...sharon the builder...

Hey, dad! Look what I built!

Andy and I bought this beautiful antique map last year in the hopes of framing it and putting it on our bedroom wall. There's something thrilling about a map. All those places, each unique and beautiful in it's own way. I want to see it all! We'd like to keep track of all the places we have been and all the places we want to go, with pictures and other memorabilia surrounding it. Last summer I took it to a local framing store and was completely taken aback at the cost. I even had a coupon! With it being so far out of our price range, I decided to start investigating other alternatives.

I decided the best thing would be for me to build a simple frame myself, and I really felt I could do it. But as the months passed, and I couldn't map it out visually in my mind, the map and the wood pieces were relegated and hidden in the second bedroom out of sight. When my adventure for today fell through, I decided it was time to do this thing!

So this afternoon I dug around our storage area for a miter saw (notice how it's powered only by my muscles!) I pulled out the tape measure and took many, many measurements. I screwed up the measurements. I got frustrated and stopped for a while. I ate lunch. I refused to give up. I looked up a video on YouTube. I figured out what I had done incorrectly. I fixed my mistakes. I went to the local hardware store and sought directions for the next step. I bought the suggested product. I went home and glued it all together. I laid it out on the patio and, as I brushed on the stain, the glued pieces began to break apart. I sighed and re-glued them to the best of my ability and finished the stain. I waited the appropriate amount of time for the stain to sink in (while painting my own nails, I might add) and then I wiped it all off. Then, I rushed off to work. When I got home from work today, I picked up my frame and laid it against the retaining wall...and it looks great! (though it was dark outside.) 

What a learning experience! I learned that I get a little too excited too quickly and jump head first into a project before I know exactly what I'm doing. I learned that if I don't do that, I hesitate until I'm confident it will all be perfect (which is never - that's why this has been on my to-do list for a year.) I learned that errors can be corrected and it's not the end of the world. I learned that I don't have to give up in the middle or throw in the towel when I make a mistake, and that even if it's not perfect, I'm going to love it! 

And I learned that I can build a giant picture frame by myself with my bare hands! My dad would be so proud!

Is there something that you need to get done? What's holding you back?