You might expect that I would put up a very Christmassy craft project today since we here in the US now officially enter the Christmas season, with our Thanksgiving being over. There IS a Christmas tie-in I’ll tell you soon, but these Z’s are also appropriate for today’s blog, a day late, because…
I spent my Black Friday morning sleeping in!
None of that early morning madness for me, now that I am not working retail. It was lovely. I woke to a warm sunny day, and Becca and I had a slow-paced but awesome day together :) I like guilt-free ZZZZZZzzzzzz-filled mornings!
I decorated these paper mache Z’s for Becca when she moved into her first apartment just before her sophomore year of college. It was one of those moments where you see a random crafty item in the store and instantly the finished project flashes in your imagination. I have a lot of those moments!
This navy Z is decorated with a clear glitter top coat – I like the way the different sized glitter pieces look like a starry night sky! There’s a little crafting lesson learned from this star: test your materials if you have the time and inclination. I took the plastic stars for granted, thinking they were impervious – you know, like all plastics should be! – but they reacted with the glue while it cured.
This flash of creative inspiration was especially sweet because these letters were on clearance, along with a bunch of q’s, x’s and a few j’s and k’s. My first thought was “who will ever buy these orphaned letters?” and then I grabbed 4 Z’s!
The turquoise Z has my acrylic paint rendition of Becca’s favorite flower, lavender, which has calming properties. It also features bees, because sometimes Becca is Bee. I used a Micron pen to doodle a broken line around the edges. And the one unique bee applique (center below) was from a curtain in my own pre-teen bedroom. It’s OLD!
Why was I inspired to decorate these Z’s? My fellow-insomniac, daughter Becca’s upcoming new bedroom in that apartment! I wanted to create something that would share my hopes for a good night’s sleep for her, give her a handmade gift and room decoration, and also just get creative! Becca has had these Z’s in her bedroom ever since I made them a little over 3 years ago.
This lime green Z has faded a bit with time, but gave me the opportunity to use the word stickers I am obsessed with still! I love words, typography, graffiti art – words words words! So I culled as many sleep-message words as I could find in my supplies and went to town! Even on the back, I used word stickers to write my message.
Now we get around to the Christmas season tie in with the last Z…
The advice to count sheep in order to get to sleep was my inspiration for the yellow Z. I used some Debbie Mumm Easter ribbon with gamboling sheep around the edges (another clearance find from the year before.) I had just enough to get the job done.
This Z is embellished with the lyrics of a song from the movie “White Christmas,” a movie our family has watched every December since Becca was a baby. We all know every song’s lyrics and enjoy the story and humor. If you are looking for an old fashioned classic family movie with a lot to offer, check it out!
Bec and I are both still insomniacs, but are thankful for beds to sleep in, homes to live in, and food on our plates. Becca is one of my many blessings.
Don’t forget to count your blessings this holiday season…
Merry Happy!
Gail
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