Why and what I DIY
Mostly I craft for the fun of it. I also do it because I hate waste and love to save money. It makes me feel good when I turn something on its last legs (physically or metaphorically), into an item I’ll continue to enjoy.
Whenever I show people what I’ve renewed, non-crafty types always say, “Oh, you’re so clever. I could never do that!”
My response is, “Really? You couldn’t sand down a $5 garage sale dresser and paint the drawers different colors, then mask them off with tape? Seriously?”
For the most part, I believe that crafters are made, not born. Anyone can do it and with the growth of Pinterest, not to mention the Internet itself, there are no more excuses. (Unless of course, you just hate the whole idea!)
If you’ve been following this blog for long, you know I offer DIY craft projects all the time, but today I want to show you some of the things I’ve re-imagined for our home. I hope you’ll be inspired to work a little DIY magic the next time you are tired of a chair or want to perk up your hallway.
“What is that?” is the question I’m most often asked by guests new to our living room. Here’s the story. For about 20 years, as we moved house to house, state to state, I dragged along a silk tree we’d bought from Costco. It stood gathering dust in the corner and probably added little to the design of the room.
When we moved to our current home, I almost left it behind because I was changing the “style” from country to modern and I just didn’t see the tree fitting in, but last minute unsure how to dispose of it, we hauled it across the state.
After we’d unpacked the moving van and I’d started to place the furniture, from out of nowhere I got the idea to strip off all the fake green leaves and replace them with fake leaves made from photographs and magazine pages. It took me a month to get the leaves cut out and glued on.
I have dubbed the result our folk art conversation piece. Here’s how it looks in the space.
The last piece I want to show you does not qualify as a craft. I didn’t make it. But when I saw it, wrapped around a desk chair I’d bought, I just couldn’t toss it into the recycling bin. The texture mesmerized me. (I know, get a life.)
My husband thought I was completely nuts to hang it on the wall.
But this “art piece” elicits even more questions than the tree, which for me is part of the point.
The moral of the story is, when it comes to decorating, look to what you own, what you can pick up inexpensively, what you can play with, try and re-do. Whatever you can personalize in any way, will become not just part of your home, but part of your story.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
