Author: Dina Ray

2023 was a definite DREAM come true year for Kenny & I…both personally and in our business.  We continually felt the Lord’s presence throughout the year and we know that every good and perfect thing comes from HIM🩵🩵 and we are so grateful for each and every one of His blessings and even His tough lessons.

Let’s start with our biggest blessing of 2023…we welcomed another sweet and precious grandson to our family…Cayden Michael 🩵 He has already brought so much joy to our family and we love him so much 🩵

2023 brought restored relationships that we’d been praying for and we are so thankful for answered prayers.  Family is everything to us and we were able to celebrate the holidays all together with my Mom this year.  What a true blessing💕

My word of the year for 2023 as many of you already know was DREAM.  That’s something I knew I wanted to try to work on within myself and to learn that we can dream and set goals for ourselves.  I needed to learn that even if these dreams and goals never come to fruition, don’t consider it as a failure…use that to fuel my passion even more.

So the first of many dreams coming to fruition was that of my first paid subscription private group.  We started it on January 1st.  I seriously thought I would maybe have 20-30 people sign up and I would have been thrilled with that too.

Knowing that DREAM was my theme word of the year, Kenny had asked me “If you were to have a dream number of members sign up, what would it be?  Again…I wasn’t a dreamer at that point (I was a definite work in progress) and I told him don’t be silly…I wasn’t going to choose a number because I’d be happy with however many signed up.  He kept “nagging”🤣 me to choose a number so I just shouted out 200…doubting it would happen the whole time. 🤪 It seemed so silly to even think that many ladies would join our group.  Well…you all…I kid you not…we had exactly 200 join during open season with midnight being the deadline…our 200th member came through the website at 11:59 pm😳🤪 If that isn’t God showing out…I don’t know what is!!  This group has blessed us so much in so many ways.  We laugh a lot, cry a little, talk about the craziest things, but most importantly…it has grown into a family…a true sisterhood with one guy🤣🤣 We love it so much🩵

As wonderful and unbelievable as that was…more importantly…it opened my eyes to see that dreams can and do come true.  It fueled my desire to continue setting goals and dreams because hey…it worked.

Dream #2…my very first Live in person crafting event.  From the time I attended my first in person event in Nashville, TN with Brooke Riley…I always thought how amazing it would be to host something like that.  At that time, I didn’t even have a business page and DBD didn’t even exist.🤣 It’s funny how God works…He placed me in that event knowing He was going to bless me with my own some day.

Five years later…He made it happen.  It was absolutely perfect and amazing…50 tickets sold out in 4 hours even though I doubted we would sell them all.🤦🏻‍♀️  I was able to share that experience with some of my dearest friends and some of my family who took the time out of their busy lives to help me.  My heart was so completely FULL…another goal…another DREAM come true🩵 for sure. 

We even held another retreat in November for only our private group members and that was just as special to us.🩵

The growth of our page and community was more than I could ever have dreamed.  One viral 5-6 minute video of me decoupaging a napkin onto a pumpkin hit 1.1 million views and that was the start of the steady growth.  I’m still amazed at that🩵 I could go on and on about all the dreams that came true for us this past year, but this post would end up being a novel.🤣🤣

2023 also brought some difficult times and heartache.  Life isn’t always easy…sometimes people disappoint you and you learn who you can trust with your heart and who you can’t.  There’s no bitterness, just disappointment.  Sometimes people are placed in your life for just a season…as difficult as that is to understand.  Even through the difficult times and tough business decisions made…I felt God’s presence.  I felt His comfort and I felt His LOVE ❤️ for me.  He gave me clarity to see things that my heart was blinded to.  Friendships were lost, but true lasting friendships were also made in 2023 that I’m so grateful for.

I write all of this to say…life doesn’t always go as planned.  Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t.  However, never let that keep you from dreaming and setting goals…in business or in life.  Trust God…Work hard…Love with all of your heart and don’t be afraid to DREAM big…they may just come true 🩵

Blessings…

~Dina

Hello Dolls!!

