The Biggest Challenges In Crafting & How To Overcome Them

Well, with my laptop blowing up on me last week, it's put a lot of my crafting plans on hold. My main priority right now is getting our homeschooling, personal files and all my blogging/crafty business stuff accessible again. While that is critical, it means life is a little more stressful and a lot less creative at the moment. This roadblock got me thinking about the challenges of crafting in general and some of the ways I'm trying to overcome them. Maybe you've been faced with these sorts of things too, so why not share them?  

Key Note: Obviously this list is opinion based and my solutions are what seems to work for me at this moment.  I'm hoping by sharing this, it'll get some dialogue going with even more thoughts & ideas on gaining and enjoying time to make things we love.

Finding the time:  We all get pulled in so many directions with kids, work, the home, etc. Is it any wonder it can take weeks or months to finish something that would take maybe just 2-3hrs if we had uninterrupted time. Personally speaking, I find I tend to guilt myself into trying to get everything more important "done first" and, big surprise, it's never all done. I push off my projects until after everything else and then feel frustrated there's barely any time to do them.  So when are we supposed to get all crafty when everything else is a bigger priority?

Possible Solution: 

Since we set the clocks back around here, I've been going to bed & getting up a bit earlier so I can get more of my daily to-do list done before my main distractions (aka kids) are all over the place.  It's a small thing, but it's helping.  Cleaning, bills, computer stuff - all the things that can suck up time in a big way - get tackled when it's quiet and before I'm pulled in 5 directions at once.  It's made it easier to grab a little time later in the day to work on creative things I want to do.  

Breaking projects up can also make it easier to make progress. When I did the labor-intensive George Washington costume for Halloween, I cut the paper pattern pieces out while watching tv one evening, cut out & marked the fabric up in a 20 minute block the next day and then tackled the actual sewing on the weekend.  It was a lot easier to get the grunt work done in some brief free moments and then save the more detailed attention stuff for when I could really focus on it.

Running out of ideas?  While I'm sure the original intent was to inspire, a five minute browse of Pinterest usually makes me feel pretty uncreative.  It feels like nearly ever idea has already been done and in such a polished way it can seem pointless to even attempt something.  

Possible Solution: 

Ignore the noise of the media feeds, Pinterest, craft stores, etc.  I talked about this a bit when I decided to Quit The Craft Blog Rat Race.  I find my own creative ideas flow best when I'm not looking at a bunch of other people's stuff or the unsubtle pressure of popular themes (like the myriad of Christmas crafts everywhere before Thanksgiving's even hit us).  Finding inspiration away from the internet - nature, the current season, things my family wants or needs.  Ideas that make me feel enthusiastic because I like them, not because I'm racing to catch up with what everyone else is doing.  

And as far as the "been there, done that" crafts, if you really want to make something, go for it.  Maybe the internet doesn't need a new tutorial post for the 1 millionth DIY camera strap cover or burp cloth ever made, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't sew one if it strikes your fancy.  Crafting should be about enjoyment of the process and learning new skills, not impressing strangers online.  Besides, sometimes the best new ideas come by putting a unique spin on an old idea or figuring out a way to put it together that's different from the rest.   

Not being in the mood?  This challenge is my biggest weakness.  So often I wait all week for a window of time when I know I can get in my craft room or get back to working on something.  Then the time comes and.....I totally don't feel like it.  I'll procrastinate or get sidetracked on something else until I've got about 15 minutes of real craft time left and then feel guilty that I wasted it.

Possible Solution:

I'm starting to tell myself to tackle some easy win or easy stop projects when I'm feeling sort of unmotivated - things that aren't a big hassle/mess or can be set down and picked up again when I'm not really feeling it.  It's got a more positive outcome than frittering away the time and then wishing I'd done more.  I've also realized using my personal best time of day makes a huge difference.  Even though I might have more uninterrupted time after the kids go to bed or at the crack of dawn, I'm usually too tired and it takes me longer to do just about everything or I'm more prone to goofing things up.  I'm starting to use that open time for other things so I can free up other times when I'm still fresh.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None: We're so bombarded with new tutorials, new products and the throng of blogs that appear to know how to DIY everything these days, that it's easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of trying to craft it all and end up spending more money or loads of time on loads of things without really learning much about any of them.  What's the point of having a bunch of supplies if you don't really use them?

Possible Solution: 
I recently started thinking about getting into needle felting.  I was all set to start buying the supplies and dive right in, but then I paused.  I got a few books from the library to learn more before I did anything.  Looking through those made me realize that I didn't have a particular thing I wanted to create and I still had loads of other craft stuff I've barely touched, so I'm holding off until I have something specific in mind I really want to do.  When the times comes, maybe I'll start with a small kit just to see if it's something I like doing instead of spending a small fortune or overcrowding my limited storage space.

