Thomas Edison Quote Opportunity Quote Sign

Thomas Edison Quote Opportunity Quote Sign

When we remodeled our kitchen, my husband rebuilt the existing cabinets to make the cabinet under our sink.

But the previous doors no longer fit, so he built some out of pine boards.  He connected several together to make them look like worn plank boards, but honestly, neither of us was in love with them.

Later, he made new cabinet doors that were fronted with antique ceiling tiles.

I came across a quote by Thomas Edison on Pinterest that has a whole lot of wisdom in it.  I thought it would be the perfect quote for a sign.  I created a vinyl stencil with my Silhouette using the font Birmingham Bold for the words “Opportunity” and “Work.”  It’s one of my favorite fonts to use.

The door was originally white, so I painted a coat of chalkboard paint over that.

After adding the words, I distressed the whole thing so some of the white would show through.

I didn’t fill in the holes where the cabinet handle was because I thought I’d reattach it.  But I decided against it, so I rooted through my junk stash to find something to cover the holes and this antique hammer did the trick.

There was already a hole in the handle, so I screwed it in but knew one screw wouldn’t hold it in place.  So I added E-6000 glue also.

Concerned that might not hold the hammer firmly, I did something really stupid.

Really, really stupid.

I added another screw into the handle without pre-drilling a hole for it first.

It split the handle.  See … really stupid.

In fact, as I was getting ready to put the screw in, I even thought about drilling a hole first.  But someone had borrowed my box of drill bits and I didn’t feel like going to look for them.

So I ignored my inner smart self and listened to the stupid self that usually prevails in these situations.

I really think this sign has an important message that if you are able-bodied and willing to work hard, the most amazing opportunities can be yours.  Just hard work and some gumption.  Thank you Mr. Edison for such wisdom!

* This is a repost from 2013.

Vaya con Dios,

Angie