Dad's star

I received a really special gift from my dad 15 years ago that he made.   It's a wooden star that lights up.  It used to be part of my family's outdoor Christmas decorations.  We displayed it proudly.  I remember one December using our extention ladder to climb our Hickory tree in the front yard.  I wanted to hang it as high as possible for everyone in the neighborhood to enjoy.  And then, like all things with miniature Christmas lights, it broke.  The star has been stowed away in our garage in a box for probably the last 8 or so years. 

My dad passed away in 2006.  He was 89 1/2 years old.  A really good man.  And a really awesome dad.  So, my remake project today is a little bittersweet.  I thought of my dad all day as I worked on it.  He was a handyman.  I think all Wisconsin dairy farmers have to be.  He used all his gifts: electrician, builder, engineer, entrepreneur.  He could fix something that was broken better than new. 

So, today, I fixed something broken.  I remade my dad's star into something new.  As I looked at it closely, I could see that someone (me?  my dad?) had already mended it - putting electrical tape around several of the mini lights so they would fit snuggly into the holes.  There was tape on the back of the star, probably more reinforcement.  It was time to give this sentimental keepsake new life.  So this is what I came up with.

I'm very happy with it!  But, let's start from the beginning.  This is the star front and back when I started remaking it today.











I pulled all the old lights off and primed it twice.  I thought it would look good in blue.  So I mixed a little blue paint in with some more primer and painted it using a bunched up plastic bag.  You know what I'm talking about.  It's the same faux treatment we use on our walls.  It's great at hiding fingerprints and the daily wear-n-tear a house endures.  I like the look.  It was perfect for the star.  Can you see the difference?

So then I was thinking about adding a saying or some words to make it interesting to look at during the day.  I thought about a big "starry, starry night" kinda scribbled on it.  I thought of something more in line with Christmas..."O holy night, the stars are brightly shining..."   Then, I thought I might want to use it throughout the year, so maybe something more universal.  I searched through my bible and found Psalm 147:4: "He counts the number of the stars, He calls them all by their names."   FOUND IT!  There was an instant connection for me.   What a beautiful verse that speaks of God's relationship with the universe, both the sheer grandness of it all and the lovely intimacy of knowing each star, naming each star.  Yes, this was it! 

The next step is to make a stencil.  I used my Cricut.  (It worked really slick.)  I painted the words on with black paint and a small brush.    

And now for the lights.  As much as I don't like these miniature Christmas lights, I gotta say, they make for a good show.   I thought of restringing the lights the way my dad intended, but it's really difficult to keep the lights in place so the pattern in front looks uniform.   So I purchased some jute and literally sewed the lights on.  Going in and out of the holes and holding the lights in a line at the edges.   This took awhile to do.  Thank goodness, I made a good estimate on how much jute to use so I didn't have to start over.      

Well, when I finished it, I smiled...way down deep.  I felt really connected to my dad.  Like maybe he would've thought of doing this too - decorating the star this way.  I thanked him for being handy.  I figure I got some of these 'handy' genes.   My bittersweet project turned out pretty spectacular.  My dad's star isn't broken anymore.   In fact, I think I fixed it better than new...well almost. 

I'm gonna hang it up outside near my front door.  I hope everyone who stops by will read it and enjoy it's lights.  Perhaps it will put a smile on their face. 

Here's to all the bittersweet moments we have in our lives.   Thanks, dad, for hanging out with me today!  Miss you.