TWiP: Empty space ⋆ Polka Dot Cottage

With all of the extra time that so many of us are spending at home lately, I’ve been seeing some inspiring creative projects on Instagram, and they always make me think about how I’ve been spending my time own these last few months. It’s pretty much 75% working at my Day Job (albeit from home), 15% sewing and shipping masks, and 10% sitting on my bed lazily scrolling through my phone.

Not a whole lot of creative stuff happening here. Even the mask-making has become quite routine. I’m slowing down there, but I haven’t stopped. Masks are more readily available in the big box stores lately, so the demand is not what it was. And I’m not sure if the organizations I’ve been donating to still need more (though I plan to find out later this week when I get a chance to ask). I still like making them, though, so I keep stitching them up in small batches. I hope we don’t have a second COVID-19 wave, but if we do, I’ll be ready with the masks.

But what about all of the other stuff I’m into? Knitting? Crocheting? Polymer clay?

I haven’t knit or crocheted a single stitch since this whole pandemic began. Isn’t that weird? You’d think I’d be all cozied up and cranking out a Quarantine Sweater or a Lockdown Blanket or some such thing. Especially a month or two ago when it was still cold! But nope. I’m starting to get a small inkling of an itch to do something, so maybe I’ll pick up the needles or the hook this coming week. Or maybe I won’t. I’m seeing the value in just doing nothing for a while. It’s unlike me to do nothing, but I am starting to enjoy a little bit of empty space in my life here and there.

I did actually sit down at the clay table this week. Usually it is my own needs/wants that prompt me to make things and this was no exception. My hair has been growing lately, and I wanted a new barrette to stick in it. So, I made a few (and video’d the process for Instagram, as you do). And while I was at it, I tried out some UV resin I’d recently purchased. So far, I’ve only used resin to make a nice shiny dome on stud earrings, so that’s what I did this time, too. But this UV stuff was so easy to use when compared to the two-part resin shenanigans I’m used to, that I might experiment a bit on some other ideas.

Or, maybe I’ll just light a candle, sit on my bed, put on some quiet music, and enjoy the cool breeze coming in the window. Empty space.

So, what is This Week in Pictures?

It’s a roundup of the microblogging I’ve done on Flickr and Instagram all week. This includes photos I shot for Project 365 and any other extra images I may have posted.

Photos taken with 📷 (Canon EOS 80D) or 📱 (Samsung Galaxy S9).

Ready? Cast your mind back to Saturday last week…