I love my Willow Tree nativity. In New Mexico, the plant ledge in our living room was a good place to display it. In Arizona, there was no place for it. In Colorado, there were a couple of plant ledges that worked well… except they were up so high, it took wheeling the entertainment center underneath them and setting the ladder on top, in order to reach. So, the cobwebs took over and that wasn’t so great.

I wasn’t sure there was a place to display it here in our house in Texas, then I thought of this…

The mantle is perfect. There was a large picture hanging above it, but that never did fit the space right. So, I thought vinyl wall art would be a great alternative. I searched online, and found the names of Jesus in the shape of a cross. Not all of them, there are a lot! But some.

It arrived Monday, and I could hardly wait to put it up!

And then I realized how impossible that would be with our ladder. The ceiling is vaulted, and that space is really, really high! So we went out to the storage shed, and brought in the big ladder. Which, it turns out, is an extension ladder. So that was no good. The thing was tall enough, but no way would that be safe. Believe me, I thought that through about fifty different ways. Not only would it be dangerous–and I will not intentionally sacrifice my life for the sake of decorating–it would also result in a crooked application.

But I really wanted that hung on the wall. I really, really did! It was so perfect, the names of Jesus, many of which are in the song “Unto Us a Child is Born,” above the nativity, well, I really wasn’t willing to give up. I wasn’t willing to rent a bigger ladder or buy one either, any more than Brad would be willing to cart one home in his truck. I didn’t bother asking.

Constructing a cross on which to apply the vinyl wall art was the solution. A big cross, 46″ X 33″, to be precise. But what to build it with? Wood would be too heavy and require cutting and sanding, and who wants to bother with that when there are books waiting to be written? Then I remembered the puppet theater Em and I made when she was in American Heritage Girls. Foam Board worked great for that, and it would work great for this.

Yesterday after my BSF class and fellowship with my group, which was awesome, I went by Hobby Lobby.

Three foam boards, an x-acto knife, one yard of pearlescent vinyl faux-leather fabric, a couple of bottles of mod-podge, a yardstick, the vinyl wall art, a marker, painter’s tape, and a plan, and it was time to get to work.

I probably spent more time measuring, than I did anything else. The foam board was 40″ long, not the desired 46″. In addition to that, I wanted an entirely flat surface, which meant no attaching the horizontal section in front of, or behind, the vertical. So I cut all the pieces, then pieced them together, creating three layers. Where the pieces join differs from one layer to another, which provides stability to the cross. Painter’s tape not only held the layers together, but also provided a smooth edge.

After cutting the vinyl fabric to fit the foam board cross, the mod-podge bonded the two together. Although the vinyl fabric was bent and wrinkled  beforehand, I smoothed it out, and the mod podge kept it that way.

It dried surprisingly fast, probably because the back of the vinyl was incredibly fuzzy. Within a couple of hours, it was possible to measure and apply the lettering.

This was perhaps the hardest part. Measure, measure, and measure again. The words aren’t exactly balanced, so arranging it wasn’t easy.

The foam board provided a sturdy, solid surface for the lettering, and they adhered a lot better to the pearlescent vinyl than they would the textured wall. I know this, having installed wall art before. These letters are stuck so tight, they might as well be painted on. I didn’t apply mod-podge over them. There was no need. They aren’t going anywhere, unless the cross goes with them.

In order to give the cross a shadow effect when placed on the wall, I glued together squares of leftover foam board and then glued two of those to the back of the cross. Using Command picture-hanging strips, it easily attached to the wall with the assistance of our ladder.

It turned out as good as I could have hoped for! I’m so pleased with it.

The project took about ten hours, including drying time for the decoupage. The rest of it was spent measuring, cutting, piecing, taping, and applying, but the finished product is worth it. Because this, is exactly what I wanted.

Or, I guess what I wanted was to apply the wall art to the wall. But this, is so much better! I’m glad plan A didn’t work out, because otherwise there would be no plan B.

This reminds me of all the times I’ve had a plan A that didn’t match God’s.  He doesn’t always give me what I want, but He always gives me what I need, even if it’s something I don’t want, and everything always works out for His glory, and my good, just like He knew it would.

What does any of this have to do with writing? Absolutely nothing, other than keeping me from writing a single page yesterday! “Failure to Engage” is on page 339, and I’m getting back to it now.

Happy reading!