I can’t believe we are only 7 weeks away from my very first in-person crafting event.  To say I’m excited is an understatement.  This has literally been a dream of mine for a few years.  If you’ve been following my page for a while now, you’ll remember our many many discussions about the DBD Bus coming to pick everyone up for the event and Kenny being the driver. HaHa!!  Shortly after that, the pandemic hit which put all of the plans on hold.  However, my dream of having my event never died…it was just put on hold for while.  Now…here we are…a little less than 7 weeks from my dream coming to fruition.  God is so good!

The planning process has been so much fun.  I think I’ve written notes in over 6 different notebooks over these past few months of planning.  Whenever I thought of an idea, I’d write it down in whatever notebook I had close by.  I’ve been collecting all of those notes and making sure I haven’t missed anything.  Every single time I receive items I’ve ordered for the event…I get a little more excited to see it all come together.  We will be touring the event center again tomorrow so I can get a clearer plan on the decorating and set up.  I’m sure after that…it’s really going to hit me that my dream is really coming true.  My very first in-person event is really happening!

Soon we will be gathering with 7 of my amazing crafting business sisters and 50 of my Dolls.  How is this even possible?  When Kenny and I were discussing how many tickets to make available…he of course shot for a high number.  HaHa!!  The more practical ME decided on 50.  I honestly didn’t think I would even be able to sell 50.   Boy was I wrong…tickets sold out in less than 4 hours and I have a waiting list a mile long of those who want to come if someone cancels.  Many have told me that I should have made more tickets available, but I didn’t want there to be so many of you there that I wouldn’t be able to spend time chatting with each of you.  I love smaller crowds and a more laid back atmosphere where people can just relax, craft and have a great time of fellowship.

This two day event will be packed full of crafting, chatting and a lot of laughing I’m sure.  If you missed out on purchasing a ticket before they sold out, we have decided to offer a virtual ticket.  It’s the next best thing to being there in person.  Your virtual ticket will allow you access to behind the scenes footage of the event as well as each guest presenter showing you step by step instructions of how to complete their craft.  You’ll also receive a t-shirt, 20% discount code to our website and a chance to win one of the 8 crafts made by each of the presenters including myself.  All for just $99.  Tickets are available now for a limited time to enable us enough time to order the t-shirts.

If this sounds like something you’d love to be a part of, please click on the link below to order your ticket today:https://designsbydina.org/product/virtual-event-ticket-designs-by-dina-crafting-event/

So ladies…never give up on your dreams.  I firmly believe that with prayer, passion, drive and determination…you can make all of your dreams come true too.

Until next time…blessings my friends,

~Dina

Hello…it’s been a long while since my last blog post and here’s the reason why.

In November of 2020, after much prayer and planning, I took the huge leap and purchased our laser cutting machine, the amazing Glowforge Plus.  This little machine has changed my business and taken it to a whole new level.  I’ve been so busy cutting these adorable wood cutouts and filling orders that it’s left little time for anything else.  The Lord has truly blessed my business and I’m so grateful for His love and guidance.

I had spent hours and hours researching this machine and envisioning what this could do for my business.  However, like anything else, worrying about the cost of the machine kept me from taking the plunge.  HaHa!!  One evening, my husband and I were discussing the future of my business and what we could do to take it even further than it was at that time.  I was completely happy with the steady growth of my business, but always felt this machine could possibly be a game changer.  Boy was I right!!!  That was the night that changed everything for Designs by Dina.  We ordered this amazing machine and never looked back.

The machine was delivered at the beginning of December which is always a hectic and crazy time for my husband at his job as a Postmaster.  Due to Covid and all the holiday Amazon packages, he was working 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day consistently, which meant he wasn’t home to help me get my new machine set up.  It sat in the box for two whole weeks and all I could do was stare at it.  It was way too big for me to even attempt to unbox by myself (well….so I thought).

