Crafting Sanity

As many of you may know, I opened my Etsy shop back in April, and since then my shop has begun to take off! It never occurred to me that a hobby could be turned into a revenue stream. Fortunately, I am now in the process of expanding my product line and brand. It has been such a rewarding experience and has taught me a lot about myself along the way. The one thing I know for sure is that my OCD tendencies and perfectionism must stay outside of my crafting studio. You wouldn't dare want to repeat some of the things I have yelled at my Cricut machines. Here are a couple of tips and tricks I've learned to keep my crafting dojo a peaceful place:

1.  Make sure you have all the materials you need before starting a project.

• • Let you tell you firsthand that it blows when you are almost to the finishing line of a project and you realize you don't have the right mod-podge sealer, or you don't have enough vinyl, heaven forbid you bought the wrong color...
  • Before you start your project lay out EVERYTHING! The scissors, the glue, and every item or tool you will need to start your project. Because if you're like me and you craft until unearthly times in the morning and you don't have something Michael's isn't open at 3 am. Trust me I check - every. single. time. If you're extra amazing, you'll write a list of what you need for a whole crafting session and then go to the store! But trust me - you'll forget something anyways, and if you do move to step 5 immediately.

2. Give yourself adequate time and supplies for mistakes.

• • For most of the products that I sell in my shop, I go on autopilot when I'm filling them. So, I know how long each mat takes to cut in the Cricut down to the second. However, there are some days my machine decides it's super hungry and wants to eat all my card stock. Uh - rude much? It's the day I need the order to be shipped and I've gone through 8 sheets of card stock and my machine is still hell-bent on ripping every sheet. This is where I scream obscenities at my machine and my mom comes into the room asking if I'm okay - "Clearly not mom, but you're wonderful and I love you".
  • To avoid the all-night crafting rush give yourself more time and supplies than you think you need for a project. And hey if you end up with extras (time & supplies) pour a glass of wine and make a project for yourself. Cause after all you've earned it!

3.  Always keep your scrap projects. 

• • I cannot tell you how many times I have been just so unbelievably disappointed in something I made, and a friend comes in and is like "OMG is that the Mona Lisa?". Okay well, maybe not that impressed. But you get my point. Sometimes beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Cause lord knows there are several craft “Frankensteins” in my closet that I hope never to see the light of day. However, I have found lately that my scraps can usually be repurposed into something different. I have a dedicated scraps organizer in my craft closet that will one day be a part of something I am unbelievably proud of.

4.  It's okay to take a break. 

• • Some things you just must walk away from. Such as a Cricut with an unquenchable thirst for 80lb card stock. (Yes, I am still not over this.) To me, crafting/creating is something you very much must be in the right mindset to succeed at. Now while I can confirm that sad and grumpy crafting has its therapeutic benefits. It's not best to try something completely new when you aren't in your crafting mood. It's best to just walk away from a project and either start something else - or just walk away from crafting for the day together. And no - you're not giving up; you are simply pressing pause. It'll be there - ready to pick up whenever you are. Unless you have a cat that likes to push things off the table - it might be on the ground. Nevertheless, you deserve to break. Pushing through isn't always the answer.

5.  Give yourself grace. 

• • You're the crafty one in your family, right? The one everyone comes to and goes "Can you make this?" and you immediately say yes because you will not be bested by a measly Pinterest pin. And then the unthinkable happens - you struggle. Guess what? IT IS OKAY. Different crafts require different skill sets - and you may haven't honed that one yet. We are our own worst enemies in the crafting world. This is crooked, or you can see the glue-stick mark here, it doesn't look perfect. Guess what, yup I'm going to repeat it. IT IS OKAY. You are not going to perfectly make everything the first time. Heck, maybe not the 6th or 7th time. But you shouldn't expect perfection cause hey you're a crafter and the one thing you're amazing at is crafting up a solution. Take a deep breath - YOU'VE GOT THIS!

Best Crafting,

Ashley