If you are on Twitter, you may have seen a trickle of RAPS pictures coming in over the last week or so. Not posted by me but by the new owners of the latest thank you RAPSes. So it is overdue that I post my customary RAPS reveals here, for my own archive. But just a little look back at history before I get to the recent thank you shrines. The first time I created a handful of mini-shrines as a thank you was for the donations to a spontaneous fundraiser in 2015 in aid of the victims of the Nepal earthquake. The fundraiser was followed up the same year with another charity drive, this time in aid of the Syrian refugees. – From 2016 onwards the charity drives became birthday fundraisers, but sadly I did not create any thank you shrines for the first birthday fundraiser. However, since 2017 it has become my own custom to acknowledge the donation of items with a set of mini shrines. Here is a look at the 2017 thank you shrines. In 2018 I made seven thank you minis. In 2018 I had to thank eight donors with little shrines, and last year I sent “Thornton’s Pearls” to the donors.
This year I had to give thanks to more donors than ever. For the milestone birthday we had a milestone number of auctions – with items donated by the largest number of donors so far. I made 20 little shrines although I think I miscounted… one shrine is still wrapped and unsent on my desk *um*. With so many shrines to photograph, I thought it would be easier to just film the lot. In truth, I am not really convinced that my vlog efforts are really that entertaining – not least because they are limited by my unwillingness to show my face on video 😂. But in any case, I made a video, and here it is. Warning: Might turn out to be another 10 minutes of your life that you won’t get back 😉.
[Jeepers, ignore my constant slapping of the table in the intro 😱]
There we are. After filming the video, I wrapped up the shrines and then randomly assigned them to the donors. So whatever you got, the universe wanted you to have it 😉. – I like to give those thank you shrines an overarching theme (the recurring “you rock” in 2019, a poem that reads across all shrines like in 2015), as a way of creating a “community” of shrine owners. So this year I chose the recurring use of the printed tweet , a picture of Guy (as a reminder that his jacket had been donated by RA and was the star item of the auctions) and the backdrop from recycled packaging. It was just such a nice sentiment, and it really fits the spirit of our fundraiser in many ways: We are donating loved items to be passed on to new owners. We create a monetary donation to be passed on to a charity. And we pass on our love to Richard in the shape of a symbolic gesture. 
So. 2021 thank you shrines done and dusted, a total of 260 pocket shrines now under my belt 😱. I must be barking mad 🤪. And if I continue this vlogging malarkey, I am going to have to think about some other video hosting method than WordPress. I am running out of storage space, soon 😬. But that is just a small price to pay for the joy it gives me to make these little boxes of fun. I hope that the recipients know that their support is much appreciated! ❤️
Guylty Pleasure 
Happily received my 1st RAPS – thanks for your ongoing creativity, Sonja! #RAPSon
(BTW I am also dealing with wp storage issues right now which are one reason for my current neglection re blogging…)
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Brilliant – I am delighted when a RAPS goes to someone who hasn’t yet got one 😉.
Re. storage issues: I am on a paid plan but have already used 80% of my storage. There is only one way out of this: I have to go through my back catalogue and replace images with smaller versions. 😱
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Yes, that’s what I am about to do too… Procrastinating me couldn’t bring myself to start doing it yet.
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Procrastination is the word… arrrrrgh. It’ll take hours and days 😣
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No promising prospect at all…
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Oh, you made a new video 😊. Thank you. Nice to see the shrines. They are lovely. Did Richard get one 😉 Also many thanks to the donors, also from previous years, again.
PS. I hope you can solve the storage problem without smaller versions. I still find interesting blog stories.
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Hehe, yes, I thought the video was quicker than photos etc. But then I had to edit the video, so I shot myself in the foot with that 😂.
Haven’t started on the photos yet… but if I do, don’t worry. Even a smaller version would still be large enough to see. My early photos are all really big.
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Dear Guylty, I love my little shrine and it is a wonderful meMINTo of the auction, thank you. But most of all, it is such a kind gesture from someone who worked the hardest organising the auction and everything it entailed. (It was great to see all the shrines in the vlog and there is no need for a face with your expressive hands!)
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“Meminto”!!!!! What a great coinage! Love it. Maybe the next thank you set could be called that.
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So. Much. Pretty. 😍 They’re all gorgeous.
Thank you again for being so generous (I love my little treasure) and for sharing all the glorious goodies here. Hearing your voice is a wonderful bonus.