If you know me at all….I’m not the most patient person.  Two weeks was all I could stand…I HAD to get into that box.  It was killing me…haha!!  That Saturday morning I made my mind up that I could do this by myself.  So the unboxing began.  I’m proud to say, I unboxed it, lifted it, hooked up the venting system, set up the software and made my first cut by noon that day.  That’s what pure determination can do folks…this machine is not light by any means.  It was big and heavy, but my determination was bigger!!  How I lifted that machine by myself without dropping it or injuring myself is nothing but an intervention by the good Lord himself.  Just another one of those blessings from God.  That was on December 12th and I listed my first Christmas item on my website on December 18th….and the rest is history.

Each month sales have increased…so much so that I’m actually having to decide if I can continue working at my full time job outside of the home and run my business at the same time.  What a blessing to have…right?  So to say my Glowforge has changed my business is an understatement!!

Shortly after getting the Glowforge up and running, I asked my customers to help me name her.  I received so many adorable suggestions that I could not make a decision.  I decided to put every suggestion in a bowl and draw one out.  The winner was Glowie.  So…she is now called my Glowie Girl….oh how I love this girl and what she has meant to my business!!!

Here are just a few of the adorable kits that I’ve offered on my website at designsbydina.org from Glowie Girl.  Please check out my website to see even more designs at https://designsbydina.org/store/#.X7athRZOIlQ

Thank you for joining me on this Glowforge Journey…it’s truly been the BEST decision I’ve ever made regarding my business.  If you are on the fence about it…all I can say is….DO IT!!  My only regret is that I didn’t order it sooner.  Here’s my affiliate link if you decide to take the plunge like I did….it could save you some money!!!  I promise you…you will not regret it!!

https://glowforge.us/r/RLWIJLJV

Until next time, hope you all have a blessed day full of JOY!!!

Blessings,

~Dina~

October is a month set aside to bring awareness to breast cancer.  I know there are many of you who have known someone affected by this terrible disease, some who are fighting the fight right now.  My prayers go out to each and every one of these brave and strong men and women for complete healing if it be God’s will.

In honor of all who are affected by breast cancer, I’d like to share with you this simple and easy project using my favorite Sola Wood Flowers.  They can be purchased in my store on this blog.  I chose all roses for this project and I just love how it turned out.  I started by dying my small roses the night before to allow drying time.  These flowers can be customized to whatever color you choose by mixing a little water with any type of paint you have.  Dip your flower in the mixture to coat the complete flower and place it on a drying rack overnight.  It’s that simple and easy.  My paint color choice was Princess Pink from Apple Barrel.  I also mixed some white and another pink color from my Sola Wood retailer just to get that perfect pink color.

Next, I painted a wooden cutout of the awareness ribbon which you can find on my Amazon Store.  This ribbon represents so many different types of illnesses and causes, but I had to “PINK” mine up for breast cancer awareness.  This step is not necessary if you prefer the color of the unfinished wood.  I felt painting it would minimize seeing the space between each flower.  Once that dried completely, I took the flowers I dyed the night before and just simply began hot gluing them onto the ribbon cutout as close to each other as I could get.  As these flowers are all different in shape and size, no two are exactly alike, you may want to try to lay them out to see which ones fit better on certain parts of the cutout.

To finish this project off, I added a bow in the middle of the ribbon cutout…because everything looks better with a bow…right?   How sweet did this ribbon turn out?   This was gifted to someone special and I hope she is encouraged to continue fighting this terrible disease every time she looks at it.

Blessings,

~Dina

Let the decorating begin!!  When do you start decorating for Christmas?  Each year it seems I start earlier and earlier.  Growing up we used to start the day after Thanksgiving.  A few years ago, I started on Veteran’s Day because both my husband and I were off from work for the holiday.  Due to our hectic schedules, a few years ago I began decorating on the first Saturday in November and it has been ever since then.  However, Never…and I mean Never…have I ever started as early as I have this year!!

You guys…I put my tree up on Halloween night!!  What?!  Life gets pretty busy and crazy around here so you have to take advantage of the slower days when you get them.  Today was one of those days for us.

