A nice thing…

Item #1: A doll in the kitchen window, made of the corn husk wrappers from several homemade tamales eaten one night around the dining room table. Hopefully the husks were washed, and most probably it was made by candlelight, and definitely there was laughter as my teenage son crafted the stick arms, puffy head, and wrap skirt. I can’t throw it out.

Item #2: A large square of collage-as-wrapping-paper, tacked to the wall of the bathroom we plan to remodel. It was made by my husband, who fully expects me to throw these creations away after I unwrap my presents on celebratory days. But they are sprinkled with words like “love” and images of things that make me smile. So I keep them.

Item #3: A flower, crafted by my daughter years ago as part of her costume for a Beaux Arts ball. A four-inch-wide foam core cutout, painted in oranges and yellows and pierced through its center with a green pipe cleaner stem. That night, after the ball, it was stuck into the ornamental trim of the kitchen chalkboard. There it stays.

Item #4: The remnant of a many-pointed star-shaped piñata from a friend’s birthday. After the requisite bashing and treasure gathering, it was found that the remnant made a stunning hat (complete with tassels) for the blindfolded players of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. It sits atop  the bookcase, awaiting the next game.

A nice thing… one woman’s priceless trash.