A green tree in my heart

My sister is coming to my house later this afternoon, so that gave me some motivation to bring some “spring” into my home.  The Valentine’s stuff went down probably 10 days ago, but nothing had replaced it.  I’m sure that never happens to you!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I came across this wall hanging in a store:

(You can find it online at Chez Renee.)

The quote is a Chinese proverb:  “Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.”

It spoke to me!

The problem? On sale it was about $170.  <cough, cough>

So I decided to make my own!

I bought a great big bundle of wood lathe at Home Depot.  You could buy individual pieces for 55 cents/each, or the bundle for about $12.  The funny thing was—the lathe isn’t by the other wood; it’s over by the concrete stuff. Obviously I don’t know what wood lathe is SUPPOSED to be used for!

I used pieces of lathe to make a frame with a support bar running through the middle, and then used my pneumatic stapler to attach 20” pieces across the front.

I stained the whole thing, and then used my Silhouette to cut letters out of vinyl and apply them to the wood.  Then I painted over the whole thing—first with Heirloom white spray paint, but then with touches of acrylic paint in cream and green.  I removed the vinyl, so the letters are actually in stained wood.  Finally I distressed and glazed the whole thing.

I don’t know exactly what my version cost—but it was a LOT less than $100!

I dressed up my vintage European canning jars with some moss, eggs, and flowers, and added a little bird to the display for fun.  It seems to bring a little sunshine into the house!

Do you have a green tree in your heart?

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Linking up here:

Coastal Charm’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesday	Elizabeth & Co.
Domestically Speaking’s Countdown to Spring	Censational Girl
	No Minimalist Here’s Open House Thursday
Friday Remodelaholic	2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday	Mod Vintage Life
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Primitive & Proper	I Heart Naptime
Beyond the Picket Fence’s Under $100 Party	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	{Primp}
Simply Klassic Sundays	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	It’s So Very Cheri
Common Ground	{aka} design