I love to craft. I love to design and decorate and add pretty to things. Sadly, I don’t have an abundance of time to do so. But every now and then I do try to carve out bits of time for such activities because it helps to keep my life in the emotionally/mentally/spiritually sane category. And YES, I include spirituality here because I believe that one of the ways we connect with God is through using our minds and bodies, our gifts and talents, to create things. Also, I love to use that hands on time to listen to General Conference talks or the Scriptures. See? Very spiritual;).
Unfortunately, in addition to the scarcity of time to thus indulge I have another rather significant problem.
I was not exactly blessed with the most creative mind in the universe. Or even my corner of the world…or neighborhood. Okay, not even in my own house. I essentially do not have a lot of cuteness oozing from my brain.
My excuse is that I do write music on occasion and that activity saps me of the majority of my right-brain-cell count. And I’m okay with this. Because there are others! Others with ideas and cleverness and design sense. These types of individuals used to work for Martha Stewart or HGTV, but now they have blogs! I used to watch Martha Stewart religiously to learn how to properly care for and decorate my home, but now I don’t have to sit through segments on wine pairing or homemade pet costumes until finally getting to the seven minute tutorial on how to create the perfect scrapbook page (SO glad I don’t scrapbook anymore–that skill was just not coming). And because of the brilliant emergence of Pinterest onto the home making scene, those of us who lack the natural proclivities toward producing adorable things but who still want our homes to be inviting can now steal borrow inspiration from the talents of these prolific people. Hurray! Oh, how I love Pinterest!
However, that magical website is kind of like dark chocolate for me (or dried fruit, or marshmallows, or basically any kind of nut). Because I know I love it so much, I must limit it’s availability and use. My partaking must consist of tiny little portions, every day. You see, it must be every day. Because just as withholding my dark chocolate for more than a day will result in overconsumption the following day, going a whole day without at least glancing through the Pinterest idea den will yield a similar outcome. But in this case instead of ensuing guilt, a yucky tummy, and damage control exercising it would mean heavier guilt, whiny babies, and messy/sticky/cluttered spaces because mom has been otherwise occupied. Not good. So I must use prudence and wisdom as I raid other females’ creativity coffers, filling my decorating and crafting needs.
With all this being said, I am pleased to report that I don’t typically participate in 100% copy and paste design. In fact, sometimes–and I mean very rarely, but still on the record–I come up with something entirely on my own! (I’m always amazed when that happens.) But most of the time my home creations and styling consist of bits and pieces of inspiration to which I have added my own touches. I can seldom, if ever, recollect the exact origination of an idea or project. In strict terms I suppose this means I am, more or less, a homemaking plagiarist. But at least I am contributing a portion of originality, as penurious as it may be.
Lately I’ve been moderately caught up in satiating my Fall decor cravings. Since the weather hasn’t quite matched my enthusiasm for the upcoming season, no matter how many mornings I force the long pants and cardigan wearing, I’ve had to compensate with crafting:).
So here’s a quick look at a few little creations I’ve recently added to our autumn abode…
First up, our new porch decor! I’ve never been very motivated when it comes to decorating my porch, but this year I decided to give it a try. I kind of love it:).
And a new fall wreath. I love wreaths. My husband would say maybe a little
too much.
On to the Entry…
Nothing here is actually new, but somehow this cute little guy is still one of my favorites.
And the front room…
Dollar store pumpkins and gold metallic paint are a great combination.
My own sweet, little “hello Fall” print:).
New groupings around the hearth in the great room…
And finally, my favorite project as of late…these adorable stuffed pumpkins!
I used old clothing fabric, twine, and bark chips for these plump friends:).
So, what have you been creating lately?
“And the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work…
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship…
And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
And the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work…
Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.”
{Exodus 35:29-35}