Stop DIY Guilt!

Here we are: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Or is it the Most Complicated Time of the Year? Most hectic? Most filled-with-impossibly-high-expectations? All of the above?

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This year, our family decided to focus on simplicity. There’s a lot we’re not doing this year. And part of me wants to feel guilty about that.

As we’ve worked to scale back, I’ve realized that simple is relative.

What you just whip up might be a challenge for me (and vice versa). What was no problem last year might be hard to work in this year.

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As much as I believe in homemade goodness and love sharing ways to be creative and add a personal touch (there’s a reason I started a craft blog – even if it’s a travel blog too), it’s okay to not make something from scratch. It makes me sad how much we beat ourselves up when we don’t go the 100% DIY route. And judge others when they do.

Here’s the thing: make the cake yourself or use the cake mix or buy the cake or skip the cake. This is not a moral issue. Go with what works for you. Make what makes you smile. Try not to stress and not to judge.

Still feeling guilty? I’ll write you a permission slip. Just write your name in the blank.

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You’re welcome. Have a simply wonderful holiday season!

Making gift bags at Craft Hack

Paper craft demo

Showing my Craft Hack group how to make gift bags last month was a lot of fun! It turned out to be a collaborative experience (which I love!) with crafters coming up with their own techniques and helping each other out. A few even brought supplies to supplement what I had.

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making paper gift bags at Craft Hack

We started with regular paper lunch bags and used paper crafting techniques to make them gift worthy!

I always love the simplicity and down-to-earth look of brown paper. (I’ve even incorporated the look into my Bold Avenue branding.) It can be such a great backdrop to highlight colorful elements. But I’ve been on even more of a brown paper bag craft kick lately with this and the paper sack travel journals and a few other projects I’ve been wanting to make but haven’t squeezed in yet.

making paper gift bags at Craft Hack

In addition to the classic brown lunch sacks, I brought red paper bags that I had picked up at Target. (If I remember correctly, they also sell blue, white, black, and maybe green ones, but it might depend on the time of year.) Red is such a great color for so many holidays – it can work with an autumn palette or go Christmasy.

making paper gift bags at Craft Hack

I love how everyone drew inspiration from the tools and materials – deciding to stencil leaves, incorporate gold paper for a more festive look, cut out patterns from scrapbook paper, or create a collage.

I hope whatever gifts they place inside these bags will be a little more special because of the heart they put into the wrapping.

 

Top photo by Anne Watson Barber.