We were so sad about not getting to see our kiddos and grandsons for Halloween or getting to see them all dressed up in their costumes because of Covid.  My husband and I made our rounds to each of their homes and delivered the grandkids’ gift bags on their porches and left.  This was yet another holiday this virus has robbed us of and it just made me sad.

I knew exactly what would cheer me up and I didn’t care what day of the year it was…I was putting up my Christmas tree.  Although, it’s a lot of hard work and I’m usually sore for days afterwards, decorating my tree always brings me joy!!

With the help of my husband, we started by putting the 9 ft flocked tree together.  My tree came from QVC last year.  Of course, after a year in storage the next step was fluffing the branches.  If you’ve ever worked with a flocked tree, you know the mess it makes, but it’s so worth it!!

Now for the fun part!!!  The decorating!!  I decided to use the red and black buffalo check as the main theme colors this year.  I picked up a few rolls of that color mesh at Hobby Lobby.  Always start with your ribbon or mesh ribbon, whichever you prefer.  I always use mesh ribbon on mine and love it!  It’s so easy to work with and makes such a huge difference.  You just wrap the branches around the mesh to hold them in place.  I go from top to bottom staggering the ribbon from side to side all around the tree.  Once you have your base down, you can begin adding your ornaments.  Most of my ornaments, other than the sentimental special ones, came from either the Dollar Tree or Dollar General Store.  Many of them for only a “Dollah”!!  Haha!!

Lastly, the added picks!!  I think these add the special touch that takes your tree to another level!  I used four different kinds of picks for this tree all in the same color schemes.  The red and white beaded picks and the red and white swirly picks came from Hobby Lobby.  The others came from QVC.  Add your tree skirt and there you have it… my little piece of joy to help me get my mind off of what I missed out on today.

Some may think I’m crazy or wrong for decorating so early, but I say this…you do what’s right for you!! There are no rules on when or when not to begin your decorating.  If you need a little “pick me up” through this crazy year of the pandemic, then do what you need to do to add some joy to your life!  That’s exactly what I did and I’m not one bit sorry about doing it either.  There’s just something about the glowing lights of the Christmas tree that’s so magical for me.  It instantly makes me feel happy and comfy in my home.

I hope I’ve inspired you to consider starting your Christmas decorating if you’re feeling a little down about what’s going on in the world today!  Always always find ways to bring joy into your life…whatever that may be for you!!

Blessings,

~ Dina

By now, I’m sure you’ve seen these famous Dollar Tree pumpkins crafted a million times.  Well…let’s make that a million and one times…haha!!  After I created this on my Live on my Designs by Dina Facebook page, I knew I had to blog about it and share it with all of you.

First I took my favorite Waverly Chalk Paint in the color Ivory and painted the entire pumpkin.  It took two coats to cover it to my liking because of the bright orange color of the pumpkin.  After that dried, I removed the stem by simply pulling it out.  I cut out a small area where the stem was to attach my own stem.  I used a cinnamon stick, but you could use a stick from your yard too.  I love the faint scent of cinnamon I smell every time I walk by this cutie on my kitchen counter.

Next, I collected several of my Sola Wood Flowers that I sell in my store on this website.  I chose the colors aqua and a peachy pink.  I also incorporated some of the natural colored flowers as well.  For this project, I decided to stem these flowers with toothpicks.  Yes…I said toothpicks!!  They work perfect for smaller projects that doesn’t need a lot of height.  You simply put a dab of hot glue on the tip of the toothpick and stick it into the stem of the flower until it sets.  I like to stem all the flowers before starting my arrangement.

Once that’s done, I just inserted each flower carefully arranging them around the stem area.  I then took some greenery and wooden squigglies (I have no idea what the technical term is for them) and filled in the areas between the flowers for fullness.  It turned out so adorable, but it needed something else.  Yup…you guessed it….a BOW!!

