Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. You know what that means... only one more day till dancing to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" and decking the halls like crazy!

I got so excited, I sort of broke my rule of nothing Christmas before Thanksgiving and decided to let the craftiness take over.
I saw this sign and this quote has been repeating its self over and over in my head. I just absolutely love it.

So I set out to make it for the fireplace for Christmas ((had to have the puppy within viewing range))

 Got my wood cut at Lowes-thankfully didn't look like a rookie this time around

Got my stain picked out and asked the guy for tips. This was the only one I got, "don't be intimidated."



I might have developed a little obsession with staining by the way....

I made sure to test one of the scrap pieces to make sure I didn't screw the whole thing up. Just brushed it on and wiped it off with an old sock

 I cracked the garage for some ventilation and turned on my Matt Kearney Pandora and went to town.

You know what they say about watching paint dry... or maybe that's boiling water-either way, we took a nap around here.
 

 Then I set out and got my text all planned out on my computer and printed it out.

After a TON of research I combined a couple ideas and finally decided to use chalk to get the outline on the wood. I just rubbed the back then took a ballpoint pin and traced my outline.

 I took the scrap "practice" piece and made sure I liked the way it worked. 

Gotta add a little touch of red

 Well an hour and a half later we had a sign. I only had one little mistake that with some quick action I was able to fix (problem with using acrylic paint)

 Then I had to attach the small 1x4's to the back to keep it sturdy and attach all the planks-good thing my grandpa-the handyman-is in town. The guy at Lowes cut my wood wrong and we had to fix it. Plus apparently there is a whole science to screwing in screws. I can now say I got it down. My grandpa even told me I did a perfect job. (just 4 mistakes...and he quickly taught me how to remove a stripped screw)

 This is the back:

Make sure to stagger the top two screws and reverse the stagger on the bottom two.

I still can't get over how much I love the sign and the reminder of just how humble Christ is.

 To send His one and only Son and have him be born in a place where animals eat and poop.

Tomorrow is a day dedicated to remembering that message and be Thankful for the life I live because of that little stable.