Why, hello there!
Hi there. I'm Lesley, otherwise known as Piper and Dillon's hooman. During the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, I, along with many others, sought new ways to occupy my time at home, socially distanced from friends and family. Inspired by a friend’s handmade cards that she makes for her family and good friends, I set myself on a path to explore my own latent talent. I’ve always had a secret desire to be an artist; I just never thought I had the chops. I loved drawing as a kid, but then who doesn’t? I never thought that would translate into talent as an adult!
In February of 2021, after checking out prices for paints, brushes, and paper, and finding that buying a few supplies to test the waters really wouldn't cost too much, I excitedly placed an order for drawing and painting implements and set to work to see what I could do. It was intimidating and thrilling at the same time!
After producing stacks and stacks of drawings and sharing them with friends and family, they finally convinced me that I should sell my works. Now that’s a scary thought! It’s one thing to share a few doodles with friends. It’s quite another to create a line of products for sale. Who does that? What temerity!
But here we are today. Piper Doodles has become a reality. We'll see where it goes from here, but it's at least worth a try. You know what they say: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Say hello to Piper, one of my two Covid cats! In the fall of 2019, I lost both of my elderly cats to kidney disease within five weeks of one another. Being rather distraught at this double-whammy that the universe had cruelly wrought upon me, I felt I needed time to process my loss and grieve for my two wee boys. Although friends encouraged me to adopt another cat right away, I really needed time to heal and deal.
Fast forward to March of 2020 when our world as we knew it changed forever. A global pandemic essentially shut down our lives and shuttered us in our homes, unable to spend time with beloved friends and family. More than ever, I was feeling the void in my life without my four-legged, furry friends to keep me company and help keep me sane.
Piper aka Piperdoodles
By May, I was searching everywhere for cats looking for a home. I was willing to adopt older cats and preferred a bonded pair. This combination would be a rescue organization's sweet dream! Nobody wants older cats, never mind adopting more than one at a time! But making this happen was harder than I anticipated. Everyone was shut down due to Covid. They wouldn't permit in-person visits. How does one choose a new pet without ever actually meeting it? Well, as luck would have it, I found a rescue operation that was willing to do a home visit with me to see if I wanted to adopt their father and daughter combo, who had come into their care three months earlier. It was practically love at first sight. Piper and her dad Dillon have come to mean so much to me and I will always be grateful that I found them. I guess we rescued each other.
I have nicknames for my cats, as most of us hoomans do. Dillon is simply Dill. Or Butch, because he sometimes walks like some tough guy lookin' for a rumble. Piper is Pipes or Piperdoodles. So when it came time for me to come up with a name for my watercolour designs (or doodles), I made the connection almost immediately. It was a wonderful homage to the little cat who has given me so much.
Dillon (the shy, but extremely cute, guy)
Father & Daughter