Hello,

This morning is windy but warm, we have had a strangely temperate winter so far here in Colorado.  To be honest I haven’t minded one bit as I prefer the warmer temperatures and while I think the snow is beautiful I don’t really enjoy driving in it. But wind well that has always put me on edge. We are all a little edgy right now me, the hubby and all of our four legged friends. We lost our dear Roxie a few days ago to cancer and old age and it is impossible to tell who is the most heart broken. (Although the cats being the snobbish creatures that they are seem mostly unaffected)

I walked so many miles with Roxie and her sister Mickie and after we lost Mickie, Roxie and I clocked even more miles. She was such an easy and obedient dog. I am a little ashamed to admit it but over this last year, even though I knew I should be training the puppies to walk on a leash, when I had the time for a dog walk it was always Roxie who was my first choice for a pleasant and relaxing walk.

Holly spent her last day with Roxie laying close by her, a behavior that was not completely unprecedented but also not that common.

Little Shiloh is actually our biggest dog but she is the youngest and there is something about her temperament that just seems to make her “little” to me and somehow a bit more fragile. She loved Roxie from day one and while it is possible that Holly somehow sensed that we were losing Roxie I don’t think that Shiloh did.  She spent their last day together in playful romping and not understanding why I would not let her lay on top of Roxie. It has only been a couple of days but there has not been the same happy playful wildness in our two pups.

I know that all of this is me projecting my human feelings on my dogs but I do believe that they grieve in their own way.

Lastly there is the hubby. I can’t say what he is feeling but here is what I know. From the moment we took Roxie home to the moment we let her go, she was inexplicably and unequivocally Daddy’s girl. I walked her and I loved her but they bonded in their own exclusive way.

This may seem like a strange post for an Upcycled Valentines Day Gift Box and I admittedly pondered not posting at all this week.  But Valentines day is a day about love not just lovers and those with broken hearts need what this day has to offer even more deeply than those with hearts intact.

So if you need a simple heart shaped box for something special for someone special here you go.

All you need is a couple of cereal or cracker boxes, scissors, pen or pencil, a ruler, some hot glue, a heart shaped template and some paint.

Start by tracing the heart shape on to the cereal box two times.

Cut one of the heart shapes right on the traced line. This will be the bottom of the box. Cut the other shape a 16th to an 8th of an inch outside the traced line to make the top of the box.

Cut a straight piece of the cereal box the height of the box and roll it gently to add a slight curve as needed to fit around the heart shape.

Use hot glue to attach the edge of the box to the bottom of the box.

Add additional pieces to complete the edges around the heart shape.

Glue splicing pieces of cardboard to the seams on the inside of the box for support.

Repeat the process to make the lid of the box.

To decorate my box I applied one coat of white house paint.

Once the paint was dry I applied more white paint and a few drops of red paint.

To spread the paint out I dabbed it with a cotton ball.

After that paint dried I added some faux red stitching.

And a few more painted decorations.

Happy Upcycling and Happy Valentines Day

We love and miss you Roxie. Thanks for being such a great dog, friend, walking buddy, ball chaser, and confidant.