The Time I Got Manic and Painted Bean Bag Boards

As part of my yearly checklist to engage in activities that help get me into heaven, attending fundraisers is right there at the top. One of my favorite events is HollyDays, an annual affair held at the Beverly Arts Center that celebrates children with special needs.

Different booths offer all sorts of interesting and unique items.  There are also raffle prizes that leave me feeling quite covetous.  My favorite item last year was a set of mini bean bag boards for kids.  I put $20 worth of raffle tickets into the pot in hopes of winning them.

Because I don't do enough to get to heaven, I lost. 

Yet when I was talking to my brother-in-law John after the event, I found out that he was the one who had actually made them!  Sufferin succotash!  How did I not know this?

In an act of kindness and generosity, John gifted the boys with a set. The only problem? They were unpainted. If anyone was around during my whole "I'm gonna buy stuff from garage sales and paint it" phase, you know that I am not exactly the handy/crafty type. Everything I attempted to paint wound up peeling or dripping.  Things looked like candle wax.

So I did what anyone would do.

I called my mom.

My mom is a wonderful painter.  And I was very pleased with the results:

My mom is going to get the best old folk's home money can buy.

Yet when Jack saw the boards, he immediately asked why there wasn't a picture on them, "like Daddy's."  Joe's boards have the Fighting Irish leprechaun on them.

"What do you want on yours?" I asked.

The Blackhawks.

Of course.

So the anti-Pinterest, non-crafty mom got to work:



I tried my best to stay sober as I dripped paint all over the place.

But then, catastrophe struck.  I realized I didn't have any white paint for a few small parts of the picture.  It was ten o'clock at night and I knew I would probably never again be manic enough to finish this project if I didn't handle it right then and there.  So I improvised and used White-Out:


You may be wondering why I actually own White-Out.  I use it to blot out my friends' kids names when I have to copy the field trip forms because I lost mine.  I'm a planner that way.

I finished up around midnight, and I'm not going to lie.  I think they turned out okay.  Sure, the Indians aren't exactly identical (I forgot some detailing on one), but close enough:

There you have it.  My one and only foray into the world of craftiness.  If anyone wants to Pinterest this, feel free.  I have no idea how that stuff even works.

Thank you, Holly, John, and mom for helping me earn more tickets to heaven! 

Or at the very least, a shorter stay in purgatory.