These Things I Treasure....

Does everyone have a treasure chest or special drawer for things not to be forgotten but to be cherished? Maybe not..maybe I am a bit weird, but I keep things. I have memories yes..but memory has away of fading with age, so I keep concrete evidence just in case! 

Today I was in my craft room making birthday cards - another hobby I have that comes and goes, but the calendar is a wake-up call reminding me that  it is time to drag out all those paper supplies! Important dates are coming up... in days! I had to move a box..happened to be one of my treasure boxes...and in it was my blip for the day! And it did symbolize the day - making something for someone you care about.... 

It is a dinner invitation from almost 20 years ago. An elaborate one. My friend Noreen had planned a dinner to celebrate her "unique" women friends and she asked our other friend Donna to do the invitations.. She wanted personalized invitations...each one unique, depicting the person and what she meant to Noreen. This is mine. The main photo is what you see when you open the book/card; the "extra" is the back of it.

I was spending a lot of time in the American southwest at the time so the background of the card is primarily the desert and canyons of Arizona and New Mexico. The pieces include envelopes containing a postcard I sent to Noreen from Montana, photos, quotes, and a letter from Noreen  describing what I mean to her and why she thinks I am special and unique! Can you imagine? Talk about a perk-me upper! The whole card is amazing - covered in quotations, little tidbits from magazines, charms and references to travels and times shared - all meaningful.  The time, work and love that went into it was overwhelming for me... AND this was only one invitation! Each woman invited got one made especially for her. Now, Donna is an artist and this creativity is her forte, but still - the effort she put in for Noreen was incredible and shows why she is such a special and unique friend!

I will always treasure that "card" and the friendships it represents. I am going to lunch with them this week,  and I think I will take it along with me - for old time's sake. It should elicit a lot of "Remember Whens"....