Ampersand

Hello! My hiatus was much longer than anticipated.

I've had some health problems. Managing them has required some significant changes to my lifestyle. There are things I can no longer do, and accepting those losses and limitations has not been easy. I was offline and disconnected for many months trying to come to terms with my new reality. At long last, I think I'm ready to return to social media and blogging.

A new year seems an auspicious time to start again. In the hope that this is just the first of many posts to come, it seems appropriate to begin with an "and."

Specifically, a wood ampersand:

Fancied up with decoupaged paper, flowers, and adhesive gems:

A tip for decoupaging complicated or oddly shaped objects: Don't bother trying to cut the paper into the exact shape of the object. A rough approximation will do. Apply glue to the object, then adhere the paper. Allow the glue to dry, then use a sharp razor blade to trim the paper to the perfect shape.