Coffee. Just the smell of that hot, steaming mug in the morning, and the feel of the comforting warmth of said mug in my cold hands, makes me happy. How can one beverage be such a paradox… calming and reassuring… yet at times so stimulating it makes my head nearly spin off the top of my body after a few cups? Coffee is the Linus blanket of my generation, and it has completely permeated our culture in a way that, frankly, boggles my mind. I love it so much. And I absolutely love going to Starbucks to meet a girlfriend and share a few thousand calories together as we solve each other’s — and the world’s — problems. I know I’m not alone… Starbucks recently posted their 2014 financials, coming in at a cool $16.4 billion (yes, that’s a “b”) in net revenue. Wow!
Yes, we have certainly developed a definitive “need” for coffee! But do we really need it? Not really… I mean, if I didn’t have it, I would certainly miss it. But I don’t NEED it. When you think of the things in life you really need, what tops your list? I was shopping in Kirkland’s recently and came across this little sign that summed up my sentiments exactly: “All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus.”
Smiling, I took it off the shelf and placed it in my basket. But then, oh THEN. Just around the corner in Kirkland’s I found a blank, black coffee-mug-shaped chalkboard, a little larger than the sign… and my gears started turning. Wouldn’t this saying be PERFECT done up in those oh-so-trendy chalkboard letters?!? So in my typical method of making something much harder than it needs to be in order to make it special, I put the ready-made sign back and purchased the materials for my project. (Note, I am not affiliated with Kirkland’s, but it is only fair of me to post a link to their product since I borrowed their idea… to decorate one of their OTHER products. The ready-made Coffee/Jesus sign is here on Kirkland’s web site. Also, the chalkboard coffee cup is here.
I would never claim to be an artist, but I am willing to try just about anything crafty. So I viewed some tutorials on YouTube for chalk drawing and decided to make a go of it. First, I created a gorgeously lettered design on my computer, with the intention of tracing it. I swear I followed all of the directions to transfer my gorgeous design from the paper to the chalkboard… but… well, it wasn’t happening. Note to self: those chalkboard tracing projects need to have pretty big letters to work out. So, I decided to wing it. I had Jesus on my side, right?
Well, I wouldn’t say it turned out so well that I can quit my day job, but I am pretty happy with it. And my bestie that received it for Christmas, that aforementioned friend who solves the world’s problems with me at Starbucks, loved it! So today, I’ll thank Jesus for coffee, for great friends, and yes, even for Starbucks, Kirkland’s, and that pesky day job. 🙂