Last weekend, I took down the loft bed that was still in the front bedroom/office, removed the desk (and the computer that was sitting on it), and put Kiddo’s old captain’s bed frame back together so that I could have my own bed, separate from “the marriage bed.” It’s been a very good way for me to manage some of the anxiety I was facing over the separation situation.
For the first week, I made do with whatever bedding I could cobble together — a fitted twin sheet leftover from Kiddo’s purple bedroom days, a double flat sheet, a random array of pillowcases, and a double quilted topper that Shawn never really liked but I loved.
On Friday evening, I went to Value Village to find a couple of neutral sheet sets with coordinated pillowcases that would all complement that quilted topper. When I told Shawn, he suggested that I at least “go get some really nice sheets.” I smiled and replied, “I did get really nice sheets, I just didn’t pay much for them.” (Really, each set cost me about 1/3 of what they would cost new — and yes, I had to search to find the matching pillowcases, but it was worth it to find high thread count cotton sheets.)
While I was there I also got a couple of pairs of earrings and a new travel mug — my sparkly red one was well worn and starting to crack so it wasn’t keeping anything warm anymore. I found one of the Starbucks decorate-your-own double-walled mugs that appeared to be brand new but was only $2.99 — one with a plastic outer sleeve that you are supposed to put photos or a paper image inside. I decided to decorate the stainless steel portion instead.
I grabbed my package of Sharpie pens, rounded up a few other art markers, and started doodling. I drew a bunch of black lines, thinking I could colour them in like stained glass. My goal was just a lot of abstract colour in a random mosaic design but then I added a spiderweb and spider, and next to that some creepy eyeballs, and below that a cave with some eyes peeking out of the dark…. so part of the mug has a theme.
It took me most of the day but by the time I was done, I proudly signed and dated the bottom of the mug, very happy with the result! There’s no way it can be mistaken for anyone else’s mug.
If you want to have a look at it from all the angles, I uploaded a bunch of photos to Flickr and made a little album for my “Doodle Mug.”