diy {this too shall pass….wood poster}
So it is officially Craft Week at Under the Sycamore! Hopefully this week there will be a little something for everyone. That Design Aglow project should be posted today and the Silhouette giveaway ends tonight. Today’s project does involve power tools and a Silhouette, but you could still create it with a hand saw and scissors….it would just take longer. I was inspired by this (if you know the original creator, please let me know).
On the last day of Clean Slate there was a pile of wood in the trash bin. I mentioned to my friend Lori I wanted some and she was sure to remind Chris when he left. So I’ve had a little pile of scrap wood waiting for a new life.
To begin I lined up my wood in the general shape I wanted. I marked off where I’d like the wood trimmed…no measuring just eyeballing what I like.
I used the saw to cut off the extra wood and then laid it back out to make sure it looked the way I wanted.
There are a lot better ways to mount the wood, but I went with what I had on hand…more scrap plywood and wood glue. The thing I love about diy projects is it is “Do” “It” “Yourself”…there is usually never one way to do something. Use what you have on hand. Make it work. Improvise. Perfection is way overrated. I made sure my plywood fit the back and then poured glue on the scrap wood and laid my cut wood on top.
I piled on more wood to add weight while it dried.
Once my wood base was dry I used it as a background for other pictures I got out my Silhouette to cut letters. I used some Amy Butler scrapbooking paper I had on hand. (Remember I am hosting a Silhouette giveaway….it ends today, go enter to win one here). If you don’t have a Silhouette, you could print and cut letter out by hand.
I used a generous amount of Americana Decou-Page on the back of the letters and then stuck them to the wood. My little helper was near my side. I kept asking her not to touch my wood with her banana fingers and then laughed considering the words I was gluing on…”this too shall pass”
When I told Chris I was going to use the phrase “this too shall pass” he wasn’t so sure about it. I think most people think it has a negative connotation. Maybe it is seen as a phrase to embrace in hard times. It has always been one of my favorite phrases. To me it is encouraging when things are hard, but a great reminder when they are good. Life changes. The unexpected can happen at any moment…..
My daughter stuck in the hospital in traction….this too shall pass
My son running through the house with underwear on his head….this too shall pass
A tight hug and “Mommy you are my favorite girl”….this too shall pass
A little guy determined to survive on PB&Js alone…this too shall pass
A little shadow never wanting to leave my side….this too shall pass
A kiss from mom makes the hurt disappear….this too shall pass
Sword fighting leads to tears…this too shall pass
Cheerios & milk spilled on the floor….this too shall pass
Little feet climbing into daddy & mommy’s bed at 4am…this too shall pass
Carry me!…this too shall pass
Waving bye to daddy as he pulls out the driveway in the morning…this too shall pass
I don’t see it as negative….I see it as very realistic reminder that life passes. Yesterday is gone. Today will pass in a few hours. This Too Shall Pass….so I want to be present. I don’t want to be a long run on sentence of “just a minute…hold on…not now…maybe later…we will tomorrow…” This moment. This day. This is what I have been given. I’m not guaranteed the next day or even the next moment. I want to be present
