I Am A Daughter of God

 Do you ever have those days?  You know...

Maybe you didn't get all the laundry done.  The house isn't as clean as you would like it to be.  The baby cries whenever you put him down.  You want to just lie down and sleep the day away, but instead you are awake and irritable.

I know.  I have them too.  And I am way too hard on myself during and after one of those days.  Sometimes I feel like a complete failure.  

Life is hard sometimes most of the time.  It's supposed to be.  But, sometimes "those days" turn into weeks and sometimes months and even sometimes "that year."  It can be a struggle during those lows in life to find happiness and find strength to keep trudging on.

Sometimes we all need a little reminder of who we are and what we can do.

It started with this.

I found it on Pinterest (where I spend far too much of my awake time) and I felt inspired.  Click here for the link to Tales of the Scotts.  She redid this dresser for her daughter's room as a reminder.  It is a beautiful reminder.  

My mom used to sing songs to me before I went to sleep.  The song "Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God" stands out in memory as one she sung to me frequently.  Click here if you want to hear the song.

It got me thinking that even though I am grown now, I am still a daughter of God and that is important for me to remember every day as well, especially if I want to teach my kids of their worth.  

I am a Daughter of God...But what does that mean?  What makes me a Daughter of God?  It is who I naturally am.

So...the first thing I did was get on Facebook (logical, right?) =)  I have reconnected with so many friends there...some who have known me since I was little.  I asked my friends to describe me in one word.

If you are going to do this, I absolutely recommend asking the people close to you to describe you.  It will boost your self-esteem greatly!  My friends overwhelmed me with kind words.  It was a great day!

Then, I made sure to ask my mom for some words...and also my husband.  Then, I asked myself for words.

This is a very important step.  If you are going to do this, please make sure to collect words that you feel are accurate in describing you and I would recommend using prayer when choosing the words you will use.  Make it as true to you as you can; it is your reminder.

Once I had gathered my words, I got a blank canvas.  I used an 11 x 16 cheapy one from Walmart and it worked perfectly.  

First, paint the whole thing one color.

This will be the color of your words, so I would recommend not using a color you have to mix just in case you need to touch things up later.  It is hard to match a mixed color (the mix doesn't always match!)

Let it dry thoroughly...probably overnight depending on how thick your paint is.

Now, cut out your words.  I used contact paper and my happy Silhouette and I used a different font for each word.  

But I didn't take a picture of it, so...I guess you have to imagine my Silhouette cutting out all those great words!

Once I had all the words cut, I arranged them on my canvas, making sure to leave a little room at the top for "I am" and more room at the bottom for "a daughter of God".

It's kind of hard to see because the contact paper is clear, but, trust me, it's there.

Once they are stuck on, make sure they are stuck on firmly.  You want to try and prevent as much bleeding as you can.  It's still going to happen, but still try.

Now, you can mix that paint.

I used my original color and then added a darker one to it.  (You will, by the way, need a lot more than that.)  Use whatever color you want, though; just make sure it doesn't blend in too much with the original color.  Once you pull the contact paper off, you'll want to be able to see the words.

So...paint over the entire canvas, stickers and all...

and let it dry.

This is where it might get a little hard to wait because it's all coming together and it's going to look awesome!  

But wait...

make sure it is dry.  

You don't want to smear it.

Ok...now that it is dry, peel off those letters.

(The Xacto knife makes all the difference here.)

I told you it would bleed.  But don't worry, it can be fixed.  Just use a fine paintbrush and your original color to touch up the edges.  (This is a nice project to do when you are catching up on Survivor online...or Once Upon A Time!  Have you seen that one?  It's my new favorite.)

For the words that look like this, don't panic!  

I just painted over the entire letter with my original color.  I really liked the effect.

There.  Now let it dry.

Again.

While it is drying, pull out your Silhouette (or Cricut, or Xacto knife and stencil) and cut out the words "I am" and "a daughter of God".  

O comes running whenever I pull the Silhouette out.

I'm starting her young.

Anyway, once the paint is dry, place your vinyl and...

You're done!

Isn't she sweet?

Here's a close up.

And O insisted on taking a picture of me holding it, so...

There you go!

Remember who you are...remember you are important and you are loved.

Remember it every day, not just the bad ones.

And, hey!  If you make one, I'd love to see it.

Have a beautiful day!

--Sarah

I will be linking up to these parties!