Art In Many Forms

As part of my organizing, I put away the latest little stack of handmade cards I received from two of my daughters-in-law. I really enjoy receiving them, and cannot bear to throw them away. To me, they are works of art.

I keep the small ones in a plastic shoebox and the large ones in a zip-close plastic bag on top of the shoebox. So far, they all fit in one box, unlike my pre-digital camera, not put in an album, photo collection that is in at least seven plastic or acid-free photo boxes.

Li'l Momma has been making the cards for years. Since Big W has joined the family, I have received handmade cards from her, too. They each have their own style, but both make beautiful cards.

I have tried my hand at cards, but have not been faithful about it. When the local unit of my union was in charge of the 2005 state convention, I framed some collectible stamps and first day covers to sell as fund-raisers. At the same time, I started to make cards for my family, and mounted a four-stamp block to keep as a collectible as part of the design. During this time, I really began to appreciate what wonderful works of art can be found on many of the stamps sold by the U.S. Postal Service.

I tried my hand at it again, with a birthday card for #1 daughter, Big A. She can keep it as a card, or peel the 4" x 6" green card off of the front and frame the collectible stamps. If she or any of my family who get these cards just peel the stamps off to use and throw the rest away, I hope they do not tell me about it. I am not a painter, like my sister, aunt and grandmother, but that is one of my forms of art. I hope some of it lasts longer than I do.