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3.31.2018

Salvaged Cross Wall Art

easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
 as fun as the bunny ear napkins were in my last post, 
i couldn't let Easter go by without sharing much more meaningful content...

the cross in the photo above is a wood planting box, 
handmade by an artisan* who gifted it to me in a parking lot. yes, a parking lot. 
his truck was parked next to me at a local nursery, and he walked out as i was getting out of the car.

i complimented him on the two planters that he had in his hands - the cross and this heart
and he told me his good news, that he had just landed an account for them to sell his planters.
he smiled a mile wide - then he handed the planters to me. 
i was shocked and tried to refuse them, saying he didn't need to 'pay' me for the compliment.

and that young man said something profound to me that will be forever linked to this cross planter:

'hey, good news needs to be shared, and celebrated!'

 yes, yes it does. 
and on Easter weekend, i can think of no Good News better than that of the Cross.

that particular cross is now something i see every day in my home.
when i was creating a gallery wall arrangement, i grabbed the cross planter from the potting bench,
intending to include it in my decor. but it needed something more... and it became a project!

continue reading to see what i did with it!

i cut the black planting cloth open on the back side of the cross
and grabbed one of my old damaged books, tore out some of the pages,
crumpled them up, and stuffed them into the planter:
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
the tone of the paper is perfect for our decor and i love the texture it adds.

the book was an old childrens' Bible story book, so the words that show up as you look at the cross
reflect faith and hope and Jesus and redemption and resurrection.
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
it tells a story. i love it when art does that. and yes, it's art.
here's how it looks combined with other elements in our living room gallery wall arrangement:
gallery wall, wall art, reclaimed, salvaged, vintage, handmade, art, home decor
scrap paper wall art:
the 'arise' piece is something i hand painted,
on a base of vintage paper pieces glued in layers to a poster board backing.
that poster board is pinned to the canvas hanging on the wall,
making it easy to change out the look each season!

the wreath in the front entry got a one minute makeover with a cross i made... 
it looks like it's made out of scrap wood, doesn't it? it's not.
it's made of scraps of PAPER, glued to cardboard, tucked into the grapevine wreath.
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
yup. PAPER. one minute.

years ago, my late husband created some really amazing crosses using salvaged wood
and a very unique metal element that he bought dozens of at a recycling yard:
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
it took us a while to figure out just WHAT that metal element WAS, 
and once we did, well, the crosses took on even more meaning...
because that's a side handle from a casket.
easter, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood crosseaster, easter art, easter home decor, religious home decor, christian home decor, wood cross
 (i had to crop large, old images to get these detail shots, so they aren't very crisp, 
but you can see the stunning design of those crosses here.)

the cross is the symbol of Easter, and has become even more special to me than it used to be...
three years ago, my sweet Dad took his last breath here on earth the moment before sunrise
on Easter Sunday.
his next breath was in Heaven.

i can't imagine a world without Easter.
i can't imagine my life without my faith, my hope, my Jesus. 
and, as the song says, i can only imagine what it will be like to walk in Heaven one day
with my Dad and people i love ... and Jesus.

i wish you a blessed Resurrection Sunday, my friends. 
He is Risen!


shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #421


*sadly, the young man had no extra business cards on him and i do not know his business name.
but i'd bet if you go to Rogers' Gardens in Newport Beach, California,
you'll still find his handcrafted wooden planter boxes for sale!

6 comments:

  1. oh, I just love stuff like that ! Thank you for sharing the story. Blessings to you and the family for a beautiful Easter Day!

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    1. thank you, Miss Patty! May your Easter be blessed, as well!

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  2. What a great idea! Wishing you and your family a blessed, wonderful Easter. xo Diana

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    1. ah, thank you, sweet girl! have a blessed Easter with your family, as well!

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  3. Hi Debi, I've been a follower of yours for years and years. I love seeing your beautiful and creative ideas. I just wanted to stop by and say how much I love this post, thanks so much for sharing it with us. Have a blessed Easter!

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    Replies
    1. Miss Debra, thank you so much for your kind words! I've been following you for years, too, and always find inspiration in what you share.... so to hear that you found that in mine just lifts my heart <3 thank you and have a wonderfully Blessed Easter!

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