but I
want to be! I would love to be the queen
bee of crafting and have tremendous ideas with gorgeous results. I want to have
a billion dollar craft business. What a
dream if my real life full time job was to craft all day long? In reality that
is not the case. I do more fails than
successes , in-completes vs. completes and have to have a real office job to pay
my bills. For instance, I decided to
make a clay impression of my grandson’s hands and feet with salt dough.
That was an epic fail. The dough didn't set correctly and the foot
prints were recognizable. It was a waste
of salt,flour and time. The only lesson
I learned was maybe this is not the craft for me. Do you have an epic fail? My list of craft not’s is a lot longer than
my list of Yes, I did it’s. My list
includes Mosaics, glass etching, glass painting, anything involving dough or plaster is not
the medium for me. My completions are a
much shorter list to date, how about yours.
The point I am trying to make is that while I am not a Suzy homemaker, I am a crafty queen with ideas that sometimes turn into successes and some days even amaze me. I ask you to come on the journey and dig deep, create and find your Crafty queen.
I was able to do salt dough with my kids hands for Christmas ornaments last year. They turned out great. I did not put their names on it until after it came out, but the handprints look great. I have other things that Fail many times, I feel ya.
ReplyDeleteI will try anything once... and that is sometimes all it takes to know what is or isn't for you!
ReplyDeleteYes I agree, that is how I found quilting.
DeleteI love to craft and while I may not always have successes I do enjoy it when I make something great!
ReplyDeleteI always feel that heartmade is better than store brought.
DeleteI also love crafting! I love the feeling of accomplishment it brings as well as the peace and happiness I feel while doing it! Thank you so much for sharing! I loved reading your post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy! I am still trying to get my hubby to understand that crafting is my zen.
DeleteI've had a few failures, but those usually prompted me to tinker and troubleshoot until I got it right. Kind of like Edison, "I didn't fail 2,000 times. I learned 2,000 way not to make a light bulb." I like to learn from what doesn't work so I can eventually find out what does work. Keep a positive spirit and keep on trying things you enjoy! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome way to look at things.
DeleteI have more failures than successes, but that makes the successes that much more AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteYes, every success is so awesome especially if it comes after a fail.
DeleteI'm not a very crafty person. I seem to never be able to find the time to. My girlfriend, on the other hand, she used to crochet all the time. She crochet stuffed monkey, elephants, and other animals. I think I'm more of a scrapbook person. I like to make my valentines card by hand. She seems to appreciate it more if I do so.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter crochets and I tried scrapbooking. I think knowing that someone took the time to make something, makes all that more special.
DeleteGreat post! I love crafting. I wish I had the resources Martha Stewart did, haha. But I'll settle for my own little ideas too :p
ReplyDelete- April
dont we all, I am afriad I am spending more than I ever could hope to earn.
DeleteCrafting is my outlet...for sure. My projects don't always turn out, but when they do it makes all the hours of hard work so worth it! It is so rewarding to create. Whether it is being a mother and creating children ;) or finishing a beautiful baby blanket for a friend, it is an amazing feeling!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is but I am finding only other crafters get it.
DeleteIn my younger days, I was crazy for crafting and had to try every new thing that came along. Mostly fails. When I saw a reply to another comment and you mentioned quilting, I had to look that up in your posts. You are an awesome quilter and I love the fact that you are doing lap quilts instead of king-sized bed quilts! That's brilliand, much cheaper and must be very rewarding. I mostly gave up on crafts but I am still collecting all sorts of things to make jewelry. I mostly just collect stuff! Someday I will.... (or maybe not) haha
ReplyDeleteQuilting is my most favorite craft. It makes me feel so creative. I do have one king size quilt top but I am too intimated to finish it right now.
DeleteEven Martha Stewart, Betty Crocker, Julia Child, and Sandra Lee all had failures! You just got to keep trying!
ReplyDeleteDont they make it all seem so easy though.
DeleteMy failure to success ratio is about 50/50...but I agree that it's the fun of the project more than anything. :)
ReplyDeleteI do stuff that I enjoy doing so even if it ends up a fail, I enjoyed myself! And to be honest, I fail more often than not! I don't have a crafty bone in my body!
ReplyDeleteyou are right, its allabout enjoying what we do.
DeleteYep, I've been crafty. My problem is that I get bored easily, so if it doesn't come out well, I move on to something else without trying to see why it didn't work.
ReplyDeleteI am not crafty either. I would rather read about it and let someone else make it.
ReplyDeleteAs I kid growing up I would do any craft project I could get my hands on. As an adult, although time does not allow as much crafting I still do love it. My craft of choice is scrapbooking. I allows me to document my childrens lives. Something they can look back on with love.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kathryn! We've all had craft failures, and I think your clay footprints are still adorable! I understand how frustrating that is though. I don't do a ton of crafts, but I've had quite a few recipe failures. It's always a bummer to see ingredients (sometimes expensive ingredients!) go to waste. For me, I tend to compare myself to the "highlight reel" that others put on social media, and that ends up zapping all the joy out of my own hobbies! I forget that their lives are not perfect either (even Martha Stewart!). I'm confident you'll find your niche in crafting! Thanks for sharing your heart :)
ReplyDeleteKudos to you on trying and not letting EPIC fails hold you down :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we "Fail forward to Success" we often find new things that we love. I am planning to try those salt dough forms with my kids. If nothing else, just for fun. I also have a table that I plan to redo in mosaic. Oh, the list is long! I love to try new recipes & crafts, then adjust them to fit my style.
