Decoupage and Greeting Cards

"Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole of life, by far the most important is the acquistion of friends. "-- Epicurus


Greeting cards, get well cards, birthday cards, sympathy cards...I cannot bear to throw them away because the sentiments, although sometimes only pre-printed, are efforts to keep friendships alive.

Several years ago when I was going through an extended illness, cards sent by friends and family helped keep my spirits uplifted. I decoupaged them onto a little table where some costume jewelry resides, and those bits of cards remind me of the value of friendship.

A little Modgepodge and some cutting and pasting were all that was necessary to make this useful little side table an enduring sentimental symbol of love.

Taking on an old piece of furniture and decoupaging it with special gift wrap or other unique papers is a project which you might like just for its preservation value of sentiment alone.

Our Dogs' Days of Summer

July is hot in western Colorado. Our high temp tomorrow is expected to be 98 degrees F. Wilstar says the Dog Days of Summer are

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

But as we know, the term orginated ...

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

Here are our dogs enjoying their Dog Days of Summer:

Keeping Busy

For a thoughtful read, see Abbi's Blog. Abbi in Minnesota writes there, and she inspired me today.

It got me to thinking about the scripture translated from Proverbs 31 which says

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands

These women are working their toils ...

And maybe that is why, in part, I like crafting and artsy tutorials (because it keeps my mind and hands busy).

I laughed when I looked over at the ironing board and saw this early today:

... my projects piled up that help remind me to mind my own business, live a quiet life, and work with my hands.

And what is on YOUR working board today?