I’m not good at thinking outside the box. No, really, I’m not. I’m a mathematical/engineering/scientific thought-type person. I’m not an artist. I think things should follow step by step instructions. There should be procedures and guidelines and if I haven’t seen it before, it’s hard for me to envision.
I have a good friend from work (who is the coolest because he saves the good pallets at work for me :)) who recently challenged me to think outside the box. In return for all the pallets he gets me, he asked if I’d make him something for his front door. Me, being the logical thinker that I am, thought “ok, cool. Front door…he must want a wreath…because that’s the only thing people put on the front door, right?” Nope, that isn’t true.
“What kind of wreath do you want?”
“I don’t want you to spend any money on it. Make me something with what you’ve already got.”
“Well I’m out of wreath supplies so I’d have to buy something to make you a wreath.”
“Then don’t make a wreath. Make something else.”
What?! What else would anyone hang on the front door?
Ok so now I’m limited to a $0 budget and I can’t make a wreath. So I thought and thought and finally made this:
Pretty neat, right? I super LOVE it!
I had some pallet wood laying around, so I didn’t have to buy any wood. And I had some chalkboard paint. And a mason jar. And some scrap ribbon. I cheated and bought S hooks and eye screws (I think the technical term is circle thingys that screw into wood haha), and a hose clamp. Less than $3. I didn’t happen to have those on hand already.
I think it’s a little outside the norm…I mean a chalkboard, mason jar, burlap ribbon, and a monogram all in one project! Whoa! Now combining all that together is thinking outside the box! Well, not really too far out of the box…but it’s a big step for me!
Now that that’s done, I think I’d like one myself 🙂 I’m thankful for friends who challenge me. However silly those challenges may be, they make me grow a little more every day.
