Manzanita Framed

Justin and I went hiking and "piddlefartin'" above Shaver Lake late last year when the snow had just started sprinkling on the ground for the winter. There were weathered manzanita branches everywhere and my heart leapt at the sight of them! I knew they would be perfect for a project, I just wasn't sure what {an awful feeling, I tells ya!}

They have been sitting in a bucket in our backyard since then getting even more weathered and I felt bad that I couldn't come up with anything special for using them. It's absolute torture to have a passion for creating, the supplies and the means to do it with, and yet no inspiration. But I think the most painful part is having your husband stare outside and ask dryly, "When are you going to do something with those?" Ask the Muses that one, honey! And let them know I'm looking for them!

Well anywho, I had to clean out my old bedroom at my dad's house and I acquired a whole grip of picture frames. It was a bittersweet day, like he was breaking up with me but giving me lots of great craft supplies to dull the pain {side note: I've been out of my dad's house for almost four years...but I can't say it doesn't hurt that he's moving on from me, ha!}.

So I made this frame after sanding it down, priming with Kilz spray, and painting with aqua acrylic paint {which I don't recommend doing because it's so thick}. I inserted a pretty scrap piece of paper and hot glued a manzanita branch. This is how it looked when I put it up on the wall...





It made my heart pitter patter but after a few minutes of gushing over it, I felt like it was incomplete and kind of bland {does that ever happen to you, fellow crafter/artist? Sucks, don't it?!}. Justin really liked it but even he said it was missing something.

So I thought "What could complete this?" Well, what completes me? My husby, of course! Hence the yellow heart and "j&d"...