn't think I was gonna really get that done today, but I did Tuesday February 7th, and it is what time is it 10 o'clock 5 a.m. I'm gonna Start my work Work day by making a cup of foam broth, so hang on. I'll be right back I'm gonna start off the morning by doing something about this closet upstairs. This is where I keep my collection horde supply of Organization bins, it's also where the guest towels are some spare table linens It's a hot mess in here. It's I just have a habit of shoving stuff in here and little of it is Organized or labeled with the exception of the guest towels. I Have all these empty bins down here and all this junk up here that could be binned and labeled Along with this shelf We're gonna fix it. I'm gonna get out the labeler We're gonna fix it. I'll be back. There's still a normally large amount of stuff down here But at least this part up here you can actually see what's up there and we have space and space That I don't necessarily feel like they need to fill up. I'm good with it I'm gonna just I'm gonna just spread things out a little bit and we're good All right, I'll be back. So two of fixing the flow and Decluttering my art room And how slash how I do how I store things how I organize things in there is done and in the can I did find unexpectedly more stuff to get rid of I didn't expect when I started filming this Series for you all that there was gonna be too much of that. I was wrong Wednesday, February 8th 942 a.m. I have counseling in a few minutes So I will be turning off the telephone and my desktop's not on yet. So yeah turning off electronics When you just need peace and quiet and or you have something else you need to concentrate on is a really good idea Just turn them off That's why they have an off switch I've been working on a new video series for YouTube which Includes some more purging and decluttering of the art room things. I was hesitant to do the first second or third time around and Filming my process and my thoughts and they're kind of chatty videos, but anyway, they're coming up if you're interested Anyway, regardless of that I have had some stuff now that I'm wanting to let go of and I've had trouble finding a place for it but That being said I did find a thrift store that wants the items if nobody else does and a place for Me to find local creatives who would like The items so if nobody there in the creatives want it, I know a thrift store. I can donate it to you So bonus bonus bonus And some of those items should be hopefully getting picked up today this morning Maybe while I'm in the counseling session. We'll see Anyway, it's a porch pickup. So I'm just waiting for my counselor to come online and Then once that's done, I have a painting I did yesterday. I initially wasn't sure about now I'm looking at it thinking, you know, it's not that bad So yeah, and I of course I have a million projects to do I do have some like sun shades on the window because yeah this I love sitting here, but it does get a little bright So we have some sort of DIY Window shades. I could lower the blinds, but then there's a plant there. I don't know this works for the moment I don't want to close the window right now. So Anyway, I'm gonna get ready for my counseling session and I'll be back there a little brief Interlune with the little one next door. I painted and watercolor painting while she was here Which I is very simple very abstract, but I love it and I'm not gonna touch it anymore There you go Berkeley called it the rainbow sunset. I don't disagree with her Then I got a message from the sketchbook project out of Brooklyn, New York and I guess they're closing up shop and sending sketchbooks to a Another place that does something similar, but if you want your sketchbook back, you can get it back I had no idea about this I had two days before the deadline for that was over and I've done I think two sketchbooks for them and so I just now Filled out the form for that. So cross your fingers. We get one or well I'd like both back, but cross your figures. We get at least one back. I'll share when we do and Then I was going through stuff looking for my project sketchbook project library card, which is here And I found this notebook. I have netly made goals for 2020. I Forgot I did this. I'm gonna have to sit and read it and yeah Anyway All right, since I had to turn the computer on to do the sketchbook project thing Which I was actually trying not to do today because I thought that would be cool If we had a day without the desktop on but anyway I'm going to post some stuff on patreon for the patrons and some stuff to the patron only YouTube channel preview Preview views previews of videos that you guys will see later. Anyway You you get it, right? All right, if you want to join my patreon the link is down below. All right Let's get to like the gardener showing up And what I'm assuming is this new day because since the start of the new year. He's been showing up a day early All the fabric went to a good home. She's gonna cull through what she can't use. She's gonna pass on and And the son of the other lady came and she picked up the box of alcohol inks and just miscellaneous stuff I kept finding and dumping in there So it's all going to creative homes. They've all said what they can't use they will pass on which is great They'll cull through it. And yeah, so cool Anyway, that's it porches all cleaned off now and I can't change my mind because it's all gone. All right I've got empty the dryer, but I don't know I evidently am feeling better, but I feel sorry for manic anxiety-ridden Gina because every time I think I'm through All of it What do I mean by that? So when I'm in the midst of an anxiety panic attack mania situation I tend to make piles and collections of things put things away