"Life is Beauty Full" - A Perfectly Imperfect Handpainted Sign

I saw this saying a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head.

"LIFE IS BEAUTY FULL."

Source: crate.typepad.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Something about the words stuck with me and I just fell in love with it. I've been wanting to use them somewhere in my home but I couldn't decide where. Then I found a piece of wood in my garage and thought it would be perfect for the spot above my dining room hutch, which was in desperate need of some refreshing since decorating it last year.

Only, I cannot paint. I mean painting pretty little pictures and words with a little bitty brush is just not my thing. Partly because I get impatient, and partly because my hands just aren't steady enough. However, I thought I'd try my hand at it.

I first tried painting it white with black writing, but I didn't like the way it turned out, so instead of waiting until the next day when I could sand it down and repaint it, I just painted over it with black before it was even really dry, with yielded a beautiful deep, dark grey. See? Impatient.

I took a brush and dipped it in the creamy white and just started painting the words while the gray was still a little wet.

As soon as it was dry I attached eye hooks and twine and hung it above the hutch. I'll be the first to admit, it felt a little like a project fail.

When I started writing this post, it was pretty much just to share my failed project, but while searching for a meaningful quote to add, I came across an article titled "How to Find Beauty in Life."

"We often get inundated with our To-Do lists, or get caught up in the drama of things that aren't really important. Realizing that beauty exists in every moment is possible; it simply takes a way of seeing things a bit differently."

I imagine there are a lot of people who wouldn't dare show you this painting, and I highly doubt it will be featured anywhere, but that's OK. It's a constant reminder to find the beauty, to look for it and anticipate it, because real beauty is everywhere. This handpainted banner in my dining room will no longer be a reminder of an epic fail, but it will serve as a reminder to stop, breathe, and just be present. 

The next time you start thinking that your life is "blah" (because that's where I've been lately), I hope you'll remember this:

"Realize that beauty can be found in the most mundane. Beauty is not always realized through a life-changing moment or a great epiphany. It’s not always hidden in a rainbow, or found skydiving at 5,000 feet above the ground. Beauty is often found through looking into a newborn’s eyes, in the blooming of a flower, or in paint peeling off an old fence. It’s often where you least expect it."

Even in a perfectly imperfect, (really badly) handpainted sign.

Happy Monday my friends!

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