A Little Paint Tutorial

I have a cute little ammo box-I know, cute and ammo just don't go together.

Let's try that again.

I have this cute, old, chippy white metal box that I have had no idea what to do with for almost a year.

Until I asked my sweet friend, Kate over at Salvage Dior.

She has the most beautiful, dreamy ideas.

While Brenna was sick last week, I had some extra time to sit around.

Not a bad thing for me, let me tell you. I learned a lot last week.

Kate encouraged me with some photos from Pinterest as to what could be done with this cute box.

So, I first took a Magic Eraser and cleaned it up a bit.

I like white and yellow, but I don't particularly enjoy yellow stains and they came right off with the Magic Eraser.

I printed off numbers in the JaneAusten font. I believe for this box it was the font size 144 on my Mac.

The number four got goofed up and you can see I just extended it a bit with pencil.

Since I don't have a handy-dandy Cricut I resort to carbon paper. Yes, it is still sold at office supply stores!

I even took my time on this one and measured and centered it, and secured it with some tape at the very top. Yes, orange duct tape was the only thing I could find first. Don't ask why.

Then I slipped the carbon paper underneath and went over the outline of the numbers with pencil.

The font is wiggly enough and wide enough where it doesn't have to be perfect, precise lines when finished.

I mixed black acrylic paint and just a drop of Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid to make sure it flowed smoothly. I like this better than water as it doesn't fade the color out.

I only had to go over once after the initial coat and I was quite pleased with the outcome!

I chose the numbers 2,7 and 4 because we have been married 27 years and there are 4 in our family.

Just a sweet reminder...

Do you have favorite link up parties that you join with your DIY items?

If so, I'd love to know what they are, as I'd like to start including some tutorials on the blog and would like to share them. I did a google search for link parties and got so overwhelmed!!!!!!!!

Happy Monday!

Linking to:

Home Stories AtoZ tutorials and tips party.

Good morning, friends! I have been busy this week with caring for Miss Brenna, who has managed to not only come down with the flu but double ear infections as well!! She is thankfully on the mend, so I will be back next week. Have a wonderful weekend! 
xoxo
Lynn

Roaring Like A Lion

How's your lent season going?

Mine? Well, lets just say that when one decides to give up fear and anxiety,

they come ROARING back at me like a lion.

Anxieties run rampant through my mind.

Fun things, like death and destruction and general mayhem run around and my mind freezes up just a tad.

"Don't let go of US" scream the mighty twosome.

They are powerfully loud.

Shall I scream back?

Well, screaming "Shut UP all ready!" kinda helps.

Then I remind myself to get quiet.

Breathing helps.

 It's an amazing gift we have been given. Breathing loosens up fear and gets your gut to unclench.

Praying is awesome over all the little things. ALL of them. Send them up. 

The most amazing thing happens....the little things get released. 

I'm reading Help Thanks Wow, by Anne Lamott. I highly recommend it.

Reading these devotions for lent is awesome-(thanks, Paula!).

Getting quiet to me is the most backward thing I could possibly do when Fear is roaring at me.

Should I not be flailing around, trying to go into some kind of action instead?

Painting helps. I'm quiet when I paint. Time is released, ideas are put aside and I concentrate. 

Hands open kind of a day. 

Just today.

So humbling.

Friday Ramblings

I'm going to Ramble just a little bit today about something I am not familiar with, but thought I would share with you.

My daughter introduced me to the concept of Lent last year. Our church does not observe the season of Lent, so I was curious as to why she was participating. Her answer was simple, really. It was to give up something and focus on God instead, especially during the times of the day that she missed what she gave up. My eldest, not one to mess around, gave up bread. Talk about challenging your mind to focus on something else!

I did a little research on the subject and in my readings, 

came across this blog, and it gave an easy to understand version of Lent.

I made a decision to give this a go, but chose something a little different to give up.

My diet is restricted enough as it is, I don't drink or smoke, and I have had to give up coffee off and on throughout my days with Ulcerative Colitis. 

I chose fear and anxiety that accompanies fear.

I don't mean fear as in I am afraid of the dark, or fear of heights. I'm so bull headed, I could make myself get over that and tell myself not to whimper along the way.

I mean fears like trusting God to open the right doors. To provide during change. To take me through change and come out the other side in one piece.

 Anxiety like feeling I have to make everyone around me o.k. Anxiety such as burying my head and pretending it's not happening or on the other extreme, running around getting whatever I can done so life will run smoothly at some point.

So, what DOES it look like to turn your back on fear and anxiety? 

I think it will be a mixture of letting go and making a mental choice to not dwell on the feelings of fear and anxiety or give them voice in my head as well as walking toward activities I think might work. Even if I don't know the outcome in those activities, I kinda need to try and if it doesn't work, stopping is O.K.