in places that when I'm feeling better I can't figure out where that safe place was I Evidently also start journals about things that I never finish and that don't make sense to anybody not even me Because I found a couple of those today. So That's okay. I am going to be starting a morning thoughts journal Not quite daily pages because it's gonna be like creative thoughts I have been Having episodes of my brain not wanting to show off and I can go to sleep not for any bad reason but because I have ideas for projects and colors and All of that like in my brain. So I'm gonna be making some notes about it in the morning when I have my coffee Right now I'm gonna empty the dryer and then when Bob is done upstairs, we're gonna go walking Hopefully before it turns black that black outside really dark The Sun is starting to go down so Cross your fingers. I'll be back. Bob's on the phone with one of his brethren from the Masonic Lodge in California Anyway We're gonna go get some steps in I'll be here buddy. It is 10 o 1 a.m February 9th, I think Thursday Anyway, we are obviously in the car. We're gonna head out and run some errands Of course tomorrow is Friday. So we're gonna Have to at least two of the kids over and we're gonna I I'm gonna pick up something for dinner while I'm out Along with hunt for jelly beans But I've got a lot of other stuff to do too. I've got a mail something to my friend and patreon Patron holy cow Kathy Whitney and I've got to check the peel box and I've got to check up some prescription check on some prescriptions Hey guys, I haven't gotten on camera before now because I've been creating like a wild woman What time is it? 340 p.m. Still Thursday? I did another Abstract watercolor seems to be my daily thing. I've also started on a couple of different Cigar boxes one I had one for my friend Leslie McGrath turning them into more writing boxes urban sketching boxes Pasha boxes, whatever you want to call them. I have ideas for both of them. They'll be different The one this one is cardboard So I'm doing it a little differently to see What's a good way to do it this other one is wood so Screwing things into it cutting wood to fit into it. You'll see and I will shoot some kind of video When I work out some things Especially showing you guys how to do the one out of the cardboard cigar box because I don't think those are like more easy to Find for very cheap or free than the wooden ones. So anyway Okay, I'm gonna sit and listen to some YouTube Reddit stories, I know it's a bad addiction, but anyway Make sure I've got my mess I made cleaned up and yeah That's it for the minute. We are gonna go walking. Mr. Bob is home tonight So we're gonna go walking later before we have dinner. So that'll be good. All right. I'll be back. It's dark Anyway, we're gonna go for a walk and try to get some steps in it was a pretty good productive afternoon I got all my chores done this morning errands that I had to do so it was all good I was putting off doing the dishes because I thought I had to empty the dishwasher, but I was wrong. So there you go Anyway, let's go get some steps in see what we can see. I'll be back guys I would say good morning, but it's 1 36 p.m. Friday February 10th. I think so Last night I sent the patrons and supporters a Message and a couple pictures. I Had some cigar boxes now one box I had I found in my collection of stuff I'm pretty sure this is the box I got from a friend who does smoke cigars. I don't smoke. I don't smoke. I don't drink anyway Really nice cigar box and then I got some more cigar boxes for my friend Leslie McGrath Because right now in case you didn't know I'm very into making Plain air pochad travel art Urban sketching whatever you want to call them boxes. It's really just I'm obsessed I have this one here which can be packed up all into the wooden box Put in a tote bag and taken with me. I have a smaller one downstairs and now I've just made two more What am I gonna do with them all? I don't know. Hold on. Let me get a phone stand Okay, then my fuck my hands won't get so tired So first my friend Leslie sent me some pretty standard cigar boxes That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them. Let me just say that by making by saying standard If you guys want to make something like this This is going to be the type of box you're going to more readily find For cheap or free then it's going to be the other one that I'm going to show you you can also use Like an unfinished plain wood box from like the craft store, which is what I made The one I have downstairs out of and I actually didn't buy it at that craft store I found it at Goodwill for like three bucks and they cost like 15 to 20 bucks anyway, so It's going to be an art box. It's going to get messy You're going to take it around whether you're traveling or you're just walking the neighborhood and doing some sketching You're going to take it around it's going to get messy And depending on how you would like to work whether you draw or paint or you're just journaling that's going to Make a difference in how you set the box up to be honest I have some boxes that have an easel in them. These two don't these are more writing and sketching boxes Anyway, this is more of your cardboard type of cigar box. I took some bookbinding tape and This is actually hockey tape I love it. I love the Pascal pattern on it I mean if you've been watching my channel for a while, you know that it doesn't stick super well So the bookbinding tape, which is super sticky and this this is not going to come off easily That's why this is on here in some places to reinforce things. This is just decorative Anyway, I reinforced the hinge with bookbinding tape and then this on top and then some more of this on the corners To really make it