Monday, September 13, 2010

When it's to expensive to craft

I have been wanting to make a few different things for a couple of months, but we haven't had the money to buy all of the materials at one time. Now don't get me wrong, the materials themselves are pretty cheap, but we haven't had it to spend. So what is a crafter to do?

That's been my dilemma. My solution... file these ideas away as projects-to-complete-later, sadly. I don't like the idea of half finished crafts, because they tend to get forgotten. Believe me, I know this happens at one point or another with all crafters, but it's especially likely when money gets tight like it has at our house.

I do get to create though. Whenever the need arises I get to. I tend to fix things that have been broken so we can reuse them rather than buy new to replace it. Crocheting, sewing, drawing are all cheap hobbies to have and can be done with little to nothing.

Right about now is when I usually start getting started on seasonal crafts. These times always spark my creativity, but what to do when you are strapped for cash?

I check what supplies I already have. And since I've been drawing a lot lately, I think the best way to keep that from getting stale, is to switch it up. Luckily for me, a while back my father got me some flesh tone polymer clay. I actually have quite a bit of it. So I think this is my cheap creative outlet for the season other that going out to buy new fabric, or canvas, or whatever you can dream up (limitless possibilities here).

Sometimes being forced to use what you got helps your own creativity. Think of it as a challenge. We don't craft for the object, not really, because it might be easier to go to the dollar store and get a mass produced item for a buck. We craft because we enjoy it, we make something personalized, and we make something one of a kind.

I love to be able to say I made something. Not everything has to have a purpose. Sometimes the purpose is to be pretty sometimes it's to help you learn a skill, and sometimes it's just to make you happy, busy your hands, and quiet your thoughts. Have fun being cheap peeps. Lol. I know I will.