I really love crafts and admire the beauty and often simplicity that goes into a craft. At least the directions usually sound rather easy. And, technically, if you have the proper materials things should go rather smooth. I even have a craft book (somewhere) of various projects that I've tried. Just walking into a Hobby Lobby or Michael's or even Joann's Fabrics and Hancock Fabrics causes my pulse to quicken with the endless possibilities that are bottled in these stores. Of course, my daughter Malorie, feels the same way as she flits from one item to the next. But it isn't long before I am either over budget or just over whelmed. But, I want the beauty that each item promises to produces in its crinkly celophane package - I can hear it, " buy me and I'll make your fireplace mantel beautiful and one of a kind!" Well, then the practical side of me - the one that knows crafts I attempt usually flop - takes over and back it goes onto the shelf. I have many flops in the past, but none that really stand out, except one.
The biggest, stand alone flop was a 'home made' snowman craft that looked so cute in the book that I just had to have some of my own. So out I go to Hobby Lobby to get my supplies. The list was short, so it made me feel as though it was an easy craft. I purchased styrofoam balls of various sizes, a couple yards of muslim, buttons, some remnant material and glue for my hot glue gun. After tearing strips of muslim, according to the directions, I was ready to go. Just wrap and glue. So I did. Then the balls were supposed to stack by using toothpicks and some more glue - got it. Next make a scarf, mouth and eyes. Oh, a hat out of the left over remnants would be cute (in my little wee brain). Voila! Not so much...he looked more like the lead guy on A Nightmare Before Christmas and a mummy wrapped in one (pun intended). Well, darn. So I stuck him away so I could think about how I could improve this supposedly cute snowman that I knew would scare my 3 year old daughter if she saw it. Well, I stuck him in the closet and attempted another (she wasn't up from her nap yet) and then another - until I had a whole family of mummies! UGH! A few days later, still upset over my failure, my husband finds them. How did I know he had found them, he's in the office and I hear him laughing hysterically. That's how I knew. Well, he grabs one to come make fun of me with and it falls apart - more laughter ensues. Now some of you may be laughing and there are those of you that think he was being a bit mean. But, you have to remember, I didn't say a word about my flop to him and they really did look that ridiculous. In fact, his laughter helped me laugh at myself. I had been beating myself up at the obvious waste of money and the fact that there were more styrofoam balls waiting to be cute little snowmen.
Well, I hung onto those styrofoam balls for several years. Then one year I remembered my step-grandmother used to make 'ghosties' out of Kleenex and Tootsie Roll pops. So, I took those styrofoam balls and a sheet I had purchased on clearance for just a couple dollars and proceeded to make ghosties that we hung from our front maple trees right before Halloween. My daughter loved it and we used the little guys for about 3 years before the Kansas weather took their toll and they didn't look quite so cute anymore.
Then, there was another craft that went a little better, but still not as beautiful quality as someone with more crafty talent than I. I believe it was on Martha Stewart. Simply purchase plain, unfinished mantels and finish them to match your decor. This seemed perfect since I had little storage in my new master bathroom. It would be something I could hang above the tub to place all those bottles of whatever on. Basically, I spray painted them a deep green, then on the bottom half of the mantel, I stretched fabric over it, causing pleats and glued it to the back of the shelves. Then I added some coordinating fringe. They were lovely! So, on went some brackets and there they hung with lovely bottles of whatever on them. Even though we've moved, I still have them. They turned out that good. And, if I ever get a master bath again - with a little re-structuring, I can make'em work.
But there's this blog http://www.idearoom.net/ where she does amazing crafts and they sound SO easy. I really, really want to try them - but I think back to the scary snowman family and I wonder hmmmm, can I do this? I suggest, if you like crafts to check out her blog. I think Malorie and I are going to make an Alco run to get tissue streamers so we can fill our house of with roses! I promise to post pictures, even if they don't really end up as roses for us.
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