baby plaque

I just have to say that my church is awesome. Seriously awesome.

I've "heard" (not experienced. definitely not.) that most minister's wives feel an amazing amount of pressure to meet unrealistic expectations.

I'm beyond blessed to be in a place where the staff and church members embrace my role in David's ministry as help-mate to him and mother to our children. I never feel the pressure to be the "perfect minister's wife."

I'm not expected to sing on the worship team ('cause no one wants bleeding eardrums), or work in the nursery every week. No one is annoyed that I can't be at every Women's Ministry function or lead the Children's Choir. They aren't shooting me disapproving glances when I come in late to church with baby puke on my shirt. I can just be David's wife and Charlie and Avery's mommy.

That's freedom, y'all.
Serious freedom.

Because they give me the freedom to be who I am, I feel the freedom to volunteer when I feel God wants me to, not when others want me to.

And that, my friends, is why we are never leaving.
I hope.
(Maybe I should talk to God about that first, huh?)

Anyway -
All that verbosity (not a word. I'm sure of it) leads me to this: I volunteered to help the Preschool Director with our first Family Blessings Brunch (a brunch for the families of babies born in the last year).

When Charlie was born, someone gave me a precious little plaque from a little ebay store called The Gingham Grove. After a little investigation I thought, "hmm... I can make that."

We thought it would make the perfect keepsake for the families to take with them after the brunch.
Since we've had 20+ babies in the last year, I had 20 + plaques to make.

Stuff I used:
8 x8 wood squares from Hobby Lobby
acrylic paint
sponge brush
fine grit sand paper
medium grit sand paper
drill
gingham ribbon
Distress Ink in Walnut Stain
scrapbook paper
paper cutter or scissors
computer & printer

What I did:
1. I bought the wood at Hobby Lobby.
2. Brushed on acryllic paint with a sponge brush.
(I painted several layers to get a good heavy coat on it so that the sanding looked cool.)
3. I sanded the painted plaque using a medium grit sand paper
4. After that, I used my handy Distress Ink in Walnut Stain to stain the edges just.a.bit.
5. Then I sanded some more.
6. I had David drill 2 holes in the top of the plaque for the ribbon hanger
7. I found a verse I liked and printed it on scrapbook paper with my computer printer.
8. I cut the verse into 5 x 5 inch squares with my paper cutter and mod podged the verse onto the plaque.
9. Then...I sanded.

viola:

The girls had pink ones and the boys were blue.
Original, right?
If you want to purchase one, you can go to The Gingham Grove Ebay store.
or you can just make your own.
Whichever.