I'm also trying to get away from the trap of having a bunch of projects going at once.  When I first started sewing I couldn't understand people who had several projects at various stages at any given time.  I literally focused on a single project at a time and wouldn't even think about starting another until it was done.  These days, I've got a bunch of semi-started stuff, some lurking around for a year (or longer).  I remember being excited about them when I started, but letting them sit zapped a lot of the enthusiasm, so I'm now making myself finish things before I jump into something new.  Concentrating on one thing means I'm putting more effort into it and then have a clearer mind for the next thing.

I'm not sure if these changes will all work, but I'm willing to keep trying so the satisfaction & relaxation crafting used to provide doesn't get stifled or kicked aside anymore.  

Do you run into these same issues?

What are your biggest crafty challenges and how are you tackling them?

Make Your Own Handmade Soaps Tutorial

There's something special about decorative soaps.  They look lovely, they seem fancy.  They make a great gift (everyone uses soap, right?).  My mom & grandma would always save any they got because they were "too pretty to use".  But why hide them on a shelf to get dusty?  I want mine to get noticed and used, so I make my own and never run out.  I actually make all our household bar soap too - it's been over 10 years since I bought any! Wouldn't you like to tell people you can make soaps like these:

You totally can.  It's easy.  Come on - I'll show you how.

You'll Need: 
- Melt & pour clear glycerin soap base*
- Cosmetic Grade Fragrance Oil*
- Cosmetic Grade Color Gel*
- Silicone molds & resin soap stamps
- Large Pyrex measuring pitcher
- Heat resistant spoon
- Hot pads
- Spray bottle of alcohol
- Waxed or freezer paper

*You can get basic soap making supplies at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels, but online places like Brambleberry.com and Wholesale Supplies Plus offer a lot more fragrance & color choices and their prices per pound for the bases are better.  I buy a single 24lb block which is enough for a year's worth of soap for my family of 5 (and costs about a third of the same amount of basic store bought soap).

First, cut desired amount of soap base and place into Pyrex container.  Cutting it up into chunks makes it melt a bit faster.  

Melt slowly in microwave (1 min intervals until melted) or in double boiler, stirring occasionally, until liquified.  You do not want it to get boiling hot, just smooth and pourable.

Add a few drops of cosmetic grade fragrance oil & stir with slotted spoon to mix thoroughly (a little goes a long way and it's easy to add a few more drops, but use less than ½ oz unless making several pounds at once).

Special Note – be sure that all fragrance oil & color gels used are labeled cosmetic grade. There are a lot of other types out there and while it's tempting to use them, they are not made to be safe for skin! 

Add soap gel coloring a drop at a time & mix until color desired is achieved.

I used a pearlized pink gel.  Just a few drops gave this vibrant color:

Carefully pour hot soap into silicone molds.  I prefer silicone molds over plastic because they can achieve a lot more details and sculpted 3D shapes.  They also don't require greasing and hold up a lot better over time.  I got mine from Wholeport - they've got a huge selection of silicone soap molds and the designs are really gorgeous.

Spray surface of soap with alcohol to remove any air bubbles.  This gives the backs a nice, smooth finish.  Let soap sit for a couple of hours to harden and then flip upside done and push soap out of molds.

The soap just pops right out.  What could be easier or more lovely-looking? This was the result from the Peace Dove Medallion mold:



But my favorite is the rose bouquets.  I used a 3D Rose Flower Trio mold and love the delicate details.  So intricate, but also goof-proof!



And I also tried something new to me: soap stamps.  It's a hard resin stamp you simply place over a flat bar of soap and gently hammer in.

The effect looks so fabulous and it is beyond easy to do.  I picked out this little love bird stamp since Valentine's Day is coming up:

It takes just a few minutes too, so this is an ideal project.  Almost as easy as the DIY lip balm I shared recently.  It feels great to stock up the bathroom with products you've made yourself.  Now there's nothing stopping you from making your own beautiful soaps any time you want!

I'm also sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!

A Special Project Feature: Wedding Party Invitation Boxes

Today's post is a special craft project made by my lovely sister. She's getting married next summer and thought of a beautiful way to ask me and my daughter to be part of the wedding. I thought this was so cute & clever I had to share it: Wedding Party Invitation Boxes!

She & her fiancé started with unfinished wooden boxes and stenciled, painted and embellished them with paper flowers in her wedding colors.  She also added a personalized name plate to each too.  

When I opened mine, this was the surprise inside:

The inside lid had an invitation to the wedding stamped on it: 

 

And a beautiful handmade request for me to be her Matron of Honor:

As well as some sweet treats, beauty goodies and color swatches, all in her wedding colors:

Inside my little girl's box were some sweet treats, a little wedding dress and some Disney Princess  goodies:

 And this beautiful little note asking her to be a flower girl:

I love how she carpeted the bottom of my daughter's box with flowers.  She's so enchanted with it, she calls it her treasure box.

I was enchanted with it too - it looks like something from a fairy tale.  And besides the honor of being asked to be part their wedding, she's also asked me create the flower girl dress for my little girl.  I'm so looking forward to making something special and this sweet surprise will definitely help inspire me!