Crucifixion Nails

 

Easter isn’t just about bunnies and eggs.  It’s about pain, suffering, hope, and love.  I want to celebrate that.  I want to see that.  What better way to symbolize it than the crucifixion nails?  When I originally envisioned how I would use them, I thought I would use railroad tie nails.  Hannah was sick that week, and a trip to the hardware store was out of the question.  So I made my own :)

Sprayed them with gray primer.

Used acrylic craft paint and dabbed on (with a wet paper towel) spice brown and rust colors.

Dark chocolate browns.

Dark and medium gray tones.  And a final wash of really watered down black.

I had the oval chipboard wood (originally came from the dollar store)  I used white copy paper, dyed it in coffee and let it dry.  I ran it through the printer with my text (formatted in Adobe, but you could easily use Word).  I used my script stamp and stamped over the top (if you look closely, you will notice I did it upside down.. Whoops :))  I cut out the oval shape and Mod Podged it to the chipboard.

I ran twin through two hole on the top.  I hot glued my nails on top.  Raided the backyard rose bushes for some thorny braches, and hot glued them on top.

On our mantel in the living room I went simple with a grouping of apothecary jars.  

I used the same dyed and stamped paper for the backdrop.

Filled the bottom with moss, and added the nails.

I wired more than one thorn branch together to make a crown of thorns, and was bleeding by the end of it.  It gave me amazing perspective.

“He chose the way of the cross where mercy triumphs justice because of love.”

~William Paul Young

 

 

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