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Thanks. Hehe, and thanks on the voice comment 😉
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Thanks Guylty, and not forgetting their new owners, for sharing these with us. Such fun to see such glorious little treasures, and as for your voice, I agree with Kate. In fact I think Audible should sign you up.
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Thanks, Jenny. As for Audible – here is a fun tidbit: As a 7th grader, I once won my county’s reading competition 😂.
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Thank you so much for making these and sending them, Guylty!! I love mine. You’re a star. 🙂
As for the one shrine you have leftover – I can think of one more donor you may not have sent one too: Richard himself?
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Haha, not sure whether Richard would appreciate that. Remember: He doesn’t even read what is written about him, never mind a mint tin with his face in it 😂
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Yeah, I wouldn’t send that to him either. 🙂
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I love the minis so much!! Perfect little cheer one up treats! Long may they continue 😉
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Thank you, Hari 😘
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Another coffee break and peeking here for a minute. Excited to watch your next video report. 📺
FYI- Hubs is starting to become a little curious about you. 👱🏻♀️
I’ve been doing more work from home lately, (Marvel / Disney changing comic distribution to Penguin Random House. . . Yay) for comic orders in advance of publication. 📚
Hubs has noticed your updates on my phone(s) and iPad. The iPad is the biggest giveaway since I almost always leave it at home now.
🤔
I’m not the jelly type, but I will say all his previous girlfriends (I’ve met several) have all been buxom blondes. He’s always been partial to blondes. Not that I am willing to share him.
😁Haha
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🤣 😂 Has he become intrigued by my tsharming tsherman accsent? 😉
Working from home is nice, I find. Or do you prefer working from a dedicated office off-site? The advantage of the latter is that you definitely do not mix private life and working life, I guess. However, I love the flexibility of working from home. Today, for instance, I worked from the living room couch (because my leg hurt so much).
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Haha, Oh I love the mint tins you used! They all look so nice and seem like the perfect size too. 😄 I was sort of hoping you would break out in song or something with the hand slapping. My hubs wanted to see the video after hearing a bit of it when he got home. He says quiet hands are not as fun to watch. Lovely voice by the way.
There are definitely pros and cons to working from home and to working with family. I prefer a dedicated office/work space away from home. I like to keep my private life separate from work/public.
I’m sorry your leg is hurting, I hope it is better soon.
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The mint tins are mostly from you, Mimi. (Should’ve mentioned it in the video but forgot.)
LOL, nah, no singing from me, although I am alright-ish in terms of musicality. But not good enough to display my talents 😬. – Did you show your hubs the video? He must thinking I am barking mad, making these shrines 😂. Hahaha, and if only he knew that *you* are one of my longterm enablers!!! 😛
A clear separation between work and private life is definitely a good thing. Mind you, my ideal would be to have a little garden studio as an office. So I could “leave” the house to go to work, but the “commute” is only a few steps out of the house and into the garden…
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You don’t have to credit me with sending you my empty mint tins. Haha 😁 The fact that you can use them for something good is reward enough for me. They look impressive and Hubs thought so too. So yeah, he saw it and we watched your video together while eating dinner.
No he does not think you’re bonkers, but he does think you’re very creative. He also clearly understood you were making them as ‘thank you’ gifts. I tried to find the one vid where you had music over the Guy jacket but couldn’t locate it. He did wonder why he couldn’t see your face in the one where you have a red book on your shelf tho. Then he remembered one of the pics Lorrie took of you, me, Linda and Kathy outside NYC theatre back in 2016. (Was it 2016 we saw LOVE LOVE LOVE?)
Backing up: I did tell him I sent you a bunch of tins because A) he recognized them as ones we sold in the stores; B) he took the last package for you to post; and C) I’m a shite liar. (Meaning I never learned how to lie and wouldn’t anyway.) Haha
It’s one thing to not tell him I like a certain dark knight, (he figured that shocking bit of news years ago) mostly because we didn’t see that much of each other. Not that I tell him everything anyway, cause I forget a lot. 👻
The last few years we see a lot more of each other and he notices stuff when I’m around him. Pros and cons. Haha
I think I would love a garden office! Hmm, I think I have room to build one too. Have to think about that fantasy some more.
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Yep, I was thinking of our photos at LLL,too.
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thank you very much for mine, it’s terribly cute
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😊 Glad to hear that!
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