Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an announcement to make...

I EARNED MY FIRST POINT!  That’s right!!  Do you remember that scoreboard over there on the sidebar?  Do you remember this explanation for that scoreboard over there?  Well, after months and months and MONTHS (ok, a slight exaggeration, but only SLIGHT, it’s been four months-ish) I can now claim victory over the frame failure!  Oh, the glory!  The high!  The abysmal embarrassment at the length of time it took to win this battle!

You may remember this frame incident.  It was the very first DIY project that I blogged about.  It kicked my butt.  Seriously.  Kicked me right to the curb.  You can read all about that here.  Or just take my word for it.  It wasn’t pretty.  I ended up wounded on the sidelines, nursing my injuries (two blood blisters and some crushed pride). 

The frame collage ended up laying there on the garage floor for weeks and weeks.  Literally - no exaggeration this time.  Every time I passed it, I could hear it laughing at me.  And when both cars were in the garage, I couldn’t pass by it.  I had to climb OVER it.  That was practically debilitating in its humiliation.  It chuckled.  It winked.  It waved and basked in its glorious win.

Finally, I had had enough.  I picked the darn thing - every last piece - and carried to the basement so I could work on it.

And there it sat.  

For weeks.

And weeks.

Sigh.  

It was even worse than in the garage.  Every time I went to do laundry, it taunted me.  Every time I wanted to craft, it teased.  Every time I tried to sew, there it was - ridicule written over every square angle.

And now that it was in the house, I could feel its presence - even when I was nowhere near it.  It was like a poltergeist that refused to be banished.

Until one day, I decided to tackle that frame once and for all.  I was super eager to get it up on my wall with come cute pictures of the kids.

I knew nails weren’t going to cut it.  Then I reread my initial post and smiled at my reference to the glue gun.  Wait.  The glue gun... 

So I did it.

I glue gunned my frames together.  And it totally worked.  Then I had to set it aside until the photos I’d edited and ordered came in the mail.

It held together for all of ONE DAY.

When I went downstairs to sew, I discovered it in pieces, once again - parts of it laying willy nilly all over the floor.  

The torment I endured from the frame at this point was almost too much to bear.  It was cocky.  After all, it had just conquered me with ease - TWICE.

And then I discovered gorilla glue.

Some squirts from this bottle,

a couple dozen of these clamps, 

and voila!

The finished frame!

(I had only one casualty.  A frame that was much to flimsy in the first place.  It ended up in the garbage in four pieces.)

I popped in the pictures that had been waiting around and had to ask mr to help me carry it to the bedroom and mount it.  We used those velcro picture hanging strips from 3M.  Mr said he didn’t think they’d hold, but at that point, I didn’t really care.  All that mattered was that the frames were glued together, and gosh darn it, they were staying that way.

I was giddy.  I did a triumphant “I won” dance.  I was NOT going to let that frame hear the end of it.  Who did it think it was, messing with me?  I showed that frame who was boss!

I stepped back to survey my handy work, with a “look who’s laughing NOW, frame!” look on my face.  I continued to survey.  My smile fell and my arrogance vanished.  When all was said and done, I didn’t much like the collage frame.

I know.  What is my problem??  I fought tooth and nail for this triumph, and in my moment of victory I decide the whole project is crap???

Pretty much.  None of the frames are squared to each other.  I’m kind of ridiculous.  I should have used a square and a level.  But I was cutting corners.

I left it up anyway, because I thought it might grow on me.  

And I was right.  It HAS kind of grown on me.  It definitely isn’t perfect, but it’s still a triumph.  And it sure does show off some cute models.  My favorite parts are the covered buttons I used to embellish it, and the little name tags I made with the kid’s names.

So take that frame.  I kicked your trash.  That’s right.  I OWNED you.  (And now I have one point.  Yea!) 





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