Crafting on a Budget: Part 1

-
      March is National Craft Month and crafting is a huge passion and love of mine (but, I couldn't wait until March so I'm going to do it for the month of February instead!). Everything from cards to signs, scrapbooking, painting, and just cute home decor in general. Because of this, I thought it would be really fun to do a blogging series on some crafty and home decor things you can do (and on a budget to boot!). This month I'll aim to begin with why I love crafting so much (this post), followed by 4 wreaths you can make for under $10, 5 upcycled bird feeders that don't look tacky, and ways to decorate using only the Dollar Store as your find spot. I'm excited to have you along for the journey!


Why I Love to Craft
     There are two things you should know about me: 
      1. I love decorating--holidays, seasons, special occasions, I will take any opportunity to decorate.

     2. I thrive on thriftiness-whether it's thrift store shopping, going through the clearance racks, re-purposing something I already have, or just shopping savvy- I love it. It seriously gives me such a rush. 

     Both thriftiness and decorating can actually go great together--and does when it comes to our house. I take both into consideration when I'm crafting anything. I'm able to stretch my money much farther this way. One of my favorite places in the apartment to decorate is the front door area. Now since we do live in an apartment on the third floor, no one sees it but us and anyone who happens to come over. Though when people do visit, they know which apartment is ours. :) Regardless of who sees it, though, it makes so happy coming hope to pretty decor.

     Going back a bit, when I was little, I loved doing any sort of Sunday School craft or special projects when our Nanny would come over. We would make ornaments and gingerbread houses or just little things out of construction paper. My mom always hated crafts because of how messy and time consuming they were, but the older I got, the more I was able to do on my own. I was pretty much always working on something. I'm super thankful for my Nanny who instilled this love of crafting in me. She made all our Halloween costumes when we were growing up and is still very crafty today. She and I both like that shabby chic look. Anyway!


     I believe that Jesus gave me the passion for crafting that I have and I'm so thankful for it. It fills me up and is so life-giving for me! I honestly use crafting to de-stress. But truly, for a long time, I struggled with why Jesus would give me a love for something so silly. Crafting isn't something that has any eternal value, I thought. That is until I read something in a devotional that really struck me. If you are a follower of Jesus then you know that God is Creator and we are made in His likeness. Therefore, we were created to be creative! That doesn't always mean crafting or painting. Sometimes there is creativity in how you lead or work or raise a family. There is creativity in meals or words or how you love people. For me, though, my creativity comes through crafting. And Jesus has given me so many opportunities to bless people through my crafting and also making my home feel welcoming for guests. I'm so thankful He has given me this new insight into creativity! It has absolutely changed my perspective on my passion and what I love to do. 
     Does crafting intimidate you or do you enjoy it? How do you like to decorate your home? What ways do you feel the most creative? 
     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Finding Nemo Taught Me About Life

-
Image
     For those of you who don't know me terribly well, I can be extremely stubborn. And very pessimistic. And a total pain in the butt. Ever since I was a little girl I wouldn't do anything unless it was my idea (even if someone told me to do it first). Annoying for everyone else, I know. Well recently, the Lord has been showing me some pretty uncomfortable things about myself through the eyes of my lovely husband.       For starters, stubbornness often masquerades as pride. Depression is easy to use as a crutch for laziness. Sometimes being right gets in the way of being better. Nearly everything is a choice. More often than not, life does not happen to you, you happen to your life. Anything worth having, doing, or becoming has to be worked hard for. Nothing is free or automatic. Difficulty is guaranteed in life. There is no real easy way out. There are always consequences, good or bad. God is standing by you, even when you think you've run as far away as you can.     
Read more

The Age Old Question for Writers

-
Image
     Probably one of the toughest things writers deal with is the question, "Well, what do I write about?" Ideas don't always come smacking ya in the face. Sometimes they are hidden, or waiting for the right moment. Other times, I swear, it's like they don't even exist. I haven't been blogging as much because frankly I'm not sure what to write about! It is so frustrating, especially when one of my goals is to write more. How do I write more when I don't know what to write about? That's when I looked back at all my past blog posts and realized that the posts with the most views were all mini snapshots of my life with Jacob and our fur babies. It's the pain-filled posts, the real-life stuff. So in light of that discovery, that is what I'm going to try and stick with (unless of course I write a really epic short story).      I will give another quick update on our little family. Most of you know, but we had to put Jingles down last week. She
Read more

Why "Fake it 'til you make it" is Total Crap

-
Image
         When I was in middle school, I had a youth pastor who loved to use the phrase "fake it 'til you make it." He would use it during youth group sermons for all sorts of different scenarios. At the time, I thought it was the best thing ever, so I didn't question it at all. Recently, though, I have been thinking about it more. I think I've come to the conclusion that it's total crap. Or it kind of makes sense and perhaps the phrasing is just awful. Let me explain.      I think when you are struggling, there is a real danger in being fake until you make it back to okay. If you don't reach out for help you might not even make it back. I have experienced this often in my life, taking the phrase a little too literally, believing that I shouldn't be bothering people with my problems. I could just "fake it 'til I make it" and everything will be dandy. Hey, guess what? It doesn't really work like that.      I also believe that
Read more