Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so there is something you should know about me.  I collect stuff.  No, not like "hoarders" kind of stuff, though I am certain that is what the people on "Hoarders" say also...but small, memorable collections of significant items!  Heart rocks, for example, I collect heart-shaped rocks...and sea shells.  And, oh, I love projects!  I am sort of hopelessly hooked on taking on a variety of projects, in fact!  I have a room dedicated to those projects in my home.  Sadly, it is where some of those projects have gone to die!  Basically, what I just admitted to is that I collect projects?!
I am not alone in this addiction of never-ending projects.  I know I am not...pick any person on Pinterest and you will find an assortment of boards entitled "to-do" or "creativity" or "someday" or, my favorite, "when I have the time"!  And within those pin boards there are imaginative photos to take, slipcovers to sew, furniture to stain, crochet patterns to learn, books to read, stories to write, recipes to try (there are lots of those on Pinterest!), rooms to decorate, gardens to plant and parties to plan! 

What we crave, I am convinced, is not only the creative, but the time to dedicate ourselves to creative pursuits.  It makes us feel accomplished, alive and utterly unique!

So, it's Valentine's Day!  Happy day of love to all of you! 

Awhile ago I found a great little art project on a blog I love to stalk,  Deb Schwedhelm.   She is an amazingly creative woman and I am always finding inspiration in her words and in her art.  The first picture in the collage below is hers...a creation she made with her kids.  And, I loved it so much I decided to create my own!
So, every morning, for about a week, while I drank my coffee and watched the morning news programs (and yes, I like a little coffee with my cream!), I sat with scissors and old magazines and began cutting and collecting...letters.  Lots of letters!  At first, it was I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U...V's being the hardest to find, by the way.  And then, I decided to personalize my collage, with a few of my favorite quotes about love...and then a few special things we say to each other...  It was a LOT of cutting and a lot of sorting!  But kind of fun, like a scavenger hunt!
And then, on an old canvas I already had (a different project!) I began arranging and re-arranging, building a puzzle/collage...and then adhering the letters on with mod podge...line by line, section by section!  I do remember thinking, at one point, that I should've chosen a smaller canvas, but gradually, it filled in!  Then, layers and layers of mod podge...a canvas frame, I ordered online...and, in plenty of time for gift-giving on Valentine's Day...ta-da!!  Completion!!!!  It always feels good to complete a project!  Especially good because I made it for Mike for Valentine's Day...and he really liked it!  No, really, he DID! 
It's hanging in our bathroom now...fits perfectly on the wall over our tub (I think I originally bought that canvas for a project for that wall?!)...and it looks really nice...over my collection of seashells and rocks!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  You are loved!

(Oh, and stay tuned...I have another project completed that I am dying to tell you about...!)