Towelscape

 I have a tendency to see faces/figures in just about everything, like many of you, and several weeks ago I had taken a shower and was sitting on the edge of the bed putting lotion on myself when I noticed that the dropped towel and wash cloth had formed itself into a couple of figures in the middle. Can you see them? They have robe like clothes and one has a hood of sorts. I picked up my cell phone and made a few pictures, of course!

A little closer up and a tad fuzzy...

Upside down. I've forgotten what I was seeing at the time, but I can still see figures in it.

I used a filter with the negative option for this photo. I love it! It kind of reminds me of a black rose.

Then I used an Andy Warhol type filter on the same photo, and it came out like this. I can see a cat face with its tongue sticking out. I love it too!

I can no longer hold out to walk around in stores much, so I spend a lot of time waiting in the car for hubby, who sees to our groceries and other stuff we have to have, so I often play with my photos on my cell phone if I'm not people watching.

These may just look like a dirty laundry pile to you, and that's ok, but my imagination could see a whole little world in those folds, I thought it needed capturing!

Imagination is a wonderful thing!

Scribble Squiggle Girls

Sometimes I like to just do scribble sketches just for the fun of it. No expectations, no thinking about it, just seeing what comes out the end of my brush/pen. I love doing the imaginary girls and seeing their characters emerge. I've done these over the last week with a Zig double ended marker and a calligraphy brush pen in my sketchbook.

These girls are such fun! 

The last two I did this morning. Now, hopefully, I'm going to work on my mini junk journal some more. I've neglected it for the last few days, but I've done a lot to the pages, and it's getting pretty chunky. I have some writing that I want to add to it, plus a few other things, then I'll scan the pages and post it. 

I've loved doing the mini, but I think I want to do a couple of big and bigger ones. I also want to continue the Magpie's Nest class that I started collecting for. I have so much stuff that I've collected over the years and I'm not getting any younger!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed visiting me and the girls. Take care of you and use your creativity in whatever you love to do! 

Zendoodle Puppy

 I did some more zendoodling this week trying to do my little Pekingese, Kibbles. I found many examples of dogs on Pinterest, but only one Pekingese, and I didn't like it, so, once again, I did my own thing and tried to figure it out as I went. I used a Zig double ended marker in my mixed media sketchbook.

This one was a practice run. I didn't do too good a base drawing, so the patterns are kind of wonky. I was pretty happy with this one until I did the second one.

I think I did some better on this second one. It's still a bit wonky, but I like it. Maybe the third time will be the charm and be really good! :)

Zendoodles are fun and so relaxing, if only my eyes would cooperate. Thankful I can eve see though! I'm thinking I may have to order one of those around the neck magnifying glasses until I get my cataracts off at some point. Or maybe I need to draw something less tedious...

Skin Cancer Scare

So, at the end of February I had an appointment with a dermatologist about a place that I had had beside my eye corner for several months. I showed it to my Dr. at a routine visit in January. 

It first appeared as a tiny white bump at the corner of my eye and it itched like crazy. I just thought it was a little bump, but it eventually turned into a bigger red bump, then a scaly itchy patch of red bumps, which I thought might be eczema.  It also had a few random twinges of pain. When I saw that it wasn't going away, but gradually spreading up on my nose I asked my Dr. what she thought it was, which is when she sent me to the dermatologist. 

The assistant dermatologist took one look, asked a few questions, and did a biopsy on the place at the corner of my eye. She gave me a shot to deaden it, and while it was taking effect, I showed her four other brown spots that were very itchy also. She said they could be pre-cancerous cells, and she froze them off with liquid nitrogen, which stung a little, but didn't really hurt. It was kind of an odd sensation. No deadening.

This is me after the biopsy and after I took the bandage off. It doesn't show up very well, but she took out a little chunk by the inside eye corner to send off to the lab. Also, you can see two of the places she froze off beside my right eye, but there was another over my left eyebrow and one in my hairline by my left temple. It looked like someone had put a cigarette out on my forehead for a few days! I healed without any problem, as I nervously waited to hear from the lab results.

A week later they called me and told me the biopsy came back positive as squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer) and would have to be cut out. I felt like I had a gut punch at the word cancer, but realized it could be a lot worse. I was worried that it had gotten into my eye socket or sinus cavity.

They made me an appointment for outpatient surgery over three weeks later at the clinic. The good news was that it was fixable and it was very slow growing, so last Wednesday, April 3, between our 54th wedding anniversary and hubby's 77th birthday, he and I made the two hour round trip to the clinic. 

The actual surgery didn't take that long, but the whole procedure took two and a half hours. They did let hubby stay with me the whole time, which was good. I had been scared and anxious for a month, but the deadening shot must have had a relaxer in it, because I got very calm after the assistant gave me the first shot by my eye. 

The doctor did MOHS surgery, in which he gave me another shot, cut out the place, and sent it to the lab to see if he got it all. Each trip to the lab took about thirty minutes, which meant a lot of the time was spent waiting. First time didn't get it all, so he gave me another shot, cut out more, and sent it to the lab. Still didn't get it all, so he gave me another shot, cut out more, and sent it to the lab. Third times a charm, because it came back clear. Thankfully, he didn't have to go very deep and it wasn't in my eye socket or sinuses!

