This year marked our marriage's 7th Anniversary, we were married in 2007 and this 2014 marks our LUCKY #7. We have been through many things since our union. From the birth of our lovely daughter, new endeavors-be it hobbies, side jobs, new jobs, career changes- and worst of all family tragedies, of this last one being my father's death a month ago. My husband has been the most supporting man that I couldn't have asked the LORD for a man that would provide as much unconditional comfort and love towards my person; I know I would have fallen short in requesting it.
So when it came to a gift this year I decided to go traditional in my gift to him, and with me being obsessed with pennies in the floor, on the back-splash on almost anything so I thought of the LUCKY US picture frame but took it a couple of steps further. Being that Copper is this specific gift I took a penny minted from each year we have been married (2007 to 2014). I placed them on burlap in a shadow box and personalized with our initials and the lucky #7.
I went to Michael's and purchased a shadowbox, some personalized items (our initials, a copper key, some copper paint, an ampersand of course, and some burlap and black ribbon). The most difficult part was actually finding the items at Michael's or actually deciding which ones to get, they have the coolest items and I just wanted them all.
SO, back to business... In the shadowbox I set up the burlap and arranged the black ribbon around the perimeter of the back of the shadowbox to make it an even border. I affixed our initials diagonally with the ampersand in the middle and quickly hot glued everything in it's place. Once the ribbon and the letters had dried, I glued the pennies in chronological order for their minting year 2007-2014 to represent each one of the years that we have been married.
I didn't want to add too much to the shadowbox but I knew that I did want a number 7 somewhere there to mark such a symbolic number, and I decided to get a lighter colored burlap heart and paint a cooper #7 on it and glued it to the corner opposite (diagonally) from the line of pennies. Once I did that I simply waited for it to dry and closed the shadowbox. one final thing remained, LOVE. I decided to glue the LOVE wooden cutout to the very top of the frame and thus the finished item. This is quick, easy, and full of sentimental value. I actually kept a couple of pennies that I will place at a later time (the 1980 and 1981 minted pennies along with an extra 2007) they represent our birthdays, husband/self/daughter.
BTW, He loved the gift especially the fact that those pennies each represented a year of our lives joined in matrimony. He did have a major concern though... He said "They're not all going to fit because we are going to be together for a very, very long time..." (insert awws here). Yes, I love this man!
Hope this gives you a bit of encouragement to go into your own penny, anniversary, birthday project!! GOOD LUCK and feel free to ask me any questions. Step by step pics to come...
