Cultivating my creativity.

I had an idea.  It was a borrowed idea from a few friends, 

Anja and April (who I have met in real life and think is spectacular).

My goal was to take an inexpensive frame and turn it into something extraordinary.

Here is the frame as it started. 

I put Jack next to it, so you could see how really large it is.

I went to Home Depot to ask what I needed to buy.  I left with sandpaper, a paintbrush, and paint.  Oh, and instructions to clean the paintbrush really well so that it would last awhile.

I sanded the frame down and painted it.  I was really impressed with myself.  I didn't make a mess, and it looked how I anticipated!

Then I cleaned the brush.  Except, I didn't know that the paint was oil based, because I didn't know that I was supposed to ask.  So I tried to wash my brush in the sink.  In case you didn't know,  water doesn't do anything to oil-based paint, except make a big mess.  My hands were stained, the sink was a disaster, and the paintbrush was getting messier with each drop of water.  

I yelled to Ben that we needed to make an emergency trip to Home Depot, immediately.  He had to come with me, because I couldn't drive with my sticky hands.  Since it was 7:00 pm, and the boys were tired, it was not the best news, and he said "you and your projects".   

I was not deterred.  We bought Mineral Spirits and it was all better.  Crisis solved.

This is my finished project.

The maps I bought from here.  The heart is located in the city we lived, and the pictures are family pictures when we left/leave that place.  The center is the Temple that we were married in.

I still need to paint the clothespins, but good enough.

I am really excited about the way it turned out.  

I even have another project in the works.

This one is a little more "involved".

This project is inspired by my friend, Emily.

Here is the before picture.