I used a solid aqua ribbon as well as an aqua polka dotted ribbon from Walmart and Hobby Lobby.  I also added my favorite ribbon from the Dollar Tree…the beige crochet ribbon.  Instead of hot gluing the ribbon onto the pumpkin, I used a tip from a friend.  She took a bobby pin and looped the jute or ribbon through it and then stuck the bobby pin into the pumpkin.  It worked perfectly!!  For the finishing touch…I added a cute little light pink button.

So….there you have it…my Sola Wood Flower Dollar Tree Pumpkin…how cute and affordable was this craft!  Go by your local Dollar Tree and pick up some of those bright orange pumpkins and let your creativity take control.  Until next time my friends….

Blessings,

Dina

God is Great Y’all!!  Through the good and the bad times…God is Great!!

I just really needed to start this post with saying that because I know He is in control of EVERYTHING in my life.  When things aren’t going exactly like I want them to…He is in control.  When things are going great…He is in control of that too.   This devotion for today reminded me that even through our difficult times, God is great!!  He uses those trials to strengthen our faith so we can become stronger Christians.  There have been many times that I know the only way we made it through those difficult times was through Him.  It really makes me wonder how people who don’t know Him get through the tough times. What a wonderful world this would be if everyone knew Him and knew how great He is!!

I know that every good and perfect gift comes from Him.  He loves His children as we love ours.  Nothing makes me happier than to give my family gifts and see their excitement.  God is no different than we are…and right now…I am feeling all of His gifts of love and blessings.

Things are really starting to come together for my little Designs by Dina business.  My business Facebook page is growing and I have so many new friends after being a presenter on Melanie Ferguson’s Summer Craft-a-Thon.  I welcome each and every one of you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  If you watch me on my Facebook page, you know that I don’t like the word “follower” in relation to how Facebook determines how many people watch my videos and read my posts.  I’d rather refer to “followers” as my “friends.”  I feel the only One we should be seeking and following is Jesus!!  That’s just my personal preference and I’m thrilled and excited to count you all as my FRIENDS!!

I get that some of you may look at this “business” and not really understand it and that’s okay!!  It’s not for everyone and I respect that.  However, I still want to share what it means to me in hopes that it will help those understand why I work so hard to keep it going.

I didn’t always know what my passion was.  I really never thought about it when I was younger.  I always just tried to do things that made me happy whenever I was able to.  Of course, that included crafting (and shopping…haha).  Did I know that was my passion during that time…heck no!!  I was just going through life not even realizing what was being prepared ahead for me.

To be able to run a business from home doing what I love to do is such a blessing.  Yes…I have a full time job that I love as well…but my Designs by Dina business is definitely my PASSION!!  It’s something that I pour my whole heart and soul into.  When you can work at something 24/7 and it not feel like work…you know you’re following your passion and it’s what you were meant to do!  It’s your purpose and I’m definitely walking in my purpose right now.

So friends…I encourage you to search for your passion and purpose in life.  When you find it…that’s when you’ll truly recognize all of the gifts the Lord so graciously and generously gives.

Blessings,

Dina

Little did we know that when my son’s senior year began that it would be ending the way it did just a few months later.  There was so much uncertainty surrounding the planning of their graduation ceremony due to the Coronavirus, but I have to say…it was AMAZING!!  Our school system, as well as many others around the country, went above and beyond to send these graduates off with a day to remember and that’s exactly what they received!!

Everything was done virtually and they hired a videographer to capture all of their special moments from Baccalaureate, class night, moving their tassels as a graduate, throwing their caps up in the air, speeches from their Valedictorians and other honor graduates.  All of which we were able to watch live streamed in the comfort of our own homes.

The most memorable moment of all though was the graduation parade.  Our community lined the streets in support of all 143 seniors.  Every where you looked they were cheering them on.  Some had made signs, some had streamers with confetti and airhorns…haha!!  As we drove through the Primary, Elementary, Middle and High School, the graduates were greeted by teachers and staff members cheering and congratulating them all.  It was really something special to experience and to feel the outpouring of love our little community had for our graduates.  Our local radio station showed up for our seniors in a big way too by broadcasting live during the parade and  videoing each graduate at the end of the parade as they walked across the stage one final time to receive their diplomas.  It was a total community effort and I know I speak for all of the parents in saying…we appreciate everything that was done for our kids.

