Tracey in Maine

I love to recycle and reuse old supplies. Shopping at craft and home decor stores can be expensive, so I’m always looking around my house for things that I can give a makeover or reuse for half the price.

Today I’m sharing a few repurposed craft projects I created using items I already own. Instead of throwing things away, I decided to turn trash into treasure.

Book Page Cake Centerpiece

I came up with this idea after trying to decide what kind of centerpiece to make for a baby shower. I love book themed projects, so I took a bunch of cheap romance novels from my sister and created a fairytale themed centerpiece.

Supplies:

• 1 Book
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Faux Flowers and Other Embellishments

Instructions:

1. Tear several pages from a book. I suggest using a cheap book you can buy at a dollar store and not…

By Dr. Perry, PhD

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“Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe in maintaining a positive attitude in my life. But I also acknowledge that life is not perfect. It is impossible to live your life in an inexhaustible positive state of mind similar to a sugar high. Everywhere we look we are being told to be happy and that we have the ability to manifest our perfect life. Keeping up with the wave of positivity can be exhausting and at times, depressing. We can’t allow ourselves to be pressured to live a life constantly rushing from one positive high to another and avoiding any sadness or negative emotions.

Surrounded by the illusion of eternal positivity, it is normal to blame ourselves when life takes a downward turn. It is also normal to develop an aversion to anything but happiness…

By Dr. Perry, PhD

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“Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness.” ~ Joel Osteen

I am a mental health professional but I am also human and I like you experience a wide range of emotions. I am not a superhero with an impenetrable shield that causes all negative feelings to bounce off my chest. These emotions do penetrate my inner core but I have learned to set aside my personal hardships in order to properly guide my patients. There is a sanctity in the therapy room and the responsibility of helping others gain insight through what is often, difficult inner exploration must be respected above everything else.

In the therapy room, I cannot allow any personal hardships that I may be experiencing to contaminate the…