de Jong Dream House: DIY Dinette Decor

For the past ten months(!), our dinette looked like this:

I knew I wanted to put something on the wall above the sliding doors, but wasn't sure if it would be the frame of our wedding invitation and vows, which were signed all our family and friends, a vinyl art quote, or my own word art, like this:

BHG

I've seen the "Eat" letters all over Pinterest (like here and here and here and here) and only recently learned that they are inspired by the kitchen in "Cougar Town." While "eat" is fitting, I was drawn to the word "savor."

Savor. [Sey-ver]. verb.

1. to perceive by taste or smell, especially with relish: to savor the garden's odors.

2. to give oneself to the enjoyment of: to savor the best in life.

I cook most meals from scratch each night, and we eat almost every meal together as a family in the dinette. Eat, to me, implies too much "shovel in your food as quickly as you can so we can do the next thing." Savor, to me, conveys a sense of enjoyment, not only of your food, but also of your conversation and company. Savor is about slowly appreciating the food that is nourishing you and strengthening your relationships with your dinner companions. I want my son to have a healthy relationship with his food. I want him to learn to listen to his body telling him if he is hungry or full or bored. I want him to appreciate the time and effort his mommy takes to make a nourishing, satisifying meal for him. A lot of pressure for five letters, but I like the idea of intentional decor, and for our dinette, this is it.

I found the five wood letters at Flower Factory:

I liked that the letters were clean and thin.

I'm still working on my spray painting skills. No drips on these letters. (I can't say the same for the other project I was spraying, the A Z bookends, in the photo below.

The top coat was super easy.

I took a little more effort to get the sides painted.

I love how my drop cloth reminds me of projects past and present.

I ran out of steam so the letters hung out on the frame for a few days.

After a good night's rest, it was easy to put the letters up. I thought I bought more Command Velcro Strips, but I bought the sticky ones instead. No matter.