EVER HAVE ONE OF those WEEKS?

I have a super awesome friend.  My BFF (yes, I'm in my very late 30's and I still say BFF), Kelly, has known me since Kindergarten and we were inseparable throughout middle school and high school.  This chick knows EVERYTHING about me....like all the stuff that seals your friendship forever because she would be too dangerous to have as an enemy with all the material she could blackmail you with.. kind of everything.  I love her.

This is her with my little guy last summer.  She might kill me when she finds out that I posted a pic with her in a bikini....but then, maybe not.  She looks damn good!  I love this pic of her though, because she is laughing, probably snorting actually, and I think I love that most about her.  She loves to laugh.  So, she is a certified life coach and she has taken me on for FREE....I was psyched about that until I realized that she may be offering because she believes I need direction in my life...but that's okay too, I do.  Actually, I could use a cheerleader and whip-cracker, which she accomplished in our first session.  I accomplished two of the goals we set within four days.  I think if my husband found out about her power, he would use it towards me for evil.  Like, calling the insurance company.  

I wanted to make her something really special.  A thank you gift, if you will, for being my friend for so long and putting up with me and offering me guidance through a time where I'm not sure which way to go.  Kelly has the strongest faith of anyone I know.  Her daily Facebook statuses can really lift me up and put things in perspective.  Most of the time I think she puts them there just for me....see, that's my ego...that's why she deserves an award just for admitting that she knows me :)  I decided to make her a sign. 

This is one of my Ikea boards.  It had a hole right in the middle, so I added some spackle, let it dry, then sanded it down.

I put on a coat of vanilla craft paint.

A coat of mustard yellow.

Finally, a coat of aqua that I darken with a walnut brown.  I was not careful with the paint because it didn't matter what was showing through since I wanted an old sign look.  My friend, Sarah B. and I were playing with her Silhouette (or Silly, that's what I named her) and printed out a saying in vinyl.  It didn't really work out how we thought (those are tricky when you're just beginning!) so I used it as a stencil.

 

Unfortunately, I don't love it.  Heck, I don't think I even LIKE it.  I'm digging the layers of paint, but the script is too dainty and doesn't match the colors.  Boo.  So, this morning, I tried again.  Here are the materials and steps:

I used, well, tried, the mad podge transfer technique.  I've tried this before and I'm never really happy with it, but this time was okay.  Afterward, I decided that it needed more, so I added the corner details.  

Once again....don't love it.  It actually looks better in person.  Maybe it will grow on me.  This is how my week has been going....it seems like everything I try doesn't come out how I want it to and it's a little discouraging.   I won't give up though!  Craft paint can't keep me down!  

BUT, right now I'm off to the hair salon with Haley.  Tonight's PROM!  Her senior prom...sad face...  

Have a beautiful Saturday everyone,

Libby :)