So You Made Something Beautiful, What Do You Do With It?

There comes a time in all crafting lives where we have made something but don’t know what to do with it. While some say, “Why do you keep making things when you don’t know what to do with it?” Stop hanging out with those people, you don’t need that negativity in your life. There is an infinite amount of things you can do with your creations, you just have to realize what one best fit you and your crafts.

Photo By; ME

Option #1: Gifting

The best types of gifts are the ones that come from the heart. For example, when my sister announced she was blessing me with the opportunity to be an aunt again, I wanted to do something more than

just make a purchase. So I took my favorite nursery rhyme and painted it on a canvas for the baby’s room. So let’s say you can’t paint and want to do something more personal. The Father’s Day example may be more your thing. This past Father’s Day I made my dad a book titled, “25 Things I Want My Dad To Know”. I took pictures from when my siblings and I were little and put little sayings next to each. To give you an idea, I took the picture of us standing next to him on the day he graduated college and put “We have wanted to be just like you since we were little.” No big deal, but I made him cry. I realize that both of these circumstances involve me making the gift for the person rather than finishing the project then deciding. Sometimes it takes a special heart to appreciate the things we create.

Option #2: Selling Your Creations

There are multiple outlets to show the world that talent you have…for money. There is always the exciting opportunity that you become famous in your local community for making unique, custom crafts but don’t hold your breath. Though it would be amazing it isn’t realistic for all. However, if that is path you want to start, start a booth with your local farmer’s market or arts and crafts show to start displaying your work and getting your name out there.

One of the more up and coming ideas is selling the creations on www.etsy.com. Etsy is an incredible website that encourages creative discovery and creative purchases. The site allows you to open a “shop” and sell your incredible creations. While it sounds intimidating there are some incredible tips in the Etsy blog titled, “7 Steps to a Successful Start”. Everything form weddings to in home décor can be found on this unique site. The possibilities are endless for the opportunity to be successful with the help of Etsy.

Option #3: Philanthropy

There are thousands of organizations across the country that survives because of donations. One that is not always thought of is the donation of homemade gifts. Not only can these items be auctioned off at events or sold at a local store to raise awareness and funds but also they can be donated as functional items. When my nephew was born, the NICU was filled with fleece blankets that were donated by locals. These blankets offer much needed warmth to these babies and are sent home with the families to continue use. Blankets are just the start; artwork hung up around facilities like hospitals is donated and has been proven to increase mental health.

So, what are you doing with your latest creation?

It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Often we have an image in mind of what we want our final project to look like. More often than we would prefer we make hiccups and errors that we begin to obsess over. Here is the trick, don’t spend an hour trying to fix what you think is broken because, you could potentially make it worse and you are taking away what sets it apart from everything else.

**For the rest of this blog I will refer to “mistakes as “beauty marks”

Reasons it is okay to make beauty marks:

Hello, they are beauty marks! Cindy Crawford loves hers, and so should you.

It adds character to your masterpiece.

Nobody’s perfect (I gotta work it) (Anyone get the Hannah Montana reference?).

You will spend more time on your beauty mark than completing your project.

We learn from experience.

We begin to realize what looks we like and looks we don’t like.

Beauty marks are things that show progress and growth in crafts. Once you learn to embrace such an amazing thing, you will find it is easier to look past those little nicks. There isn’t much more to it than that, love the imperfections.

Hit it, John!

“Love all your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.”

Reduce, Reuse, Recreate

            I want everyone to take a moment and picture what your bank account looks like. If it is anything like mine, we are just going to pretend that number is a little higher than it actually is. It is fine to be in denial, its completely normal. What you can’t deny is that you can’t go blow money at your local craft store even though it is extremely tempting. Unfortunately, bank accounts are low and crafting prices are high and that is why we are going to utilize all of those useless things you have been hoarding for years.

            What people don’t think about are the awesome materials you have sitting around your home that can be reused for crafts. But if there is some odd reason you don’t have crap around your house, (there are a special place in hell for those people) take a trip to your local Goodwill and take advantage of the vintage pieces sitting there unappreciated.

            But I realize I can sit here and tell you that this is a great idea but sometimes it is hard seeing the beauty in items. To give you the inspiration you need I have come across some incredible websites that give you plenty of ideas and motivation to get this project going. Melissa Conner gives over 600 ideas of what items can take new shape and be revived. “674 Recycled Crafts: Crafting With Recyclable Items” gives you opportunity to expand your creative mind. Articles like this one are just the start of creating endless potential for your projects.

