Greeting cards, get well cards, birthday cards, sympathy cards ... I cannot bear to throw them away because the sentiments, although sometimes just the garden variety that come from the manufacturer, are sincere efforts to keep friendships alive. And often, the illustrations are keepers!
Several years ago when I was going through an extended illness, cards sent by friends and family helped keep my spirits uplifted. I saved them all. But a better use than keeping them in a box was to display them for gentle reminders of love. So I decoupaged them onto a little table where some costume jewelry resides, and those bits and pieces of get-well cards remind me of valued friendships.
A little Modgepodge and some cutting and pasting were all that was necessary to make this useful little side table an enduring sentimental symbol of friendship. I use the "get well" table in my bathroom to hold the tools for getting ready for the day.
The cards were cut and pasted onto the table in no particular order. The randomness of the mementos draws my eye to a different card at each glance onto the surface, reminding me of the kindness of each friend.
(close up of top of table)
Taking on an old piece of furniture and decoupaging it with special gift wrap or other unique papers is a project which you might like just for its preservation value of sentiment alone.
Here is a link at FaveCrafts that shows how another woman has more methodically decoupaged a chair seat:
And here is that chair again holding some pretty flower pots. Her theme seems to be flowers, and appears to be a nice touch to her patio.