:: Eagle Craft, Master & Nursery Re-do Part 2, & Paint Selection Services, etc ::

Parrish and I took one of our VBS craft ideas for a test drive yesterday and it turned out pretty cute, so I wanted to share.  

 You'll need:
-Blank drawstring backpack (these can be purchased on oriental trading.com) OR anything blank you'd like to decorate (Michael's and Hobby Lobby sell kid's and adult aprons, tote bags, canvases, etc)
-Fabric paint in brown, white, black and gold/yellow
-Paint pen in the color of your choice (I used brown)
-One large and one small paint brush
-Cardboard to place inside backpack to keep paint from bleeding through
-Some little hands willing to participate :)
-A nearby sink or lots of baby wipes to clean up in between hand prints

I started by inserting the cardboard and then writing "They will soar on wings like eagles...  Isaiah 40:31" on the back pack.

 Then I painted my willing assistant's right hand like so (avoiding the thumb)

 And had him press it down on the back pack to form the Eagle's left wing.

 Then in true Parrish form, my assistant decided he could paint his other (left) hand better himself, so he took care of that and then we placed that one on the back pack overlapping the first print to form the eagle's right wing....

 Like so.

To form the head, I had P make a fist with his right hand and I painted the pinky side white, then pressed it on top center of the hand prints.  For the tail feathers we painted his pointer, middle and ring finger, turned the back pack upside down so it was easier to get to and had him press down.

For the eye I had him dip his pinky in black paint and dot it on the head.  I used a small paint brush to draw on the beak in gold (you could also use yellow).

It was a fun, quick project that we'll do at VBS in June but would also be fun to do at home or even in celebration of the 4th of July this summer.

In other news, the nursery and master are really coming along and I cannot wait to post the before and after pictures.  For now, here is a taste of what we've had going on around here.

 This is our new master bookcase (David Cherry is the genius who built this - I couldn't recommend him more - if you're looking for a super-talented carpenter who has the vision to make the seemingly impossible or out-of-the-box projects in your head come to life, call me and I will give you his number)

With the fabulous Zona Merchant's help, Cannon and I are almost finished with our new king headboard that will slide into the middle of the bookcase.  All we've got to go is the addition of another row of railheads around the border.  (I should say here that I took a trip to Masco a few weeks ago to purchase a roll of the nailhead trim that is already connected and it has changed my life.  Instead of nailing in each head individually and agonizing over the placement and straightness of your row, you can just lay it on the headboard and eyeball it until it is straight, then you only have to nail in every 5th nail head to connect it.  If you mess up and you line gets off, it is easy to pry out the one culprit and reposition the whole strand of nail heads so that it is straight...genius!)  Zona is another one who is amazingly talented...she can sew just about anything you can dream up and help you figure out yardage.  (I have called her from the fabric store more times than I can count)  She has been a wealth of knowledge while we've been working on this headboard (not to mention she allowed us to use her huge work table to put the headboard together) so my pregnant back is still thanking her.

These are all terrible iPhone photos, so forgive the quality, but this is the antique bead board we've had installed in the nursery above the new trim band.  The walls are a pale blue-gray by BM called silent night  and the trim is BM Rock Gray.  The ceiling is a really great pea green called Oregano by BM.  This picture does not do the colors justice.  I promise to post better ones soon.

Recently I have been asked by several people to select paint colors for their homes, so I thought I would put it out there that I do, in fact, offer this service.  For $35 per room I will come to your house and discuss your goals, then select paint colors for your walls, ceiling and trim.  For those of you not in Birmingham, this can be done via email.  You can send me pictures of your room or room(s) and I can can put together a paint plan for you from afar and then email it to you.  Kitchens are $50 because this includes paint selection for the upper and lower cabinets as well.  I can also help with hardware and lighting selections for an additional fee.

If you have a home decorating project that would be suited to antique bead board on the walls and/or ceiling, I can also help you with that.  I can help you figure out how much you will need and work with you to select the appropriate color to have it painted and distressed in, then provide you that material as well as help in selecting the appropriate carpenter to hang it (in the Birmingham area).  Please email me at info@oliviacharlesantiques.com or use the contact us form on our website at www.oliviacharlesantiques.com to inquire about pricing for your project.

In addition to paint selection services, I am doing some design work as well.  If you would like help selecting fabrics for your room or a design plan for your entire room, I can do that too.  Please email me at info@oliviacharlesantiques.com for pricing.

In the next few weeks around here we'll start work on the living room bookcases with sliding antique doors to conceal the tv and I cannot wait to see it all come together (can you tell I am in a major nesting mode?)

And (I promise this is the last thing in this longest blog post ever) on a much more serious subject, I would like to ask you to please keep my brother Hunter in your prayers.  He recently joined the Army and is currently being trained to drive and operate the Husky Mine Vehicle, which saves soldiers lives by detecting the mines from the protection of an armored vehicle instead of the soldiers detecting them with handheld devices.  He will be deployed to Afghanistan in October and we are all praying fervently for his safety and time there.  He amazes me with his selfless bravery every day and we are all lucky that men like Hunter are willing to sacrifice of their time, talent, and energy to defend this country.

Although as a family we are all obviously worried about Hunter and would prefer that he not have to be deployed, I was reminded this morning in a caring bridge post by my friend Elliot's mom of Proverbs 16:9...The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

I am thankful to be in complete dependance on a God who guides our steps, even though the steps aren't always in the direction in which we planned in our hearts.  Jeremiah 29:11 promises us that the Lord has walked those steps before us because he knows the plans he has for us...plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us HOPE and a future.

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