With Valentine’s Day approaching, you may be thinking of gifts or tokens of appreciation for your loved ones.  It is also a great time to draw on your creativity – below are  some of the projects I have been inspired by in the past few weeks – what are your Valentine’s Day creations?

Jewelry Bust/Hidden Jewelry Box

I love this - from Design*Sponge

And other lovely creation from Design*Sponge – have I mentioned how much I love this blog?

Fabric Scrap Flowers from Greenupgrader

Recycled Valentine’s Day Pop-up Card from Crafting a Green World (visit their site for a video how-to!)

Remember those view masters you had as a little kid?  I was enthralled by the 3-D images of Smurfs and other favorites – it was like my own personal camera.

The predecessor to the ViewMaster is the stereoscope.  In the heyday of nineteenth-century landscape painting, when every romantic imagined him or herself a veritable Thomas Cole, there was a “correct” way that one was supposed to look at scenery in the natural world.  The stereoscope taught young men and ladies the “proper” way to gaze at the world around them.  It also helped to launch tourism in New England and New York state

Though the use and purpose of the stereoscope changed over time, it has consistently allowed viewers to see the world as three-dimensional.

We are excited to have an early twentieth-century version of the the stereoscope – the Viewmaster Projector and Film Cutter.  This particular one was produced by Sawyer’s, Inc. in Portland, Oregon.  This is a great piece to add to your collection – we are not sure if it is in working condition, so we are selling it AS IS.  Bidding has opened!

On Martin Luther King Day, several of Goodwill’s AmeriCorps members participated in service projects throughout Maine.  We hope the pictures below inspire you to volunteer work!  To learn about volunteer opportunities in  your area, please Volunteer Maine, Volunteer New Hampshire, or Volunteer Vermont.

Mount Blue State Park – GPS Mapping & Trail Maintenance (Wald, Maine)

Volunteer used GPS to map new trails, while also performing much needed trail maintenance.  It was also a great day for snowshoeing!

MLK Day Beloved Community Youth Breakfast
(Portland, Maine)

Youth and adults in the greater Portland area participated in the first Beloved Community Youth Breakfast, in which youth engaged in activities that reflect Dr. King’s civil rights message.

Habitat for Humanity (Freeport, Maine)

Volunteers helped to build wooden clothing trees (shaped like giraffes!), that will be given to children of Habitat’s home-owner families.

Dear readers,

On this cold Friday morning, I would like to share some design ideas we have seen this past week around the web – enjoy and be inspired!

Turn your tin can lids into wall art!

From Righteous (re)Style

Ice Lanterns

From Design*Sponge

Looking to refinish old wood furniture, but don’t want to deal with fumes and headaches of toxic wood stripper?  Check out this post on Soy Gel, a healthy alternative for wood stripping

From Crafting a Green World

Dear readers,

If you made less than $50,000 in 2009, you might be leaving money on the table.  Find out by having your federal and state income taxes prepared for free by IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers. You may qualify for up to $5,657 from the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.

Free tax preparation sites can also connect you to free programs and services in the community that help you make the most of your money.  CA$H Greater Portland tax sites will be open January 23 – March 6, with additional AARP Tax-Aide locations open throughout the tax season.

How to participate:
1. Collect tax statements from ALL income received in 2009
(W-2, 1099, 1098, SSA and unemployment)
2. Gather Social Security cards for each person you will claim on your tax return.
3. Dial 2-1-1 (it’s free!) to find a tax site
4. Call the tax site to schedule an appointment; other qualifications may apply
(interpreters available upon request).

CA$H Greater Portland is a community coalition that empowers families and individuals to achieve long-term financial stability.  Coalition members include: AARP Tax-Aide, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Services, City of Portland, Community Financial Literacy, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Maine, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, Internal Revenue Service, KeyBank, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Portland Housing Authority, People’s Regional Opportunity Program, United Way of Greater Portland, and Women, Work and Community.

The United Way also operates CA$H programs (in collaboration with Casey Family Services) in Mid-Coast Maine (Topsham and Bath), Bangor, Lewiston/Auburn, and Concord, NH.