Although, finishing the school year out virtually was not what they had envisioned, it all worked out in the end.  Not being able to play their favorite sport as a senior and say their final goodbye’s to their favorite teachers, staff members and friends was probably the most disappointing part of it all.  I’m sure that had they known that the last day they left that school building was truly their last day there, they would have done things differently.  Let this be a lesson to all of us to live life to it’s fullest and not take anyone or anything for granted.  Things can change in an instant as we have witnessed in these past few months.

I was reminded of something I saw on Facebook a few months ago when all of this began.  This group of kids were born into a time of tragedy while our country was grieving over 9/11 and now presently, their “birth to adulthood” also comes during a time of tragedy during this pandemic.  Although their two biggest moments were tainted by the world’s tragedies…these kids have shown that they are resilient and will conquer anything that comes their way.  Although this was a different kind of graduation, one thing is for sure…the Class of 2020 definitely made history and will forever be remembered as the “Corona Class.”

Best of luck to all of the graduates everywhere…we can’t wait to see how you soar!!!

Blessings,

Dina

What better way to make someone feel welcome and comfortable in your home than having a cute “Welcome to our Home” sign in your entry way?  Right?  Well…if you have a piece of wood, a cutting machine of some kind (mine is a Cricut), stencil vinyl, paint and some cute greenery…you can make a sign of your own.  Here’s how!!!

Items you will need:

• 11″ x 24″ x 1″ piece of wood (sanded smooth)
• “Welcome to our Home” stencil vinyl made with your cutting machine
• Transfer paper
• Paint or stain for your board
• Sand paper or sanding block
• Baby wipe or paint brush
• Paint for your lettering
• Make up sponge for lettering
• Small wreath or greenery to make your own
• Floral wire
• Hot glue
• Quick Hanging Wall Hook

Make sure your board is smooth and ready to be stained or painted.  For my base coat, I used Apple Barrel Burnt Umber acrylic paint and applied it with a baby wipe.  That gives it a look of staining without the smell and drying time that stain takes.  Once that was dry, I dry brushed a layer of Ivory Waverly Chalk Paint over that and let it dry overnight.  In the morning, I took my board outside and sanded it to bring out some of the darker Burnt Umber paint from the base coat to give it a rustic look.

Next, designing your stencil for your sign.  I use Cricut Design Studio which is the software that goes with my Cricut cutting machine.  Once you get the design you want, I use Oramask Stencil Film 813 that I order off of Amazon.  Once you get your image cut out, you remove all the lettering making sure you leave all of the small inside parts of each letter behind such as with the letter “e”  it’s important to have that little half circle on there or you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s an “e.”

Once that’s done, you will apply your transfer paper on top of the stencil film.  You can use a credit card to smooth it down getting all of the wrinkles out.  Then lift off the transfer paper and the stencil film should stick to it.  Again, make sure all of the letters and little inside pieces of letters are attached to the transfer paper.  Place it on the board and again use your credit card to smooth out the wrinkles.  Lift off the transfer paper and the stencil film should adhere to your board.  If all of this sounds too overwhelming or if you do not own a cutting machine, you can find tons of people on Etsy or other sites that will do all of this part for you.

Now you’re ready to paint the letters!!  I chose the color Ink Waverly Chalk Paint for my letters.  Using the make up sponge to apply your paint, dab or spounce the paint using the larger end of the sponge.  Dabbing or spouncing will help eliminate the chance of bleeding under the stencil.  Make sure not to use a lot of paint on your sponge, less is better and you can always do a second coat if you feel it’s necessary.

