Be Brave....and it will all come together!

Sometimes it can take a while for a creative thought to transpire into something real.

That was definitely the case with one of our latest projects.

Back in February I decided it was time for all the beige to go!  I had beige walls, beige carpet, beige counter tops, beige tile....I was surrounded by beige!!!  And it was starting to get to me.  

So it was time for a change.  And I determined that GRAY was going to cure my beige blahs.

It took some time but I finally found "the one," that perfect shade of gray that had absolutely no beige in it whatsoever!  And in one particular weekend flurry the gray takeover took place.....well at least it took place in my living room, kitchen and hallway.

When it was all said and done, it was perfect, and I LOVED IT!!  It was just the change I needed to spruce up my tired space and make it feel new again.

After painting I determined that I needed to change up my decor as well....after all, what's the point of updating your space with painting if you're just gone rehang the same items in the same arrangement on the same wall, right??

I have a huge half wall in my kitchen.  It's a fairly awkward space and needs something quite large to look "filled."  I'm also a thrifty gal and never one to just go buy something from the store for the space.  Apparently I like to do things the hard way!! :)

So I spent a lot of time thinking and trying to figure out what would be fun, what would be inexpensive, what would be unexpected, and essentially, what would be ME for this space.

Nothing came at first.  I kept staring at that enormous empty wall with its pretty gray shade and NOTHING was coming to my head.  I poured over Pinterest and buried my head in magazines and old notebooks of ideas I've kept over the years....and nothing!  

So for months and months it sat!  Cuz I'm just kinda that way......I ain't gonna do something until I know it's exactly what was meant to be for that space!  Call it patience, call it laziness, call it craziness...in all honesty it's probably a combo of all those things!

Thankfully I was distracted by other obligations so I didn't have to stare at my wall too much.  I spent most of the spring and summer planning, preparing, and facilitating a girl's camp for our church.  With over 300 girls planning to attend I was consumed with creating a theme and activities and a week filled with inspiration that would somewhat find it's way to touch each of these beautiful young women's hearts.  Our theme focused on the concept of Being Brave and Following Your Own Arrow.  Each of these beautiful girls has a plan and a purpose, each of them will face their own challenges, trials, blessings and accomplishments in life.  We wanted them to focus on who they were as Daughters of God, and who they could become if they put their trust in Him!  What a wonderful camp it was!  And how much it touched me as I watched these girls bravely take on the challenges of the world they live in today with such faith, hope and bravery.

So the word Brave has been in my mind for some time now.  I have been thinking of it daily for the past year.  Once camp was over and I had a few weeks to get back into the swing of normal life, once again I was confronted with my huge blank, ugly wall.  It needed something!  But what was it???

Then it came to me.......it was something fun, it was something unexpected and different, I could obviously make it inexpensively, and it was ME!!  It had been me for the last year and was something I wanted to continue being reminded of.  So I had my answer....now just how to go about making it happen.

I looked around and found a few letters I already had in my stash.  I found some metal trim that would eventually become the V.  I painted my letters and they were super cute, but it still needed more.  I have an amazingly talented, creative, go-getter friend who I'm convinced can do just about anything!  And she happens to have a lots of saws and even more skills at cutting wood.  I knew I needed an arrow so I asked her if she could make me one....a 4 foot one to be exact!  And she did!!  And oh my goodness it was perfect!

And now I have the perfect wall decor!  I love it!  Not only is it cute, but it is unique and meaningful and fun!  So see....if you can just hold out and be brave, it will all come together just the way it's supposed to!


**At Ary Ann's Place we pride ourselves on never duplicating any of our designs and truly making one-of-a-kind pieces for one-of-a-kind customers, but if you are interested in something like this, we could surely work with you to create a focal piece that is unique and meaningful to you!  Just email us to get started if you are interested!**