Belated Valentine

I planned on sharing this on Friday but the Friday the 13th Plague struck our 10-year-old and we are just getting back on our feet today.

We are not Valentine's Day haters but we don't go all out for Valentine's Day either. We know that it is tough to buy for each other and in our house spending money on each other really isn't a gift. If one of us truly needs something, we just buy it when we need it. It works for us....

We always do something special for our daughter because it is important to show love as a family an she is so easy to make happy.

This year I did try to throw together an *it's the thought that counts* gift. It was as much something for me as it was for anyone else because I have been slowly working on a gallery wall and I wanted something new to add to it.

So...as usual....I am seeing *penny art* on Pinterest.  I decided to just gather pennies with dates from our birth years and frame them. Easy peasy. One search through the pile of change my husband leaves on the dresser gave e exactly what I needed. The pennies were very tarnished and I read that putting them in vinegar and salt for a few HOURS would shine them right up. I didn't want them to be perfectly shiny but by the time I put them in salt and vinegar and came back with the camera to take pictures, they were well on their way to shiny. Oh well..

I had an unused 3-section frame in my frame collection already and some various leftover cardstock from my scrapbooking days. I liked the dark gray the best so I trimmed it to fit the frame and started thinking about how to center and fasten the pennies. Finally after getting a headache with the tape measure I just decided to eyeball it. I removed the glass and glued the pennies to the cardstock using the frame as a guide. The first attempt was a big FAIL! I used way to much glue and it all squished out leaving no way to reposition the penny without making a bigger mess. The second time I just used a dot of glue and I had more wiggle room. The pennies aren't perfect but they are good enough for me!

Tada!!

I will add this to my not so perfect gallery wall of photos that hang in our stairway. It is slowly growing into the vision that I have!