Free Hugs...

Hug [huhg]:

to clasp tightly in the arms,

especially with affection; 

embrace

I found an old sign in the basement recently

that I had kept throughout the years.

It was roughly painted with an ugly royal blue color.

On it was a hand painted "Welcome".

Hmmmm.....that was pretty boring.

Thinking immediately of all of my intensely creative blog friends out there,

I knew that I could make something more interesting out of it.

What, though?

Well, I had been wanting to try my hand at a little distressing,

so why not try it with something that I really didn't care if it turned out good or not?

I remember Donna at Funky Junk Interiors posting about how she made her

signs look old.

So, I scrounged around in the basement some more

until I came up with some pale blue/gray paint 

(Wyeth Blue by BM - the color of my small wicker chairs in the kitchen)

some black paint,

and some white paint.

 I started glopping the paint on.

First the Wyeth over the royal blue,

then the black.

Not coating the entire thing.

Just slapping splotches of color here and there.

I stood back.

Blech!  It sure looked terrible!

But I knew that "ugly" was part of the process.

 

Ever watch paint dry?

I tried to keep myself busy with other projects while the paint dried in the shade.

I was just itching to get my hands on it to start distressing!

In my excitement

(or was it old age...?)

I danced my way inside with the board,

laid it on the table amidst my lovely stencils

and paint and brush and....

ooops!

The distressing!

How could I forget about the distressing???

Good gravy.

Back outside with the board.

I couldn't find any rough sandpaper anywhere,

so hubby gave me....

a power tool!!!

Yup.  A power tool!!

Can I get a Woot woot?!!

Don't ask me what it was.

(Don't tell Donna I didn't know what it was, either.)

It was some sort of power drill with a round wire brush on the end.

(Can I please have a little electric hand sander for Christmas, Santa...
and maybe a sewing machine, too....?)

I went to work on the sign.

Scruffing it up

beating it up

distressing it to deliciousness.

Took out alllll of my aggressions on it.

Sure felt good.

Ok...back inside to detail it.

Does that distressing not look just yummy?

The next dilemma was trying to center the two words I wanted to stencil on it.

I didn't have a whole lot of room for letters,

but I wanted the sign to have a big impact.

I came up with this.

Ok...so it was supposed to say "FREE HUGS",

but I ran out of room.

Guess my centering technique has a little to be desired...

But in my mind's eye

it kind of looks like the "U" is hugging the "G", doesn't it?

(make me feel better and just go with me here....)

I hung it over our frig in that spot where you never quite know what to do with.

Just know that you are guaranteed at least ONE free hug 

when you visit Heaven's Walk.

Any more than that....

Well, 

you just gotta pay for.

{ free hug }

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