I decided to make this my first project because of what the cross means to me. In Christianity, the cross is the primary icon. But I think it's good for all of us to consider what that icon means to us personally. For me the cross is where Mercy and Grace met. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, whereas grace gives us the things we don't deserve. So through Jesus sacrifice we obtained mercy in that we deserved death and punishment for our sin, but Jesus was merciful and took our punishment for us. By doing that he gave us grace in that we don't deserve salvation, blessings, health, provision, joy, and all the other inheritances of the promises of Abraham. But we receive them all through his atoning sacrifice. His sacrifice brought us so much more than just our entry into heaven, it freed us from the bondage of the law, it made us heirs with Christ so that all his riches become our riches. It was the great exchange: He became poor so that we could become rich, he bore our sickness and infirmities so that we could be healthy and strong, he bore our sin so sin would no longer have dominion over us, he knew shame so that we never have to be ashamed again, he was a man of sorrows so that we could know his joy, he was despised and rejected by men so that we could be loved and accepted by the Father, he stepped down from his position in heaven so that we could gain entrance. Hallelujah!!! What a savior. To me, the cross is a symbol of the beauty of Jesus' finished work. It's a symbol of how much he loves us, and that is a beautiful thing.
So, to make this cross I began by sanding down the edges so they would be smooth. Next I painted the edges and sides with a matching acrylic paint, in case any area of the wood showed through, it would match the paper.
After it was all dry I traced the image onto the paper and cut it out. Then using ModPodge, I adhered the paper to the cross. Here's a tip: if the paper starts to warp or bubble in places, first smooth it down then place it under a couple of heavy books!!
While this was drying I cut out the words "Mercy" and "Grace" using my Silhouette. I used the Papyrus font because it looked old and antiquated. I also began punching out my flowers.
For the flowers, I inked their centers and edges with a small ink pad. Then using Liquid Pearls, I gave each flower it's center. I let those dry too. After everything was dry I attached my letters, my flourish and my flowers. I also edged some of the flower petals in Stickles.
To complete the project I edged the entire cross in sequin ribbon. The only way I found to get a good secure adhesion was to use a heat gun.
This project turned out beautifully and I plan to hang it up for Easter for many years to come.
Of course this project left me a lot of scrap left over from that sheet of paper. So I decided to make a card too!!
Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Easter!!
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