Crackly, Crafty Monday

Since I started running, my chiropractor has become a necessity. Luckily, he's awesome. I go every two weeks, and today he cracked my neck right nice.

His office is located very close to a Goodwill, or as E calls it "Treasure Store Number 3." (The kid gets WAY too excited about their $2.99 grab bag of old McDonald's toys.) I was looking for a lamp for our bedroom, but I guess fate was working in my favor today, because I left with a whole big bunch of treasures for less than $25.

I got E a bike to try out with training wheels for $10, two pair of capri pants for summer, a couple of tops, a lamp, a lamp shade, and a picture for the wall. SCORE! And as luck would have it, E was at his dad's for the night and the Champ was off to some sporting event with his best friend. I had the house to myself and crafting to do. Happy, happy girl.

I tackled the lamp first.

It was all 1984 before hand. But it was $2.

It didn't have a matching shade, so I found one that looked okay on it and got it for $2 also.

When I got home I sprayed it with a heavy coat of oiled bronze spray paint, glued some ribbon to the shade, and monogrammed that baby with an initial that I plan to keep for life. Not bad for a $4 investment, huh?

Unfortunately, I forgot to check and see if the lamp had an on/off switch. (Because why would I?!?!) Turns out, it doesn't. So my successful crafting is somewhat offset by my fail at functionality. This is what you call a "small victory."

Now for this bad boy. This ugly dragon fly print cost $3.

This project stemmed from an idea I saw on Pinterest. Someone had pinned a picture of a blown up envelope as a wall hanging, and I loved it. Now if only I had an old letter from someone that was meaningful to me.

And then I remembered! I've had a postcard in my Bible for the past 12 years that my Nana sent to me when I was on one of my longer mission trips. On it, she wrote the verse, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far sides of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139: 9-10 NIV. God knows no distance!! I love you, Nana"

On the address lines of the postcard (because she sent it in a larger care package) she wrote, "Sara, this scripture was on my calendar today."

Here is the original postcard.

I took it to my dad's office and blew it up 250 times larger onto a sheet of white, 11x14 paper. (Sorry about the shadow.)

I went home, spray painted the entire ugly dragonfly picture ivory. While I was waiting for it to dry, I wadded up the crisp, freshly printed enlarged postcard, then soaked it in a pot full of water and the coffee leftover in the pot from this morning. Then I went back outside and used a sanding block to distress the frame of the picture.

I let the print soak in the coffee for about 15 minutes, then I laid it out on a towel to dry. While it was still wet I tore around the edges to make it tattered. Then I used scrapbook paper and mod podge to make a matting inside the frame. I cut strips and laid them over one another so none of the edges were uniform, then I took two lighter pieces to make a center focal point. Once the coffee soaked post card print was dry enough, I laid it over the top and mod podged over the top of it.

I am really happy with the finished product.

To make this even sweeter, the picture is hanging over the same piano that me and my Nana used to sit at together to sing. Now every time I sit there, I will see God's words to me in her wobbly handwriting, and it will remind me that God knows no distance.