I think it also there is a tiny possibility it could maybe, sorta mean taking a look at control issues. 

But one thing at a time.

Now that I think I'm going to go throw up because I'm putting this out on the blog, I'll let you know how it goes.

I'd love to hear how you turn away from fear and anxiety as well. 

Maybe giving up coffee isn't such a bad idea...

Happy Valentine's Day

From me to YOU:

Thank you for coming by and visiting.

Thank you for commenting.

I love that you share this life with us and hope that I (we) encourage you in return.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

p.s.

Brenna sends her love.

Friday Ramblings

Things I have noticed this week:

                          

The tape for a holter monitor that keeps the cords on your body itches like a monster.

 It's also not such a great idea to put the little monitor deelie-bob in your back pocket. It has a tendency to fall out when one uses the "facilities". Not that mine dropped into the toilet or anything. But if it had, I wonder what I should have written down in the symptom portion of the diary I had to keep?

 I love the miracle of spring.

The hope is beginning to blossom.

I noticed someone forgot something in the restroom at target this week.

As in: they left their oxygen tubing hanging out of the trash can.  

That's just not right. At all. I'm assuming they had extra. I didn't notice anyone in the aisles gasping for air like a fish out of water. I was watching for it though.

I'm slowly but surely forgetting things more

And more. Pretty sure it's due to having small strokes or somethig like that. Or menopause. Probably menopause. But honestly.  My friend, Shari and I are hoping that we won't forget who the other is after knowing each other for 20+ years.

A miracle has occurred in my car. 

Wednesday morning while driving Brenna to school , we listened to something other than Justin Bieber. For real!!! We listened to One Dierction.

 Every generation needs a good boy band, don't you think? There is nothing like singing at the top of your lungs at 7:45 a.m. To "What Makes You Beautiful". 

 One line in particular caught my attention:

 "the way you flip your hair has me completely overwhelmed."

 I thought I would die laughing-or give myself more heart palpitations. All I can say is, thank heaven I don't have to go back to teenage angst ever again. Losing my memory is bad enough but I'd take that over junior high and high school in a heart beat. Wait. In a skipped heart beat.

Don't buy these. Ever.

Because when you do, you just might eat 1/4 of the box before you put them out for your guests.

Then you think how fun they would look photographed for the blog, so you eat the ones you photograph. It just goes downhill from there.

It seems we have a couple of different gardeners in our neighborhood.

One that is your regular, run of the mill, lawn-mowing kind.

The other is not so much run of the mill. In fact, He comes prepared for everything.

Like maybe a nap. 

Being a gardener is one of the hardest jobs, so why not be ready?

It's been a good week.

Sometimes Dreams Do Come True....

Today marked an amazing day.

My friend, Sue Robson and I took the first step to make our dream a realization.

It's even scary to type this now!!!!

We hosted five amazing women to be our "test" group and led them through a four hour workshop that combines life coaching and art journaling.

 To see words come forth, to see color make it's appearance on paper, to see freedom in trying something new...I am humbled by the women in this group.

One of the best remarks to me was by Leanne, "I used to do stuff like this with my children, but then they grew up and I had to put it away. Now I can do it again!"

 My heart is so happy.

We journaled, we talked, we sat in the sunshine, techniques were learned, new friendships were made.

Many thanks to Paula, Shari, Melissa, Leanne and Tara for an amazing beginning to a dream come true.

Stay tuned for updates in the near future for classes!!

Friday Ramblings

I'm so happy it's Friday.

I have computer work to do, but first I have to do something fun.

It's also a make a second pot of decaf-light my Anthropologie candle-listen to Zac Brown Band-make your day really fun- kinda day.

(I blame the computer work.)

I saw a cute-as-pie banner made with Washi tape in a paper store this weekend and I thought I'd try it myself.

I bought my tape at Happy Tape; a perfect name 'cause this stuff does just that. It make me happy.

(The black and white I bought at Target)

Plus, it's one of those days that it's so gorgeous it hurts.

How do teachers keep going after Christmas until Spring Break?

I think I'd plan a field trip a week during this time. And hold all my classes outside.

Back to the Banner.

 I rolled out my tape onto a cutting mat so I could make even cuts every two inches with a razor.

Then I pulled a string out of some burlap, ironed it out with my flat iron because I'm too lazy to drag out my iron for a piece of string and wrapped each 2 inch piece around the string.

Next, fold the tape and cut up from the end to make a notch.

Hang somewhere cute.

Then go outside, cross your fingers and hope that ground hog named Phil doesn't see his shadow.

Aw, heck. 

Let's really enjoy the day...

Buy some candy hearts and leave some by your family's plates tonight at dinner.

You could even cut paper hearts out and decorate them with Washi tape.

But make sure you keep the extras from that box of candy hearts in your car. 

It does wonders for the day.