I’ve always wanted to enjoy arts and crafts. I’ve been longing for the day when one of my friends asks, “That’s so neat. Where did you buy that?” And I, being the amazingly crafty person that I am, will casually say, “Oh, that. I didn’t buy that; I made it!” Then we will both chuckle and ruminate over my awesome crafty skills.
Unfortunately, the day has yet to come. My experiences with crafting have led me to spend way too much money making an item that I could’ve purchased for half the price. In addition, the craft is usually so poorly constructed (error on my part, I admit) that no one ever says “Oh, my! That’s great! I can’t believe you made it!” Essentially, my crafts always look homemade, so there is never that “wow” factor. I’ve also gotten burned on several occasions because I’ve been told by the blogger or Pinterest user that I can “find these items around [my] house.” Um…am I the only person that would have to purchase pipe cleaners? What about PVC pipe? Does anyone, besides a plumber, have that laying around?
One of my latest ventures led me to believe that I could make an Easter egg out of yarn and diluted glue. The pictures online looked wonderful, and the writer assured me that it wouldn’t take long. Well, after several hours and lots of whining (yes, I whine), all I had accomplished was this:
In an effort to find the EASIEST crafts, I have searched all over the interwebz and found the following crafts to be quite doable. Actually, I mostly just used Pinterest and then made some modifications. In any event, I feel that these crafty projects are simple.
- 365 Reasons Life is Wonderful – Each day, fill a bowl, a jar, or some sort of container you already have, with a card in which you write about something that made you happy during that day. At the end of the year, you should have 365 reasons why life is grand. Then, on New Year’s Eve, read all of the cards! You could also do this solely for your spouse, and it would probably be even more meaningful if you did it for a deployed spouse.
- Greeting Cards Organized – Do you enjoy saving greeting cards? Do they usually find themselves in a disheveled mess in a drawer? If so, there is a simple and cute way to keep them organized. Collect all the cards worth saving, punch holes along the sides, and put string through the holes, so that the cards are organized on book form.
So easy and effective!
- Wine Cork Sign – I’m sure you’ve seen this one. First, you keep (or buy, but I really feel as hough that’s not the point) the corks from all of the wine bottles your family consumes. Then, you hot glue the wine corks to a board, sign, etc. It is truly quite easy. Now, you will probably have to buy the item on which to glue the corks, but, personally, I feel the cost is minimal.
- Decorative Containers – Save all of your reusable containers (baby formula cans, oatmeal cans, cereal boxes, etc.). Wrap the containers using wrapping paper or card stock and viola! You have decorative means to store supplies, or you can use them as gift boxes.
- Clothespin Craftiness – One of the few “crafty” items that I keep stocked are clothespins. I really feel that you can do a lot with them. I’ve had my daughter decorate clothespins, and we used those to display her artwork in her room. I also use clothespins to “pin” clothing items together. A quick Google search of “clothespin crafts” will yield many, many ideas. Honestly, from a person who isn’t crafty, there are many uses for clothespins.