Boxes . . .

Little did I know that cleaning out our garage yesterday would get me feeling all sentimental.  Then again . . . it doesn't take much to make me sentimental . . . just the way I am. 

I found this box up in one of the cabinets in our garage.  I was probably about 8-10 years old when I covered it with patches of fabric.  This was before ModgePodge . . . I think I just used Elmer's Glue and cut out little pieces of fabric with a pinking shears.  The original box was a Birdsall Ice Cream box.  (I probably remember that only because my first husband's last name was Birdsall ). . . (I'm rambling) . . . but I'm in sort a rambling mood tonight . . . my apologies.  So often I have thought about throwing this box out - as I did this time, but I find something to fill it with - and it finds a place on a shelf in the garage for another year.  My Gramma would laugh if she saw it . . . anyway - that got me thinking about a post on  boxes . . .

I think I have mentioned in an earlier post that I have a thing for boxes . . . so I got to looking around (like I did with the pillows the other day) . . . I really have a lot of boxes.  If they are cute or vintage - I just can't seem to part with them.  Kasey gave me this bar of soap a couple of years ago . . . I think I was more excited about the "Believe" box.  Richard could probably give me diamond earrings - and if the box they came in was something special, I probably would be just as excited about the box as I was the diamonds.

An old cigar box (full of incense) . . . a vintage Almond Joy box (full of origami paper) . . . the flowered box was the box that held my first prom corsage from that boy with the last name Birdsall - it was an orchid and white rosebuds (full of Raggedy Ann stuff) . . . the top box is just a little box I think I picked up at the dollar store.  It holds a picture of Luke and our old cat Cinders (full of index cards).  This stack of boxes is an example of how I drive my sons crazy.  When something happens to me and they have to go through all this stuff - they will just laugh and shake their heads.

I also came across this box  . . . another one I have held onto for over 30 years.  It came from overseas . . . when Richard was in the Navy - he brought me home a tea set from Japan.  I liked the pink lid on the box so had to keep it . . .

 . . . it is full of cards and letters that we wrote to each other when he was overseas for six months.  So I sat and read some of these today . . .  (this is how cleaning the garage can get me all sentimental.) 

Some cute book type boxes (full of my Halloween ornaments) . . .

  . . . this top box holds a beautiful rubber stamp set and the green box is another box that Richard brought back from overseas (full of silly little odds and ends that we have picked up over the years) . . . again I can just see my kids shaking their heads if ever they have to look through this stuff. :)

This old box belonged to my Gramma . . . (it actually is empty - I better find something to fill it up with)

This is one of my favorite boxes . . . we made it out of a book.

It holds special cards . . . and this is where I start getting sentimental again, so bear with me. 

Richard and I have exchanged so many cards through the years.  I found the first Valentine that he ever gave me . . . . and cards from when we were first dating.  I think the most special cards are from when we were struggling with our marriage . . . I can look back at them and see how we still took the time to give each other a card and say "I love you."

32 years . . . means a lot of cards . . . I thought about sorting through them and getting rid of some of them a few times.  It isn't like I get them out at look at them very often . . . except maybe when I clean out the garage.  :)

Then I remember how after my Dad passed away and I was helping my Mom go through some things.  She sat a read the cards from my Dad . . . and it made her so happy.  So I will hang on to them . . .

A Boyd's Bear Box . . . (full of colored pencils)

Colorful hat boxes . . . (full of hats of course)

Another box that makes me sentimental.  This box belonged to my Dad.  He used to build wood boxes to hold whatever in his shop.  His shop was usually in quite a state of disarray - but he could always find what he was looking for (usually stuck in one of these boxes)  

He did a lot of work with his scroll saw and used to make tiny three dimensional reindeer.  He had small rubber stamps of the reindeer that he used as a pattern.  I love that he stamped these on this piece of wood.  Knowing Dad - he probably intending on cutting these out - but instead grabbed the piece of wood to build a box.  (This box holds pens and markers.)

Thanks for bearing with me . . . sort of a long post and quite a few pictures. 

Feeling sentimental . . . but a Happy Planet!