Life is Better: Experiment with a Wooden Pallet

I don't fill every day with deep spiritual thoughts. I probably don't spend enough days in trying to find my way in God's plan for me. But there are days when I need to simply create. God made me a creative person. so I find great pleasure in projects, especially when the materials are on hand and/or free. This particular project only cost a few dollars for the hanging hardware and some cheap white primer. I already have paint and the pallet came from a neighbor's trash (I asked permission to take it).

 I dismantled the pallet and sanded the boards. I used my father-in-law's power sander from about 1970, and my shoulders tell the story about how heavy it is. (It will last forever, I think.) I then chose boards that fit reasonably well together. Using two shorter boards, wood glue, and half inch nails, I assembled the "canvas". I primed with white primer and sanded a bit to get a rustic look.

masked off and painted

The background concept came from some napkins I saw at Target. I masked off the background shapes before painting a hombre of blue/greens. Then I sanded it again by hand.

masks removed

I had seen the sentiment on Pinterest. It absolutely reflects my firm convictions on the matter. I did lay out the lettering with Photo Shop Elements (best investment ever) and then used a projector (a yard sale find a few years ago) so I could trace the words. I may be creative, but my writing is and always has been, abysmal.

I painted the letters with primer first, then outlined in yellow, then painted with white acrylic paint, darkened the outline with yellow ocher acrylic, and called it a day. I may go back and sand it one more time, but for now, I call it done.

 I'm happy with how it all turned out.