After you’ve got the coverage you’re happy with, lift off the stencil film carefully making sure not to get any paint from the stencil on the board.  I like to lift my stencil off while the paint is still wet to eliminate any chance of the paint peeling off with the stencil.  After you remove the majority of the stencil, you’ll notice all those tiny little inside parts of the letter we talked about earlier.  Those will all need to be removed as well.  I used my Cricut weeding tool to remove them, but you can easily use tweezers, a straight pin, or anything with a sharp end.

And there you have it…doesn’t it look great!!

If you’ll notice, there is a space left open where the “O” in HOME should be.  I had a cute little greenery candle ring that I thought I would use for the “O”, but it seemed a little too big for that spot.  So…I got into my greenery stash and found a piece of lamb’s ear garland that I had left over from another project.  I cut off a piece I felt would be the right size for a little wreath and used floral wire to attach it together.  I cut a few pieces of the lamb’s ear off of the remaining piece of garland and hot glued them into the areas I felt could use a little more to make the wreath look fuller.  I think it turned out perfect.

As far as attaching the wreath to the sign, I didn’t want to make this permanent.  I thought it would be great to change it out from season to season.  So…I used one of these Quick Hanging Wall Hooks that just pushes right into the board.  No tools needed and it worked perfectly.  I purchased these awesome hooks on Amazon as well.

And there you have it…one super cute sign that’s sure to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable in your home.  If you’re not following me on this blog, please subscribe today.  All you need to do is provide your email address and you will be notified of any new posts on my blog to help you transform your house into a home you love.

Blessings,

Dina

How’s everyone handling this crazy time in the world today?  I’m choosing to focus on the blessings during this quarantine.  One of which is that I’ve been able to spend more time at home doing what I love…crafting!!  Another thing I love is organizing…which led me to this project my son and I tackled.  There’s just something about everything being in it’s place, neat and orderly that just makes me happy!!

My poor son, who some of you know, is a senior this year.  To say this year has ended in such a disappointing way is an understatement.  Again though, I’m trying to focus on the blessings during this difficult time and praying the schools will try to honor the seniors in some way with a graduation ceremony.  I’m so grateful that my basketball loving son was able to complete his final year of high school basketball before this virus hit.  He’s played some form of organized basketball since the age of 3 and has collected a large amount of trophies and medals along those amazing and fun 14 years.  However, the medals were just in a box on his closet shelf and honestly, I had forgotten all about them.

One day, I assume out of boredom, he decided to clean his room and get it organized.  HaHa!!  I had to ask him if he was feeling alright because this is definitely NOT the norm for him.  HaHa!!  This poor kid has not left this house in over a month now so you can imagine how he’s feeling.  During the cleaning of his closet, he found all of his medals and mentioned the desire to be able to display them rather than shoving them in a box in his closet.

I instantly started looking around the house for something that I could use as a display.  I remembered that I had purchased a shelf from one of our local stores in town, Factory Connection, that I planned on repainting some day.  I showed it to him and asked him if he thought it would work for what he had in mind.  So…operation “repurposed medal shelf” began!!

First thing I did was remove all of the hooks to prepare the board for repainting.  We used Waverly Chalk Paint from Walmart in the color Ink for the board which took two coats.  All of his furniture in his room is black so I felt that was a good choice to tie all of it together.  For the hooks, he decided to paint them white.  Again, this required two coats of paint too.

After allowing time for drying, it was finally time to put it all together.  This is the part I love…seeing your project come together!!  I used my drill to re-attach the hooks and it was finished!!!!

What a fun and easy project we were able to do together!!  Any time spent together with him is a winner in my book.  He’s growing up so fast and I know I won’t have many more opportunities like this so I’m cherishing every second of it!!

It’s my prayer that you will take this time to get back to doing the things that bring you joy!!  My one on one time with my son was special to me…and I would not have had that opportunity had we not been under this quarantine.  I would have been at work, he would have been in school…so again…I’m choosing to focus on the blessings during this uncertain time and this definitely was a blessing to me!

I hope I’ve inspired you to look around your home and use things you already have to repurpose and add to your home decor!!

Blessings,

Dina