Thoughts so far.

Distinctly harder than I thought, but very proud I am sticking with it. My plan of attack was to plan quick and easy projects for the weeknights, knowing full well how tired I would be after a long day at work, and leave the slightly more involved and time-consuming projects for the weekend. Surprisingly some of the hardest days for me to get the projects done were the weekend days. As it turns out when the weather is super freezing, sometimes you want to be lazy all day.

#30daysofDIY

What this challenge comes down to (for me) are the mental roadblocks I hit when taking on a project. I am a chronic over-thinker and I have a terrible ability to talk myself out of an idea for the stupidest of reasons. This tendency gets worse if I haven’t eaten recently or haven’t gotten enough sleep. My brain needs to be firing on all cylinders to produce a decent idea. So, my solution for getting over the brain barrier is to have a list of ideas to jump-start the creative process and try to re-wire my perception of these DIYs as stress relievers, not inducers. Who wouldn’t want to craft the night away after a long day of meetings?! Also, snacks.

My second hurdle is self-inflicted… however, it is also the origin of the idea for this challenge. I am stuck working with what I have got. Which means when I see a cute idea on Pinterest, I can’t run out and spend $40 on supplies that I will use half of and shove back into a corner of the craft room. It is time to clear out and save money! This also means we can look forward to a lot of sewing DIYs because sister has a lot of fabric laying around. What can I say, I acquired that habit from my mother.

Lastly, I want to touch on my vision for the future of this challenge. I hope that this exercise will teach me that working on something I am passionate about daily will really bring it to the forefront of my mind. Also forcing myself to select a project every day, get it done, and posted to Instagram has reminded me how little time is needed to get some projects done. I mean, I hung onto two mending projects for a loooong time and ended up spending a total of 30 minutes finishing them both up. That is a lesson I hope stays with me in the future when I really don’t feel like hemming that skirt. Just do it, and it won’t be hanging over your head for 3 years every time you walk into the craft room.

Here’s to another week of DIY!

~Sarah

Happy New Year!

Hi there. I know it’s been awhile. I can give you a long list of excuses why I’ve been absent, but I’ll save you the effort of pulling out your tiny violin. The important bit is that I am here now, and fueled with the energy of the New Year and all those lofty resolutions everyone is making. Mine comes in the form of a 30-day challenge on my Instagram. Thirty days of DIY.

This is in part because I have been away from the blog for so long and I feel like a bit of a challenge will help me pull focus as well as add fuel to my creative fire. Also, I am trying to tidy and consolidate my craft room. What better way to accomplish this than a “stash busting challenge!!!” This means not only am I going to craft or DIY everyday for thirty days… I am going to try to do it without spending any money!

#2018budget

I will post the highlights here, but tune into my Instagram account for the daily posts. And if you know me personally, feel free to heckle if I fall behind. I am really excited for this challenge and I am positive it will not be easy. I’ll take suggestions for projects as well, so leave a comment if you have any!

Although I haven’t been posting, I have still been busy crafting up Christmas gifts. I will leave you with a few examples… Mother… Aunts whom don’t like cursing… look away.