            Once you get in the habit of creating things from recycled items, you will have a hard time buying new items to work with. Whether you refinish an old desk and turn it into a new entertainment center, you are able to keep character and memories in your home while keeping money in your wallet. Remember the best projects start in your home.

Here is a list of other websites that offer ideas for recycling:

“674 Recycled Crafts: Crafting With Recyclable Items”

“Recycling Index”

-       “Recycled Crafts”

-       “46 Ways to Make Something New Out of Something Old”

-       Also, check out Pinterest to see some examples and to get the creative juices flowing


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Don't Overthink It

Let me just get it out there right now, overthinking is my worst enemy. Every situation ever given to me usually goes through fifteen minutes of evaluation for every single detail. In some instances that “quality” has benefited me but more often than not, it has completely ruined everything I had going for me. Don’t let this idea or concept ruin your workflow or thinking.

Essentially crafting is about what makes you happy and you shouldn’t have to worry about what other people want out of this, this creation is yours and you decide what happens. Now that may sound like a lot of pressure but don’t let it overwhelm you. So here is what we are going to do:

-       Make a list of what you want out of this fabulous project

-       Do it

-       Be finished

Sometimes it isn’t the project itself we are overthinking, it is how we are supposed to accomplish the task that gets out minds going. Don’t ever spend more than 5 minutes trying to figure out what you are supposed to do. That will not only ruin your workflow and your process of inspiration, it will take away from the natural beauty and uniqueness. This is yours and yours alone, don’t try to meet the standards of the people around you.

**I created this blog shorter to encourage an open mind and prevent overthinking.**

Crafting Equals Bonding

When a project is started we realize that we begin to be consumed with our current mission and time with the people important to us becomes less and less appealing. Let’s be real, when you are in the mood to craft, you’re in the mood. As much as I wish we could stay in our little cocoons, family and friends are real and happening right now. So this is my solution to making up for lost hours to those very important people.

Unfortunately, what might be a good idea for kids is not applicable to people who are the same age or even older. The ideas that may come to mind will not always work for all parties involved so it is always good to have options. Sadly, this may require you to go to your favorite craft store and stock up on fun things and spend money. But I think we both know this is just another excuse for you to get lost in Hobby Lobby or Michaels for a few hours. YAY ME TIME!

A little over seven years ago, my sister graciously blessed me with a nephew who has gradually become my best friend. Over time, bonding with him everyday soon became like brushing my teeth, it just had to be done. As it came closer for me to leave for college I knew that I was going to have to make up for lost time. I knew that if I kept taking him out for frozen yogurt every Thursday for date night, the child would soon have diabetes, I would be broke, and the people at the froyo place would soon know everything about our personal lives. One day we stumbled upon the incredible productive outlet of crafting and art projects but don’t get me wrong, we still constantly get froyo.

Photo By: My talented mother

I started this endeavor by taking advantage of the fact that he is a kid and kids love to do everything themselves. My nephew and I share the incredible bond over superheroes, so one day I bought a canvas, drew the Avengers logo, and the next day he painted it all while I finished my own project. During this time we talked about what was going on during school, his favorite TV shows, and everything that I felt I missed over the weeks I was gone. Bada bing bada boom, bonding successful.

Here are some ideas to do with those important people in your life: 

• Taking molds of your children’s growing feet (or someone else’s feet if you are into that kind of thing).
• Melted Crayon projects we have seen once or twice on Pinterest.
• Hanging out with your siblings and making something for your parents on the next upcoming holiday (or if you are my siblings, they win me over with flattery. “But you are so good at it!” “I know mom and dad would love it if it sucked, but you just do it better. Let me know if you need anything.” A big ol’ MK to you guys.).
• Taking time to update and recycle things around your home.
• Creating matching patterns on mugs with sharpie.
• Taking leftover bottle caps and creating coasters or a table top.
• Just snowballing off of that: using left over scrabble letter to make coasters.

            Creating time for people in your life is crucial to maintaining relationships but that doesn’t always mean you have to give up what you love. New ideas can be sparked and new bonds can be formed. Crafting isn’t just a hobby, it’s bonding.