Nothing's gonna change my world...

As promised, here is "day 2" of my FULL WEEK of home improvement projects:

As you may have seen a little while ago, I posted about my new turquoise desk. I bought it on KSL.com for $40 and then painted it aqua blue. I love it, and practically live in that little corner of my living room now. Here is what that corner has looked like lately:

Cute desk, but kinda empty otherwise.
SO,
When the hubs brought home a pile of construction wood that got dumped on his paintball field {Thank you "illegal disposers of construction waste"... whoever you are.} I decided it was time for a home-made wall art project!

So I:

1. Painted the board gray.

2. Printed letters in "Bulletin Typewriter" font and then laid the printed letters over old book papers and cut out letters. This was a "cricut-less" endeavor, so I saved about $200 bucks cutting it by hand, and it only took about 30 minutes. Plus, I watched Pawn Stars while cutting them out, so technically, it wasn't like "work" at all!

3. I used Moge Podge to glue the letters onto the board and also to do a glossy, sealed coat over the top of everything.

4. Using different patterns of scrapbook paper, I cut out strips to make the word "change." {And no, my poster is NOT a shout out to the Obama campaign...in fact, the meaning of this art work is just the opposite.}

5. We hung it up. It is quite massive, and therefore quite HEAVY! We used a bracket kit that we bought for a couple of dollars at Home Depot.

And, voila!  That's it!

  A few years ago, I saw a very simple painting with this saying on it, and put it in my memory bank as something I'd like to have in my own home someday.

"Across the Universe" has always been a favorite song of mine, and I LOVE the personal meaning this particular phrase holds for me. 

I'm sure everyone can interpret it differently, but for me, it is a wonderful reminder that

No matter how tumultuous the outside world becomes, I have the power to create a heaven within the sacred walls of my own home. 

It's a task that I don't take lightly, and, as a mother, I understand that I must diligently guard against any unwanted negativity at every turn. But it's a job I'm willing to do. Especially if it means that my family can have a healthy, loving, happy environment where we can learn and grow together.

I love the way that this is summed up by such a simple phrase set to such a simple melody. I now find myself humming it every day as I go about my work.
"Nothing's gonna change my world...
Nothing's gonna change my world..."

{So neener, neener, neener, cruel world. You can just get lost.}

Summary:
Board: Free
Paint: Already Had it.
Modge Podge: Already had it, and I still have a ton left over for other projects. 
I used about $1 worth for this particular project..
Book Paper: Free
Scrapbook Paper: $4
Hanging Kit: $3

Now I have a piece of 47x45 inch wall art for $8 out of pocket. Woo-hoo!

*Note: I know that it's all sorts of crooked and skeewompus and such, but that's how the painting was, and I loved it that way. Perfection is over-rated.