strong. I Also made a closure with bookbinding tape and of course decorated it with The sides with the hockey tape And again put some strips of bookbinding tape over the edges of the hockey tape so that it really sticks really well And I put velcro. I eased 6,000 the velcro onto this little flap of tape I glued in Um a dollar tree plastic cutting board piece that I punched holes in threaded elastic in And I already said this is a writing box, right? So you can put Your pens and pencils up here because I've put so much tape To reinforce the hinge. I'll tell you about this in a minute to reinforce the hinge It doesn't open all the way which actually if you're working Let's see If you're working with the box, that's actually unless it's really windy That's actually going to be really handy that it doesn't open all the way because it'll just stand here And you can pull your pen out do your drawing or your sketching or your writing and then put the pen back If it's a really windy day so that this doesn't like fall backwards or slam forward You might want to just Close it But you also could But put something behind it so you could actually put a little Block of wood drill hole in the wood drill a hole in the cardboard of the box I put a long bolt and nut through it and but not too tight so that you could swing it around You have it be kind of long So when it's down it's this way, but when you swing it around it's up this way and that would hold the back So if it gets windy, it's gonna just hit the little piece of wood, but this is chipboard and so It's like sewing on plastic or vinyl every hole you punch in it weakens it So I would probably just say use it this way prop it up against your bottle of water or something Or if it's a very windy day, just take all your pens and pencils out and just close the box lid That would probably be the safest way now I did decorate the box lid with some of my stickers and decals some of which I've designed and Some which I had in my stash and then I covered them with clear packing tape to make sure not only that they stay on the box But if it gets a little bit wet or damp or something that it doesn't like mess it all up Otherwise, I didn't do much to the box. I mean that seems like a lot of it I think it has a nice, you know open empty space for your journal Maybe a small watercolor palette and an envelope with a few pieces of ephemera and then some pens I think it's a really good option So I really love that one. Let me put this one to the side and get the other box is a wood cigar box This the brand name on this is Romeo and Juliet Julieta It says aging room on The front this is what the front looks like. I didn't do anything to the outside of the box It's a nice heavy Wood cigar box. It has really nice hinges on it that stay open. So if you're gonna use this as a Painting box and you want it to stay open and not swing shut in the wind But also like crop your journal up against the lid You could do that in this one because the hinges stay open However, it's not what I did to this one since I saw this box. I had an idea. So when I First opened the box it had Some wood inside of it I'll show you what that is in a minute. It had some wood inside of it that was sticking up like this So there was the outer part of the box bottom Then there was an inner piece and this inner piece went inside of the lid I'm guessing that's just to hold extra cigars so they can keep the extra cigars in there I obviously pull all that out and I stained the bottom with some gray stain So the other thing I did Was of course as you see add another pencil pen holder to the lid So this pen is probably a little bit too big, but you get my drift I would use a small I would probably put my small paintbrushes on here because it's me And Actually, I had these paintbrushes in mind when I did this so That still is too small. Let's see Anyway Or a small pencil Anyway, I like the idea or you could put some tools in here But it also has you ready? A secret compartment so in the secret compartment you can put ephemera paper The pens and brushes that don't fit on the cover and maybe maybe they're actually stored in here when you have the box packed up And then when you have it open And you're working you take them out and put them in in there that works too this is on magnets and it fits in the lid and Then if you have all your pens and tools in here Because it won't close with them in the bands Um, you have this whole part for a journal ephemera watercolor paints And it came with a magnetic closure um, so I mean it it will open but it's a pretty good closure So oh it's opening because I have this in here wrong There we go Is that working? Yeah Magnetic closure, I would probably put an elastic band around the box. That's actually what I did with my other one That's downstairs um, I do have some brass Closure things I could put one here on the front if I decide I need to But I probably I'm the type that I probably will just put a band around it. I use elastic hair bands Um, and that sort of thing Because they're handy and they work really well. I'll show you elastic headbands at the dollar store Um, I seem to be out at the moment But I have a box full of elastic bands of different types and I'm going to try to use what I have Some of these aren't made me more, but I have an old seven gypsies one I don't know if that one'll fit. I think that one actually has hook and eyes on it or something So that might be nice. I have some happy planner elastic bands and I have some smash book bands So it's always handy to have these. These are more like the dollar store headbands and it's always really handy to have some of these around if you do things like this or you have thick heavy journals or This one. Yeah, I forgot about this