Put A Bird On It: The 5 "Musts" of Crafting ... Guest Post by Mindy of Best Day Ever

Guys, crafting scares me. And that's no lie.

I hear the word crafternoon and I run as if I am headed to the nearest bomb shelter.

When I am invited to a craft night, I smile and nod as if that sounds like a great idea, while my eyes widen because I know it's a horrible idea.

In fact, I have been known to do this a time or two to crafts I see.

Best.Day.Ever.

Oops?

Except for it's not oops. It was intentional, calculated and contrived!

I.loathe.crafts!

I think crafting scares me because I am a perfectionist. I want it to look "perfect" I want it to be as good as the one I saw at this or that store or the one that Daniela made. ;) I find it absolutely easier to purchase the item from a store or, and this is my favorite, manipulate someone else into doing the craft for you entirely, which I call HSEDIFY {have someone else do it for you, opposed to DIY}!

Buuut, this blog isn't about buying things or HSEDIFY. It's about DIY. So, I have come up with five tips that have helped me find crafting less stressful, and hopefully, one, some or all of them can be helpful for you too!

One // Don't compare! I think we have all heard that comparison is a thief of joy and it's true - even in crafting! If I expect mine to look just as good as Daniela's or the one at the store, I will never be happy with what I have created. Plus, having it slightly different adds to the uniqueness, which makes it even more perfect.

Two // Simple crafts. I find that I am much less stress is I focus on the simple crafts. For me, I may never progress to more complicated ones, but for the rest of y'all ... start with someone you know you can do and then slowly increase the difficulty or more challenging DIYs.

Three // Pace yourself. This could mean different things for different people. For me, pacing myself entails choosing crafts that take seven minutes or less to complete. Any more time than that and I start to feel like I am failing or that my entire life is consumed by one craft. For another person it might mean, if it isn't working out the way you want just yet, that is okay! Take some time away from the craft and come back to it later, maybe the following day or the following week.

Four // Be selective. I think sometimes it is easy to get caught up into crafting all the things. But for those who get overwhelmed like me, choose your crafting carefully. Not just the complexity and difficulty of the craft, but are you going to actually use it? I am much happier and much more motivated to stick with a craft I know I will use, much like Daniela's West Elm inspired mugs!

Five // Just.have.fun. Even if the item turns out horribly, just have fun with it! Some of my favorite blog posts ever are Pinterest fails. No one is perfect, not every craft or recipe turns out perfectly. And sometimes that is what makes the best experience of all!

Best of luck in all your crafting endeavors! If you have an awesome craft that you think fits into the categories well, leave a comment with a link to the post in the comments section and I will venture my way over to your blog to check it out! :)

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While I do keep my crafting down to a minimum, here are a few things I have crafted over the past little while. Be prepared to be UH-MAZED. ;)

Ugly Christmas Sweater Advent Calendar

Glitter Vial Necklace

Valentine's Day Fingernails

Polka Dot Sticker Nails

And don't even get me started on recipes. ;)

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Thanks, Mindy! I love number 1 the most: don't compare! I think this is a GREAT lesson for LIFE -- not just crafting. Be-YOU-tiful!

Say hi to Mindy over at Best.Day.Ever!
I recommend checking out her list of "things that must be kicked!"

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! I'll be working on orders for my Shop {maternity countdown shirts}. I also am going to be doing a photo shoot for a product review & giveaway that will be posting on Monday. I am SO excited about this one, you guys! Think "really adorable onesies for my baby" -- I might literally be putting a bird on my child. Can't wait!

I would totally love it if you would follow my blog through GFC -- that's Google Friend Connect -- on the sidebar to your left. That way, you can be the first to know about what's happening here at Put A Bird On It. And thank you for reading my blog! Every day, I tell my husband how much I LOVE blogging. I get excited to write a blog post. I read and gush over every single comment. I look at your profiles, find your blogs, and try to be active in the blogging community. It's kind of nerdy, probably, but I seriously LOVE it. Thank YOU for being here. :)

See you next week!

xo