It's Dia de los Muertos! ... and it's also "Maker Monday" here on my blog...
where I try to feature something I've made recently.

Dia de los Muertos is all about honoring your ancestors and those who you've cared about and respected; who have passed away. So... it can be a relative... but it can also be a beloved pet... or someone in history that you admired... the possibilities are many.

My paternal grandmother was a very interesting woman. She was very intelligent, and strived for academic excellence. She was a voracious reader her whole life. She enjoyed making things like quilts, sewn things, tatting, embroidery and more. She also loved to write short poems and short works of fiction. Like her, I enjoy making things... and often times while I am working on a project, I think about how she would do it... or what would inspire her, and it leads me into directions I may not otherwise have taken.

When I was trying to think of something to post on for today... I thought of the envelopes that I make from recycled/ salvaged papers and book pages. One of the things I "get" from my grandmother, is a love of books. Another thing... is that I hate to throw things out that might be potentially useful. The idea for making the envelopes came out of a desire to salvage pages from books that were falling apart, or damaged... or discarded. I wanted a way to "honor" those pages, and make them into something new. This week, I am busy making some new ones for my Etsy shop.

There are lots of free templates online that you can use to make envelopes of various sizes... or you can simply start keeping a stash of various sized envelopes; and gently take them apart to make your own templates. It's a great way to recycle... and a neat way to send a letter to someone you love.

See you all tomorrow.

((the photo at the top of today's post was one I took at the Marigold Parade in Albuquerque a few years ago.

The bottom photo is a collage of some of the envelopes I have made))