Mural Process

Here is the process we are using to paint 25ish murals on our fence. (We have about 16 finished at the moment. A debut of the rest of them will come later.)

First we choose a design. Some have been downloaded and some have been hand drawn. Then we trace it onto a sheet protector. Overhead transparencies work, but sheet protectors are much, much cheaper.

Next we wait until dark and put the design on an overhead projector and trace it onto the fence.

The next day we start painting. We outline first.

Some colors require quite a few coats.

After we have the base on, we add the details. Some of the designs require us to put the design back on the overhead and trace the next layers. (This one did not.)

The finished product! Chandler did a good job!! (He did all of the painting, I helped with the line work at the end.)

This one is not nearly as complicated as some others and it took probably 4-5 hours of work. (This fence project is turning into more than I bargained for!!!)

Attempt to be "Legit"

Last summer our fence needed painting. I was afraid of how much work it would be for me and Tom was afraid of how much it would cost. So it didn't get done. It would have been wise to do it last summer despite our fears. Because in April, this little photo arrived in my inbox.

It is an "I Spy" table. Apparently you simply build up the edges of your current dining room table, paint it black, throw on a bunch of Happy Meal toys and other trinkets and add a few gallons of resin. Simple Pimple. (heh) My children thought it was "legit" (which is the ultimate compliment) and immediately complained that we never do anything cool like that. Shouldn't my children know to not challenge their mother like that??

If they didn't know then, I think they know now. It takes *a lot* of work to do 'cool, legit' things equal to an I Spy Table.

I put them right to work. Their first task was to take off as much paint as possible on our fence with a power washer. (Luckily they've got a dad who supports their crazy momma and also helps them with the work.)

Then they were handed scrapers and required to scrape paint for one hour a day (I helped too). It took a couple of months to get all the loose paint off our very large fence. (Ironically I found it refreshing to have meaningful hard work for us to do.)

To celebrate the 4th of July we rented a sprayer, bought 15 gallons of paint and sprayed it on (well, actually it was a full body stain/high grip bonder instead of paint, apparently it is better.) It was a lovely way to spend our 4th of July weekend. Ha. But I think everyone was quite excited and more than willing, because it meant they could get started on the fun stuff: we're each painting 3-4 murals/designs on the fence. (nothing quite like purposely decreasing the value of your property!!)

They've each had to submit designs so I knew what colors of paint to buy and how much; then I've let them run. . . and they've all done a good job. . . hopefully it's a memory-building, fun experience (that also turns out legit and cool!) . . .stay tuned for much, much more.

Here's a sneak peek:

PS. . .You already all knew that I'm a bit on the weird side right?

Finally!

I've been working on this project for sooooo long! I've had many interruptions in the process. . . had to wait for supplies multiple times and wait for ideas as to how to solve different problems and wait for help to hang it. (Not to mention I just don't have a lot of leisure time to work on projects.) But now it's done and I'm happy. When I got the window from my sister's neighbor it looked like this:

I knocked out the old glass, sanded it lots and strengthened it with glue and clamps. Then I painted and sanded it, added a handle and filled the frames with texture templates. (I love the look those add.) I got cheap shutters from Home Depot and painted them then distressed them. I would have liked the look of old shutters, but these look okay too. The shutters were taller than the window so I added a strip of molding to make up the difference. The wreath was the final touch. Looking at the pictures it looks a bit Christmasy, but in real life it doesn't seem to as much. So glad to finally have this project done!!!

The Gift to Calm

I stumbled upon this wonderful talk the other day given by Marvin J. Ashton in 1987. He talks about spiritual gifts that are not often recognized or perceived as gifts. All of them that he listed were thought provoking for me. But the one that really jumped out and hasn't left my thoughts is "The gift to calm". Here is what he says about it:

"What a majestic gift it is to be able to calm others!. . . Contention is a tool of the adversary. Peace is a tool of our Savior. What a wonderful tribute we pay people when we describe them as being gentle, firm, and calm! Contention stops progress. Love brings eternal progression. Where contention prevails, there can be no united effort in any purposeful direction.. . .“Ye should live in peace one with another” (Mosiah 2:20). Those with the gift of being calm make lasting peace possible."

This definitely is a gift I desire to define me. I've got much improvement to make before that desire is realized. Hopefully by recording it I will make a stronger commitment to continue working towards that. As Elder Ashton said, "It is up to each of us to search for and build upon the gifts which God has given"; therefore I must make a conscious effort.