Graduation gift....

Happy Friday Everyone!  I'm sorry I've been a little absent this week with new projects.  I have several projects in the works and have been super busy with the five puppies.  They are six weeks old now and are taking more of my time after work.  I have two families coming this weekend to take a look at them.  Then Monday is Vet day for their first set of shots. 

I want to share the one project I did get completed this week.  My cousin Jill's daughter is graduating from college today!  Yeah!  Emily is extremely intelligent and sweet and funny and I just love being around her and her family.  So I made this sign for her.  I thought it was an appropriate saying for graduation.  In case you can't read it (I apologize for the pictures, I was in a hurry to get it wrapped and delivered to my mom who went to the graduation, when I realized I didn't take any pictures)  it says, "To Strive, To Seek, To Find and Not To Yield."  Lord Alfred Tennyson.  It is my favorite quote from Tennyson's poem Ulysses.

 When I asked my cousin about colors for Emily, she gave me a list that included a dough color (tannish grey) and of course orange.  Which she said just like that.  So I went with the orange for the top color.

 I first painted it a grey color, then a different orange color and hated it.  So I repainted it with a tan grey color that I mixed.  Then I mixed this orange color.  When I went to sand it off to reveal the grey I again hated it.  So I repainted it the tan grey that I mixed and then dry brushed the orange that I mixed.  Then did a little light sanding and finally I liked it.

I didn't have as much trouble picking the font.  I pencil sketched the font on and painted it black.  And of course I wasnt' happy with it, but I wasn't going to start all over, so I added the white shadow and finally I was happy.  Then I added in black the author's name at the bottom and then I walked away from it.  I tried not to look to critically at it for fear that I wouldn't like it and would want to start over.  I have a tendency to do that sometimes.  But I really do like the way it turned out and I hope that Emily does too.  And Congratulations Emily!  I wish I could have been there, but I had to work and I couldn't leave the puppies.  So I'm hoping that they took lots of pictures and my mom and dad will fill me in on it when they get back.  Thanks for stopping by!