The truth about DIY

As you may or may not know, I am OBSESSED with Pinterest. And, I’m not alone in this. Millions of other people use this site and can attest to the addictive nature of wanting to pin away countless hours. Luckily, I don’t have a job yet, but I can say that I’ve procrastinated on many papers during previous semesters. It’s a dangerous path, and I’m starting to wonder how productive it really is, despite all my justifying.

I have to be honest, I tried my first DIY project yesterday. I’ve probably done other things that could be considered do it yourself, but this was the first really conscious one I’ve done. Initially, I bought this lovely brown vine wreath and some dried lavender from Hobby Lobby eleven months ago. Yes, that’s right, eleven months ago. Oops. I wanted to make a beautiful fall wreath for my mom for her birthday, because being a college student I’ve been trying to find creative ways to give presents for some time. I don’t exactly have the means to buy my loved ones the latest tech devises. I have to get down and dirty and squeeze out the little creative juices I have (I’m not a visually creative person that is). So, here I was eleven months later at my hometown’s local craft shop in a sea of fake flowers. And I just have one question for you- why are fake flowers so expensive!! They are fake. Fake. That should make them cheaper, right? Well, apparently, I was unaware of the price of these cloth flowers because I ended up paying almost fifty dollars for them. I was pretty disappointed.

Why were you $50… Whhhyyyy.
I had the revelation that I could’ve gotten a nice wreath from Pottery Barn or Terrain for the exact same price, and without the scalding burn to my pinky from the hot glue gun.

Not only did I realize that the price would eventually come out to equal a professional purchased wreath, but that my perfectionism came out in all its fury. I was literally on the verge of throwing the whole thing across the dining room and giving up on ever creating anything again. I have this lovely vision in my head of what I want it to look like, just like many writers have a beautiful plot idea or character and cannot find the words to relay the intensity of it. Apparently, we are in the same boat after all.

I would like to sit here and give you a step-by-step tutorial of how to make a gorgeous fall wreath for your front door, but let’s be realistic. I am going to have to take a break from my own project and come back later with a fresh outlook and some florist wire (glue gun- you are fired). So, I step down from any future creative tutorial pedestal that is not somehow intuitive or easy for me. The only advice I can give you is you’ll need a vision, an insane amount of patience, an advisor that restrains you from destroying your artwork and downing the bottle of cognac sitting in the corner (this may explain why so many creative people drink!– Im proliferating a horrible stereotype, I know!) and a little more spending cash than expected for all of those veryunexpected ruts along the way. In short, general life advice to anyone.

My happy, excited Instagram post before I got started. Oh bitter hindsight.

What I eventually left it at. It’s being put out of sight while I recuperate from the mental/creative exhaustion. Seriously though, maybe I should stick to my writing shenanigans.
For all you seasoned DIYselfers out there, I bow out and will gladly sing your praises. For now, I will stick to giving M’s sage advice that he used while talking me down from my creative cliff- “Oh my goodness. You can’t expect to be able to make a perfect wreath on your first try. Like everything else, art takes practice.”

And yes, I just described a mental meltdown from trying to make a door wreath. This is why I’m not sure Pinterest is good for my sanity. Just a cautious warning.

Ha! Have a great week and I hope your creative journeys go much smoother!

Related posts on this topic from my posting past:
Pinterest gems
Pinterest Obsession Tid-bits
Juggling Hobbies