Wall Decor/The Story of Us
Getting excited with how the master bedroom is turning out! Each time something new is added it brings more life and character to the otherwise boring dark wall.
The idea to put something “meaningful” on the wall above our bed started a few years ago. I wanted something that would remind Jason and I of how our relationship started. Something to keep us going when life got stressful. Something to make us smile every time we walked in the room.
So, I wrote a short poem. Naturally, I hid the little piece of paper I scribbled it on from Jason for almost a year. Then I thought I lost it and panicked. Found it in a different spot a few months later (I’m guessing one of the kids helped me with there). At this point, I showed it to him and explained my plan of putting in on the wall. No idea what the vision was, just on the wall.
After that, I decided to type it up in a graphics program, because I wouldn’t lose it again! However, I didn’t look where the program was saving the file to annnddddd…yep…lost it again. Thankfully, Jason was able to find it for me. (And I learned a valuable lesson).
Various months later we came up with the idea for our headboard. Having that planned out, I could focus a little more on the poem again. I wanted it to look like it was painted on steel but didn’t want to mess around with hanging a steel plate from the wall and I wanted it to look distressed.
I went to Menards and got a thin piece of sheet metal. Then proceeded to bang on it with a few different types of hammers. That part was very cathartic. Then I spray painted it one color. Didn’t care for the solid look so I also took a lighter can of paint and sprayed in “blotches”. To finish it off I took a wire brush to the entire sheet. Overall it looked used and dirty. Perfect!
A separate piece of thin particle board served as the “inside” of the metal. I centered the sheet metal on it and folded/curled the edges around it. Some quick work with the miter box, sander, Kreg Jig and wood stain and the wood border was done. The metal was attached to the wood via carriage screws.
Jason helped me get the stencil ready using the laser cutter at his work. That thing sure comes in handy. Maybe one day we’ll have one in the garage! It took a while to put the stencil and all the drop-outs in place. Once that was done, I started painting. Simple acrylic paints offered lots of color options and easy cleanup. I started with an off-white color and then did a thin layer of white on top.
The flower arrangements on either side were done by my awesome mother in law. As crafty as I can be in some areas – this is not one of them! I’ve tried to do them in the past and ALWAYS end up having her fix them. The color inspiration came from a pair of bedroom slippers I just loved. No judging please!
The mason jars were painted with a few neutral colors and sanded to get the worn look. The boards behind were stained the same color as the poem boards. The jars are mounted to the board and wall using a hose clamp with a hole drilled in it. I was SUPER close to needing different hose clamps since I didn’t account for the depth of the screw. But we made it work.
I love how it looks. The walls now have something, but there’s enough space in between everything that it’s not crowded or overwhelming. Now if I could just get those nightstands done!!! (I have worked on them since my last post, just so you know.)
P.S. – Bonus Reading: Here’s how Jason and I met!
Once upon a time, there was this boy…just kidding! In my early twenties, I got involved with a group of guys who autocrossed cars. (You can thank mom for that – seriously!) The clubs we raced with met in the Miller Park Stadium parking lot. It was a great way to hone my driving skills, learn new things, build confidence, and meet new people.
There was always a plethora of various cars; however, I tended to like the ones with loping cams, deeper exhaust, and a turbo (much different from a super-charger in case you were wondering). Compared to the automatic Toyota Echo I had at the time; pretty much anything was faster and snazzier.
After a few weeks, I settled into a group of guys that raced mainly Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions (Evo) with some Subaru WRXs and various Hondas sprinkled in. My dream of owning a souped-up race car was lived vicariously through rides in their cars or getting the chance to drive them!
Little did I know there was a guy named Jason who recently got an Evo/moved to the area. His coworker took him to watch an autocross event. I’m not sure how many he attended, but eventually he got connected to the same group of guys. We saw each other around, had surface conversations, and went to the some of the same hangouts.
I must confess, I did have a “crush” on him (and he had the fastest Evo for the least amount of money – yay craftiness) but didn’t want to assume anything and/or make things awkward. It was probably mutual judging from a few looks I saw coming my way over time, but again, I was a chicken. We continued to see each other in groups and chat, but nothing ever formulated. He even went to the drag strip with me the first time I tried that and we shared a Dairy Queen heath blizzard on the way home, but still nothing (I know – that was kind of date material – was it not?!?).
At one autocross event, I found myself sitting on one of the grassy medians watching the other heats. It was a pretty beautiful day out, things were going well, and soaking up some sun led to some peaceful moments. I vaguely recall someone coming up behind me, but no one said anything, so I just kept watching. Next thing I know there’s this tickling sensation in my ear. I swatted at whatever it was and continued to watch the racing. A few seconds later I felt it again and proceeded to swat again.
The third time I turned around, and wouldn’t you know, there was Jason with an impish grin on his face. And he was holding a long piece of grass with a fluffy seed head on it. After laughing we ended up chatting for a while until it was time to go. We continued the dance of “hey friend, I like you as more than a friend, but am afraid to say anything, so you can be my flirting friend, and we’ll hang out all the time” for several months (like almost 7ish – not that I was counting)! As you’ve probably figured out, we’re married now, so things worked out okay once we became an “official couple”!
And that is where the line “One single blade” in the poem on the wall came to be!