He sewed me up with four, maybe five stitches. First one was right where my glasses sit and the last one was in the corner of my eyelid, so for now my glasses have to sit a bit crooked, but that's ok. I can still see!

Right after I left the clinic...

Thursday, twenty-four hours after surgery when I took the bandage off. It was really sore, but not hurting. Some swelling, which they said to expect, and each time I moved my forehead or touched around my eye, or blinked, it pulled the stitches. 

I was told to wash it with soap and water, then apply a thin layer of Vaseline, once a day, which I'm doing. I've tried to be really careful about touching, rubbing, or scratching it, especially in my sleep.

Friday morning my eye was swelled almost shut and my cheek was swelled and around the stitches was swelled and red. The cut looked awful, still very sore, but not hurting. The swelling went down some during the day.

Saturday the swelling had gone down some more, but it was still pretty sore and looked like it might be getting infected, which worried me some, but I prayed and did wound care on it. I worry about healing, because I have Type 2 diabetes.

Sunday there was no swelling, the soreness was mostly gone, and it looked much better. I could raise my forehead without pulling the stitches, which was a relief. 

However, the stitches look like they are buried in the skin, so I know getting them out isn't going to be fun. Thank goodness there's only four or five of them!

Today, Monday, my face looks normal, except for the surgical cut and black stitches, just a tiny bit of soreness and redness left, and I have managed, so far, not to tear it open. My glasses disguise most of the sore place. So, by God's grace, they got it all out, it's healing well, and I'll get the stitches out by Thursday!  Not looking forward to that, but it can't be any worse than getting stitches taken out of the inside of my nose after I had my nose straightened so I could breathe better.

I know this wasn't a major surgery, but if I had let it go, it could have eventually turned into one. I'm thankful I had it checked out, thankful it's over with, and really thankful it's healing so well! God and zendoodling helped me get through a nerve wracking time once again.

That was a scare that I hope I don't have to face again...

UPDATE: I went back yesterday, Thursday, a week later, to get the stitches out, but  the wound had some infection, and I am diabetic, so they gave me antibiotic pills and creme to use over the weekend. When I cleaned the wound one of the stitches fell out on its own. So, we'll see if the stitches can come out Tuesday. Fingers crossed that the infection heals and they can!

UPDATE 2: Yesterday, Tuesday, almost two weeks after surgery, I went back to see if the stitches could come out. They could, and did! The infection is all but gone, but there is still a scab, which will take some time and may leave a small scar, but I can live with a scar as long as the cancer is gone. I will be glad when I can wear my glasses where they are supposed to be though. They've been having to sit below the cut, causing me to tilt my head back to see. Anyway, stitches are gone and no longer poking and tickling my nose and eye! Color me HAPPY!

Zendoodle Feathers and Sun

A few zendoodles that I did over the last few days. I worked on each of them some over  periods of four or five days each, using a black Zig pen, calligraphy brush marker, gel pen, and a white Posca pen. Again, not copied, but I got the idea from Pinterest. Kept my mind occupied and calmed my nerves over my upcoming surgery. Also, fun stuff!

I saw some beautiful feathers on Pinterest and wanted to try one, so this was the first one I tried, which looks more like a fern frond, but that's ok. Good practice!

Second attempt at a feather. Not really happy with the shape, but it was still fun to do!

I switched gears with this one. It started out as a daisy like flower in a square, then I decided to make the center a clock, then I gave it a face. I like it!

Now, I have plans to draw off our little Pekingese fur baby's face and doodle it. We lost her in 1997, but not a day goes by that we don't think of and miss her. I saw some awesome dog doodles on Pinterest, so I'm going to give it a try! We'll see how it goes...

A Couple More Zendoodle Girls

 Still doing zendoodles to take my mind off my up coming surgery for skin cancer. It's touching the corner of my eye, which is very worrisome to me. That eye has been bothering me a lot since the biopsy. Not getting much else done, but these are helping a lot. That and prayer.

Again, I didn't copy, but did get inspiration from Pinterest. So many amazing tangles on there! I loved doing these girls, especially the middle one! Zig, Posca, and Calligraphy brush pens on smooth and textured paper in my sketchbook...

Switching gears a bit, for now! I finished this bottom one yesterday, and I sketched off what I meant to be a feather, but it looks more like a fern frond, so I guess that's what it will be, but I'm going to try again for a feather. Fun stuff!

Take care and stay creative! :)

Tiny Bathroom Mural

 This tiny bathroom, which joins our bedroom, is so small you can literally sit on the toilet, put your feet in the shower, and your hands in the lavatory. It has no window, so in 2000 I decided to paint one in oils. Over the years, I have taken spells of adding layers to it with oil pastels, and I added another layer yesterday. 

The paneled wall gives it a rough texture. I'm still not happy with it. I know I got the willow trees too thick and heavy looking, but I'm not sure how to fix it. That's not a white circle in the middle, but an arch with double benches at the end of the path, and yep, that's a mouse sitting on a tube of paint reading a book on the window sill. My father-in-law made the cabinet over the toilet.

It's not actually this yellow looking. The light over the sink bouncing over the coral walls gives it a yellowish cast. Here is a close up of Mr. Mouse!