one. This one's like that Back of a bra. You actually could make this if you know how to sew if you have basic sewing skills So it's just a piece of elastic and on either end they took Brass bra part so is the The eye part the eyelid part and this is the hook part And then it has it um this with a ribbon on it where I mean if you know me, you know I like to hang charms and stuff for my journals and my boxes and That would actually be nice. This one will fit really well Maybe you have an old bra that um Excuse me as worn out or something And um you could before you throw it away pull the hooks and eyes off of it And save them and pair them up with some elastic and look at that Hey guys, it is Saturday afternoon February 11th. That's like 2 15 p.m We spent the morning getting up Well early for us and getting out of the house for a Saturday I had a 10 a.m flu shot appointment. So we went and got that done We did our gross weekly grocery shopping And then in the midst of all that found out a dear friend of ours is not doing very well I'm not going to say any more than that, but I do hope that you all help me Send some good vibes to her way and our husbands and we Wish for her a speedy recovery Um But yeah, it's pretty serious. So anyway The little ones came by for a visit. So that was fun We have to set the timer when they do that now though because Otherwise, let's just stay at my house all day and then their mom calls and says can you send the kid home? so So anyway, we're gonna go for a walk now get some steps in We missed out on yesterday because the kids were over but Yeah, anyway A little cold, but it's not too bad and it and the sun is out I mean guys, there's barely a cloud in the sky Not mad about that. All right, let's go see what we can see. I'll be back guys. So Here's the thing it's sunday Morning ish. I think it might be actually lunchtime um I forgot to close the vlog last night plus I got happy mail from kathy whitney Kathy, thank you so much. And I love the way you decorated the envelope. I mean she's got Even Yeah, not the leaf pattern is a stamp that she carved. I love it. Um, I haven't opened it yet, obviously. So let's do that um We just got busy yesterday. Uh, there was just a lot of chores and grocery shopping and errands and just stuff And we also booked a vacation. Um, it's not going to say when Because that's a safety issue, but um, we are going to go to virginia and Um, I'm going to hopefully tour as many horse Historic sites as we can while we're there be there for a week And I think it'll be a lot of fun So I've never been So that and I'm looking forward to it for those who don't know bob was born and raised on the east coast He's from new york city So anyway, I think it'll be a lot of fun. So we booked that and Okay, and there's even a note. Um, and you know, we just got wrapped in the up and not and baby shower stuff and as I think I said, um A friend of ours is pretty seriously ill and so we were checking in with her husband and yeah, so anyway Good wishes and good vibes. Um said their way is much appreciated. So anyway, I hope you guys have had a great week Kathy has sent me a pack of fabric She evidently picked it up a while back. She says I'm horrible about sending things out Kathy Don't worry about it. I'm finding things. I forgot I had um She sent a couple of bonus images Oh, Kathy, I love you too. And let's see Um, oh yay. Oh, I love some of this fabric. So she sent me a couple of pieces of artwork This one's titled here's looking at you. Gina. That's cute She made these with I believe art foams And here's another one. I'm gonna have to hang these up This one doesn't have a title, but I recognize that is one of the kps art foams if you don't know, I'm a designer for art foams and um, I'll link them down below and they have a lot of really great rubber stamp rubber stamps foam stamps And in a lot of great designs from a lot of really great people and so go show them some love and support USA based company and oh my gosh, Kathy this fabric you found This is like right up my alley Look at that. I love it. I don't know what I'm going to make out of it yet But my first thought is not a face mask because I have plenty of them How cute a pencil bag would that be? Not that I need another pencil bag, but I love that All right, so thank you Kathy. I appreciate that. Anyway, I hope you guys have had a great week If you have questions comments or concerns, please do leave them down below. I do answer every single comment that I can find and Yeah, share my channel. I would appreciate that Like and subscribe the videos don't skip through the commercials if you can because that helps me with ad revenue Speaking of which if you'd like to support the free content here on youtube have ready access to me help with different things art things life things Setting up your art room things Whatever it may be we do have patreon and a private patreon not only youtube channel with videos you don't see here but We have a private patreon facebook chat And they know about stuff you guys either never know about or wait before you guys do so and they get Unedited uncut versions of some videos that you guys see over here. Anyway, if you'd like to do any of that It's very reasonable. I'll leave the links all down below Check it out. By the way, I wrote a book a long time ago, but the book's still out there I'll leave a link for that too. We do have the video series coming up here Fixing the flow on youtube and the first video at the time of me filming this has already been aired There is a youtube playlist. I'll link that down below too. Anyway, all right That's it for this week. See you next week Don't forget to go out and do something nice for yourself because you deserve it and I'll see you later. Bye guys