Just before Christmas I received a phone call from a great friend of mine, FAB. She was telling me about a really beautiful wooden box that she purchased for a mutual friend of ours, as a Christmas gift. She proceeded to tell me that while it was beautiful, it had a rather large crack in it. She was in need of some creative ideas.
To make the long story short, I convinced her that the crack gave the wooden box character and she should not try to hide it. She had the box engraved with the Swahili word, 'tumaini' which means, "to hope", "to expect", "to believe." Additionally, she had the reference, Isaiah 55:12, engraved on it.
"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (ESV)
"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (ESV)
Photo by Hannah Grimes Photography
Photo by Hannah Grimes Photography
Photo by Hannah Grimes Photography
She also took my advice and decoupaged the inside of the box. I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out. She did such a good job bringing out the best qualities in the wood and adding a creative flare, all at the same time. :)
Photo by Hannah Grimes Photography
Photo by Hannah Grimes Photography
This is a great example of giving a meaningful gift. I guess you have to look at something sitting on a shelf and see potential in it. She took what others would think is a mediocre box with a crack in it to something spectacular. Not only did she put so much time in it and made it look so special, she knew that our mutual friend would cherish it.
As I have said before (in this post), take into account what your gift recipient likes and is interested in and tailor your gift to that. This gift was for our friend who will be leaving in a few short weeks to spend 3 months in Africa. You can read about her experiences in Africa here. Oh and by the way, she took these photos too!
I hope this inspires you! The three of us will be getting together this upcoming Saturday to do crafts!!! I am SUPER DUPER excited. Ha! There has been talk that decoupaging may be on the agenda. Hey! Maybe another tutorial will be on the blog before you know it!
FAB reads the blog, leave her some love!
Love,
Torrie Anderson
As I have said before (in this post), take into account what your gift recipient likes and is interested in and tailor your gift to that. This gift was for our friend who will be leaving in a few short weeks to spend 3 months in Africa. You can read about her experiences in Africa here. Oh and by the way, she took these photos too!
I hope this inspires you! The three of us will be getting together this upcoming Saturday to do crafts!!! I am SUPER DUPER excited. Ha! There has been talk that decoupaging may be on the agenda. Hey! Maybe another tutorial will be on the blog before you know it!
FAB reads the blog, leave her some love!
Love,
Torrie Anderson