ReplyDeleteI used to craft a lot. Now I just want to learn to crochet but so far...it is a major fail!
ReplyDeleteI too would love to be like Martha but I am not. Some days I have major success and others its epic fails. We just have to keep on moving and trying out best.
ReplyDeleteMy fails are a mile long, I just finished a string art piece that while it looks okay it isn't ideal and I will probably take it down and try it again in a few days.
ReplyDeleteI try to keep the mindset that my failures and mistakes are all lessons on how to do it right the next time.
By the way I love those coasters.
My issue isn't so much in fails, it's in finishing. If I have to stop a project then it seems impossible for me to get back to it. So many projects in my craft room/office in various stages of doneness lol
ReplyDeleteMy epic fail is the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I can't seem to make them lol. Other cookies I can do just fine. Thank goodness for Tollhouse!
ReplyDeleteHaven't tried baking. But I like crafts though I can create everything in just an ordinary object.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main thing is you have been brave enough and creative enough to give it a try! If all crafters put their fails out there instead of their prize creations, we'd see a whole new reality :)
ReplyDeleteI say bravo for giving the footprints a try anyway. So what if that particular project isn't your thing, keep trying till you find what is. None of us are Martha Stewart, and I bet she has a team who keeps her going anyway (wouldn't that be nice:)
Thanks for sharing!
I think with crafting it's more about the doing than the result. I am not artsy really - meaning most of my crafts don't come out looking like flawless. But I am creative. And when I do make time for crafting, it's a very therapeutic experience. It allows me to have an outlet for my creative and artsy side. It's very relaxing.
ReplyDeleteI think you are brave for trying out new ideas.
Some people have a green thumb and then others kill every plant they touch... I kill every craft I touch. The will is there but the talent is not! Most of my craft attempts turn out to be "fails" but at least I have fun trying!
ReplyDeleteJennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
www.thejennyevolution.com
I want to be crafty so badly. Alas, my only talent is with coloring. Lol!
ReplyDeleteOh, the lure of kitchen playdough! I, too, am not gifted with that medium... I try to knit every now and then -- I managed a sweater vest last winter that made me look like a small blue hippo. Pinterest is especially dangerous -- so many cool ideas! it looks so easy! they made a video! My attempt... not so much... But still, I cannot resist trying things that look fun! And it is fun trying... as long as I can laugh at the failures and pin photos of my triumphs.
ReplyDeleteI am frequently not satisfied with my results; occasionally other people think they are ok, anyway, lol...I think you're salt dough footprints look cute, but if they didn't set up...well, at least they look good in the photo, lol..
ReplyDeleteI love it - The Queen of a billion dollar craft business. You go girl! You know there is power in writing out our dreams like this. Watch it happen!
ReplyDeleteKeep following your dreams and your passions - those things will never be considered "work." Keep the creative juices flowing! Martha Stewart had to start somewhere. There's no telling where your aspirations will lead if you continue to passionately pursue them.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, yes, I have had some epic fails and I definitely get annoyed, but I also learn a lot as I go!
ReplyDeleteI've definitely had a lot of creative flops too . . . especially in the kitchen. But I love to create. :D
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that you wrote this...I just articulated this exact sentiment on another blog, which had a post about how much she enjoys crafting (and why). I have never done a craft in my life, so I am pretty sure my list of fails will be pretty long at first! But, it would still be fun! And, eventually we'll get the hang of it!
ReplyDeleteI am not terribly crafty these days but I am a knitter and have had many knitting fails! Sometimes you have to be creative... I thought I was knitting a hat but it's enormous! Maybe it needs a handle and it's a purse... the knitting has a mind of it's own. ;)
ReplyDeletemy best memory of my Mom is her knitting these super side scars, that needed to folded in half to be normal size. I will tell you I wish I had one now.
DeleteWe cheated and purchased a kit for doing the clay impressions of hands and feet for my first daughter, and we didn't do anything for the second two. I have failed to decorate this house with anything and my husband actually stepped in and got some stuff from the dollar store to decorate with!!!
ReplyDeleteI can teach academic subjects, though.... Like math and stuff....
LOL! Many of my craft projects are fails, but I keep trying. I love making so many things and for a while I was DEEP into scrapbooking. I keep buying things to do it, but blogging and freelancing take up a majority of my time. It sucks when you spend 4 hours on a page and look at it with disappointment, but the good ones make up for it. I have been thinking about how to carve out more time for that hobby, so I can slowly finish the many photos I have of vacations and events. Also, I think your footprints turned out cute :)
ReplyDeleteLOL...a waste of flour, salt, and time!!!!!!! Hang in there....I do not have time for crafting (or at least I think I don't....young kids keep me on the go...lol
ReplyDeleteI really don't like crafting but I sew and scrapbook. That's about as creative as I get, aside from writing. I have tried working with salt dough before and it hates me LOL. I did my boys' feet with those kits you can buy at the craft store and they turned out perfect. I also did a wall plaque of their right hands as a gift for the grandparents. I say keep at it until you find something you like doing. Try anything once, I always say!
ReplyDeleteI applaud your efforts! I have never really attempted craft projects. I did a lot of DIY for my wedding and it turned out lovely. However, they were not that complicated. Keep on trying and enjoying yourself!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I can't remember where I saw it (I think Pinterest) but I read a quote that said something like, "Create something everyday. Even if it sucks. Just make something." I always feel great when I get crafty! XO
ReplyDelete